Magnus met Catarina at the cafeteria of Beth Israel's Hospital on a rainy day. She seemed about to doze off in her loose-fitting scrubs and Magnus pushed forward a plate full of carbs and a large serving of baklava, her favorite comfort food. He smiled smugly as Catarina started with dessert rather than fries.
"Magnus! You shouldn't have," she scolded him.
"Of course I had to. Ragnor was very creative and threatened me with some... punishments this time when I mentioned I was meeting up with you."
"Really? Did he threaten to burn your entire wardrobe again if I didn't gain a few pounds after having lunch with you?" Cat asked, taking a seat in front of him.
"Worse!" Magnus gasped, pressing a hand to his chest.
Catarina chuckled, picking at fries that definitely did not come from the cafeteria and sipping lapsang souchong tea with a sigh. Magnus preened as she relaxed. This had to be better than the earl grey he had seen when he pretended to order and mentally browsed through all the restaurants he could summon food from instead.
Checking on Catarina was an important matter that he took seriously. He just liked to pretend he did not care nearly as much as he really did, because they were his best friends in the entire world and the very idea was frightening sometimes.
"He said he would replace it with his old tweed suits!" Magnus finally told her. "So you better gain some weight dear."
She laughed out loud, holding her middle. The High Warlock giggled, quite proud of himself even as Catarina quieted down. He missed her blue skin and white hair, but the glamour was not an option among mundanes. Magnus' slit pupils were hidden away too. They shared a fond look over a second helping of baklava.
"How is The Chairman?" Cat eventually asked him.
"He is growing up so fast, Cat, I can barely remember what he looked like as a kitten," Magnus cooed.
"What about that shadowhunter you're friends with?" she went on, pretending it was insignificant.
"You've heard about that?" Magnus frowned, tensing.
"Of course. When the Downworld is not talking about Valentine, they're gossiping about you and that shadowhunter. Raphael cannot wait to get his hands on you to ask about it."
Catarina looked at him intently, her eyes narrowed and a look of concern shining through her eyelashes like the sun on a rainy day. She did not look scared at least, but Magnus could not help but worry about Cat. The nurse had a tendency to exhaust herself and this was not the time to be going about without access to her full powers.
"Valentine is worryingly inactive, who knows what he's up to. I want you to be careful and make sure you don't overwork yourself for a while. Ragnor offered to let you stay with him if you need to."
She shook her head and he sighed. Catarina would never turn her back on her patients. It was admirable, but sometimes Magnus wished she would take care of herself like she took care of mundanes.
Cat watched him intently, waiting for Magnus to tell her about Alec and the warlock leaned back in his chair, ignoring the amount of food between them. The nurse needed it more than him anyway.
"He's really sweet."
"You like him!" she accused. "But that's not what I meant."
"He's… different. We can trust him."
Magnus chose his words carefully. Alexander's secret was not his to reveal, and the consequences of exposing Alec would be disastrous. But, Maryse Lightwood had been trying to right her wrongs for years now and Alec had protected Magnus without hesitation.
"I met him when I was on patrol. We closed the rift on Staten Island together."
The chatter of patients and staff alike echoed in the cafeteria and he waved a hand under the table to make sure nobody would overhear them.
"The Institute is understaffed and I'm not sure we can keep the city safe, even with the help of the werewolf pack and the vampire clan. We need to coordinate patrols and emergency procedures before Valentine opens another rift, and that is easier said than done," Magnus sighed.
Cat nodded, easily agreeing with him. This was nothing new and they both knew coordinating with Raphael was only the beginning. The new Alpha of the pack was out of the question but Magnus kept to himself on that topic, as he could not talk about it openly. It was Alec's secret to tell, and a shudder ran down Magnus' spine at the thought of Alec pinned to an operation table by The Clave, like an insect to dissect.
He would not let this happen.
The main issue, for Magnus, was the Seelie Queen who kept to her Court. Catarina was privy to more than most when it came to Magnus' rivalry with the Seelie Queen, and their competition for influence in the Downworld. The nurse knew exactly what was going through his mind at that moment, although Magnus refrained from whining about the lack of cooperation from the Fair Folk. Magnus was the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He should have been able to bring the Downworld together in order to keep New York safe.
"Maybe it's for the best that you don't have to deal with the Fair Folk," Cat said gently, attempting to ease his frustration while picking at the last of her fries.
Catarina was right, of course. The Fair Folk were more trouble than they were worth, but still. He would not bother Catarina with his High Warlock duties. She was already stressed enough with her job at the hospital.
"So, have you heard of DJ Fairyocious' upcoming gig in the Seelie Court?" she asked.
