Chapter Twelve: Baneful
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Cassandra Clare.
Author's Note: This takes place when Alec is left at Magnus's while the rest of the gang visits the Fair People.
Time: City of Ashes
Genre: Drama, Romance, and Angst
Rating: PG-13
Date Finished: July 25, 2012
Alec was not sure how he was going to respond to this. It was one thing for Magnus to have past lovers, but another thing for the lover to be a woman. He thought that the warlock was like him. Learning that Magnus liked both genders, was somewhat difficult for him to grasp.
"Alexander?" Magnus asked again. His voice was growing softer.
Alec did not want to be the one to make this relationship baneful, but he would if he had too. Magnus needed to learn to be open with him. Like it or not, they were in this together. He looked up at Magnus with his blue eyes. "I just want to know the truth," he said slowly and in a strong voice.
Magnus looked taken aback. "That is the truth."
Alec smiled. He was still not buying it. "The whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
Magnus laughed. He raised his hand as if he was swearing on a Bible. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole nothing, and nothing but the truth."
Alec allowed his smile to drop.
Magnus's laughing cut off sharply. He looked at Alec with a curious expression on his face.
"You are aware that if we were in a court of law, that you would be arrested for lying in court."
Magnus's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Alexander?" he asked in a steady voice. If Alex had not known that the warlock was lying, he would have believed that Camille was the only lover.
"There was more."
"More what?" Magnus paused. "That was the entire story, Alexander."
"That is not what I mean."
"What do you mean, then?"
"There were more people that you are not telling me about."
"Such as?" Magnus leaned against the end table.
"Who is Will, for instance?" Alec had spotted Will's name on multiple items throughout the apartment. He had to be more than a friend in order for someone to hang on to his or her items. Will also had to be very dear to Magnus and had probably died. Alec had also seen a picture of the boy and was surprised by the resemblance between him and Will.
"He was just an old friend," Magnus replied without missing a beat.
Alec was disappointed. He had hoped that Magnus would confess who Will was without any difficulty. If it was anything from Magnus's past, the warlock did not want to seem to talk about it. It was so bad that Alec believed that he might as well be talking to a stranger. Magnus knew everything about Alec it seemed like. Maybe it was time for that to change...
"An old friend?" Alec asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, just an old friend," Magnus repeated.
Magnus heard Alec take a deep breath again. He knew that the Shadowhunter was upset, but the warlock did not really see what the problem was. He was assuming that Alec had had other relationships. He did not understand why Alec was so blind about his past.
Unless, Alec had never had a partner. That would explain why the boy was so upset about Magnus's dating history.
"Alexander have you ever dated?"
Alec gave Magnus a hateful look. The warlock seemed to be getting a lot of those lately.
"Alexander?" Magnus pressed gently. "Is that what the problem is?" He rested his arm on Alec's shoulder.
Alec pulled away and stood up. He ran his right hand through his dark hair. The boy seemed to be finding any reason to avoid answering the question. That was something that Magnus and Alec had in common. Neither one of them answered anything too quickly.
Magnus stepped toward Alec. The boy tried to shy away. Magnus grabbed him by the waistband of his jeans and pulled him close. They were so close that Magnus could hear Alec's heartbeat. Magnus ran his hand along Alec's cheek feeling just a hint of stubble. His Alexander was truly wonderful and beautiful.
To Magnus, Alec looked liked a lost wonder of the world. Alec had the complexion of a ghost at least that was what some people said; Magnus saw a complexion that made his shine. Alec's black hair made the pale complexion look even more wonderful. He looked thin and weak, but Magnus knew that from touching Alec that that was not true. Alec was probably stronger than most Shadowhunters, in ways that he did not know. No matter how many times Magnus looked at Alec, the beauty stuck him.
Especially those blue eyes.
Magnus leaned in to kiss Alec thinking that the silence had fixed their problems. Alec turned away and Magnus got a mouth full of hair. Magnus spat once Alec had moved away from him. The boy really needed to use different hair products. The kind he was using now tasted awful.
"Magnus, I can't," Alec said stepping back.
Magnus did not understand. "I thought that everything was okay now." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And now I am taking it that everything is not okay."
Alec stopped moving and did not say a word.
Magnus gave Alec a baneful look. "Come to think of it, you never did answer my question."
"What question?" Alec's voice went up several octaves.
Magnus moved closer to Alec. He raised his arms and cornered Alec. "Have you ever dated before?"
Alec's blue eyes darted around the room. He seemed to be looking everything, but at Magnus.
"Alexander?"
Alec did not respond.
"Answer the question."
"It is not like you ever answered any of mine," Alec spat.
"I answered most of them and, yet, you have not answered hardly any of mine," Magnus replied slowly.
Alec gave Magnus a dirty look. "Fine, no I have never dated before you. There are you happy?" He spat.
Magnus felt his heart sink. He now knew why Alec had been so upset about the others. Alec had probably assumed that the warlock was like him: single his entire life.
