When the Ball Drops
by ariviand
Chapter Eleven: Wordplay
Bane.
Alec glared at the four-letter word, arms crossed over his chest, trying very hard to preserve what little body heat he had left.
That wasn't even Magnus's birth name. In fact, he'd never thought to ask Magnus what his real name was, or if he could even remember what he was called before people started addressing him by Magnus Bane.
Alec had gone so far as to look up the origins of the surname, wondering if there was some history to it, if maybe the Silent Brothers had some hidden meaning behind the name.
Indeed they had. Alec had discovered many negative connotations for the word "bane" in the library at the Institute. Firstly, in Old English "bana" literally meant slayer, in the sense of a killer or murderer. It is also generally referenced as a cause of death. By the fourteenth century the word bane came to refer to poison, and had been adapted since then in the naming of many poisons like henbane and wolfbane. But by the sixteenth century, the word bane had shifted from directly referring to poison and instead, referred to something that made life unpleasant; a curse, a plague, an annoyance.
At the time, Alec had gone back to Magnus feeling a rush of anger towards the Silent Brothers, irritated and personally offended that Magnus should have been given a last name that essentially labeled him a nuisance, at the very least - and at the very worst, a killer. How could they do that? And why would Magnus ever accept such an awful name? It was too cruel.
But Magnus had laughed. Actually laughed, like it was a secret joke - and he wasn't the least bit bothered. Taking Alec by the arms, he'd kissed the peeved shadowhunter and explained that he was over it. It didn't bother him at all. It was just a word, a name. It didn't mean anything to him.
When Alec shook his head and grimaced and said it wasn't true - they knew what they were doing, Magnus shrugged. When he refined his reply, Magnus's tone was oddly serious, his eyes looking off. "Maybe. But I am half-demon. And I killed my own parents. So, were they really so wrong?"
It had taken a while for Alec to let it go. It was irritating that Magnus was so accepting, so complacent about it. He knew the truth and he just let it roll off him like it didn't matter. Like it was no big deal to carry such an awful name like a curse. And yet Magnus did, extending his long-fingered hand and smiling at every new person he met, introducing himself as Magnus Bane without the slightest wince or shame, like he was almost proud of it.
Alec stared at the name plate now, feeling very different about it.
He felt stupid for ever defending Magnus. He must have looked so ridiculous, fighting his little battle, crying about the injustice of the cruel Silent Brothers while Magnus smiled patiently and shrugged, letting him rant.
Magnus was a grown man, so many times over. If he didn't like the damned name, if it didn't fascinate him in some way, he could have changed it. He was a master of his own future now. And no one made Magnus Bane do anything he didn't want to do.
No one.
Alec stood in front of the call box, still debating pressing the button - half-heartedly debating breaking the lock on the door, and probably breaking the automatic mechanism that opened it from the button upstairs. Oh, well. It's not like the warlock couldn't fix it at a snap, or with some clever spell.
But that would be rude and uncalled for, and in a way cowardly. It was petty vandalism.
No, Alec needed to face this. He wanted his coat, and this grimy button was the last thing standing in his way.
Grinding his teeth together, Alec lifted his hand and mashed the button in with his pointer, waiting for a response.
Nothing.
Alec waited in silence, huffing after ten seconds, scowling at thirty.
Alec pressed the button again, punching it two times in succession.
He remembered when Isabelle had abused the button that first time, pressing it several times before he could stop her. It was obnoxious and childish, but he was almost to the point of stooping to that level. What choice did he have, when the key was upstairs?
"What do you want?" A voice finally barked at him, over the crackling of the static.
Alec frowned at the call box, eyes narrowing. "Who is this?" Alec asked in irritation, his face heating up. The masculine voice definitely didn't belong to Magnus. He would have recognized Magnus's voice, even through the cheap, dying speaker.
"Who the fuck are you?" The voice replied, sounding annoyed.
What? Alec's jaw clenched, and so did his fist, raising it up as if to punch the metal box. He didn't. His hand trembled, and he tried to breathe evenly, with control, but Alec was angry. Who the hell was up there, and where was Magnus? Once more, he debated breaking down the door, kicking it open with his boot and splintering the wood.
"I'm his boyfriend," Alec replied, voice low and almost growling. He winced around the word 'boyfriend', not really fond of using the term right now. But nothing had been settled between them. No matter what Magnus had done, Alec still had that much over everyone else; he had claim to that word first, and he waived it like a weapon, warning the person behind that box that they sure as hell better let him up or he was coming up on his own. Never mind the damned door.
Seconds passed, then there was an electronic buzz. The door unlocked.
Alec released his breath and turned to the door, shoving it open the rest of the way. He didn't pause on the stairwell, ascending quickly in the semi-darkness, his boots clumping on the creaking steps, unerringly finding his footing from one to the next. He had memorized the number of steps (twenty-two), knew which ones were weaker than the others (the first, the eighth, and the last four). He had come up these steps so many times - only the feeling he experienced when he reached the top was very different to what he was feeling now (residual anger, anxiety, irritation, fear).
Alec stopped outside the warlock's door. He wasn't going to knock. He assumed the door was unlocked - Magnus rarely locked this door, depending on the security of the entryway, if he was even concerned about that.
This door wasn't going to keep him out. It was only his own hesitation that made him pause.
Alec breathed in slowly, then let it out. Then he reached for the doorknob, twisting it open.