Magnus shook his head and leaned forward with a smirk, intent on making the most of their lunch. It was almost time for her to get back to work so they chatted about the latest Downworld gossip for the remainder of their meal. Cat made quick work of her second helping of baklava.
"Take care, dear." Magnus muttered against her hair when they hugged.
"You too, Magnus."
Alec paced the length of the wooden beam he had hoisted himself onto, waiting for Clary to figure out how to get up there too. The young woman glared at him from the ground, hands on her hips as though he would somehow come down and help her.
Jace stood next to her waiting, and on the verge of lifting her up. Clary chattered way too much and did not train nearly enough. Her brother, sparring with Izzy on the other side of the room, was much more focused and not as easily distracted.
"So, what are you up to after your patrols with Jace and Izzy?" Clary asked. "They always come back here but you don't."
"Good question," Jace mumbled.
Alec arched an eyebrow. How the tables had turned. His siblings used to disappear into the night more often than him. He did not bother with a reply though, a silent challenge for her to get to work.
There had been fewer demons in the streets since Magnus had closed the rift on Staten Island. Alec stuck with the High Warlock though, neither of them wanting the other to patrol alone. They had not heard from Valentine for a while and the quiet did not sit well with Alec. He was on edge, waiting for something to happen.
In the meantime, Alec and his siblings trained Clary and Jonathan. Jace went easy on Clary and Alec chased his parabatai out of the training room in the hope of getting her to learn something.
Alec did so once again and Jace left, the bond taut and painful between them as Jace poured his resentment into their connection. Alec sighed upon realizing Clary was still glaring at him from the ground, even after Jace had disappeared outside.
"Jace is shorter than me," Alec pointed out, "but he can get up here. Can you guess how?"
Laughter erupted from the other side of the room. The attic came alive with Isabelle and Jonathan's sparring and the clatter of their staffs. She cornered him in a series of quick and powerful hits and he admitted defeat, shrugging. The young man did not mind losing to her and asked relevant questions after each training session.
Jonathan was easy to work with, unlike his sister. Clary asked too many questions about Alec's whereabouts, instead of focusing on her studies.
She huffed, hopping from one foot to the other. She was too short to reach the wooden beam and probably did not have enough strength in her arms to pull herself up anyway.
The Silent Brothers had confirmed Clary and Jonathan's Nephilim heritage and cracked the elaborate spell that had kept their memories at bay. It was not so much their memories as their Sight that had been blocked. Now that they could See, Alec had hopes that they could catch up with their training as well.
Clary had yet to put effort into it. Alec and Isabelle had taken turns demonstrating their skill with their respective weapons, skill within their craft born from years of practice, something a shadowhunter relying solely on runes could only hope to achieve. Jonathan had taken it all in stride. He liked training and it showed, but Clary did not seem to get it.
Maybe she bought into Jace's overconfidence and hoped to somehow manifest skill when she needed it rather than working for it. Alec did not care for her naïve beliefs however, and lost patience. He jumped off the wooden beam with a sigh. She did not spare him a glance, busy glaring at Isabelle and Jonathan now.
"Must she flirt with him like this all the time? Is it a distraction technique or something?" she seethed.
Alec frowned, taken aback by her tone. Isabelle and Jonathan laughed again, falling back into their fighting stances and the young man charged, attempting to reproduce one of Izzy's moves.
"They're having fun," Alec told Clary.
"Of course they are. It's almost foreplay at this point."
"Don't talk about my sister like that," he snapped.
Clary jumped and took a step away from Alec, watching him warily.
He did not think much of it, fingers twitching in an attempt to not ruffle the glamoured feathers on his wrists as he stared her down. He was so tense that the racerback of his sleeveless hoodie stretched uncomfortably along his spine.
"She's not flirting with your brother, and even if she was it's completely okay and natural. I know Izzy, she would back off the moment he expressed any discomfort. You don't get to badmouth her in front of me, because she doesn't deserve it. And you better not try it in front of her, because she won't be as lenient as me."
Alec turned on his heel without waiting for her reply. He walked past his sister and Jonathan, catching sight of an opening in Izzy's defense. Alec pointed it out for Jonathan to take advantage of it if he evaded her attack. The young man followed his advice and Isabelle said something dirty under her breath that Alec pretended not to hear as he left the room.
He heard them laugh again though and smiled to himself, gesturing for Jace to go back inside if he wanted to. Alec's parabatai jumped to his feet, not even bothering to pretend that he was not eager to join Clary in her training. Alec shook his head when their shoulders bumped uncomfortably against each other in the doorway.
