Author's Note: I couldn't sleep last night because of this idea. So I decided to type it out. It was...Painfully hard to do so, but I got it through.
Disclaimer: The books belong to Cassie. Thanks.
The Best Day Ever
Their shadows raked across the white marble floor of their porch, and as they sat together, their fingers found each others. And there they held on, fingers laced. The warm light from the sun shone down on them, and as they gazed out into the empty field, Magnus Bane loops his other hand around Alec's waist and pulls them even closer. The Shadowhunter rests his head on Magnus's shoulder, and they enjoy their silence.
The view of the lake was beautiful, and breathtaking like this. The way the light from the sun made it sparkle, the way water looked so peaceful. It was like a thousand diamonds had been thrown into the water.
"It's beautiful," Alec murmured into his shoulder, and Magnus's lips pressed fondly on his forehead.
"Yes, you are, too." Magnus said softly, his hold on Alec's waist tightening as they leaned against each other. He could feel the soft shaking of Alec's body as it rocked with laughter, and then everything was silent again.
Magnus closed his eyes, his face pressed against Alec's head. Alec held on to him, his fingers playing with Magnus's longer and slender ones. Not calloused, not like his. He brought the hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss there, before turning it over, pressing a small kiss to each finger tip. Magnus smiled against Alec's hair, Alec's actions rewarded with a kiss to his temple once more.
"Magnus, I'm tired." Alec finally breathed, and Magnus pulled away from him slightly, opening his eyes. He didn't see the rich, warm glow of the sun anymore. There was only the dim lighting that came from their house – their home. He stood up, his hand not leaving Alec's waist. And Alec followed, almost clinging to Magnus.
"It's been a long day." It was mostly a lie. They had spent the day in perfect silence – silence from the world with other people. Silence from their jobs as High Warlock and Shadowhunter. All they had was each other. And they had spent it lounging around, just talking. They spent it together.
"I wish we had more days like these." Magnus smiled as they pushed past the door, the warlock even turning the knob.
The house was immaculate in color; a place they could call their home, just the two of them. Magnus's apartment had been abandoned; it was too small for the two of them, though Alec did find it cozy. But no. Magnus just came up with that excuse to move in to a larger house.
When they reached the couch, Alec lowered himself on it and Magnus leaned down to press a kiss on his lover's mouth now. Alec's fingers found their way to Magnus's hair, and he laced them there. And forgetting that the couch actually stretched long enough to accommodate (most) of the warlock's tall height, Magnus sat himself on Alec's legs, his fingers encircling the Shadowhunter's neck.
He opened his mouth in a gasp as Alec tugged at his hair, and then their tongues met, and the warmth from the contact spread like wildfire.
No sooner than five minutes after, Magnus was splayed on the couch, his fingers now raking across Alec's bare back as Alec closed his eyes, feeling pure ecstasy come as he entered.
When Magnus woke up, he found Alec out, gone. And he was by himself again, fixing coffee, awaiting clients and their calls. Alec was out but before he left, he distinctly remembers Alec telling him that there was a demon attack in Central Park. Nothing out of the ordinary, though he did like it better when he woke up in Alec's arms. Oh well, that could be for tomorrow.
Magnus busied himself, and the first thing he thought of was to do his hair. And it was done, not in minutes, mind you! It took him a good hour and a half to put them in their spiked up glory, glitters and all. The makeup didn't take a lot of time, because all he opted for today was a thin ring of eyeliner, a thinner layer of glitter, and then a barely noticeable smack of lip-gloss, just enough to give his lips a certain shine.
His phone rang like crazy that day, and as he ushered his last client out – a vampire, too. – He crashed on the couch, the night before hitting him like a wave of good vibes.
This was the longest that Alec was out, and Magnus didn't really like the worry that started to clutch at his heart, the panic that was starting to rise. But he's been with Alec for more than five years, he knew Alec could fight – could hold his own. A demon attack in Central Park was nothing serious. Alec had faced a Greater Demon once, and lived!
Because you healed him, A voice in his head pointed out, and Magnus rolled over to the other side of the couch, catching himself before falling. He groaned.
And the next minute he was rolling around, restlessly, on their much roomier bed, much comfier than the couch.
No, it's okay. Alec was fine.
A ringing made him stir, and he realized that he had fallen asleep. Eyes squinting, he reached for his phone, and then rolled over to the other side of the bed, feeling it cold, like it hadn't met body contact for a few hours. He felt a small sigh of disappointment leave his lips – Alec wasn't back yet.
But then his phone was still ringing. It must be Alec, calling to say that he was in the Institute. Magnus shot the thought down, that Alec never stayed in the Institute over night when they moved in to this bigger house.
