The blue flashes of magic fade, and Magnus exhales contentedly, sensing the flow of power in his body. A purple fragment, held in hand, burns the skin, but now it is not the main problem. All he needs to do is close eyes and focus on making a portal until a cute couple in love wakes up. Hands draw a circle, sapphire streams of magic obediently follow graceful fingers, but the fabric of space remains intact. Another try, the excited voices of Jace and Clary are getting louder. The last desperate hand pass ends with the same result, and Magnus accepts his situation: there is no easy way to get out of this place. So, he needs to destroy all the evidence. A click of the fingers evaporates the demon's body, and only the piece of the portal remains, and the others can identify Clary's pendant in it. An avalanche of energy hits the small crystal, making it shine with the light of a thousand amethyst suns. Magic leaves the body, empties the small reserve, but Magnus made a promise, and it means he must protect this world. The last effort and the oversaturated fragment shatters into millions of brilliant sparks that cover all objects within a meter radius with spangles. They put cotton wool in his ears and set a cloudy glass in front of his eyes, cutting him off from the outside world. His own body loses contact with the brain, and Magnus slowly falls on the floor, trying to catch his breath. A red whirlwind flies past him, and then someone's hands try to pull the stubbornly resisting body to its feet.
"What the fuck did you do to us?" Jace shouts, but the glittering guy in his hands can not focus. His head shakes from side to side, and a goofy smile spreads across his face.
"What's going on here?" Alec appears out of nowhere and looks surprised at the tearful Clary, her surly as a bear boyfriend, and Magnus Bane, who can now successfully replace the disco ball at any party.
"This is what we are trying to get from this jerk. I noticed Clary took his hand and dragged him into the basement, I followed them, saw they were holding hands, and this asshole was persuading her to cheat on me, and then some kind of garbage started. First, the scary motherfucker with fangs appeared tried to kill me. My girlfriend hit him like the spirit of Bruce Lee possessed her while this hero escaped. And then fifteen minutes were completely erased in my memory. I woke up with Clary. She also doesn't understand what is happening. She doesn't even remember how she gets there. I thought we dreamed it, but then we heard a pop, and I found this happy idiot who was covered with sequins. And he refuses to tell what he has done. Clary says she does not know this strange guy. Who is he, and how did he get at the party?"
"This is Magnus Bane. I let him in," Alec says it very quietly, taking a few steps forward and literally grabbing Magnus from Jace's hands. "We need to calm down. Look at him. He is also hurt badly. Besides, you said that it was Clary, who took him to the basement."
"I don't remember this. I can only remember the whole day in flashes," sobs almost drown out the words, and Jace gently hugs his girlfriend, who can't calm down, and Magnus, meanwhile, begins to get over it gradually.
"Great, do you remember your name?" Alec is trying not to push too hard because everything that's happened in this basement looks very suspicious.
"I'm Magnus Bane," Magnus says slowly, while his mind is clearing because of the pressure of a massive wave of panic. The key is not to give himself away.
"What happened here?" Alec closely looks at the mysterious guest who caused a serious commotion.
"I don't remember," the words fly out against his will, but a sympathetic Clary's look and an understanding one from Jace tell him that he chose the right strategy.
"Where am I? And who are you?"
"Don't you remember me?" Alec frowns in frustration, and Magnus apologizes in his mind to all three of them for his deception. He shakes his head and releases his hand from Alec's.
"I feel bad. I need to go home," Magnus begins to notice the long-forgotten signs of magical exhaustion that threaten him to be out of the count.
"First, we have to question him." Jace begins to move forward, and Magnus instinctively raises his hand, and then warmly thanks all the existing angels and demons for his almost completely emptying reserve. The last thing he needs is to beat this jittery blond with magic.
"You're scaring him, Jace." Alec stands in front of Magnus, hiding him from Jace. "Perhaps he is the same victim as the two of you."
"The victim of what?"
'How should I know? It was you who were here, not me. There are no cameras in the basement, so we can't check anything. But, obviously, we all need to calm down. Is anyone injured? Are you all right?"
Clary nods sadly, allowing Jace to examine her, while Alec turns to Magnus for an answer and notices that he has become paler.
"The pendant is gone!" Jace's loud yell distracts Alec from looking at Magnus. "He stole it."
"What pendant? Purple?" Alec begins to recall the events of today. "Did you put it on to the party?"
"I don't remember any pendant," Clary looks from one man to another, trying to understand what they're talking about.