Alec trudged towards the library, stopping to pet Church in the corridor. The cat hissed and raised a threatening paw, trying to swipe at the glamoured feathers on Alec's wrist. He dodged and chuckled, moving away from the cat with his gray fur ruffled on his back. Church hissed again but did not follow him.
Alec walked inside the library, nodding to Hodge as he slumped in an armchair. The older man smiled affectionately at him and placed the book he was reading on his lap, lacing his fingers over the cover. A scar stretched on the right side of his face but Alec was so used to it he barely noticed anymore. Clary and Jonathan often stared at it, as they had never seen the scars their mother undoubtedly had from her time as an active shadowhunter.
"Are you done with training already?" Hodge asked.
"Yeah. I can't do much with Clary, she isn't very interested. Jonathan is a natural though, Isabelle will have him in fighting shape in no time."
Hodge nodded slowly, mulling over Alec's words. He tapped his fingers on the back of his book and decided against sharing his thoughts when Max barged in. Both men watched as the boy beamed at the sight of his brother. Alec's surprise grew when Max settled in the armchair next to his.
It made sense when he thought about it though. Jace and Isabelle had been spending a lot of time with the new residents of the Institute. Max had seen Alec brush off Clary a few times when she was being difficult too, so the eldest Lightwood was the most available of the siblings. The boy was bound to turn to Alec at some point.
Alec did not mind it too much.
"Would you like to take over his lecture? We were talking about archery and long-distance fighting in general," Hodge offered kindly.
Alec nodded and turned to Max, waiting for his questions because knowing his little brother, there would be several. Max did not disappoint and Hodge left them to it.
Magnus walked into the Hotel Dumort without knocking. There was no use for such manners when the building was crawling with vampires. But, for once, he did not see any of the ghost-like residents that usually breezed through the Hotel. That did not mean the Hotel was empty, however. The warlock's long cloak billowed behind him as he walked up to Raphael's suite in the abandoned building.
Magnus liked a dramatic entrance, but Raphael was even worse.
He resisted the urge to sing something silly, or threaten to keep the latest gossip in the Downworld for himself. The vampire probably knew more than Magnus did anyway, and the Hotel was far from empty. Magnus did not want to attract attention on himself, in case some vampires were on the New York Pack's side. An alliance between werewolves and vampires would not do.
The suite was empty when Magnus walked in, but Raphael appeared as soon as the door slammed shut.
The warlock did not even flinch, and wondered if the head of the vampire clan had been in the suite all along, or had slipped in just after Magnus. The lack of entering, when it came to dramatic entrances, was very Raphael.
With his honey-brown locks and sun-kissed skin — although it had not seen the sun in a very long time —, Raphael looked more like an angel than a vampire.
"Your tie doesn't match the scowl on your face," Magnus called out.
Raphael arched a single eyebrow and Magnus smirked, taking a seat on a leather couch. The warlock put his boots on the glass coffee table, feeling cheeky, and this time Raphael growled, taking a step forward.
The head of the vampire clan looked very proper in a sleek black suit and really, Magnus had little to say about the outfit. It was tasteful. It lacked color and subversion of gender norms maybe, but it was not like Raphael cared about those anyway. Magnus' boots with sparkly buckles were much more interesting.
"What are you doing here, Magnus?" the vampire said, sharp fangs flashing.
"You hurt me!" Magnus gasped, mock-offended. "I come bearing gossip."
"Are you actually going to tell me about your pet shadowhunter?"
Magnus frowned and his wards flickered into existence, soundproofing the room. Alec was not a pet, nor a toy or any derogatory term the Downworld might use to refer to him in relation to Magnus. He could not really blame them however, not after centuries of oppression. Shadowhunters had kept pet warlocks, among other species, for a long time. Had it been any shadowhunter other than Alec, Magnus would not have been upset with the appellation. Raphael picked up on it straight away, and his scowl softened with his shock.
"Alexander is a powerful ally. I would like us to coordinate with him to keep New York safe and to keep an eye out for Valentine before he gets to any of us."
Raphael nodded slowly and took a seat next to Magnus on the couch. The warlock softened, appreciating that the head of the vampire clan decided to get down to business straight away instead of arguing with him. Magnus would make sure no downworlders got hurt under his watch. The warlock child haunted him. Magnus remembered the glow of yellow magic and wondered if the kid had chosen a name before his death. Magnus did not know, had not even seen the child's face. The glint of a blade flashed to the forefront of his mind instead and he bit his lip to focus on the task at hand.
