Over
The first time Magnus and Alec get into an actual argument, it's about something absolutely ridiculous. So ridiculous in fact that afterwards Alec isn't even sure what it was about in the first place.
Although in hindsight, the entire fight is likely his fault, seeing as he is definitely the one who starts it.
Alec blames it on the particularly stressful past few days at the Institute and the fact that he hasn't been able to get any real sleep – much less a full night of rest – ever since the security breach. Because just the thought of the risk they are taking by keeping the Mortal Cup at the Institute despite the compromised wards is quite literally keeping him awake at night.
Add to that Alec and Lydia's search through the archives taking up most of his free time right now, the fact that the safety of the Mortal Cup doesn't rank high enough on Jace's list of priorities for him to give Alec even a couple of minutes of his time to discuss it, his father managing to corner Alec this morning to 'talk' and Izzy choosing today of all days to start pestering Alec for details about his relationship with Magnus, even bringing up Alec's supposed sex life. Which however only served to remind him that he and Magnus have yet to actually get around to taking their relationship further, seeing as the possibility of an attack on the Institute while Alec is absent makes it plain impossible for him to even consider staying the night at Magnus' currently.
So, yeah. By the end of the day, Alec is just plain annoyed with everyone and everything.
And all he wants to do right now is to see his boyfriend, even if it is just for an hour or for dinner or a walk or something, even if he is quite likely to fall asleep as soon as he so much as sits down anywhere for more than a few seconds.
Alec needs a break and he just wants to see Magnus, and the Institute can damn well deal without him for an hour or two.
At least that's the plan. Alec has no idea why he – as soon as he gets to the loft – then proceeds to take out his general irritation on the one person who didn't do anything to contribute to his sour mood in any way.
Magnus feels a smile spread over his face as soon as Alexander crosses the wards of his loft.
By magic, he has missed his Shadowhunter over the past few days.
Admittedly, it's not even been that long - only three days - but Magnus might possibly have become a little spoiled by getting to see Alexander at least once every day before.
Of course, he knows that Alexander is just incredibly busy right now and simply doesn't have the time right now to come by that often and Magnus doesn't want to put even more pressure on him by commenting on it. And Magnus would simply have stopped by at the Institute instead, but with Alexander clearly still so hesitant about who to let in on their relationship, Magnus isn't sure whether showing up there – even with an offer to help – would actually be welcome.
Excuse Magnus for having his own little hang-ups and insecurities.
And he knows he should just ask Alexander, but Magnus also doesn't want to put him in an awkward position by having to refuse his offer of help.
But point is, Alexander is evidently here now.
Magnus sets the scrolls he is holding aside, quickly making his way out of his study. His smile widens once he sees Alexander standing in the entranceway, just in the process of taking off his jacket.
Yep, definitely missed him.
Although, Magnus also can't help the slight worry that overtakes him at seeing the clear stress and exhaustion on Alexander's face. At least some of which is erased by the smile the Shadowhunter sends him as soon as he sees Magnus coming towards him.
His answering smile is ridiculously bright and also entirely automatic.
"Hello, Alexander," he says affectionately, trying not to let his worry for the Shadowhunter show too clearly as he reaches him and then finally leans in for a warm, lingering kiss hello.
He feels both of Alexander's hands immediately come up to curl around his waist on either side, their hold tightening briefly before relaxing again, but even then not fully letting go, instead staying right there, keeping a loose hold on Magnus' waist.
It's certainly lovely to know that he wasn't the only one to feel the separation, as brief as it may have been.
When Magnus finally pulls back from the kiss, he keeps one of his hands against the side of Alexander's neck, thumb curving over his jaw. Seeing the exhaustion on Alexander's face from close up only increases his worry.
"How has your day been?" Magnus asks quietly.
Alexander doesn't reply verbally, just closes his eyes, leans into the hand still cradling the side of his neck, giving a rather explosive sigh, a small shrug and a deepening frown in reply.
So, truly stressful then.
Magnus hums in sympathy, leaning in for another soft kiss before he says, "Why don't you sit down and I'll make us something to drink. Have you had dinner yet?"
Alec nods his head at the last question even as he makes his way over to the couch to sit down, frowning slightly.
Going to the loft to spend some time with Magnus is all he has wanted to do for the past few days. But now that he is here, he suddenly seems unable to relax, still wired and annoyed from the past few days, his mind caught on all the things still to get done.