"He definitely stole the pendant from Clary. We have to search him."
"I don't have her pendant," Magnus carefully weighs the words. "I consent to the search, but I'd like to go home after it."
He pulls off his jacket and throws it to Jace, who immediately begins to go through the pockets for jewelry.
"May I?" Alec reaches out his hand, and Magnus nods, letting the large palms, rub his shoulders, slide over his chest, move to his sides and freeze over his hips.
Alec looks into his dark eyes again, waiting for permission, and Magnus grins tiredly, wincing as warm hands gently touch his legs, then stroke his buttocks with imponderable touches and go down to the muscular calves. The inspection should be humiliating, but Magnus is so grateful to the man who cares so much about his feelings.
"Shoes," Jace commands, and Alec glares at him so hard that all the other words are stuck in his friend's throat.
"Please," Alec asks again, and for the first time, Magnus doesn't obey.
"I can't," he begins to explain his decision, but they don't let him finish.
"I knew it!" Jace exults, and Alec lets out a weary breath.
"Jace, do us all a favor, shut up. What's wrong, Magnus?"
"May I sit down? I'm afraid I can't stoop cause I'm a little dizzy," Magnus explains with embarrassment, and Alec immediately looks around for a chair.
"Come on," Alec says, holding Magnus by the shoulders, then sits him down on a bench, and stops his attempt to bend over with the only one gesture. "I'll take them off myself. Relax."
He gets down on one knee, and large hazel eyes are right in front of the dark brown ones. Magnus immediately averts his gaze, feeling his cheeks begin to flush. This position is so intimate that only a couple of centimeters is between their bodies. Magnus forces himself to focus on the long fingers, which are quickly untying the lacing. A few excruciatingly long seconds and both boots are shaken out in front of Jace.
"I'm quite sure he stole Clary's pendant," Jace doesn't give up, but Alec deliberately ignores him.
"Clary, is this pendant important to you?"
"I don't even remember it," says Clary, staring at Magnus. He seems to be loosely familiar, but it's so difficult to catch this feeling.
Alec carefully puts the shoes on Magnus and holds out the hand.
"I'll take him home, and but you guys get some rest, both of you. Maybe something will clear up in the morning."
Magnus grabs this reliable in every way hand, trying not to hang on it like a rag doll, but he succeeds badly.
"Step, one more, left, right," Magnus persuades himself. "So much for a powerful warlock. It's a good thing there are no more demons."
They go outside, and Alec stops the taxi, following Raj's disapproving look, who is once again convinced that the guard's instinct never fails him. The nosy squirt, who was so desperate to get to the party, turned out to be an ordinary drunk. The way he is hanging on the boss makes it obvious he can't stand on his own feet.
"No need to walk me home," Magnus tries to pull away and hide behind a cold tone, but Alec hasn't been impressed by such tricks for a long time.
"It is a bad idea. As a host, I need to make sure that all my guests get home safe and sound."
"No"
"Listen, Magnus."
"I said, No."
The voice trembles, but Magnus doesn't want to back down. No one should see his real eyes. The glamour is already beginning to fade. The crumbs of magic that held it are dissolving in the empty body, trying to fill the cells humming from overexertion.
"Well, what have you two lovebirds decided?" the taxi driver asks, and Magnus lowers his head.
"Please," he whispers, and Alec bends to his will. There is too much despair in one word.
The door slams shut, and Magnus relaxes and puts his head back, hoping he won't be get blackout. But the body holds out to the last minute, giving up only when the head touches the pillow.
But the next day, which begins in the late afternoon, blooms with bright colors of restorative potions and their amazing smells. After a couple of hours, Magnus decides that he is ready to try an interesting old recipe that requires a lot of effort and attention. And he copes with it with a bang. The thick creamy marsh-colored liquid with exactly the same smell squishes menacingly in the pot. Still, Magnus only smiles indulgently: the most challenging part is over, and the last important condition remains — to remove this time bomb from the stove. The White Book is open on the page with the description of an ancient spell, Meow purrs right next to the leg, Church tries to incinerate with his gaze, twilight draws down on the city, and magic circulates through the veins, dizzying with the promise of a pleasant evening.
But the Universe abhors the absolute perfection, so the sharp sound of the doorbell breaks the evening idyll, and, what's worse, Magnus hears a Jace's voice, insistently seeking a meeting. A snap of fingers and the almighty warlock is ready to receive an annoying visitor. But things are not going as planned when Magnus sees two guests. Alec smiles and frowns, catching the smell.
