Alec POV
"Alec? Alec, could I have a word with you in my office please?" Roberts's voice rose from the other side of his bedroom door. He looked towards it curious of what his father wanted from him. He was currently laying on top of his bed, looking towards the ceiling following the patterns and swirls that covered it with his eyes.
Magnus had a couple of clients to deal with, which meant that he couldn't go over until he was done. So he decided to wait where no one would bother him, but obviously he had been unsuccessful. Though, he knew that Jace had taken Clary on a date and Isabelle had gone out with Simon. Robert was the last person he thought he'd hear from.
He looked towards the door as if he could see right through it. "Be right there," he called before hearing footsteps retreating down the hall. He frowned and climbed up from the bed to his feet clutching his phone in his hand. He looked down at it before deciding to leave it on his bedside table. He would be right back and he didn't want it to go off in the middle of his and his dad's conversation. That probably wouldn't go down to well.
He walked towards the door, pulling it open and walked out into the corridor. His boots tapped on the wooden surface of the wooden floor as he made his way to his father's office. The echo bouncing off the towering walls of the corridor before fading into nothing.
He stopped just outside of the office before placing three hard knocks to the centre of the door. He waited for a moment, before raising his hand to knock again pausing when his father's booming voice came from the other side of the door.
"Come in Alec," Robert said and he pushed open the door and walked inside. "And shut the door behind you," Robert continued the seriousness of his tone making him nervous.
He shut the door before walking further into the office. His dad was sitting behind his enormous desk that had always made him feel incredibly small. The room would have seemed rather big if it weren't for the desk, but looking at it now the room it didn't look bigger than average sized living room.
"What do you want to talk about?" He asked taking a seat on the black stool that was placed on the opposite side of the desk to his father. He looked over at his dad and noticed the slight angst in his eyes.
He'd didn't get along with his father too well due to his sexuality, but had long decided to become civil. Though, he knew that he had been getting more of a cold shoulder ever since he started dating Magnus, and he wasn't sure if it was because Magnus was a downworlder or if it was because he was extremely eccentric and didn't hide who he was.
"I'm not going to sugar-coat this for you Alec, I want you to break up with the warlock," Robert said and his heart sank. Just the thought of not being with Magnus made his stomach churn with sadness. He knew that breaking up with him wasn't something that he wasn't prepared for and his dad had no right to ask it of him.
"And why would I do that?" He said his hands gripping the sides of the stool so tightly that his finger began to ache.
"Because I told you to, and it would be in your best interest to do what I say," the anger finally flared in his father's eyes, like nothing he had ever seen before. His finger was pointed at him to exclaim his seriousness.
He narrowed his eyes and stood back up from the stool. "Don't threaten me! I love Magnus more than anything, and you think I'm going to give up all that we have because you told me to? You're insane," he yelled and shook his head in disbelief. Their conversation had quickly escalated. He turned away and headed towards the office door not wanting to hear what else his father had to say. He was about to reach for the door handle when he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt and yank him backwards. A second hand yanked at his hair and before he could even think about struggling he was thrown up against a wall, a heavy weight against his back holding him in place.
"Don't you ever think you can speak to me like that!" Robert sneered into his ear his voice low and deadly. He took a sharp breath in as the shock of what had just happened wore of and fear took hold of his body. His father's elbow dug painfully into his back as he tried to struggled out of the grip, but found that he couldn't. "Oh you forget dear Alec, that I taught you everything you know," Robert continued his voice taunting him because it was true. There wasn't anything that he could do that his father couldn't contradict with something better.
"Let me go," he ground out between his teeth trying to kick out at his dad but was rewarded with a knee to the shin. He groaned and he felt his dad lean further in towards him the weight on his back increasing.
"I'm going to ask you again, hopefully you've sorted out your answer," his father said his breath hitting his ear with each word. He cringed and rested his head against the wall. "Break up with the warlock, sever any and all contact. Don't think I won't be checking either," Robert said and he felt his heart break. He felt tears rising in his eyes at the shock of what was being asked of him and the methods his own father was going to in order to get it done.
But his love for Magnus was to strong and he knew that if he agree and tried to date Magnus in secret Robert would find out and the outcome wouldn't be pleasant. He took a breath and forced back the tears.
