Alec looked away from one of the reluctant fights between Jace and his mother when his phone lit up with one of many of Magnus' messages. The screen was bright in the dim training room and he bit his lip, holding back a snort at the pick-up line the warlock had come up with that night.
Magnus: Flock with me tonight?Maryse flipped Jace on his back and the blond huffed, hurrying through the report and Isabelle giggled on the bench next to Alec. Jace hated sparring with Maryse and would rather let Isabelle or Alec face the matriarch but sometimes she did not give him a choice.
Alec hesitated as he looked at the text again, guilty of having to ditch the High Warlock for yet another patrol gone surprisingly well since his encounter with the werewolves at Renwick's Ruin. He was worried for Magnus too, since Valentine had killed a warlock child.
What would the madman do if he came face to face with Magnus? The warlock could defend himself, of course but Alec felt guilty every time he bailed on Magnus. The High Warlock should not be patrolling alone.
It had also occurred to his parents that Alec could not fight alongside downworlders and keep his wings a secret. While his wings helped gain the trust of the High Warlock, to an extent, Alec was afraid he would not be able to keep his siblings in the dark, and much less the Clave.
His mother had not taken the werewolf pack's threat lightly and worried about Valentine's return. She had proceeded to punch some sense into his siblings so that Alec was not left to patrol on his own. Magnus had been especially understanding of Alec's repetitive texts to cancel the trip to Staten Island but it was counterproductive. What was the use of teaming-up with Magnus if the shadowhunter did not get the opportunity to patrol with the High Warlock? Alec sighed, typing a reply.
Alec: Patrolling owl night long againHe rolled his eyes at his own pun and slid his phone in his back pocket before Isabelle took notice of his unusual behavior. His sister leaned against his side with a sigh, tucking her high heels under herself and nuzzling her cheek against his bare shoulder.
The attic echoed with the punches Maryse and Jace failed to trade because of the blond's reluctance to come at their mother with all his might. Alec allowed himself a smile as he watched his parabatai get his ass handed to him. He never laughed when Isabelle struggled against their mother.
"Why are you always running so hot?" his sister asked, curling into his side.
"Must be a family thing."
Alec tensed as he uttered yet another lie. It was not exactly a lie but worse, a biased take on the truth and he blamed himself for it. When had it become easy, to hide who he was?
Isabelle had no idea though and chuckled, holding her knees to her chest. Alec almost blamed puberty on their ability to run around with their arms bare, another lie, but Isabelle did not feel burning hot against his skin the way he did. Her long hair brushed against his elbow and he shivered, flexing his arm but the dark strands of hair caught onto the glamoured feathers on his wrist anyway.
Isabelle straightened and Alec winced as her hair caught between his arm and side. His phone went off in his pocket again as Maryse let go of Jace, satisfied with the report. The blond led the way out of the training room, mumbling all the way to the kitchen and Maryse smiled approvingly as he prepared late night snacks for them. Isabelle watched hungrily and Alec wondered if she would have liked to make edible sandwiches by herself.
Maryse had never taught her, only allowing Alec in the kitchen when she still cooked for them. Then Jace had come along, a ten years old boy that behaved like an adult already and put out the fires Isabelle started when she experimented in the kitchen. Not so long ago, women had been relegated to this very room and Maryse's insistence to keep Isabelle away from the stove had little to do with the sheer number of overcooked pasta and burnt smoothies she had presented them with. How either of those disasters had come to be remained a mystery.
Alec slipped out of the room to read Magnus' message, sending a spark of adrenaline down his back, something demon hunting had never come close to igniting. His gear was wet from late night rain on the way back to Manhattan but Isabelle and Jace had somehow dried themselves off before going inside the Institute, leather pants flowing along their legs when Alec's stuck uncomfortably to his skin.
Magnus: The early bird catches the worm but boy you can show up anytime and still get a bite ;)The way his cheeks burned with embarrassment had nothing to do with Alec's body temperature. Magnus' first message had been something along the lines of adding him to the list of endangered species because Alec was one of a kind and the other man had not relented with the bird puns since then. Alec rarely indulged him but receiving playful lines like this one was reassuring. Magnus had not taken offense to his unpredictable schedule, yet.
Church walked past Alec, winding between the shadowhunter's legs before he disappeared at the other end of the corridor. The cat rarely lingered with them and they spent days without catching sight of him sometimes.