"Are you cooking something?" he asks, trying to get closer to the stove, but Magnus stands between him and his potion like a wall.
"What do you want? Have you decided to search the apartment too?"
"We decided to return your jacket and phone, and at the same time, ask if you remembered anything?" Jace manages a friendly smile cause he doesn't want to quarrel with Alec, who very clearly explained this morning what tone should be used with this lunatic.
"Thanks," Magnus takes his things, and then makes an imperceptible movement with his hands, watching with satisfaction as the almost colorless sparks rush towards his guests. "I don't remember anything. The three of us must have been drugged. Someone's stupid joke. That's all right. We just need to try to be more careful in the future.
"Dude, this is the worst explanation I've ever heard," Jace shakes his head, and Magnus groans, then rushes up to him and stares into his eyes. The magic, aimed at messing the minds of the two mundanes, was useless. Therefore, it can mean only one thing. Angelic blood is still there. Jace is a Shadowhunter, even if there are no runes on his body, and he behaves like a typical damsel in distress.
"I don't always agree with Jace, but it's really not the best strategy." Alec moves closer, and Magnus looks at him, frozen in astonishment. One surprise after another. It's true Magnus had doubts about Jace, but he hadn't considered Alec at all. And it turned out that his new acquaintance is another Nephilim on the wagon.
"I think you'd better get out of here," Magnus says, mentally asking himself to stay calm. But it's so hard to keep emotions in check when the Shadowhunters that haven't existed for several centuries literally barge into his apartment: first from another dimension, and now from this one.
"You know, man, you should go to the shrink. Judging by your behavior, you have serious problems," Jace says it as he is an expert and persistently pulls Alec out of this apartment, stunk with some disgusting odor and away from this not normal in every respect man.
"Magnus, are you ok?" Alec decides to clear the air, but there is too much information for Magnus right now, so he shakes his head and walks his guests to the door.
"It's all right, Alec. I just have a headache."
As they go outside, Jace stops and shares his impression in a loud whisper.
"You know, there are people who's got a screw loose. So, personally, I believe that this Magnus is their chairman. I don't think we should have any business with him. However, it was clear from his advertising."
They are leaving the house when Alec, who has been replaying the strange conversation in his head, comes to a dead stop.
"Jace, go home. I need to clarify something," Alec informs his friend and climbs the stairs, smiling foolishly.
The door is unlocked, and Alec bursts into the apartment.
"You called me Alec," he tells Magnus, who is discouraged by the sly smile. "If you don't remember anything, you can't remember my name either. I mentioned it only once when we met. So you lied."
"Jace called you by your name," Magnus tries.
"Nope. He didn't".
"Clary?"
But Alec shakes his head.
"You remember everything, right? Can you tell us what happened?"
Magnus lowers his gaze and takes a deep breath.
"I," he begins to talk and then stops, because the potion, which has been quietly gurgling until this moment, champs with a playful smack, notifying its creator of his complete carelessness.
"Get down," Magnus shouts, preparing to create a protective barrier, but Alec upsets the apple-cart, grabbing Magnus around the waist and throwing him to the floor.
The swamp-colored substance blows up all over the apartment, devouring matter in its path. As a result, the wall, into which most of the liquid has hit, resembles an ugly honeycomb. Alec looks closely at Magnus's guilty face, noting at the same time how comfortable it is to lay on his body, but he has to ask his question:
"Are you a terrorist?"
"No," Magnus says quietly, and for some reason, Alec believes him.
"Ok. I wouldn't date with a terrorist," Alec explains and gets up easily from the floor, holding out his hand to Magnus. And then he looks around.
"Are you sure you're not a terrorist?" he decides to clarify, just in case and notices how Magnus begins to blush rapidly. "What?"
"Your shirt," Magnus says lamely, pointing behind him.
Alec quickly takes it off over his head and whistles with excitement when he discovers two gaping holes. He carefully examines the ragged edges of the fabric, which seem to be charred, and sees an interested look that passes over his torso in the corner of his eye.
"You are so dangerous, Magnus. Anyway, you owe me a shirt and a conversation, so what about coffee and a friendly date?" Alec winks and cautiously walks around the blackened places. "Next Saturday at seven. I'll pick you up. And please be careful with your chemistry experiments, Mr. Scientist."