"No, I won't do it," he grounded out angrily. There was a moment of silence before he felt this grip in his hair tightened.
"I really wished I wouldn't have to do this," his dad sighed and suddenly his mind went fuzzy. Robert had slammed his head against the wall. His head was spinning and he was sure that he would have fallen to the ground if his father hadn't continued to hold him up. A sound came out of his own mouth that was between a moan and a whimper and he could feel blood running form his mouth and nose. "You see the only other way to do this is to get rid of one of you, and since you're my son and there's no way I can get around killing you. I guess it will have to be the warlock," the tone was so serious that it cut him like a knife and he tried to struggle again. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Magnus without trying to do something about it.
"Ok, ok I'll break up with him. I'll do it, just don't hurt him," he said knowing what the man behind him was capable of. He knew that he'd learnt a lot of different techniques of harm and protection during his time in the Circle.
"I don't believe you, we've past that stage and you said no. Maybe you'd be able to do it for a short while, but then you'd reconcile and continue your filthy acts," he cringed at his dads wording. The thought that his own father thought that his love with Magnus was filthy made his heart ache.
"No, I'd do anything to keep him safe! Please, I'll never see him again if that's what it takes for you to leave him alone," he screamed hoping that something would get through to his father.
"Maybe I believe you, maybe I don't. Maybe I just want to kill that bastard for tainting my son, and maybe I don't," his dad talked slow grounding each work from the lack of gap between his teeth. "Maybe I want to kill him for making my son dead to me," Robert finished and he finally let the tears that he'd been holding back run down his face.
He was pulled from the wall and thrown to the floor without much effort. He sobbed as his dad proceeded to kick him in the stomach and legs. He curled into himself not wanting to try and hurt his own father no matter what he did to him. When the blows finally stopped coming his body had started to grow numb.
"Well, I have an appointment with a warlock. You know it's not easy to get an appointment, it took way longer than I would have liked," his father said and it was like his body had come to life again.
"You're his afternoon client?" He said his voice trembling as he came to terms with the new information.
"Indeed I am, and I'll be his last client," his father smiled an evil grin and he forced himself to his feet, not knowing where the energy was coming from, before lunging at the man. He threw punches where ever he could, hoping that he could get a good enough hit to take Robert down.
His hopes were smashed when he was kicked backwards and fell to the floor hitting the stool on the way down and forcing it to the floor with him. The carpet drowned the sound of both him and the stool hitting the floor. Suddenly he wished that the office had the same wooden floor of the halls so that someone might have heard it, a cleaner? Someone had come home? Anyone that could help him.
He felt hands on him, going through his pockets. "Stop," he said lashing out his head spinning at the action.
"Where's your phone?" Roberts asked and there was a hand in his hair again lift his head.
"It don't have it," he said pained, his hand on his father's wrist trying to get him to let go. "I left it in my room," he added and Robert let him go. His head fell to the carpet the soft material hugging his face.
"Good. I hope you told him you loved him the last time you saw him," Robert said and he heard the smirk in his voice. He force himself to turn over and look his father in the eyes. Even the look in his dads dark eyes looked like this was a big joke.
"I did, just after we fucked," he said in spite hoping that he could hurt him through words if he couldn't physically get the upper hand. He was glad when the smile was wiped from his father's face. Anger flared in his eyes and he didn't even see his foot coming. Darkness hit him like an anvil and he fell into nothingness.
….
Magnus' POV
He tapped his fingers on top of the kitchen table in no particular order, the sound coming out like a three year old banging on a drum kit. His afternoon client was late and he didn't like being kept waiting. Especially when it was preventing him from seeing Alec. He looked at his watch and groaned, if the client wasn't here in five minutes he was just going to call Alec and tell him to come over.
He missed Alec when he wasn't here, and even though he had seen him that morning he still had an ache to look deeply into his beautiful baby blue eyes. He was brought out of the daydream of his shadowhunter when a buzzing noise filled his apartment.
"Finally," he groaned to himself and made his way to the living room where his front door stood. "You're late," he said pushing the button to the downstairs door eager to get this over with. He couldn't be bothered with the name exchanges until the person was actually up here.
