Notes: I wrote this back when Season 2 was first showing after Madzie's character had a few adorable moments on screen with Alec and Magnus. :) I apologise if any moments in the story don't quite match up with the show canon/timeline.
Home
Magnus Bane sighed heavily as he arrived at his Brooklyn loft. It was bad enough that he had been called away from what was supposed to be a relaxing day off with Alec in order to deal with 'Downworlder business'-business that definitely hadn't been the 'emergency' that it was made out to be-but, to make things worse, the rest of his clients who he'd agreed to see later on in the day had proved to be particularly awkward and demanding, too.
As his eyes scanned the apartment, automatically searching for Alec without any conscious decision on Magnus's part to do so, Magnus opened his mouth to get started on a long and exasperated rant about rude clients and the demands of being the High Warlock of Brooklyn, combined with a few opinions about Alec's latest long list of duties and expectations as a Shadowhunter, and how this had resulted in the two of them having very little time to spend together as a couple lately.
This was how Magnus dealt with difficult moments, after all. He would 'rant and rave' for a few minutes (as his friends always jokingly called it), pacing up and down his apartment as he complained about whatever it was that was bothering him, and then he would eventually calm down again, usually after a couple of succinct words of advice or soothing words or blunt observations about the situation from Alec, and he would soon be back to acting like his usual self, feeling calmer once he got everything off his chest.
Alec on the other hand was usually the exact opposite. He tended to bottle things up for hours, acting distant and withdrawn until Magnus finally managed to gently coax him into admitting that something was bothering him.
Come to think of it, where was Alec? His favorite Shadowhunter usually greeted him at the door whenever Magnus arrived at the apartment when Alec was already here, and he'd promised today that he would wait around for Magnus to get home so that they could at least spend the evening together, unless any urgent Shadowhunter issues came up.
Magnus decided to put his potential rant on hold so that he could look around the loft for Alec. He was just about to call his name when suddenly, he caught sight of Alec fast asleep on the couch, and he quickly went silent.
Magnus blinked a couple of times in shock before his eyes slowly widened and his heart beat a little faster. It wasn't just the fact that Alec was sleeping peacefully on the couch that surprised him, it was also the fact that Madzie was there with him, too-the little girl fast asleep in Alec's arms.
Magnus felt confused for a couple of moments as to why Madzie was here in the apartment (not that he wasn't happy to see her), but then he spotted a note from his friend Catarina, left on the table by the door.
In the note, she explained how she'd dropped by earlier to visit with Madzie, thinking that Magnus would be home, but then she'd been called on some kind of urgent business and Alec had kindly offered to watch Madzie for a couple hours.
Magnus couldn't help grinning softly as he looked from the note to Alec and Madzie. It wasn't surprising to Magnus, that Alec had offered to watch Madzie this afternoon. He and Alec had been spending more time with the young warlock lately, as Catarina had more time now to visit Magnus's apartment with Madzie, and Magnus and Alec had also babysat for Madzie a few times on their own lately as their relationship developed and she had gotten to know the two of them better.
Besides, Magnus already knew that Alec was good with kids, and that he was more than capable of taking care of them by himself: he was so patient and protective with his younger brother, Max, especially in light of more recent events, and he was exactly the same with Madzie, always finding effective ways to communicate with her and teach her new things, slowly bringing her out of her shell. Unlike his siblings and friends, Alec wasn't really the one to run around and dance and play loud and crazy games when kids were around, but there was a quiet confidence to him, a kindness, a selflessness, a caring and protective side that made him a natural with young children-and young warlocks.
But still, there was something beautiful about seeing up close just how good Alec was with kids, at seeing real-life confirmation of the close bond developing between Alec and Madzie. The image of Alec taking care of Madzie was definitely a pleasant surprise after a not-so-good day.
Magnus kept staring at the two of them, as though mesmerized by the sight in front of him in his living room. He had to pinch himself once or twice, just to check that he wasn't dreaming, because this moment of seeing Alec and Madzie asleep seemed too cute, too happy, almost too good to be true, especially after a lot of stress in their lives recently. A strange sense of calm and peacefulness seemed to have descended on the apartment, and Magnus had already forgotten what he had been about to complain about a couple minutes ago.