His fingers found his phone and he squinted against the harsh light of the phone. For a moment, he smiled, the phone's background a picture of him and Alec, the Shadowhunter soaked to his bones and stumbling out of the water while Magnus posed for the camera. And then he frowned again, because he noticed the time – Two in the morning, and it wasn't even Alec who was calling. It was Isabelle.
He answered it anyway, though, just like all the other times Alec's family had called, needing his help. And it was a distress call, he knew, because who would call at two in the morning just to say hi? 'Oh hi, Magnus, how's dream land?' No, it did not go like that.
"M-M-Magnus? This is Isabelle," Her voice was so shrill, and he could feel, he could even see her in his mind's eye, her hand shaking.
Her voice cracked.
"Magnus? Magnus? Are you there?"
Magnus found his voice after the girl's hysteria. "Good morning, Isabelle."
"Oh thank god. Magnus, I need you."
Five points for Magnus for getting the reason of the call right!
"Give me a moment to get my hair done," Magnus was already rolling out of the bed, the phone pressed against his cheek. He staggered when his feet touched the floor, but he regained his balance soon enough.
Isabelle's next words, though, had him reaching for the doorknob even before he'd gotten anything but the shirt he discarded before going to bed, as well as the used pants. He didn't bother with his hair, or with his makeup, no. Doors flung as he ran out of the house, and then into the night, before he finally disappeared after a turn.
"Alec…Alec needs help. Bad. Please, Magnus."
"Magnus? I made coffee. And you don't have the afternoon off, and it's already eleven." Alec was shaking him awake, and Magnus rolled over to Alec's side, seeking the warmth. Alec was not in bed, because he encountered sheets. He opened his eyes and found Alec there, blue eyes perfect in all their glory, face looking amused.
When he tried to pull his hand away from Magnus, the warlock caught hold of it and brought him down on the bed. Alec didn't really have any objections to that.
"I had the worst nightmare," Magnus breathed against Alec's neck, pressing a string of soft kisses there. He started from the base of Alec's throat, and then moved his way up to his chin, Alec hovering just above him. He nudged Alec's knee, and the Shadowhunter fell on top of him, just in time for Magnus to press the next kiss to his mouth.
Alec rolled over, and Magnus's fingers clutched at Alec's shoulders, burying his face in his chest, just feeling to need the warmth, to feel their closeness.
"Tell me about it," Alec said, playing with the ends of Magnus's hair.
"You left me yesterday, because of a Demon Attack." Magnus muttered, and this time, it was Alec who kissed his forehead, urging him on. "And I fell asleep, without your wonderful heat next to me. Hm, I am used to you being out the whole day sometimes, and even when you roll out of bed for an emergency. But that doesn't mean I like it. I wish you didn't have to go anywhere, fighting demons off."
"You have your job, too." Alec tried, and he sounded soothing. Magnus nodded, kissing Alec's fingertips.
"That doesn't mean I like being apart," They lived in the same house, of course they wouldn't be apart for long! But yes, besides that. "You know what was so…Scary about it?" Alec's eyes had snapped to full attention. Magnus never really voiced out that he was scared, not in the sense that he was really scared, rather, it was just to tease Alec. But this time, though, he felt that there really was fear, and his hold on Magnus tightened.
"I received a call from Isabelle, and she said you needed my help, that it was an emergency. And since I'm the best 911 available…" Alec noticed how there was a force note of playfulness, and even teasing in Magnus's words, but the warlock could not fully hide the fear in his own words, the worry. "I ran like hell, because she made it very clear that you were dying on the other end."
And he couldn't be faced with that again – feeling the hopelessness, feeling helpless, just giving his all, every ounce of energy he had, just to get rid of the poison. Last night, he didn't want that to happen again. Not even in his own dreams.
There was silence, and Magnus looked up into Alec's face.
"I love you," It was so soft, but Magnus heard, and he knew, he had no doubts about it.
"And I love you." Their lips met again, this time, for a much longer kiss, rather than just a peck.
When he rolled on top of Alec, his hair tickling Alec's face, Magnus smiled a very fond smile. He lowered his head again, and their lips melted, their bodies pressing against each other and an annoying ringing pierced the night.
Magnus sat up in bed, and looked over his side. It was empty. And light was streaming through his curtains, though it was not his phone that rang, rather, his alarm clock.
He got up, slipped into a pair of silk pyjama bottoms and then stalked out of the room. He could smell the sweet, sweet smell of coffee Alec made – it was not his usual black, rather, when he made coffee for Magnus, it was sweet. And Magnus had stopped conjuring his own from Starbucks, because he liked to see Alec work in the kitchen.