He opened the door slightly so that his client could get in and turned to the table where the items that he had used for his last client sat sprawled across it. He wasn't quite sure what this client wanted but he had been constantly pestering him for an appointment. He let him cut the long waiting list just so he could get him to stop.
He heard the door creak behind him, before his front door was slammed back shut. He raised his eyebrows and turned to face his client. "Steady on," he said a smirk on his lip which was wiped straight off when he saw who it was.
"I know you, right?" He said taking a step toward him. "You're Alec's dad; Robert? If I would have known that you wouldn't have had to make an appointment," he said a little nervous that he was now in the presence of his lover's father. He knew that Alec and his dad didn't really get along, but the last he had heard the two of them were civil, which meant that he was civil with him too.
"Yes but you would have told him about it, and I couldn't have that," the man's tone was dark and menacing and if looks could kill, he would be more than dead.
"Look," he said holding his hands up to show that he wasn't any harm. "I know you don't like me and Alec being together, but I'm not going to hurt him. I'm in love with him," he finished hoping the stare would have faded but the man's eyes just grew darker.
"If you love him then you'll let me do this," Robert said and lunged forward. He was forced to the floor shock taking over when a fist hit his face. Robert got a couple more hits in before he was able to grab the man's wrist and push it away.
"What are you doing?" He spat, blood filling his mouth from his split lip. Robert growled and tried to hit him with his other fist.
"You did this, you tainted my son and killed my love for him," Robert screamed spit raining down on him. He would have cringed if the words hadn't cut so deep.
Blue sparks rose from his finger tips and he pushed out trying to send Robert flying to the other side of the room. His eyes widened when nothing happened and Robert smiled down at him. "What the hell?" He said letting his sparks fade and kicked out. Luckily Robert wasn't expecting it and fell off him. He scrambled to his feet. "What kind of magic are you playing with?" He said taking a step back while Robert slowly climbed to his feet.
"I learnt many things while working in the Circle, including runes that stopped warlock magic from having an effect on you. I have to say that I wasn't sure if it would work, but I'm impressed," Robert said moving towards him. He stood his ground, frowning at the man advancing on him.
Robert raised his fist again and he held his hands out ready to block him. "What are you trying to do?" He yelled. He didn't want to hurt his boyfriend's father, but he also wasn't sure if he could, not enough without the use of his magic anyway.
Robert lowered his fist and frowned. "You're right, let just get this over with," Robert gave him a grim smile before his hand went around his back and he pulled out a large dagger. It glimmered in the lighting of the flat and was covered in runes from the top to the bottom of the blade.
He knew that if he were to get stabbed with it he would be in trouble. He took a step back, glaring at it. Where did he manage to get it from?
"Alec would never forgive you if you killed me," he said and Robert's frown deepened.
"He'll never forgive me for what I've done today already," Robert said his eyes narrowing as if everything was his fault. His heart jumped at the words.
"What's that supposed to mean? Where is Alec?" He said the respect he had for him being Alec's father slowly draining away.
Robert hummed probably wondering if he should tell him or not. "Well he's probably still on my office floor. I didn't mean to beat him so much but he couldn't keep his mouth shut and do what I asked of him," Robert finished and his hands were in fists at his sides.
He wanted to run and find him. Scoop his lover into his arms and tell him that he love him and that he wouldn't ever let his father lay another hand on him. But he stood frozen.
"I want you to know that this is your fault this has to happen," Robert continued taking another step forward before suddenly thrusting the dagger deep into his shoulder with unreal speed. He would have been able to block it even if he wasn't in shock. He screamed in pain as the dagger was ripped out again and he fell to his knees. His wound was glowing and the pain clouded his vision. That was definitely not a normal dagger. "Alec just wouldn't give you up. Well, not until I told him I was going to kill you, then he was more than happy to give you up," Robert continued giving him a hard push on the shoulder.
He didn't even have the energy to keep himself upright and fell backwards onto his wooden floor. He groaned mad at himself for not being able to fight back, wishing that he could try harder.
"To kill a warlock with this blade," Robert said twirling it within his fingers. "You have to stab them three times," Robert smiled as if it was a pleasure to see him in pain. Robert leaned in closer to him and he forced his legs to work, pushing himself away with all the strength that he had left.