He couldn't help moving closer to the living room, wanting to witness this beautiful moment up close, although he still kept quiet, really not wanting to wake Alec or Madzie, or to disturb the new-found peace and quiet in the apartment.
After he'd taken a few steps, he noticed that there were flowers displayed on the coffee table that definitely hadn't been there this morning, and he couldn't help wondering if Catarina had maybe brought them as a gift, or maybe Alec had bought them, if only to brighten up the apartment a little, although Magnus wasn't sure about that, as Alec always insisted that he wasn't a fan of romantic gestures like buying flowers.
As he got closer, he noticed a few toys and games scattered around the floor, and despite the mess, his heart melted a little as he thought about how Alec must have kept Madzie entertained all afternoon by playing some of her favorite games with her. Magnus was relieved that Madzie had these moments to just act like a kid. Her life hadn't exactly been easy up to now, to put it very mildly, and Magnus often worried about her, given everything that she had already been through. He was therefore glad for every moment of happiness that she was able to enjoy.
Magnus stopped a few feet away from the couch, taking in the sight in front of him in more detail. Alec was holding Madzie almost protectively in his arms as the two of them slept, his breathing slow and steady as he let out a few adorable little snores. Madzie in turn was sleeping with her head on Alec's chest, one hand clutching his shirt almost possessively, as though trying to keep him in place, or like she didn't want Alec to leave.
The two of them looked exhausted, and as Magnus thought about what they had both had to deal with individually over the past few months, he was happy that they could at least rest for now.
He also noticed that Madzie's hair was tied in two braids. He would have thought nothing of it, would have just assumed that Catarina had braided Madzie's hair before they arrived at the loft, but then he saw that there were several flowers woven into the two braids, the same type of flowers as the ones currently on display in a vase on the coffee table, not to mention that the braids looked slightly different to Madzie's usual hairstyles, and Magnus couldn't help wondering if maybe Alec had braided Madzie's hair at some point during the afternoon. Magnus's eyes widened a little in surprise at the thought. Even he couldn't style hair that well. He wondered if this was yet another hidden talent that Alec hadn't yet told him about.
Magnus felt an intense rush of love and affection as he stayed silent for a little while, watching the adorable scene in front of him. He had never imagined that he would see a sight like this in his apartment, never would have dared to dream of a happy, domestic moment like this.
He had closed himself off from love and affection for so long that the idea of even falling in love had seemed impossible, let alone the possibility of having any sort of family around him. Now, he felt like he had rediscovered an 'adopted family' through his fellow Downworlder friends and even through his connections to certain Shadowhunters.
Magnus had never even dared to dream that he would meet someone like Alec, that he would fall for him so hard and so fast, and even if he had, he would never have expected that they would both end up here, in Magnus's Brooklyn loft, babysitting a young warlock who they both adored, with Alec taking a peaceful nap with said warlock on the couch. Magnus wished that he could frame this moment and keep it in his mind to treasure forever.
Almost as though Magnus was thinking a little too loud, Madzie yawned and blinked a few times before she slowly opened her eyes, looking around for a little while like she was trying to remember where she was before she noticed that Magnus was standing there.
"Magnus," she whispered with a cute little smile as she said his name, like she was genuinely happy to see him.
"Hey, go back to sleep, sweet pea," Magnus told her softly with a gentle smile, feeling sorry for waking her up from her peaceful sleep. He couldn't help noticing that Alec grinned a little in his sleep as Magnus spoke, and his heart warmed as he wondered if Alec could recognize his voice, even while sleeping.
Madzie must have been really tired, because she simply nodded and closed her eyes before settling down on Alec's chest again. Or maybe she was just really comfortable.
However, Madzie's movements must have also woken Alec from his sleep, because his eyes suddenly opened, too.
He stared at Magnus, looking a little shocked for a moment that Magnus was back at the apartment, or maybe he was just shocked at seeing Magnus standing close to the couch, before he grinned, still looking drowsy.
"Hey," Alec mumbled.
"Hey, Alexander," Magnus replied, unable to help the grin that spread on his own face. Oh yes, he was totally head-over-heels for Alec Lightwood.
