Hello there fam! It's me again! You know, I think I should stop making promises on deadlines, I don't seem to keep them. This isn't a chapter for the story, but it is a one-shot extra based on a line that I had in the previous chapter. In the chapter, I wrote briefly about how Rafael had ended up stabbing a demon during Max's temptation lesson, and I decided to write it out. I'm glad with the way it turned out.
This will not only be posted here, but into another story/series I'll be posting soon. I've decided I would write a series of one-shots involving the Lightwood-Bane family after Rafael was adopted. I thought the initial introduction of Rafael and him joining their family was absolutely adorable, and I wanted more! This is one of the two I already have written out, and I'll be posting the other (hopefully)soon.
This doesn't have any spoilers for this story since it happened before time this story takes place. However, spoilers for those of you who didn't know Malec had a second kid. If you didn't, you live under a bigger rock than I do, lol!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or their stories. All rights go to Cassandra Clare;
Temptation
"Why?" Rafael asked with a scowl, eyes staring daggers at his new Papa. In the back corner of the living room, far enough away from Max and his numerous toys, Magnus was pouring sand and lighting candles. The cylinders of hardened wax were black and sinister looking, and the flames flickering on the wicks seemed to hiss at the boy's voice. Rafael watched with hard eyes as Magnus finished pouring the sand into the shape of a pentagram.
Rafael hated the pentagram. He knew what it meant. Growing up in the Shadow Market, he had seen and experienced many Downworld practices and spells. He grew up around it. He'd seen vampires drink blood from animals, and people. He'd seen werewolves turn and fight each other, tearing each other limb from limb in a bloody and gruesome mess, fighting for dominance of the pack or to protect their loved ones. He'd seen warlocks of all shapes and sizes, some simply selling charms and potions, others charging for services to willing patrons. He'd rarely seen faeries, but those who were there were charming and scary and used their beauty to trick and steal from others. Even the one old fairy lady who the orphaned kids and gave them food, she still made Rafael uneasy to an extent. He'd also seen magic, both from faeries and warlocks.
Rafael didn't outright hate magic. During his life in the Shadow Market he unconsciously learned that magic itself is not evil itself. He'd seen magic used to help people, and he'd seen it used to hurt people. However, magic didn't make Rafael upset or uncomfortable. In fact, Rafael usually adored any type of magic he saw. He loved his Papa's magic best. It was colorful and warm and fun and cool. Whenever he could watch his Papa work, he did, fascinated by the way he cast certain spells or mixed potions. Sometimes he even asked to help, and depending on what Magnus was working on, Magnus would let him stay and explain what he was doing to the curious Shadowhunter boy.
But this thing Papa was going to do with him magic, Rafael hated it. He's seen it a couple time in the Shadow Market, while hiding or spying. Every time someone drew that symbol, a monster, demon, would appear. And Rafael hated demons. And every week, like clockwork, his Papa summoned a demon in their home, and Rafael hated it.
Once Magnus finished pouring the sand, he turned to look at Rafael. His cool cat eyes were calm and understanding, but it was clear he was a bit tired of the question Rafael had asked. After all, this was the fifth time within the last half hour Rafael had demanded an explanation. And each time, Magnus was patient, understanding, and reassuring. Rafael, stubborn as ever, refused to accept his Papa's explanations.
"You know why Rafael, it's time for Max's temptation training," Magnus explained again. He kept his tone soft, but not patronizing. He didn't shield stuff like this from his son, he didn't need nor want to. This was the world where his children lived, and learning about and experiencing it at such a young age was only natural, just like teaching them how to dress and speak. There were certain things about their world that Alec and Magnus did shelter their kids from, but only until they were older. However, stuff like this, demons, bad magic, the possibility to use it for evil purposes, that was only natural to teach. After all, if they didn't teach their children about the dangers when they were young, what greater risk would they face as adults? Alec and Magnus wanted to raise their sons best, and raise them to be loving, caring, kind, and wanting to do the right thing. No one was immune to making poor decisions, and temptation is strong. And Magnus knew that for warlocks, the temptation to follow an evil path was just as great as anyone else's. The only major difference was that while most people were tempted by figurative demons, they were tempted by real demons. Rafael crossed his arms again, his hard-brown eyes boring into Magnus'.
"Why?" he asked again, more anger and frustration in his voice. For a moment, Magnus had to fight down a laugh. Rafael's stance and attitude reminded him so much of Alexander. Their newest addition did seem to take up many of Alec's mannerisms naturally. They were both stubborn, deeply devoted to their loved ones, and extremely protective. In fact, Rafael's stance and expression resembled a miniature reflection of the look Alec had given Magnus many times before. It was reserved for when Magnus did something that was a risk to his safety or wellbeing. Rafael had that same attitude, especially about his baby brother.