"The pack is not with us on this. The new Alpha was Valentine's parabatai so I'm not even sure..." Magnus trailed off. "They're still hunting demons at least, but there has been fewer demon sightings since I closed the rift on Staten Island."
Luke did not look like he was allied to Valentine, of course, although the High Warlock could not help but wonder. While the Alpha wanted Alexander dead and that seemed in opposition with Valentine's dealings with dark magic... Well, it was no stretch to imagine Valentine might want Alec dead, too. Especially since Alec was very obviously working against Valentine.
The pack would not out Alec to the Clave, Magnus believed. Maryse Lightwood was the lesser of two evils, as she worked alongside the Downworld unlike any other shadowhunter before. Holding the threat of selling Alec to the Clave though, gave Luke leverage.
Plus, Luke had not only kept Valentine's experiments secret, he was also a werewolf now and the perfect scapegoat if the Clave decided to make someone pay for Valentine's crimes. It would not be the first time, after all. At least the Lightwoods had learned from their mistakes.
"I haven't met the new Alpha," Raphael mused. "I guess we'll have to wait and see if he pays me a visit."
"I don't think he will. I had to go to the pack's headquarters to meet him," Magnus shrugged.
He gestured for them to look over a map of the city to work out patrol routes and which areas were the most at-risk. Raphael was easy to get along with, when it came to Magnus' duties as High Warlock. The head of the New York vampire clan responded to logic and common sense.
Of course, Magnus could not resist the temptation to rile him up once they were done, propping his feet on the coffee table again. His crop top rode up his chest when he threw his arm over the back of the couch just to see Raphael shift away from him and he grinned as he brought up the promised gossip.
"So, did you go to DJ Fairyocious' latest gig? I heard it was sold out in a few hours."
Raphael cringed. Faerie musicians were popular for the sheer experience of a gig in the Seelie Court, rather than their talent. The heart-wrenching screams of banshees and chirps and clicks of nixies were not most downworlders' favorite background noise in the slightest though. While Magnus relished in the absurdity of some so-called recitals, Raphael did not. Vampire senses were not always a blessing.
Moonlight poured into the room as a dark cloud drifted away, finally revealing the skyline of New York. The moon hung above the city, a pearl pendant on the night sky. Magnus sighed and relaxed into Raphael's snark and gossip from overseas. Ragnor must have paid the vampire a visit recently. It would not have been the first time Ragnor had kept tabs on Magnus through Raphael. Magnus would be disappointed if he did not.
Magnus hummed to himself as he left the Hotel Dumort some time later, striding through the dark alleys of Manhattan to meet Alec at their usual starting point for patrols.
The city growled all around, restless. Moving shadows fell into step behind him and followed Magnus silently, never betraying Alexander's presence, gliding from one rooftop to the other.
It was almost too easy to pass himself off as a drunk mundane coming home from a party. Demons did not know any better and came after him without noticing the glamour hiding Magnus' true nature. Alec and Magnus' patrol pattern had become a routine and Magnus did not get tired of the soft whistle of the arrows flying past his perfectly styled hair.
Something moved, too close to the ground to be anything other than a demon and the warlock stilled, holding his breath. Magic tickled his fingertips, royal blue flames burning away behind a glamour.
As usual, an arrow flew past before he had the opportunity to unleash his powers. Although this time, the feathers were royal blue, matching Magnus' magic. The demon cowered and rolled on its back, disappearing in a puddle and leaving a reeking smell of rotting garbage behind. The arrow protruded from the ground still, a slight indentation in the pavement from the impact of the sharp adamas.
Alec jumped off the roof, gliding down and falling to a crouch next to Magnus. The racerback of his hoodie fluttered with the night breeze as he straightened, black wings spreading underneath the shadowhunter's arms like a piece of night sky. Magnus did not get tired of this sight either.
Magnus hummed a song under his breath again, something popular on the radio about angels and seeing their wings. It felt appropriate.
"Will you stop with the humming? The songs get stuck in my head and I don't even know them," Alec grumbled, retrieving the arrow.
Magnus chuckled helplessly at that and did not agree to anything. Alexander had a lot to learn about pop culture, no matter how he loved to pretend he had never heard of that useful invention called 'the radio'.
"I think that's enough hunting for tonight," Magnus said instead. "We probably won't find any more demons anyway."
"Yeah, and I can't stay away for too long. Who knows what they're up to at the Institute. This Clary girl attracts trouble like a magnet."
"Clary?" Magnus repeated, frowning.
Alec lost track of his grumbling and turned towards the warlock. Realization dawned on his face and his clear blue eyes widened, shimmering like water in the moonlight. Magnus was utterly smitten.