Alec ducked back inside the kitchen and grabbed a snack just as Maryse left them to their own devices. His mother never really got out of her gear either, even though she did not patrol as often as they did. Maryse was busy with reporting to Idris, the stacks of paperwork that Hodge and Alec tried to help her go through, but never quite got to the bottom of. It had gotten worse since Valentine's return.
When she was not dealing with that, Maryse sent fire messages to downworlders leaders. The New York Institute was understaffed and overworked because of Valentine and his shady dealings with demons. Alec had not met Magnus at random after all, each faction did their part to keep the city safe at night.
Maryse approved of Alec's newfound alliance with the High Warlock and he wondered if patrolling with Magnus could stand for not being alone. Alec's mother had failed to get in touch with the werewolf pack to calm them down but the demon invasion had not relented in the meantime.
Alec mumbled to himself as he followed Isabelle and Jace into a nightclub some days later. Patrolling with the High Warlock ought to be safe, if not safer than following Alec's siblings around. He was not sure he wanted to stick with his siblings and potentially put them in danger until the situation with the werewolves was resolved.
Pandemonium pulsed from within and Alec swatted wandering hands away from his sides, following Jace's golden hair. Isabelle twirled from one pair of arms to another and he shot her a smile, glad she was enjoying herself at least. She was taller than some of the men she danced with, even without her heels.
The demon they had tracked down to the nightclub was dancing with a mundane, and the boy leaned in to talk to the shape-shifter, presumably asking for his name. Colorful lights flashed over them, turning the demon's hair blue.
"Damon!" the demon shouted over the music.
Alec might have found the demon's chosen name funny if he had not been worried for the mundane's safety. The demon kissed the red-haired boy on the cheek before stepping away and Alec released the breath he had been holding. Damon looked around briefly, not noticing them, and disappeared into a bathroom.
Jace unsheathed his glamoured seraph blade, treading carefully across the dance floor. Alec caught up on the other side of the crowd and Isabelle slipped away from her latest dance partner, whip uncoiling from her wrist.
Alec held his glamoured bow to his side, shoving his way through the crowd and they circled the bathroom, firing quick glances at each other when the mundane from before barged in with a heated glare in their direction.
"What the hell?" Jace muttered, opening the door again.
Isabelle followed quickly and Alec rolled his eyes at their usual recklessness, an arrow dangling from his fingers. Red feathers brushed the inside of his wrist and Alec's own feathers tingled at the soft but unusual feeling.
Inside, the young man was gesticulating, talking to the shape-shifter when the shadowhunters blocked their escape.
"See Damon, I told you weirdos were after you!"
The mundane pointed at them, squinting at the sight of their weapons and Alec tensed. The boy was tall and beautiful, strawberry blond hair carefully slicked back on his head, and his dark eyes narrowed as he stepped in front of the demon.
Behind him, the shape-shifter smiled wickedly, electric blue hair shining unnaturally in the artificial light of the bathroom. Damon's skin was taut over bone and his teeth appeared stark white and sharp as he moved closer to the unknowing mundane, using him as a shield.
"What do you want from him?"
Alec cursed under his breath and Isabelle fell back onto their routine strategy. She inched closer, making herself smaller in hope of shifting the mundane's protective instincts onto her rather than the demon. Jace played along, stalking forward and spitting out a spiel about demons that Alec had learned by heart too when they were children.
"The only thing I see is three armed gang members and a defenseless guy!" the mundane stood his ground.
Isabelle dropped the act and her whip cracked across the bathroom, a shadow flying above dirty tiles. It curved around the mundane without wrapping around him and slashed the demon's cheek instead. Jace lurched forward, grabbing the young man's arm and spinning them around to protect the mundane with his own body. Alec raised his bow and released the arrow he had been holding onto in one smooth motion, pinning the demon against a stall.
"No! Don't kill me! I can tell you about Valentine's return! He's been summoning demons… There is a rift on Staten Island," Damon shrieked helplessly.
Red feathers stood out like blood as the door banged against one of the stall frames. The eidolon demon stumbled into the toilet, white greasy slime disappearing down the drain and a seraph blade protruding from what was left of his chest. Isabelle retrieved her weapon and flushed the toilet to get rid of the foul smelling remains of the demon.
"Come on Izzy, you could have let Alec finish it for once," Jace called.
"Jace!" Isabelle gaped and Alec bristled as she kept talking. "What was that about Valentine?"