"Because, Max is a warlock, and when he grows up he may have to summon demons one day. Most warlocks do." Magnus walked over to the boy as he spoke, kneeling down to be at his level. "And when demons are summoned, you know what they want to do, don't you?"
"Get out, hurt people." Rafael said through gritted teeth. Magnus nodded.
"Yes. Many warlocks who are not experienced at summoning demons not only have to worry about keeping them from getting free, but from being tricked or convinced by the demon to let them go themselves."
"Then just don't summon them." Magnus sighed heavily. He wished explanations like that were that simple. Unfortunately, over the course of his very long life, Magnus knew that it wasn't that easy.
"It's not that simple Rafael," his Papa said. He sounded somewhat upset, like he didn't want to do it, but had no choice. "Demons still come into this world even if they aren't summoned. And when that happens they don't always just try to hurt people, but try to make people hurt other people for them. They can be very tricky. You and Max are going to grow up in a world of fighting demons. Your dad and I want to make sure that you don't get tricked into helping them. You know that demons are bad, and so does Max, but the earlier he learns that and the more comfortable he is with summoning them, the less difficult time he'll have when he starts doing it in the future. And the better chances that the demon won't end up tricking him or someone else near him. He'll be stronger than the demon, like you."
"Why?" Rafael asked angrily, still stubbornly refusing to listen to what his Papa said. In some corner of his mind, Rafael knew what his Papa said made sense. It was like Rafael and his Shadowhunter training. Even though he was young, his dad would often show him how to hold small knives or his arrows so he would know how to handle them safely when he started his more advanced training. That still didn't mean Rafael had to like it.
"'s ok Rafe," a small voice said from the middle of the living room. The other two turned to see the little blue boy sitting in front of the couch, toys strewn all around him. He was currently playing with a little pirate ship that rolled around and had a little cloth sail. "Papa keeps safe. Demon's are mean. You protec' me too."
Magnus smiled softly at that declaration. Even as young as he was, Max was bright. Always had been. Max knew that this was dangerous, that demons were dangerous, but he knew that he was safe. It was why he didn't usually pay demons any attention anymore during his temptation lessons. He'd usually play with his toys or just flat out tell the demon to stop being mean. And since Rafael had come into the picture, Max had been doubly defiant of the demons, outright telling them that he and his brother were Shadowhunters, and one day they were stop them from doing bad things like their dads. Just last week when a demon offered Max free toys for life if he helped it escape, Max flat out said "if you out, my brother and me send you away."
"You see, Rafael," Magnus said, turning back to the elder son. "Max knows that I'll keep him safe. And he knows that demons are bad. We do this to make sure that Max determines that for himself, and isn't scared of them when he's older and may have to work with them."
"Papa! Time!" Magnus turned as he heard the clock begin to chime. Max was pointing at the clock above the mantle, which chimed three times. The usual time when Max's temptation started. Magnus rose, turning to go bck to the pentagram for the summoning, but he felt a small, firm grip on his robe sleeve. Rafael stared up at him with hard eyes. However, now they were laced with fear and questions. His grip on Magnus' sleeve was hard and strong, somewhat desperate. His body was tense, unmoving. Silently, he flicked his eyes towards his baby brother, then to the direction of the summoning area, then to Magnus' own eyes. They swam with questions. Magnus completely understood.
"If you want, you can stay Rafael," Magnus reassured softly, brushing a gentle hand through the Hispanic boy's hair. "In fact, Max may like you playing with him during this time. What do you say, blueberry?" Rafael saw Max's little face light up in joy, and little pops of sparkles began to appear around him. Rafael had learned that young warlock magic, at least his brother's, seemed to respond to his emotions. The little blue boy began to wave his pirate ship in the air, excitedly showing it off.
"Raf'el! Stay! Play pirates w'me!" Max looked at his big brother with big blue eyes. They were so happy, so pleading, so excited at the prospect of play. Without a word, Rafael let go of his Papa's arm and walked to his little brother. Sitting down across from him, he reached to take the pirate ship, only for Max to snatch it away, giggling mischievously. Rafael grinned and tried to snatch the ship from the younger boy, purposefully letting Max keep it from him.
Rafael played with Max, laughing and giggling, but he was still alert. Though his attention was on his brother, he could see his Papa out of the corner of his eye. He saw a dark light come from the spot where the sand was, and he felt the change in the air. He could hear the hissing and sick popping of the demon trapped in the pentagram, just a few feet away from his baby brother. The air smelled of sulfur and something rotten. The hairs on Rafael's arms stood up with the feeling of tension and the presence of danger. Slowly, subtly, while his brother chattered away about a game to play, Rafael glanced at the demon.