"I don't understand why you're doing this," he said between clenched teeth. He held his glowing, bleeding shoulder with one hand and used the other to support him as he backed away across the room.
"I'm doing this for Alec, and so people don't look at our family as if I would allow such disgusting acts. You and my son are tainting out family name, and if someone doesn't do something about it, we'll never be taken seriously again," Anger grew in Robert's eyes as he said them.
Robert launched towards him and he turned away, rolling across the floor just as the blade hit the wooden floor. The blade went through it like butter leaving a deep slit in the floor. The agony of putting pressure on his wound was almost unbearable and he couldn't stop his attacker as he was roughly grabbed and flipped over before the blade was stabbed into his other shoulder. Again the wound began to glow and he screamed out in pain.
He wanted to see Alec one last time before he died. He knew that it wasn't possible so he decided imagining their memories together would be good enough, like when he first laid eyes on him at his party, the moment Alec finally called him, their first date, the first time they made love.
Robert raised the blade for the third and final time. He let a tear fall from the corner of his eye. "You can kill me, but you will never be able to kill what Alec and I had together. It was better than any reputation that you could ever have," he said angrily the pain almost getting too much. He just wanted it to be over.
Robert smiled and rose the knife a little higher getting momentum. "Goodbye warlock," Robert said and he closed his eyes letting the darkness take him before he would be able to feel the pain of the final blow to his heart.
…
Alec POV
"Alec! Alec, can you hear me?" The voice was loud forcing him out of his unconscious state. He opened his eyes slowly flinching at the light. "Alec! What the hell happened?" The voice continued and he groaned. His whole body was in pain but when the memories of what happened flooded back his eyes widened.
Jace was leaning over him, Isabelle just behind him a hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes. Clary and Simon didn't seem to be there but he was glad, he didn't want more people seeing his shame.
"I have to go," he said trying to push Jace out of the way. His head glance to the clock and his heart skipped a beat. It had been around thirty minutes since he had entered the room to talk with his dad, which meant that his dad had already had around twenty minutes to get to Magnus. It normally only took him fifteen minutes to walk there.
His stomach clenched and he whimpered. Jace grabbed his arm to stop him as he finally got to his feet and tried to run out of the room. "What the hell happened to you?" Jace yelled but he pushed him backwards and ran towards the door.
Isabelle was the next person to stop him by closing the door before he could get out of it. "Get out of the way! He's going to kill him!" He screamed and Isabelle frowned.
"Who going to kill who?" She said and he sunk to his knees sobs rising in his throat even though he was trying his hardest to keep them down.
"Robert," he whimpered looking up at his siblings. "Magnus," he said not being able to string the words into a functioning sentence. Tears had flooded his face turning his vison cloudy. He felt like his heart was going to explode at the thought of not ever being able to hold and kiss Magnus again.
He launched to his feet and lunged for the door. Jace grabbed his arms as Isabelle pulled out her stele and began to draw and an Iratze on his neck, and then another on his stomach after Isabelle had pulled his shirt up and saw the deep forming bruises on his torso.
The pain throughout his body turn into a warm glow but not having the pain to focus on only made his heart heavier. "Please, let me go. I have to save him," he said as Jace let his arms go but put a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened? Who beat the shit out of you? I felt it, I had to come back as see what was happening," Jace said and he bowed his head happy that his parabati had come to save him.
"Robert said he wanted to speak to me," he said speaking fast so that he could go as soon as possible. "He said that I had to break up with Magnus, but when I said I wouldn't he beat the crap out of me and said he was going to kill Magnus just to get our filthy acts to stop," he finished and Jace's eyes had gone wide, while tears ran down Isabelle's face. "I got to go," he said and opened the door running out of it as fast as he could, nobody bothered to stop him this time. Instead they both ran out after him.
His breathing was hard when he finally reached Magnus' but it had only taken him around five minutes to get there. He pulled out his keys, glad that Magnus had given him a set after their dating had become serious. He didn't wait a second before yanking the door open and running up the stairs, taking three at a time. He could hear Isabelle's and Jace's footsteps behind him tapping rapidly as they scaled the staircase.
When he finally got to Magnus' door he took a quick breath before forcing the door open. His father was leaning over his boyfriend, a runed dagger high in the air ready to plunge it into his heart.