It was adorable; you can't blame him for that.
But the kitchen was empty, no sign of Alec anywhere, only a cup of coffee. But when he did round the corner to where the table was, he noticed somebody was there. A tall, dark haired and beautiful someone. But where there should be those perfectly blue eyes, there were darker ones. And they didn't look fierce, or intense, as they usually were. There was softness in them, and as soon as Magnus walked into the room, her gaze snapped up to his.
"Magnus?" Softly. "Magnus? Magnus?" It felt like dejavu, though he knew it was all a very distant dream, like a blurred memory.
"What are you doing here, Isabelle? I was expecting my perfectly beautiful Shadowhunter to be making me coffee, not you," Though she was still strikingly beautiful, just not his type. Nah, Magnus preferred the older brother.
At the mention of her brother, though, Isabelle's eyes fell back to the coffee in her hands. It didn't look like she had a drink of it. And for the first time, Magnus noticed how her hand was shaking, trembling, and the cup spilling coffee all around.
In one long stride, Magnus was beside her, prying her fingers free of the cup. Isabelle was staring pointedly ahead, since the coffee was gone now.
"Has something happened?" Magnus said, and he looked around, expecting demons to crash into his windows, but no, nothing of that sort. And he didn't even wonder how Isabelle got in. Alec must have given her a key.
"Magnus, I'm here because…Because I wanted to see how you were doing," Isabelle finally looked up at him, and in her gaze, he suddenly felt a hollowness in him, as if she had sucked every light of life from him. But he held her gaze.
"I'm doing fine." Magnus said, his browns knitting together. "Did you catch Alec when you got here? Or was he gone even then?" At the mention of Alec, Isabelle's fingers started to tremble again, but with surprising grip – okay, she was a Shadowhunter, it wasn't so surprising. – she caught hold of both his hands.
"Magnus, you're not okay." Isabelle said firmly, and Magnus blinked.
"Darling, I'm usually woken up to Alec's coffee, not yours. Excuse me if I don't feel so well," Magnus rolled his eyes, and Isabelle shook her head, her long hair behind her swaying in the air.
"No. Magnus, please. Alec is dead." Her voice could've cut through snow and frozen the whole of Lake Lyn, but then she held on stronger now, the shaking subsiding.
Magnus, however, felt like he had been drenched with cold water.
"That's not funny, Isabelle Lightwood." Magnus said, and he tried to pry her fingers off of his wrists, but she wouldn't budge. "I was with Alec last night. He even said that…Demons were attacking Central Park,"
"Magnus, that was two years ago! The Demon Attack wasn't in Central Park. It was in the Institute. And…And you got there, remember?" She dropped his hands and they were now gripping his shoulders – bare of any tshirt. Her fingers dug into his skin, just enough pain to actually make him remember.
That night.
Running like hell.
Fighting off Death.
And this time, he had lost to Death. Lost Alec.
"You haven't answered my calls after the Funeral. Clary tried coming here last year! She was polite enough not to break your door down, but I wasn't. Magnus, Alec loved you. And I care, and I'm worried. You…You're not over it," Isabelle choked on her own words, and she looked down, tears spilling down her cheeks.
She had lost both her brothers. The only child left in the Lightwood family. The only one left out of the three. It hurt her heart, and the grief, grief that she thought she had pushed down, after two years, washed through her again, the trembles coming once more.
"Alec is dead, Magnus. He's been dead for the past two years." When she didn't get a response from him, she started to shake him, to emit a reaction, a response. Only there was nothing.
Blood from where Isabelle's nails had cut through his skin was dripping down his forearms, but he only looked at her. He looked at her and longed for the blue eyes. But instead of blue eyes, he saw his sister, he saw the tears in her eyes, he saw her shaking, remembering the death of another brother. And the pain of death, of loss, it pierced him, this time, though, he was no longer numb.
"He's dead. He's dead. He's dead." Isabelle was still saying, and she had stopped shaking him, instead, she was clinging to him. And for the first time in the past two years, he wrapped someone in a hug. It had been so long. But he hugged the only Lightwood left, allowed her to cry on his shoulder.
It was his fault. He was blaming himself for Isabelle's tears, for Alec's death. For everything.
"Alec is dead."
This was a painful thing to write. I should have just let the idea drown or hid it in a closet or something. And yes, the title is totally misleading and ironic.
After Real or Not? I felt like I needed to write some angst again. Though the first wasn't so much as angst, was it? And the only angst here is...None really, just...Death.
Reviews would be appreciated. (And cookies, but since this story isn't something fluffy, then I don't think I deserve or want any cookies.)