"I swear if I didn't know better I'd say this was Craving," Magnus complained, trowing himself on the couch as dramatically as he could. He didn't get any sympathy though, only an annoyed huff and a chuckle. He lifted his head to send Raphael a scowl, which went wholly ignored as Raphael was busy singing Maria to sleep. Then he flopped over to send a hurt look at the laptop on the coffee table.
"Your husband is mean!" he told the grainy picture of Simon, who's only response was a roll of the eyes. "No-one understand my pain." Magnus whined, letting his head fall back onto the cushion of the Lewis-Santiago couch.
"You're crushing on a parent from school." Raphael's dry voice wasn't all that welcome. "I don't think you really have the moral highground here."
"But he's perfect! Even you would say so if you saw him. Tall as a tree but gentle as a flower. All big brown eyes that could lure even the most innocent teacher astray and a smile that does unspeakable things to your insides." Magnus waved his hands about in the air above him as he spoke. The laughter that followed his poetic tirade made him frown in hurt at the computer screen. "Raphael, your husband is as mean as you are. I see why you make such a good couple." Magnus called after his friend who'd gone to put down his daughter.
"We do make an amazing couple," Simon mussed through the speakers of the laptop. "Now, if I promise not to laugh, do you want to tell me about this tree slash flower of yours? Is there no hope for you?"
"Sadly, no." Magnus sighed, shuffling around to get into a seated position, legs crossed as he faced the laptop. "He's married. To a literal goddess." Magnus scratched at his mark again, frowning down at the red and irritated skin.
"That sucks." Finally, some sympathy snuck its way into the conversation.
"It really does," Magnus pouted.
"Don't indulge him, Bebé." Raphael dumped onto the couch next to Magnus, pushing at him to get into the frame of the web-cam.
"I'm not," Simon held his hands up in defence. "It really must suck to have those sorts of feelings for someone you can't have." Magnus nodded, exaggerating his pout for effect. It didn't have any, though, as Raphael only rolled his eyes.
"It's not actually Craving, you know. It can't be. Magnus already bonded once." Raphael pointedly looked down at the Mark Camille had filled years back, then frowned at the state of the skin surrounding the black markings of Angel wings folding out over a web of flowers. "What are you doing?" he asked, grabbing Magnus' hand which had absentmindedly been scratching at the edge of the mark.
"I don't know?" Magnus said, confused at Raphael's reaction. "It itches?"
"How long has it been doing that?" Raphael brushed Magnus fingers away and inspected the mark closer.
"I don't know, a couple of weeks? Or something?" Magnus shrugged.
"So since you met this Alec person?" Raphael questioned with more seriousness than he'd ever displayed before when it came to Magnus' various little crushes. Magnus nodded and combined it with a shrug to show his uncertainty.
"What is it, honey?" Simon's voice shook Raphael out of whatever thought he was trapped in.
"You said he's married?" Magnus nodded as Simon supplied with 'to a literal goddess'. "But are they soulmates? Do you know?" there was an intensity to Raphael's gaze that made Magnus feel unsettled and confused. He helplessly pulled up his shoulders in a shrug.
"I mean, I think Lydia's mark's filled, but i haven't seen Alexander's. He keeps it covered." he stuttered out.
"Wait wait wait wait!" Simon babbled suddenly from the computer, making Raphael turn his intense gaze to his husband instead. "Did you just say Lydia and Alexander? As in Alexander Lightwood? That's the guy you're crushing on?" There was an excitement in Simon's voice that Magnus had a hard time translating. In fact this entire conversation had taken a turn he hadn't been prepared for, and he felt like both his stomach and brain were still headed in another direction from the rest of him.
"Yeah? That's his name." Magnus supplied uncertainly.
"I know him!" Simon smiled broadly, almost manically. It was kind of scary. "He's Max's brother." he said as if that would make perfect sense. The way Raphael nodded made it seem like it actually did. "Alec got married ages ago. To hide the fact that he likes making out with guys. He and Lydia are not soulmates." Magnus was so busy freaking out over that piece of information that he almost missed Raphael's muttered sentence.