"NOOOO!" He yelled running forwards at the dagger started to come down. The sound of him must have been a shock because the motion of the dagger slowed, but didn't stop. He got there just before it hit and tackled his dad away from his motionless boyfriend.
The dagger had slipped from Roberts hand and rolled across the floor. He instantly started to throw punches at the man. He could see Isabelle and Jace rush over to Magnus in the corner of his eye, who didn't look like he was breathing. He must have been too late.
"I. HATE. YOU!" He yelled between punches. Robert groaned and grabbed his wrists digging his nails in.
"And I hate you Alec, you'll be the downfall of the family name," Robert said and he tried to pull his wrists from the man's hands.
"You've already done that yourself! And don't worry about me, I'm gone. You won't have to see me anymore, not after you've done this!" He screamed tears still running down his face.
Suddenly Jace was at his side a phone clutched in his hand. "I'd let him go if I was you Robert, the clave are on their way and aren't going to be happy about what you've done," Jace said and he could tell that Jace was holding back from attacking the man.
Robert let go and looked at Jace hurt. "Jace, I'm your father," Robert said and Jace scoffed taking a step back.
"You're not my father, you're not anyone's father," Jace said turning to him and put a hand on his arm before helping him to his feet. Robert sat there shocked at the words and didn't even try to make a run for it, the Clave would find him wherever he went.
He felt faint and turned towards Magnus who was still lying motionless on the floor. His normally dark skin had turned pale as if the life had just been sucked out of him. He walked forward with Jace's help and made his way to Magnus. He dropped to his knees beside him and a sob escaped his throat.
"Magnus, I love you so much," he said taking a limp hand and hugging it to his chest, it was slightly warm and smelled as smoke as if he had used magic to try to get his father to stop. "Is he dead?" He whispered. He didn't look Isabelle in the eye as he asked the question he'd wanted to ask as soon as he'd ran through the door.
"He's alive, but barely. I don't know how to fix him. It might just be up to him," Isabelle finished and he sobbed again tightening his grip on his boyfriend's hand.
"It is up to him," the voice came from Robert who was leaning up against the wall looking far off into the distance. "The dagger needed to stab him three times to kill him, but I only stabbed him twice. If he wants to live it's possible, but he'll have to fight," Robert continued and he glared at the man.
"How many times for a shadowhunter? Because I swear if he dies…," he said more tears cascading down his face. He looked at the man who had tried to murder his boyfriend and didn't feel anything for him. That's not his father, that's a monster.
…
Magnus POV
He could hear voices but couldn't reach out to them or figure out who they were. He could only hope that his darling Alec was by his side. He could feel something soft beneath him like he was lying in a bed, or maybe he was dead? It was so dark, as if his mind was a black hole. But there was no pain in the darkness and for that he was grateful. The pain of that dagger going through his skin was nothing like he had ever felt before.
He paused his thought and listened as suddenly the voices got clearer. "Alec, Roberts been taken away by the Clave. We can take Magnus to the institute now if you want," Jace's voice filled his mind and he had never been so glad to hear him in his life.
"No, he won't get better any faster depending on where he is. He'll stay here, and I'm going to stay with him," Alec's voice was tired and full of sadness. It tugged at his heart and he willed himself to open his eyes so that he could look at his lovers face and tell him that everything was going to be alright.
The last thing he could remember was Robert about to stab him in the heart with the dagger, the final blow that would have killed him painfully, but quickly. Something must have happened because though he was stuck in darkness, it didn't feel like death. It felt more like he was stuck in a dream. What he was listening to might not even be real.
"Do you want me to go back to the institute to get you some clothes? Yours are still covered in yours and Magnus' blood," Jace said quietly his voice nearly didn't reach him. He remembered Robert saying that he had beaten Alec, but he had surely been given an Iratze by now.
"Yeah, I just want to be alone with him," Alec said his tone was high as if he was trying to keep himself from crying.
"Ok, well I'll tell Isabelle not to bother you, but she's going to hang around in the living room," Jace's tone was soft. It made him extremely glad that Alec had such a wonderful parabati that cared about him so much. Someone who would do anything from him, so even if he didn't make it and he didn't wake up, he knew that Alec wouldn't be alone.
