Chapter 12
A/N: I'm so sorry it took sosososo long! Writer's block + lots of homework + lots of parties (btw happy Diwali and/or Halloween everyone!) is not a very good combination for me :/. Sorry 😁.
Magnus pov
The next three days went by uneventfully. For the most part. Alec still hadn't made any progress with walking. It killed me to watch him suffer every time he had to practice again. He would limp and pant and stumble, leaning heavily on me. Each time I let him go, he would fall, and I would catch him.
He tried not to show it, but I saw the hopelessness, the misery, and the shame in his eyes after each fall. Each time he failed added that much more stress on his shoulders. The pile was quickly building up.
On top of that, the only other thing we ever did was plan our wedding. Isabelle wanted a fancy wedding with nearly a hundred guests. I had no idea that she even knew that many people.
Alec on the other hand, didn't even want a celebration in the first place. I had steeled myself when he announced that, refusing to have no ceremony. He amended to having a small wedding.
Personally, I wanted an extravagantly flamboyant party with hundreds of Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike, with lots of glitter and colors, but I knew it was as much of Alec's wedding as mine. So compromises were made.
After three days of Isabelle and Clary coming over and basically arguing with my fiancé, we finally reached an agreement. No more than fifty people, not too flashy, some glitter but not too much, and a three color theme.
All that was left was deciding who was coming, what everyone was wearing, what the theme was, where it was going to be, a date for the wedding, and basically everything else.
Alec was almost cracking under stress, snapping at the littlest things, moody and sulking all the time, and bursting into tears once or twice.
Today, I gave him a day off, so t speak. He was curled up against me, blue eyes half open as we watched reruns of America's Next Top Model.
"Magnus?" he sighed.
"Yes, darling?"
"You know I love you, right?" His voice was thick with exhaustion.
I chuckled softly. "I know. And I love you too."
"I know." He sounded like he was about to fall asleep. Sure enough, when I looked at him, his eyes were barely open, head in my lap.
My doorbell rang.
I growled softly. Alec sat up and looked towards the apartment's entrance.
"You said you didn't have any clients today," he said in confusion.
"I don't," I replied.
The bell rang again. I scowled, and quickly apologized to Alec before standing up and stalking towards the door. I threw it open, and for the second time that week, froze in surprise.
"Is Alec there?" Robert Lightwood asked, peeking around me and into the apartment.
—
Alec pov
I blanched when I heard my father's voice coming from the doorway. I was overcome with an urge to go and hide in a different room, but I couldn't, for obvious reasons. So I just sat there, craning my head to catch a glimpse of my father.
"I don't think he wants to see you right now." Magnus's voice was cold.
"Please? I need to speak to him." Robert said. This surprised me. My father never begged.
"It's ok, let him in," I called. Magnus turned around and looked at me in bewilderment. I gave him a slight nod. He stepped aside and followed my father to the main room where I was sitting, closing the door behind him.
The warlock took a seat on the couch next to me, and Robert sat adjacent to us, on a chair.
My gaze on him was steady. "So Dad. Why did you come all the way to Brooklyn to see your disappointment of a son?" My voice was mockingly pleasant. Magnus put his hand comfortingly on my forearm. I shot him a look that told him I was fine. He nodded.
Robert winced at my words. "No, son, listen-" He cut off, eyes in the floor.
I didn't say a word.
"Logan's in jail," he blurted suddenly. I was taken aback. He was never sudden with his words.
"Jail?" I repeated, unsure if I heard right. I pushed down memories of that night, forcing myself to not recall the pain, humiliation, and hopelessness that I had felt. Of Logan's laughing face as he cut through my skin, bleeding me out, the ground stained with my blood, the fear, the-
"Alec," Magnus said suddenly, cutting off my father and earning a confused look from him.
I looked into his eyes, not really seeing them. Then the dream place. Being trapped in the light, pounding my fists against the invisible wall as-
"Alec." Magnus's voice grew. "Look at me." I did. Before I could react, he kissed me hard, sending my thoughts flying. I pulled back, hands fisting his shirt, gasping.