"Maybe it is craving after all." he mussed, poking at Magnus wrist.
"What?" Simon exclaimed, mirroring Magnus' utter shock. He'd come here for sympathy. Not a rollercoaster of emotions he didn't know what to do with.
"You know how scientist think soulmates has to do with shared genetic markings, and that finding your soulmate actually means finding one out of maybe thousands of potentials?" Magnus nodded even though he had no idea what Raphael was on about. Being a grumpy Latino made it easy to forget that Raphael was actually a hopeless romantic who'd spent college studying soulmates. "Well, they think that the mark being complete stops your genes from registering other potentials. However. Magnus is a glitch. So his mark is filled, but it wasn't reciprocated. Which. There are a few cases like his where single bonds met another potential later on and went through all the symptoms again, though this time it was reciprocated. Maybe that's what's happening here. Maybe this Alec person bonded with Magnus the first time they touched, and Magnus did, too, only he couldn't feel it as well because of his mark already being filled. Maybe you've got another shot at a soulmate." A sincere smile had taken over Raphael's face as he spoke. Magnus found himself unable to do anything but stare at him, stunned.
"Could you repeat that?" he whispered after a short while. "Not the full thing. Just the conclusion." he hastened to add.
"I think this Alexander Lightwood is your Soulmate." Raphael said the words slowly and honestly, looking Magnus straight in the eyes. "I think you've got a second chance, Mags."
"Holly shit!" Simon exclaimed from the computer, "Holly shit, are you serious?" Raphael nodded slowly, not taking his eyes of Magnus face. Magnus could feel his hands shaking in Raphael's grib. He looked down at the mark he'd spent years hating. Then he looked back up at Raphael's glowing face.
"Well, what do I do now?" he asked in honest wonder. Raphael's smile only widened.
"That," he said slowly, "Is what we're going to figure out now."
(***)
The flat was eerily quiet when Alec entered. Normally, putting Jace and Rafael in the same room led to tornado-like conditions. That was what he'd left. Now, though, the place was entirely still. Lydia was sitting at the table in the kitchen, hands folded around a mug, sheets of paper spread out in front of her. She looked about ten years older than when he'd left.
"Hi," he walked over to sit down in the seat opposite her. "So… Raf's not here?" Alec said slowly, picking at the bandage around his finger.
"I sent him with Jace and Clary to the zoo. Izzy's going to meet them there, and take Rafael with her home for the night. I figured we could use the time to talk this through." Lydia was calm as she spoke, looking straight at him.
"Lyds, it's…" Alec sighed heavily and starred at the table in search of the words he needed to wade of a fight. His eyes snapped up to Lydia's face, though, when he realized what was written on the sheets of paper.
"I want a divorce." She said it slow and measured, utter conviction emanating from her steel-grey eyes, the tightness of her fists around the mug and the setting of her shoulders. She wasn't oppening up for a debate.
"Lyds, seriously," Alec wasn't going down without a fight, "Don't be dramatic about this, please. We're not getting a divorce." Lydia sighed, her hands folding even tighter around the mug.
"Alec, you promised me that once you found him, we would end this thing." There was an edge to her voice and a shimmer in the corner of her eyes, "That was before Rafael, Lyds. I'm not doing this. I'm not splitting up my son's family, his home." Alec swallowed down the lump in his throat as Lydia reached across the table to fold a hand around one of his.
"I know family's sacred to you, Alec. But sacrificing your own happiness like this is not what our son needs. Raf deserves parents that are happy. Even if that means us no being together. If I didn't do this, if I didn't push right now, I wouldn't be doing right by my child." Alec shook he head slowly, a tremor taking hold of his body.