He heard a door close signalling that Jace must have left, before he felt the bed bend slightly as someone climbed on next to him. "I'm so sorry Magnus, this is all my fault," Alec said and he felt a tear drip on his neck. Arms wrapped around his waist and held him lightly, like Alec thought if he held him any tighter he might break.
He wanted to cry. Why couldn't he wake and tell this beautiful man that none of this was his fault? He tried looking around in his mind to find a way to force his eyes open, but saw nothing but darkness.
A hand cupped his cheek lightly, Alec's thumb brushing softly and slowly. "All of this because of hate, all of this hurt because I was too selfish to want to let you go," Alec sobbed and his heart cried out for him. He looked around desperately for light, or anything that could resemble a way out of his own mind.
As soon as he thought of light a tiny orb appeared. He quickly imagined it getting bigger and bigger, the orb doing the same as his mind followed its own instructions. Soon it was big enough to step through and he walked in, letting the light engulf him.
Suddenly pain rushed back to him and he groaned. The noise was the signal that he was waking up, but the panic coming from Alexander and him yelling out for Isabelle which meant that he'd scared him. The pain was agonising and he tried to curl in on himself, wrapping his hands tightly around his legs and tightening into a ball. All he wanted was to hold Alec in his arms but the pain was too much.
"Magnus! You have to tell yourself to heal, you have to want to get better! Imagine the pain fading into nothing!" Isabelle's voice came from behind him before he felt hers and Alec's hands on him pulling him out of the ball he was in.
"I can't!" He said through clenched teeth fighting against them to try and get into the ball position again. "It hurts so badly," he cried out sweat forming on his forehead and a pang of guilt filled his body as a sob came from Alec's mouth.
"Yes you can Magnus! Please, I can't lose you," Alec cried. He'd never seen him so vulnerable, he was always so headstrong and determined.
Alec was kneeling on the bed next to him and he groaned in pain as he forced himself from his lying position to pull Alec down next to him. "Please," he said his teeth still clenched. "Lie here with me," he said and Alec laid down next to him. He wrapped his arms around him, his hands turning into fists as the pain continued.
Closing his eyes he took in what Isabelle had said.
Imagine the pain fading into nothing.
He formed the image of himself without any pain, he imagined himself healed from the wounds to his shoulders. He heard himself scream out him pain but it seemed far of in the distance, like he was fading back into his dream. Only he could wake up when he wanted.
Imagine the pain fading into nothing.
He screamed again and his eyes shot open. He sat up straight, Alec falling from his arms and his breath heavy. He fell back down into lying position almost immediately, but the pain was gone.
"Ohh, you're a genius," he said looking to Isabelle who was looking over him a worried look plastered on his face. "How did you know that would work?" He asked his breathing heavy and Isabelle face relaxed considerably.
"The knife, I looked it up and it told me what to do," Isabelle said out of breath. He turned to Alec, his face wet with dark circles around his eyes. He looked exhausted too, but he didn't blame him. He reached out and pulled him into a hug. As soon as Alec's face hit his shoulder his lover began to cry.
"This isn't your fault, none of this was your fault," he said rubbing circle on his back. Isabelle gave him a smile and a small pat on the shoulder before walking out of the room leaving them alone. "I love you so much Alec, nothing can break us. Not all the hate in the world could keep me from loving you," he soothed an Alec backed out of his arms and looked into his eyes.
"I love you too Magnus, I'm so sorry," Alec said bowing his head. He put a finger under his lovers chin and raising it until they were looking into one another's eyes.
"Alec, you saved me, and even if you couldn't then it still wouldn't have been your fault, ok?" He said and waited until Alec nodded. "Ok, I don't want to hear you saying his was your fault. I love you too much to want you to live with such a lie," he continued before pulling Alec into another hug.
They held each other for hours until the sun started to set. He heard Jace come back and talk to Isabelle but she must have told him not to come in because he didn't make an appearance.
"I love you Magnus," Alec said sleepily before falling asleep curled into his side. He smiled and snuggled down with him, feeling his lover's heart against him comforted him.
"I love you too Alexander," he replied and closed his eyes happy to fall asleep with his lover in his arms, knowing that they could start to get past this and move on to the next chapter in their lives. Hate couldn't break them, nothing could their love was too strong.