He tries to focus on the rather hypnotic visual of Magnus mixing their drinks instead, tries to make himself relax.
"It's been stressful," he finally admits out loud with a sigh. "I'm sorry I haven't had the time to come over more often."
The wistful note in Alexander's voice makes Magnus smile.
And, magic, does he feel the same, wishing they had more time to spend with each other. But the last thing he wants is for his Shadowhunter to stress himself out even more by trying to make time for Magnus while he is so clearly struggling already.
"I get being busy," he returns honestly, throwing a quick smile over his shoulder. "You know I'm happy with however much time you can manage, Alexander."
Alec feels a frown forming on his face, doing his best to ignore that thrum of annoyance still tugging at his mind from the events of today.
Of course, Magnus is being perfect as ever, just willing to go along with whatever works best for Alec.
So, Alec has absolutely no idea why he then - instead of taking Magnus' comment as it is clearly intended - almost consciously decides to misunderstand what Magnus just said.
"You're happy with how things are?" The annoyed note in Alexander's voice takes Magnus off guard. "So, you don't want me to come over more often, then?"
Magnus just blinks at Alexander. That's just such an odd thing for him to say.
It honestly takes him a few seconds to catch up and by the time he finally manages to reply, Alexander's face is already pulled into a scowl.
"Oh no, Alexander, that's not what I meant to say at all," he says carefully, cautiously, setting down the drinks he just finished preparing.
Something about this tells him that they are about to have an argument, despite Magnus having absolutely no clue what it is they will be fighting about.
Alec knows that Magnus is trying to calm his temper but he is simply too annoyed at everyone but Magnus to actually give him the chance. He gets up from the couch to pace, tries to push down his irritation. He doesn't succeed in the least.
Instead, he says something to Magnus. Something about people with too much time on their hands. Something he doesn't mean at all and something he'd take back immediately if he were thinking straight.
He doesn't. He doubles down instead.
Alec just can't seem to let it go and for a while Magnus quite impressively even keeps his temper, staying entirely calm, trying to salvage the situation. But with every new topic Alec drags into the argument, he can see the frustration building in Magnus' eyes. And he has no idea why it satisfies him on some level to see it there.
And turns out, Magnus certainly knows how to hit where it hurts once he finally does lose his patience. Just a single comment from him has Alec going from generally irritated to spitting mad.
It just escalates from there.
They argue. Loudly. Angrily.
Mostly about things that don't actually have anything to do with either - much less both - of them.
Thankfully, neither of them takes it too far, nothing truly hurtful being said or brought into the argument.
And then, just as abruptly as the fight started, it's suddenly over.
In the middle of Alec saying something rather tauntingly, harshly sarcastic, Magnus seems to finally reach the end of his tether, suddenly reaching out, gripping the front of Alec's shirt and then abruptly pulling him into a rather aggressive kiss.
It takes Alec barely a moment to react, for his brain to switch tracks, before he is kissing back just as heatedly, just a few seconds before he is stepping forward, closer, and even closer, forcing Magnus to move backwards with Alec until the back of Magnus' knees hit the sofa.
Thus, their first ever argument somehow ends with Magnus halfway sprawled back on the couch, still sitting mostly upright, and Alec straddling him on his knees, locked in a heated kiss.
Angel only knows how this turned into the result, but Alec is far too focused on Magnus right now to figure out exactly how this happened. He also doesn't much care, either.
During their less-than-graceful sprawl onto the sofa, Alec somehow managed to get his hand under Magnus' shirt and now he can't quite focus on anything but the warmth of Magnus' smooth skin under his fingers and the feeling of Magnus' tongue sliding against his.
And he really really likes the position they are in right now, with him kneeling over Magnus, Alec having to actually lean down as Magnus has to stretch slightly to reach his lips, and Alec definitely likes how it feels to run his thumb along Magnus' stretched throat as they kiss, feeling the vibration of Magnus' quiet moan against his fingers when Alec bites his lower lip sends a shiver of heat through him.
Magnus' arm curls tighter around Alec's waist, and this kiss is just so much hotter, so much more intense than any kiss between them before. Everything about it has heat pulsing through Alec, his thoughts hazy and at the same time entirely focused on everything Magnus.