"Talking gibberish," Jace shrugged. "Do you believe us now?" he asked the young man next, scorn dripping from his voice.
Alec ignored Isabelle's question because it was easier than lying to her again. The mundane was shaking in his grip and the bathroom door slammed open once again, a young woman stumbling in. Fiery red hair covered her features as she threw herself at the other mundane, batting Jace's hands away from him.
"Let my brother go!"
Jace sheathed his seraph blade and tried to grab each of their arms in turn to hold them back. The girl bit down on his hand and rushed out of the room as quickly as she had entered it, dragging her brother with her.
Jace swore, shaking his hand to appease the pain flaring between his thumb and pointer finger. His skin was sticky with spit and Alec looked away with a wince. Isabelle wrapped her whip around her wrist with a disinterested shrug at Jace's failure but the blond would not give up that easily.
"Don't you dare," Alec warned.
"Don't tell me what to do," Jace spat. "You've been going out behind our back for months now."
Alec turned to their sister helplessly and she bit her lip, avoiding his eyes. Jace did not wait for a reply and gave the mundane chase in spite of Alec's plea to wait for them.
"Damn it."
"He better catch up with them. We need to know if dad has to send the High Warlock in order to clean up this mess, and where," Isabelle offered, dusting invisible specks off her dress. "Be safe and use protection."
She winked and Alec rolled his eyes, watching as she exited the bathroom to go dancing without a care in the world. Music slipped in through the door and Alec hesitated, before walking out of Pandemonium.
This was not right, they should not be splitting up. Much less on the assumption that Alec was seeing someone, like some sort of joke. Alec could not bring himself to rush after Jace though, not when he knew the blond only spoke the truth. While Alec's siblings had always been the type to go out partying, they never made a secret out of it.
Although, Alec was not hiding for the sake of hiding. There was no fun in lying to his siblings. Whatever they thought he was up to did not change the fact that Alec was lying to them in the first place. He sighed and resolved to do his duty. If he could not tell Jace and Izzy the truth, it was the only thing left to do.
It was a beautiful night and the moon stared back at him when he glanced at the sky. It was the perfect night to go on patrol with Magnus while nobody was watching him.
Alec's cheeks heated up as he messaged the warlock. He pressed send anyway and flexed his thumb. It did not sting like regret sometimes did, and Magnus' reply sent his blush rampaging so far down his chest Alec feared it might poke through the open sides of his hoodie.
Alec: Owl yours tonightMagnus: Your nest or mine?
Alec settled back into his professional self, arranging to meet with Magnus on the way. He took off through empty alleys and felt the weight of the buildings looming over him, as though the dark streets looked down on him. Soon enough, the warlock stepped out of the shadows, his cloak fluttering against his legs with each step he took. Alec glanced at the high heeled, iron spiked boots and raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he met the older man's gaze. Cat eyes glowed in the dark, bittersweet like honey.
"Like what you see? I find my battle gear almost as flattering as yours," Magnus dragged his eyes up and down.
"Battle gear? Dressed like that? Really?"
The shadowhunter sucked in a breath and decided against arguing when Magnus crossed his arms and his crop top rode higher on his chest. Alec looked away to draw triangular runes on his wrists and adjusted the strap of his quiver on his shoulder, his bow bumping against the small of his back. Alec felt the street humming with the call of Magnus' magic when the warlock snapped his fingers and a portal shimmered into existence. It cast dancing shadows along the walls and Alec squinted at the royal blue glow, waiting for Magnus.
Magnus gestured for him to walk through and they reappeared on Staten Island in the blink of an eye. It was eerily quiet but Alec could feel demons darting back and forth around them, hunting for a life force to feed on. Alec's hand went to his thigh holster, fumbling for a seraph blade as Magnus shifted closer to him.
"There is a rift somewhere, we need to get rid of it."
Magnus spoke quietly and Alec relaxed into the familiarity of duty. He unsheathed his seraph blade and fell into step with the warlock. Magnus twirled his fingers, rubbing royal blue sparks off his skin as he shrouded them in a repelling glamour to look for the rift. Alec held his breath at the sight of the High Warlock striding across a no-man's land, cloak hugging his figure and heeled boots meeting the ground without a sound, his gait confident and powerful.
Alec was not so much a shadowhunter as a shadow in his wake.
A practice field spread out in front of them, empty stands towering above them. The temperature had dropped the moment they had walked out of the portal and the stench of garbage lingered heavily in the air.