It was big, almost as tall as Papa. It had nasty tentacles that oozed and dripped black liquid. Its suckers pushed against the invisible wall the pentagram made. The tentacles then attached to a body resembling a person, with a torso and arms and head. The skin was a gross grey/green shade. It didn't have any ears or nose, and its eyes were just empty black holes on its face. There was some sort of drool coming from its mouth as he spoke to Magnus, saying something about how it was unfair that it was always the one summoned for these lessons, and how Max should be moving onto tougher, more dangerous demons since he seemed to be doing so well as Magnus stated. Rafael scowled at that, knowing that the demon was trying to trick his dad to somehow get them hurt. However, Magnus just brushed the demon off, replying that the demon should be honored, because being summoned for warlock training was uncommon for demons in general. Rafael giggled a little, hearing the mocking tone in his Papa's voice.
As the hour wore on, Rafael began to forget about the demon. It wasn't making much noise other than the occasional whimper and growl. Max didn't even seem to notice it, too engrossed in the game he was explaining to his brother. Rafael did keep glancing back every minute or so to make sure the demon was still there and unable to get to his brother. It was instinct. Demons were evil, they wanted to hurt people, wanted to hurt his brother, and Rafael wouldn't let that happen. Magnus began to work on something nearby, also keeping an eye on the demon. Rafael knew his Papa was strong, he knew that he could keep the demon from hurting them. However, he still knew that demons were tricky, and always looked for a way out. It was one of the first things he learned from viewing Max's temptation lessons.
As the hour nearly ended, the three (four) of them heard the door lock click. Max and Rafael both eagerly looked towards the door, knowing who was here. The door creaked open to reveal their dad, Alec.
Alec was still dressed in his gear for the day, but it wasn't dirty. He was dressed in black, leather, with knives and Seraph blades practically dripping off him. His quiver was still strapped across his back, Rafael could see the feathers sticking out of the top for his dad to grab. His jacket was draped across his arm that held his bow. His hair looked messed up and he looked tired, but other than that he was fine. As he entered the apartment, Chairman Meow ran out from where he was hiding and rubbed up against his boots, already purring. The Chairman seemed to prefer Alec more than the rest of them, much to Magnus' chagrin.
"Daddy!" Max cried, throwing his toys down and running towards Alec. Alec smiled widely and kneeled in time to grab Max and lift him up, placing the little blue boy close to his chest. Rafael stood and made his way over as well, waiting patiently for his own hug as Max squeezed their dad and gave him a kiss. Magnus turned from his task and grinned at the sight.
"Hello, Alexander," the older warlock said. "How was your day?"
"Long," Alec said as he set down Max. He gave Rafael a big hug, holding him close. Rafael gripped him hard, squeezing with all his might. He was always relieved when his dad came home.
Once the hugs were finished, Alec made his way to the couch, carefully stepping around and over the toys littering the surrounding floor. With tired movements, Alec set down his jacket and bow, unstrapping his quiver and setting it at the foot of the couch. Max knew not to play with the arrows, and knew he would get in trouble for playing with it, so there was no fear of one of them hurting themselves. After setting the items down, Alec made his way to Magnus, wrapping his arms around the man and holding him close, placing a kiss on his shoulder. Magnus turned and wrapped his arms around Alec, placing a soft kiss on his tired Shadowhunter's forehead, reaching to stroke his hair.
"How long?" Magnus asked.
"Dealing with bigoted Clave representatives long," Alec said with a groan. "They insisted that though the efficiency of the New York Institute was the best, it was unethical for one of their head members to be living so far away with Downworlders. They insisted that all Shadowhunters should live away from corruption and stick to their own. One of them even insisted that it'll break the spell that you have on me and free me from your control."
"Well, they do have a point. I do have you under a spell of sorts." Magnus said this with a humorous tone, but the insult in his voice was evident to Alec. "I hope you put them in their place."
"I tried to be the diplomat. It took me all I had not to punch those bas-" Alec stopped, glancing towards the couch, where Max was putting on Alec's jacket and Rafael was watching them. "Those jerks in the faces. I had to stop Izzy from cooking them a 'special meal' and had to stop Jace from punching each of them on my behalf."
"You have had a long day, darling," Magnus cooed softly, stroking Alec's hair. "Come on, let's get you out of those clothes and into bed. You need a nap."
"No I don't," Alec said stubbornly, which almost sounded like a whine. Then he let out a large yawn, and Magnus laughed.
"Yes, you do. Come along, you're taking a nap. Then once you're rested we'll go to dinner."