And then Magnus' pulls away a little, his hand tightening slightly in his hair, tilting Alec's head to the side as he starts trailing kisses along his jaw, nips at the skin of his neck right above his deflect rune, before his lips wander further down along its dark outline, down Alec's neck. The warmth of his lips, Magnus' teeth pressing gently into the skin right where his shoulder meets his neck, his tongue soothing the sting.
Alec's mind swims with heat.
Alec suppresses a sigh as he finally closes the collection of archived reports from the Singapore Institute. Yet another text without so much as a vague mention of something that might help him and Lydia strengthen their case in front of the Clave.
He glances up. Lydia is sitting in the armchair across from the couch Alec himself is on, an even heavier, probably just as mind-numbing, and likely just as irrelevant legal text in her own lap.
Their search for any sort of precedent of two unmarried Shadowhunters sharing the position of Head of an Institute is turning out to be much more time-consuming than either of them had hoped.
They are currently in Alec's office, having decided early on to keep the Head of the Institute's office for their day job and drag any and all material that might be relevant to their research here. So, at least they are comfortable.
He frowns slightly, even as he reaches for yet another collection of archived annual reports on the table in front of him, this time from the Kyoto Institute.
The last time he saw Magnus was two days ago when their still-not-entirely-sure-how-it-started argument ended rather... heatedly on Magnus' couch.
The mere memory has a fizzle of heat run down his spine.
Although to Alec's endless frustration, just when things had really started going somewhere – Alec having managed to get most of Magnus' shirt unbuttoned and finally getting his mouth on the warlock's ridiculously alluring collarbones – his phone had started to ring with a mission alert. Because, of course, it had.
It had been a call for backup from one of the patrol teams and Alec had been forced to leave immediately, barely having the time to get his breath back, to apologize to Magnus for starting their fight in the first place, and to make sure that everything between them was good, no thanks to Alec himself.
Magnus had of course assured him that everything was just fine between them and not to worry, had given him a brief, sadly much less heated kiss goodbye, before opening a portal for him with a smile and even flicked his fingers to fix Alec's appearance.
Magnus hadn't however done anything to fix his own.
And it had taken Alec quite a bit of willpower to make himself leave at all, the sight of Magnus now sitting primly on the couch but looking so incredibly, attractively disheveled, watching him with a coy smile, made Alec want nothing more than to get right back to what they were doing before.
Yeah.
Alec shuffles a bit in his seat and Lydia glances up at him for a second, clearly thinking he is about to say something, before she goes back to her text with a small sigh of her own, just as enthusiastic about their current mode of research as he is.
The point is, Alec would much rather be with his boyfriend right now.
He suppresses another sigh as he makes himself focus on the text in his hands. And promptly scowls at the barely legible handwriting he is faced with. Still, nothing for it.
He is once more shaken from his focus barely ten minutes later by a knock on the door. Lydia doesn't even react and just continues reading.
"Come in," Alec calls, rather irritated at the interruption.
The smile spreading over his face at seeing Magnus appear in the doorway is just entirely automatic. Alec is simply beyond caring whether it's normal for him to miss his boyfriend this much after having been apart for less than forty-eight hours.
Magnus feels his lips curl in a smile in response to the obviously welcoming, happy expression on Alexander's face.
Earlier today, Magnus decided that it's about time he get over his own insecurities about whether his help and-or presence at the Institute is actually welcome or not, and just go offer both to Alexander.
Worst case scenario, Magnus will have to sulk about being sent away. Best case scenario, he'll get to lighten his boyfriend's workload a little, possibly even freeing up some of his time. So, giving it a try is really a no-brainer.
"Hello, Alexander," Magnus greets with a smile.
He remains standing in the doorway, however. Because Lydia Branwell is sitting in the armchair across from Alexander and as far as Magnus is aware, his boyfriend has yet to tell her exactly who it is he is dating.
So, he just raises an eyebrow at Alexander in silent question.
Alec knows exactly why Magnus is hesitating to come in.
Seriously, Alec has got to finally figure out a way to deal with this whole coming-out thing. It's rather annoying having to keep his distance from Magnus whenever he stops by the Institute, just because Alec doesn't want someone to see them and then go spreading their relationship around via rumor mill. If only because of his parents. Alec might have had a sort of falling out with them recently, but he'd still very much prefer for them not to hear about Alec's relationship with Magnus via the Institute's gossip circles.