"I'm here. Now. I will never leave you," Magnus said, as if reading my thoughts.
I nodded slowly.
I turned and looked back at my father, who had an unreadable expression on his face. I looked down at my hands.
"Sorry," I muttered. "Just don't say his name. Don't remind me -" I paused. "So he's in jail?"
Robert, seemingly glad for the topic change, nodded. "He's locked up in the Bone City. For attempt to murder another Shadowhunter."
I winced, but flashed Magnus a reassuring smile when I saw his concerned look before replying to my father. "Ok. That's good."
He nodded. An awkward silence filled the room.
Before I could ask if there was any other reason he was here, he spoke up.
"Listen... I'm sorry about the other day."
I paused. It was rare that Robert apologized.
He hesitated before continuing. "I'm sorry about the other day. You siblings and you mother made me realize." He cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable. "I can't control who you fall for. And you're right, this whole thing-" He waved his hands in the general direction of Magnus and I. "must be a lot harder on you than me. So I'm proud of you, son. And congrats."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Thanks Dad. This means a lot."
He nodded stiffly, and made a move to get up. "I have to go now, but let us know the plans. I don't think I'll be of much help, but ask your mother. She's surprisingly good at planning things like this."
I nodded, and watched his retreating figure. Magnus walked him out, and I saw them exchange a few words. I couldn't hear them, but they both smiled, so it must have been good, even though Robert's was a little forced.
Magnus came back and say down next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and smiled. I returned the favor and twisted a little to kiss him softly.
"Now that that's all sorted out," he murmured.
I laughed quietly. My mind was still whirling with what my father said as I stared unseeing lay at the TV screen.
Two things; he had said two things worth remembering. Logan is to spend the rest of his life in the prison under the Bone City. And he's ok with my wedding. Proud, he said. He was proud of me.
My thoughts drifted over to my leg; my useless, limp leg. All of these thoughts were bitter. You can't walk. You probably won't ever walk again. You'll never feel the adrenaline of a fight or be able to train with Jace again. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as the thoughts continued. You won't be able to walk down the aisle in you own wedding. You won't be able to pick up your future kids and swing them around.
"Magnus?" My voice was small, and tears pricked at my eyes.
"Yes, darling?"
"What if I never walk again?"
"You will. We'll keep trying, you'll get there eventually. I believe that you can." He sounded confident.
"But what if I don't?"
"Then you won't," he said simply.
"But-"
Magnus turned around, catching my eyes. His expression was intense, and I looked away.
"Alec, listen. It won't matter. I'll love you no matter what, right? Who cares if you can't walk?"
"But our wedding!"
"I don't care if you can't walk yourself down the aisle for our wedding. Alec, we're getting married." His eyes sparkled in excitement. "The ceremony doesn't matter."
"And kids?" I asked stubbornly, even though I knew Magnus was right.
"Kids?"
"When we get kids. If we do," I said quickly. "I won't be able to do anything! I won't be able to play with them or walk them around or-"
"We'll deal with that when we get there. Right now, it doesn't matter." He sounded sure of himself, so I just nodded, not wanting to sound whiney. But inside, I was battling the self-hate, something I hadn't really experienced in years. Useless. You're useless. The words circled all around had me.
Magnus turned back to the TV, but the arm that was around me became tighter, more comforting. I sighed and closed my eyes.
"Are you ok, love?" Magnus asked after a minute or two, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yes. Just... thinking."
"Logan's gone," he whispered.
"Yeah." The relief was plain in my voice, but my mind was still far away.
Magnus turned to face me. I looked at him, our eyes meeting, blue to green. He leaned in and kissed me.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," I whispered, leaning my forehead against his, breathing in time with him.
A/N: Ugh, it was too short. The second half kinda sucked, but I wanted to get it out there, I've been stuck on it for too long. And sorry if Robert was OOC, I can't really write his character that well. Anyways, I promise the next two will come faster, and hopefully be better. This story's almost done! Bye!