The rift was easy to spot, as the hole in the ground churned with hellfire, crawling onto dead grass and along collapsed bleachers. Magnus came to an abrupt stop on the edge of the opening between the Shadow World and the hellish dimension demons had been spilling from and Alec hovered near him, darting a glance down.
The hole spat smoke and fire at his face and a dark blur shot through the rift. Magnus jerked into action, arms flying to the side and magic gathered into his palms as he harnessed the ever-spreading rift between the realms and started to crush it back together. Alec stumbled back and spun on his heel to follow the threatening shape that had escaped from the rift. It soared over the training field and Alec finally recognized it for what it was: a dragon.
"As much as I would love for you to watch my back, you better go after it," Magnus called out.
He winked, golden eyes twinkling and magic roared along the rift. Alec held onto the hope that the warlock would not have been indulging in such flirtatious taunts if he had not felt in control of the situation and hurried to the closest bleachers. He climbed up, seraph blade lighting up as his wings unfurled under his arms.
Freezing wind seeped into his bones from the cold, but each flap of the demon's wings sent burning air in Alec's face and he choked on the stench of garbage. Dragonidae looked like dragons, breathed fire like them and were hard to kill but the similarity stopped there. They were almost extinct as summoning something so powerful was no easy feat. Magnus could not close the rift fast enough, Alec mused.
He rushed along the top row of the bleachers, trying to catch up with the dragonidae. Alec spread his arms in a desperate attempt at keeping his balance when the wind blasted him off course. Alec ducked a particularly strong gust and jumped, gliding across the field.
Alec's wings soared and he clenched his fists, angling his wrists and using the wind to his advantage, catching onto a gust of wind to remain airborne. Flames poured out of the dragonidae's jaw and Alec swerved to avoid the tongue of fire, swooping down. The demon gave chase and the heat emanating from the wall of fire sent the shadowhunter high up in the sky. He swore and used the momentum to double back, keeping the fight away from Magnus.
The rift looked significantly smaller already and Alec ducked a powerful gust, moving up with the wind. His wings shuddered with the strength of it and he let out a painful moan as the dragonidae came back around.
And headed towards Magnus.
Alec almost dropped from the sky as he veered across the field and glided after the demon, holding onto his seraph blade with all his might. He swooped down again, nearing the dragonidae's skull and plummeted onto its back, thrusting the blade through the demon's spine.
A roar echoed on the island and flames poured out of the dragonidae's jaws again even as it crashed, already disintegrating. Alec jumped off the demon's back, spreading his wings again and glided down, soaring across the field and tumbling against Magnus to protect him from the fireball. The rift snapped and disappeared as fire engulfed them, burning down demons and grass alike. Alec's scream of pain echoed long after the island went dark again.
"I didn't mean watching my back quite that literally," Magnus huffed from under him.
Alec did not reply as he staggered to his feet. He squinted his eyes shut, before retching and throwing up on the side. The night breeze had his whole body burning again, nerve endings coming alight with unprecedented pain.
The shadowhunter opened his eyes at the sound of Magnus gasping. His damaged pants were still hanging onto his legs but Alec was shirtless and Magnus was staring worriedly. Alec's wings curled into his sides and pain tore through the thin membrane.
Alec fell to his knees, shivers running through him as Magnus hurried to his side. They bathed in the blue glow of his magic and relief washed over Alec with the rush of a healing, pain-numbing spell.
A portal snapped into existence in front of them and the warlock helped him through it.
Magnus threw Alec's arm over his shoulders and heaved the younger man into the loft. His fingers brushed the naked skin hot and feverish on the shadowhunter's hip, whose head rolled to the side. Magnus welcomed the weight of the other man against his side, carrying him carefully.
Blood poured from the wounded wings and onto Magnus' skin, warm and slick, nothing he enjoyed in these dire circumstances. Alexander had thrown himself in front of the demon to protect Magnus and the warlock might not have seen it with his own eyes, he could not help but replay the scene. He imagined the other man's body draped over his, the outline of Alec, spreading his wings before the fire engulfed them both.
Magnus walked past a mirror, cat eyes blown wide as he realized he didn't even have a strand of hair out of place. He held onto the reminder that he could do something to help Alec as they stumbled through the mess of Magnus' living room. The warlock shuddered as the mental image played again, of Alexander protecting him. How long had it been, since someone put Magnus' life before their own? Magnus was not sure he wanted to know.