But none of this applies to Lydia. She already knows that Alec is gay and that he is dating a Downworlder, so she might as well know exactly who his boyfriend is.
Thus, he just gestures for Magnus to enter as he greets easily in return, "Hey, Magnus."
Surprisingly, at the name Lydia's head immediately comes up from the text in front of her, as she turns to face Magnus wandering over to where they are sitting after closing the door behind himself.
By the time he reaches them, Lydia has set her book aside and is even getting up from her seat to introduce herself, "It's an honor to meet you, High Warlock Bane. I'm Lydia Branwell."
Magnus smiles genuinely. The Branwells of the more recent generations have been rather proud of their association with him. His and dear Henry's invention of the portal might have been more than a century ago but it still is quite the thing to have in your family portfolio.
"Likewise," he returns cheerfully. "I always so enjoy meeting the next generation of Branwells."
Lydia's smile widens. "My grandfather and father speak very highly of you," she says. " I've truly been looking forward to meeting you ever since coming to New York. Your original research and notes for the invention of the portal is one of the most fascinating reads I've ever had."
"Oh, Henry would have been thrilled to hear one of his own family take interest in his research," Magnus says with genuine delight. He sighs somewhat nostalgically, "I do so miss dear Henry. He truly had one of the most inventive minds I have ever encountered. He would just look at things and see possibilities and the portal was just one of his many should-not-be-possible ideas. A great Shadowhunter, a spectacular inventor and a truly wonderful friend."
Alec blinks, even as Lydia and Magnus continue conversing.
So.
That almost just sounded like Magnus might have been involved in the invention of the portal… Because, of course, his boyfriend helped invent the most commonly used spell throughout the Shadowworld.
Seriously, how is Alec always the last one to hear about these sorts of things?
He doesn't get a chance to ask for details before Magnus is already turning toward him to say, "I thought, I'd stop by and maybe offer my help with that research you mentioned. Us warlocks do have some additional, rather helpful tools at our disposal."
Alec tries not to look too adoring, even as he nods.
Of course, despite having a truly demanding job of his own, Magnus' reaction to Alec being swamped with work at the Institute would be to come by for a visit and offer his help. For no other reason than that he can.
Alec still doesn't know how he ever managed to find himself someone like his boyfriend in the first place.
"That would be great," Alec finally replies, even as he casually pushes some books lying next to him on the couch to clear a space for Magnus to sit down.
He entirely ignores Lydia's slight, somewhat questioning frown at why the resident High Warlock decided to take time out of his no-doubt busy schedule to help them with their research in the first place. She'll figure it out soon.
Magnus just sits down gracefully, humming cheerfully, before letting his eyes drift over the stacks upon stacks of books and papers and texts and scrolls spread over the table and various other surfaces in the office, his eyebrows rising in askance.
Magic, how did they ever plan to work their way through all of this?
He claps his hands. "Alright. So, precedents, laws and legal loopholes is what you are generally looking for in this veritable, insurmountable mountain of assorted paperwork?" Magnus asks.
A nod from both Shadowhunters currently watching him expectantly.
Magnus quirks a grin, breathes out, magic easily, eagerly, freely jumping to his fingertips as he loosens his hold on just a fraction, feeding intent into it as he lets go. And then he just watches it do its work.
There is something indescribably radiant about Magnus as he does magic.
Alec has never seen his boyfriend look so loose and free and joyful before. Seeing him like this, a small, but luminous smile on his face as the feeling of magic around them intensifies is truly beautiful.
And also really, really attractive.
The magic surrounding them finally manifests as a wind seems to pick up in the office, loose papers being twirled around in a sort of vortex, books being leafed through, lifting off the surfaces they are scattered over, scrolls joining the dance.
It takes barely a minute before the magic is dissipating once more, leaving just a couple of books and a stack of scrolls lying on the table, the rest just haphazardly pushed to the side.
"Those all contain something generally relevant," Magnus points at the few remaining texts cheerfully, already leaning forward to reach for one of the books. "Let me know if you think of anything in particular you want to look for. This little trick works much better with specific keywords."
Alec and Lydia just blink rather baffled at the much reduced stack of materials left for them to go through on the table.
Well, then. Turns out having a warlock help you with your research truly is ridiculously convenient.