"Right," Alec said. "Before we went to Staten Island, two mundanes saw us at Pandemonium. My father went to do some… damage control," Alec hesitated, "only to find their flat had almost entirely destroyed by a demon attack and their mother was missing. They've been living at the Institute since then."
"What's the name of the other mundane?" Magnus asked.
"Jonathan. Clary and Jonathan Fray."
Magnus hummed but there was no musical lilt to his voice this time. His fingers shot up to fiddle with his ear cuff, pearls and obsidian snaking around the shell of his ear to hold a Cat's Eye aquamarine.
"So their Sight isn't blocked anymore?"
"The Silent Brothers removed the spell," Alec said.
"I knew I had done a half-assed job with it," Magnus swore under his breath.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Alec asked then, arching his eyebrows.
"Well, their mother is Jocelyn Fairchild, Valentine's wife. She came to me when Jonathan was a toddler and Clary just a baby. Valentine had mysteriously disappeared, presumed dead and she asked me to block their Sight so that they could grow up as far away from the Shadow World as possible. I did it and performed the protection rituals when they came of age. Aside from that, they're regular Children of the Nephilim."
Alec nodded slowly, listening intently to what Magnus had to say. The warlock was not surprised to hear that there had been a demon in their flat, nor that Jocelyn had mysteriously disappeared. Alec would not have known about Valentine's wife and children though, and Magnus gave him a moment to process this information.
"Jocelyn was always so terrified that someone would find her. I thought she was afraid of the Clave, but then, Valentine came back and maybe… maybe he found her." Magnus added.
As much as Alec seemed to dislike Clary (and Magnus could hardly blame him), it was probably better to keep Clary and her brother close.
Jocelyn ought to have known Valentine was not really dead. She had obviously feared he would try to find her, with reasons. Jonathan and Clary needed all the protection they could get, living at the Institute was the easiest way to keep them safe. Who knew what Valentine would do to his children.
"But Clary is indeed a magnet for trouble and sealing her memories away grew increasingly difficult as she became the most annoying child I have ever had the displeasure to meet. I assume Jonathan isn't giving you any trouble at all?"
The warlock sighed, crossing his arms over a loose tank top with the cover of a Fleetwood Mac album. His jeans fell low on his hips, tucked into leather boots with sparkly buckles.
"Clary liked to pull The Great Catsby's tail!" Magnus huffed. "It's no wonder Chairman Meow is so shy, with people like that."
The shadowhunter laughed at that and shook his head, to Magnus' dismay. The warlock rolled his eyes and started walking again, leaving Alexander behind. The younger man scrambled after him, falling into step with Magnus after a few seconds.
"She is very aggressive. Jace calls it 'feisty' but I disagree. Most of her behavior is unjustified, like she's always picking fights with Izzy for being friendly with Jonathan! Who does that?" Alec rambled.
"I don't remember her being possessive of her brother..."
"It's annoying."
Magnus smiled sadly at that. Alexander was protective of his siblings too, but his secrets threatened to harm them at any moment. How exhausting it must be, the warlock mused. They turned a corner, walking into a busy street, and the shadowhunter shuffled closer to Magnus, tucking his wings in. The warlock frowned, waving his hands to wrap them in a powerful, repelling glamour. It was the least he could do to ease Alec's worries.
"I tried to talk with the Alpha of the pack, but he's out to get you," Magnus bit his lip, glancing at Alec. "The vampire clan is with us on this though."
"That's good. At least we know the werewolves aren't our allies. We'll just have to be careful."
The shadowhunter pressed close to him in order to avoid a distracted mundane and Magnus slid his arm around Alexander's waist, feeling the younger man shiver at the contact. Alec's wing felt soft against the warlock's palm and he ran his fingers distractedly in the creases and folds of the leathery skin. Alec jumped, ticklish, and they stumbled.
"Sorry," Magnus whispered.
Alexander did not reply, ducking his head to hide a blush. He did not try to step away though and Magnus preened. He kept close to the shadowhunter as they made their way towards the Institute.
Magnus wished for their time together that night to last a while longer and sighed sadly as they walked up the steps in front of the Institute. Magnus waved his free hand reluctantly, opening a portal to get back to his loft, but Alec tilted his head just slightly, leaning into Magnus' space.
"Thank you," Alec said, glancing at him.
"My pleasure, darling."
They smiled at each other and Alexander disappeared inside the Institute. Magnus stepped back through the portal and reappeared in his living room. Chairman Meow peered at him from his sparkly cushion and Magnus cooed at the tawny cat instead of staring longingly at the space the portal had occupied a moment before.
Magnus really wanted to see Alec more often.