Chairman Meow dashed into the bedroom and Magnus followed, dragging Alec with him. Take-out boxes crunched underneath the soles of his shoes and he tripped on a discarded cushion, barely avoiding bumping into the door frame leading to his bedroom. The Chairman disappeared under the four poster bed and Magnus lowered Alec on his stomach. The shadowhunter groaned, coming back to his senses.
A string of curses tumbled out of Magnus' mouth at the sight of Alexander's naked back. Blood oozed from the burns, ashen skin drenched in ichor and his wings were covered in nicks and tears.
Magnus shed his cloak off and snapped his fingers to tie the curtains of the bed back and out of the way. Then, he summoned everything he would need later. A bowl of warm water and clean cloths to wash the cuts appeared next to the shadowhunter on the bed. The warlock grabbed a cloth, assessing how deep the cuts were as he cleaned them from soot and grime.
They appeared painful but mostly harmless, contrary to Alec's back, torn flesh and slimy burns covered in soot.
The warlock washed the wounds carefully and helped Alec spread his arms to a comfortable position. Magnus rolled up his own sleeves then, purple sparks jumping at his fingertips and he cringed, apologizing profusely for what he was about to do.
He dug his fingers into the gaping wounds on the younger man's back. Alec bit into the comforter and blood poured down his back, poison flowing out of his skin in dark rivulets. Magnus clenched his jaw as it pooled underneath the shadowhunter, turning the comforter a dark shade of brown. He dug deeper and Alec squirmed but his blood finally cleared of the demon's venom and Magnus let out a sigh of relief.
"Hold on a moment longer please."
Magnus leaned over Alec, hands hovering above his back. The shadowhunter relaxed with the warmth of the glowing magic, burns retracting on his skin and wounds slowly knitting back together. Magnus wobbled as he reached for Alexander's wings and his magic flickered and died. He held onto the bedpost before he did something unfortunate like falling onto a recently injured person, especially a mostly healed one. Magnus chuckled at the thought, catching his breath.
"You still with me?"
"Owl-ways," Alec mumbled against the comforter.
He was pale still, but Magnus held onto the shadowhunter's attempt at reassuring him, grabbing another clean cloth and dipping it in the bowl of warm water to get rid of the quickly drying blood. Alexander closed his eyes, breathing out a sigh as Magnus brushed the shadowhunter's sides and the warlock frowned at the nicks and cuts on his wings.
"I'll heal your wings as soon as I can."
"It's okay, they tear easily. You didn't have to do all that. Thank you."
Alec blinked a few times, glancing at him and Magnus clicked his tongue, deciding against arguing. He helped the shadowhunter up to change the bed sheets to new ones, a delightful shade of dusty pink that gave a healthy glow to Alexander's complexion. Magnus cleaned himself up in the process too, but faltered as the other man fell on the bed again. The warlock panted and wobbled, only barely avoiding sitting on Alec's spread out wings.
"Are you okay?" Alexander whispered, shifting to look at him.
"Magical exhaustion, I just need a moment."
Magnus frowned, catching sight of Alec's grin even as he buried his face in the nearest pillow. The warlock allowed himself a few seconds to simply take in the sight before nudging him carefully. The shadowhunter folded his arms under his chin and his ink black wings retracted swiftly to slivers of skin, the patagium a silver stretch beneath his armpit.
"What are you smiling at? You almost got burned alive."
"But I didn't and you don't even have a scratch," Alexander dismissed, lips curled up still.
"Stop smiling."
"I thought you'd be happy that we made it to your nest."
Alec giggled helplessly and Magnus studied his eyes carefully, wondering if he was drunk on numbing spells and magic. He slid down the bed, stretching next to the shadowhunter and putting his hands behind his head. He played with the cushion underneath his arms, gazing at the flower moldings on the canopy. The tulle curtains hanging from the four poster bed fell back, shielding Magnus and Alec from the rest of the world.
"Who knew you were such a flirt when you get rid of your clothes, I should have tried to get you naked sooner."
"Am not naked..." Alexander mumbled, blushing deeply.
Magnus hummed to himself, happy with the blood that had seemingly returned to the shadowhunter's face. Alec did not reply and later, when Magnus glanced at him again, the younger man's breathing had deepened to slow exhales that lulled the warlock to sleep as well. The Chairman slipped through the curtains and pawed onto the bed to curl up in the crook of Magnus' neck, purring softly.