And Alec just can't help but lean over to press a quick kiss to Magnus' cheek in thanks.
Magnus smiles brightly in response.
Lydia chokes.
When Alec glances at her, her eyes are wide, almost comically so, as the pieces of Alec's stories about his Downworlder boyfriend clearly click into place, as she realizes that Alec's boyfriend is no other than Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, himself.
Alec tries to suppress the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. But he might not be entirely successful.
To Lydia's credit, it only takes her a few moments, less than a minute, to collect herself.
Then, she coughs, probably a little embarrassed at being caught so off guard, before throwing Alec a narrow-eyed glance – indicating Alec might be paying for this the next time they spar – before she sets her previous reading material aside to pick up a book from the new selection on the table to start paging through instead.
And if it takes a bit longer for Alec's possibly somewhat smug smirk to disappear from his face, well, really, who can blame him?
Things at the Institute finally come to a head only two days later, when the Clave orders Lydia to arrest Meliorn. Who then of course casually reveals to her and several other Shadowhunters that Clary already found the Mortal Cup.
Alec only hears about it afterwards when he gets back from patrol and by that time his siblings have already picked their villain, angrily ranting about Lydia.
He just wants to roll his eyes at them once more acting like Lydia is somehow the root of all of their problems and entirely ignoring the fact that the Clave now being after them might also have something to do with their decision to frequently go against orders.
Sometimes his siblings truly act like children. Thing is, he actually agrees with Lydia that she couldn't have possibly just ignored a direct order from the Clave like the one for Meliorn's arrest.
Seriously, he doesn't get why he has to explain this to his siblings at all.
"What did you expect Lydia to do? She was following orders," he says, trying to get them past this rather obsolete topic. "You two know that sometimes you simply aren't given a choice in doing what the Clave demands."
"She could at least have tried to reason with them," Izzy argues, anger in her own features and admonition in her voice, as Jace nods along.
And, okay, Alec gets that Izzy is simply worried about Meliorn, someone she cares about. So, she does get a bit more leeway in this. But there is still very much a limit to Alec's patience.
"Then, by the angel, why don't you do that?" he returns abruptly, clearly startling her. "He's your informant. So, send the required missives to the Clave. Make your objections known. Tell them that Meliorn is a trusted informant and whatever they have been fed about him using you for information in turn is fabricated. Go and do that."
Izzy stares at him wide-eyed, clearly taken aback by his outburst. Even Jace looks startled.
"Wha- Alec?" Izzy asks.
And Alec just shakes his head slightly, mostly just feeling exasperated now and unwilling to discuss this any longer. They are arguing about things that have already happened. They can talk about Meliorn later. Right now, Alec has more pressing matters on his mind.
"We need to figure out what to do with the Cup now that the Clave knows we have it," Alec asserts.
Because this is exactly the kind of situation Alec has wanted to avoid since the beginning. People know now that they have the Cup at the Institute. From this point forward, neither freeing Clary's mother nor Alec's own agenda could possibly justify keeping the Cup in a compromised location any longer.
The Mortal Cup needs to be returned to Idris, needs to be put somewhere safe, buried so deep under ancient spells and protections that no one - no matter how altruistic their reasons - can get their hands on it. It's a race against time now.
Jace just scoffs, "Well, it's not like we can just hand it over to the Clave. Remember what happened the last time they had it?"
Alec just sighs in exasperation, bringing a hand up to frustratedly rub at his forehead. "What are you even saying, Jace?"
Both of his siblings blink at him in surprise, clearly not having expected him to contradict them on this.
Alec raises an eyebrow at them. "The Clave has had the Cup ever since its creation and seems to have managed just fine in keeping it safe. Yes, they messed up once and numerous Shadowhunters and Downworlders paid for that mistake with their lives. But just because of that, you suddenly think the three of us are a better protection for the Mortal Cup than what the entire Clave can provide? Especially now, that everyone knows we actually have it?"
There is a slight pause.
Then, Jace huffs stubbornly. "Well, we'll just have to figure something out. We are just trying to protect everyone."
"No, you're not," Alec says, scoffing at that ludicrous claim. Seriously, what is it with this all-encompassing self-righteousness that seems to have taken hold of everyone recently? "You might be doing what you think is best but you definitely aren't doing it for others. You only seem to care about helping Clary, and she only cares about getting her mother back. Other people's safety doesn't factor into your decisions at all."