"What about me?" the demon in the pentagram hissed. "Do I get a reward for my help? I'm craving Indian food."
"You get nothing, and stay there until I come back," Magnus demanded, nearly dragging Alec towards the hall to their room. "Rafael, look after your brother." Rafael nodded.
"Raf'el! Look! I'm daddy!" Rafael turned to the couch and laughed. His baby brother was wearing Alec's jacket, which was far to big for him. The sleeves draped onto the couch cushions, even as Max lifted his arms to mimic Alec drawing his bow. Rafael laughed as Max poorly and adorable began to imitate their dad, stumbling occasionally on the fabric of the jacket. Max got off the couch, toddling over to Alec's bow and attempting to lift it. It was too heavy for him, but he stubbornly refused to stop. That's when Rafael noticed something slimy, dripping, and black inching closer out of the corner of his eye.
A shriek echoed through the apartment.
Alec and Magnus ran into the room, Alec missing his shirt and Magnus' robe slightly disheveled. Magnus had his hands up, ready to cast any sort of protection spell against the demon in the living room. Alec already had two small knives in his hands, raised and ready to strike. But he never moved. Instead, the two grown men lowered their hands in shock and awe at the sight before them.
In its pentagram, the demon was sniveling and clutching one of its tentacles. It had a tear in it, oozing ichor a similar shade to the rest of its ooze, but a little darker. The wound wasn't severe, but it looked deep and painful. It shrank back into the pentagram a bit as it nursed its wound, and that's when Magnus noticed another tentacle just barely outside the pentagram. There was a small breach in the seal that it slipped probably tried to reach through. The demon stared and hissed out in the direction of the boys, a vicious, vengeful look on its grotesque face. Then the adults looked towards their sons.
Max was sitting behind his big brother, a mixture of awe and shock on his little face. He was still dressed in Alec's jacket, and he had somehow gotten Alec's bow off the couch and on the ground in front of him. There didn't appear to be any wounds or injuries on the little boy. He just stared at his big brother, mesmerized.
Rafael stood between Max and the demon. His body was poised in the defensive position his dad had taught him and Max a little while back. His entire body shielded his younger brother from the demon, an unmoving wall between it and him. Though he wasn't as practiced or strong as his parents, it was evident that he was using his strength to hold his position, and it was pretty solid. He looked unhurt. His eyes were locked on the demon, fierce and cold and angry. His mouth was even curled into a sort of snarl, teeth bared and eyes trained on the monster still glaring back at him.
He held an arrow in his right hand, dripping with fresh demon ichor.
Alec and Magnus quickly moved to the kids. Magnus immediately banished the demon with a wave of his hand, and Alec went to check on the boys. Even when the demon was gone and his dad checked him, Rafael didn't move, still staring at the slime covered spot where the demon had been. He kept the arrow tight in his fist, his knuckles turning white. Rafael radiated strength and a fierce protective vibe, glaring at the now empty space, as if daring it to try and attack.
"What happened here?" Alec demanded, worried out of his mind. Rafael still refused to move, but Max eagerly stood up and began bouncing excitedly.
"Was cool, dad! Raf'el saw the mean demon try to g'eh me, and he was so fast! He grabbed dad arrow and stab it! It scream an' Raf protec me! Told you! Raf protec me! We fight demons t'gether!"
Alec looked at his eldest son in awe. Magnus had finally pried him out of his defensive stance and was checking him for any visible injuries. Rafael still glared at the empty pentagram, eyes still on fire. With delicate and patient hands, Magnus took the arrow from Rafael, and held it out to Alec. Alec inspected it. It was laced in fresh ichor, and there was a trail of slime leading from the pentagram towards the couch. Max gave Alec a big hug, wearing the biggest grin he'd ever seen.
"I wanna be cool an' strong like Raf'el!" the little blue boy proclaimed proudly.
Alec set Max down and turned to Rafael. Before Rafael could even open his mouth, Alec enveloped him in a big, strong hug. It took Rafael a moment to hug him back.
"I'm so glad you're ok," Alec said softly, relief etched in his voice. "I'm so sorry! You weren't hurt, right?"
"No, dad," Rafael said, slightly amused by Alec's worried reaction.
"How did you know what do to?" Alec asked, already knowing the answer. Rafael looked at Max, who was now wrapped in Magnus' arms, laughing as Magnus placed kiss after kiss on the boy's head and horns.
"It wanted to hurt Max. I wouldn't let it." The answer was so simple. So natural. It made Alec's heart soar.
After many more minutes of hugs and fretting, they went out to dinner at Rafael's favorite restaurant. He ended up getting double dessert that night.