"What time is it?" he asked Magnus groggily after a couple of seconds of silence, like he was feeling guilty about falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon, or like he was about to throw himself back into some kind of task or duty to make up for it.
Magnus wasn't hearing any of it. Alec and Madzie looked way too comfortable for Magnus to even think about getting the two of them to move away from each other.
"It doesn't matter, Alexander," he told Alec with mock sternness. "You go back to sleep, too-" He'd almost called Alec 'sweet pea' as well, just as a joke, but he'd decided against it at the last second. Alec always got embarrassed whenever Magnus tried to call him by any kind of nickname or term of endearment.
Surprisingly, Alec didn't protest; he simply shrugged and closed his eyes again, still holding Madzie protectively in his arms.
"The flowers are beautiful, Alexander," Magnus couldn't help adding, really wanting to know how the flowers had ended up in the apartment before Alec fell asleep.
"Uh…yeah..." Alec replied with a blush, his eyes still half-closed, and Magnus was reminded of the more nervous and awkward Alec Lightwood, back when the two of them had first met and Alec could barely speak to him without blushing and stuttering. "Would you believe me if I told you I'd just randomly picked them at the park when I was out walking with Madzie earlier?" he asked Magnus in barely more than a whisper, sounding half-asleep. However, he opened his eyes a little, watching Magnus with a nervous expression.
Magnus looked from the flowers to Alec and shook his head. He could tell expensive, store-bought flowers when he saw them. He'd bought flowers so many times for previous lovers, after all. However, he honestly couldn't remember the last time a partner had cared enough to buy him flowers.
"Probably not, Alexander," said Magnus with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "But I can pretend, if that would make things easier?" he suggested with a wink.
Luckily, Alec laughed along with him, even though he still looked really embarrassed.
"I'm glad you like them, Magnus," Alec mumbled with yet another deep blush, and Magnus's heart started to beat a little faster at the apparent confirmation that Alec had intentionally bought the flowers for him. He was so proud of Alec for doing something romantic for him, especially when this relationship was still pretty new to Alec and he still felt kind of terrified by romantic gestures. "I…uh…I hope I didn't ruin the 'look' of them or whatever by using a couple of them in Madzie's hair?" Alec asked quietly, like he was trying really hard not to speak too loud and wake Madzie. "Madzie really liked the flowers, too…"
"Nothing of the sort, Alexander," Magnus hastily reassured him, keeping his voice low, too. He still couldn't get over the adorable image in his head of Alec braiding Madzie's hair and dressing the braids up with flowers. "In fact, I think they look even more beautiful now..."
Alec nodded, like he was satisfied with Magnus's response, before he took another deep breath, looking like he was about to fall back asleep.
"They're perfect, Alexander," Magnus whispered more to himself than Alec, because it seemed like both Alec and Madzie were asleep again. Everything about this moment was perfect, and Magnus could only hope that there would be more moments like these in the not-so-distant future.
However, he knew that all-too-soon, Catarina would show up at the apartment and this particular moment would be over, and he really wanted to do something useful before the end of the evening. He found a blanket for his Shadowhunter and young warlock to keep them warm as they slept while he muttered something about getting dinner ready, although he was now certain that Madzie and Alec were in too deep a sleep to hear what he was saying.
Just before he left the living room to head to the kitchen to start dinner, Magnus noticed a couple of pieces of paper and pens almost hidden from view by the furniture in the room. He glanced at one of the pieces of paper and saw that Madzie must have been drawing pictures with Alec at some point during the afternoon.
Magnus focused on one of Madzie's pictures in particular. She had drawn a picture of herself standing next to Catarina, with a child-like sketch of both Alec and Magnus standing next to them-she had even written the names of everyone in her picture above their heads, just in case there was any doubt as to who they were supposed to be.
Feeling suddenly emotional, Magnus had to blink a couple of tears out of his eyes.
He might have just spent long and tedious hours dealing with demanding clients, and he and Alec might have had a challenging few months of trying to balance their respective duties as leaders with their developing relationship, and there would no doubt be plenty of new challenges to face in their lives soon, but right now, with the picture in his hand and Alec and Madzie sleeping peacefully on the couch in his apartment, Magnus felt like he was finally coming home after a long day.