Jace looks almost offended at that, although Alec really doesn't get why.
He sighs, exhaustion pulling at him, but he keeps his voice steady. "The Clave wants the Cup, Jace. Clary might have the excuse of not knowing how far they are willing to go to get what they want, but you don't. You know we can't win this."
"But we can't just hand it over," Jace says imploringly, pleadingly. "She risked everything to find it."
And that right there is the crux of the matter, isn't it?
To Jace, this isn't about the fact that they are going against orders or that they are risking one of the most powerful artifacts in the Shadowworld. To Jace, this is solely about Clary, solely about helping her. Nothing else even seems to factor into it for him.
And with how his parabatai is currently looking at him, asking Alec without words to chose Jace's side, usually this would be where Alec gives in, let Jace have his way. As he always seems to do.
But for once, Alec just can't. This is just too important, too dangerous, too potentially devastating for him to give in to his siblings' whims.
So, Alec keeps his voice absolutely firm as he says, "And we risked everything to help her."
He watches his siblings for a few seconds, trying to impress the importance of what he is saying on them, "The Clave knows we have the Cup now, so Valentine will soon know as well if he doesn't already. And there is simply no telling what he might do in order to get his hands on it. He has already gotten past our wards once. The Cup has to go back to Idris, where it can be properly protected and the three of us should be figuring out how to get it there without letting it fall into the wrong hands along the way. "
Alec looks at his siblings and he just wants to sigh at the stubbornness and calculation in both their eyes. He can practically see both of them scheming.
So apparently, Alec not going along with their harebrained schemes for once doesn't mean they'll return the favor and actually help him for once, but rather means that they'll just try to get around him instead. He keeps his face blank, keeps the disappointment at this not-truly-surprising revelation off his face.
But if they really want to pit themselves against him, then so be it.
So, he finally lets his authority bleed into his voice - takes on the persona of unbending leader that he never uses on his siblings - stating in a tone that brooks no argument, "Just to be clear, this isn't actually a discussion. This is me telling you, that the Cup is going back to Idris. It isn't safe here any longer. So, either Clary gives the Cup to Lydia or I will hand it over myself."
His assertion is met with silence and he can see the surprise in his siblings' features, surprise at Alec for once being utterly unwilling to bend the world for them.
And sometimes he truly wonders what the world looks like through his siblings' eyes.
Whether they truly think that disobeying orders leads to no reprimand, that making demands of the Clave just makes things happen. Whether they truly never figured out that the reason there have never been consequences for their actions was simply because Alec made sure there wouldn't be, that their demands for change only ever made a difference because Alec made sure they would.
And as he finally turns around to leave, he can't help but think that maybe it's really about time they learn.
Magnus comes to find him a few hours later.
Alec is in his office, mind still circling around the Cup and his siblings and contingencies and security and so many eventualities and possibilities that his head is honestly starting to spin.
He immediately wipes his face clean of all emotions at the knock on his door.
And then Magnus is sticking his head inside with a slight smile, "Hello, Alexander. Are you busy?"
"Hi," Alec almost sighs out, feeling something inside him relax at the mere sight of his boyfriend.
Magnus clearly takes that as a sign of welcome, slipping inside and closing the door behind himself.
Alec honestly doesn't know how he manages to keep getting into the Institute, but clearly everyone here seems to have gotten the not-really-incorrect impression that Magnus just has general access.
Although, by the time Magnus comes to a stop right next to where Alec is sitting, a concerned frown has overtaken his face.
"You look troubled," Magnus lays a hand on Alexander's shoulder, looking down at him worriedly. "Is everything alright?"
Because there is something in Alexander's eyes that speaks of more than just stress right now. His Shadowhunter who is always so very sure of himself and of his convictions is for once looking almost unsettled, hesitant. It's uncertainty and Magnus isn't used to seeing it in Alexander's eyes. He doesn't much like seeing it there either.
Alexander breathes out, slightly leaning into the hand Magnus has on his shoulder. "Yeah." A pause. Then, his shoulders slump slightly. "No, not really."
Alec looks up at Magnus, his boyfriend, who is just watching him attentively as always simply willing to listen but not pressuring him in any way. Always, always on Alec's side.
He breathes in.
And then he just lets everything come tumbling out. The Cup in his safe, Meliorn's arrest, Izzy's anger, being torn between his loyalty for Jace and his duty to keep the Shadowworld safe, his disappointment at finding that the one time he doesn't just go along with his siblings, they promptly start scheming how to get around him instead.
And Magnus just listens, as he always does. Although, when Alec talks about his siblings, there is suddenly something slightly darker in Magnus' eyes, something almost angry. But Alec blinks and it's gone again as though it had never been there at all.
"So, your siblings are worried about the Cup not being safe in Idris?" Magnus asks, tilting his head slightly as he considers what he has just been told.
Alexander snorts. "I think the Cup's safety is very much second to them just wanting to have it at their disposal. And I don't know what exactly they are planning but I do know there is something."
"Hm," Magnus hums, trying to hide the anger he is feeling on Alexander's behalf. "So, you need to get the Cup safely to Idris."
"Yes," Alexander immediately asserts. "The Cup can't stay here, not now that everyone knows we have it. But I can't just hand it to the Clave because we know there are traitors hidden somewhere and I don't want to trust the wrong people with something as important as this." A tired sigh. "But where does that leave me? I can't keep the Cup here, it's too risky. But I can't just hand it over either. And it's not like I can tell the Clave I'm going to hide it as I see fit. That's not a fight I can possibly win."
Alec rubs his forehead in exhaustion. He simply doesn't know what to do.
"You are right, that is not a fight that can be won." Magnus says, looking thoughtful as he leans back against the table right next to where Alec is sitting. Then, "So, why don't you just turn it entirely around on the Clave?"
"Turn it around?" Alec raises an eyebrow in question.
Magnus nods, "Just look at the situation from the flipside. Not as the Clave forcing you to give them what they want, but rather as you having something the Clave wants, quite desperately so. Well, it won't be long before they catch up, figure out your soft spots and flip the situation around on you, making you the one scrambling to meet their demands."
Alec clenches his teeth. He knows that. That is exactly what he is so afraid of, exactly what he means that this is simply not a fight they can win, not if they have to go up against the Clave.
"But, Alexander, right now you are the one holding all the cards." There is suddenly something mischievously scheming in Magnus' expression. "If you approach them now, you can probably spin your hiding the Cup as a precaution against spies. And whoever you choose to approach will likely be happy to agree to any demands you make anyway, simply because by being involved they get to take at least some of the credit for the return of one of the Mortal Instruments to Idris. And you know how much the Clave members love one-upping each other in their little power struggles."
Alec blinks. Somehow the option of using the leverage of the Cup to make the Cup itself safer hadn't even occurred to him until now.
But Magnus is absolutely right. The Clave wants the Cup. And Alec could easily demand additional security measures, demand to get to hand it over to someone Alec chooses, and while he's at it, he might as well make sure that there won't be any backlash for him and his siblings for having kept the Cup at all. He could probably even include Meliorn's freedom in the deal…
And suddenly, an idea takes root in his mind. An idea that would quite neatly solve most of Alec's current problems in one go.
Although, for this to work, he will definitely need some help.
Magnus watches his boyfriend just stare sightlessly at his desk for a while, lost in thought as his mind runs through possibilities, formulating and discarding plans.
And when Alexander finally looks up at him again, focuses back on Magnus, the Shadowhunter's usual self-assuredness has clearly returned, a confident, triumphant gleam in Alexander's eyes.
Well, would you look at that delightfully scheming expression, Magnus thinks, a heated shiver running down his spine as he watches a slight smirk tug at Alexander's mouth. And, magic, does he wear it ever so well.
A/N: So, a malec fight, Lydia finding out, the argument between the siblings and then malec plotting together... I honestly quite like the mixture, even though it turned into yet another absolute monster of a chapter XD
And it was surprisingly difficult writing the Lightwood argument without having Alec turn all ooc and air all of his grievances at once, but I hope it still turned out alright. And I know I could have just cut the entire first scene but I really wanted to make malec's first fight about something trivial instead of those frequent, dramatic existential crises they had in the series... Would absolutely love to know what you think :D
Also, I tried something new for the malec scenes with rather frequent POV changes instead of longer single-POV segments. Would love some feedback on whether that worked out alright :)
And thank you so much for your reviews! You guys are just lovely (*^^*)