"Don't say shit like that Lyds. That's not fair." Lydia didn't reply. she only looked at him with tearstained eyes. "It's not even a real bond. Why wont you hear that. He didn't bond. Not with me. He's probably at home right now with his own soulmate and his son. This stupid mark doesn't change anything." Alec felt his heart speed away in his chest, his lungs heaving for breath.
"He's not." Lydia's voice was quiet, barely heard over the noise of Alec's thoughts. "He's not with his soulmate. It was a glitch, and apparently she left." Alec made a face at her which screamed disbelief and confusion. "He told me a couple of weeks ago when I asked about his son." Alec bit his teeth together trying hard to not let her revelation get to him. "He's a good man, Alec. And Rafael already really likes him. Can't you at least try? Who knows, maybe it will even be really good?"
"Yeah, or really, really bad." Alec bit out. "I'm not. This still sounds like the worst idea ever." He waved his hands at the papers on the table. "I'm not doing this shit." He pushed away from the table and got to his feet. "I'm going to jus get away from this." He strode out of the kitchen and then the flat, ignoring Lydia's pleas for him to stay. When his feet hit the pavement his legs took of at a run, carrying him far away from the pressure of everything.
(***)
"Hey little man." Alec stayed in the doorway to Rafael's room, watching his son. Rafael looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes from where he was spread out on the floor surrounded by half finished masterpieces. "How are you holding up?" Rafael's bottom lip wobbled as he sat up and threw a crayon at his dad with a petulant look in his large eyes.
That morning Lydia and Alec had greeted him in the door when Izzy had dropped him of. They'd both been tired after a long night of talks and heavy decisions. Alec had ended up running in a circle, ending back up at the flat with a clearer head. Lydia had moved to the living room, curled up in a chair with eyes sore from crying. "This isn't about you finding your soulmate." she'd said. "It's about living this lie with you when I know there's something better out there for you. It's about looking at that mark and knowing that you could have what John and I should have had. It's about me knowing that you're hiding from everyone, including yourself, and using our son as an excuse." They'd fought for hours. Full on shouting and slamming doors. They'd never done that before. Then a weird sense of detached calm had settle in the both of them, and they'd sat down in Alec's windowsill with two legal pads and a laptop and they'd hashed everything out.
They'd sat Rafael down in the kitchen with coffees, hot cocoa and that same laptop. They had explained to him, as calmly as they could what was going to happen. That Lydia was looking for a new place to live on her own. That for now Rafael would be living with Alec until Lydia got settled. That his parents still loved him more than anything, and would be there for him whenever and wherever he needed. They wouldn't be 'mom&dad' any more. They'd just be mom and dad.
At first Rafael hadn't understood what they were saying. Then he'd gotten very still, lip caught between his teeth as he processed what he'd been told. Then he'd screamed at them at the top of his lungs. Had trashed his room and snapped half his precious crayons while Alec and Lydia had stood, helplessly, outside his door.
"I've got those pictures we talked about," Alec carefully let himself settle on the floor in doorway, legs folded and box of postcards placed carefully in his lap. Izzy had dropped them of half an hour ago. Lydia had cried herself to sleep in their bedroom, and Alec had been sitting guard outside Rafael's door. Izzy had taken one look at him, pulled him into a crushing hug and told him to call her. She'd left quickly with a kiss to his cheek, ignoring the tears in his eyes just like he hoped she would. "The ones of your uncle Max." Rafael had turned his attention back to the drawing he was working on.
With a sigh, Alec carefully opened the box - A self-crafted wooden chest covered in pictures of superheroes. Max used to have one similar. He and Simon had made them in school for a projekt. Max's now held Rafael's collection of figurines, and was proudly displayed on his bookshelf above the little bed. Alec could feel Rafael's eyes on him, as he pulled out the stack of thick carton. And there he was. His baby brother, all grown up, looking into the camera with a big grin. It was a selfie taken in someone's livingroom - probably Max's own. He looked the same as ever, despite being a proper adult now. His greenish eyes shone with mischief and the dimples he used to hate still made his face look soft and boyish. His hair was a carefully constructed mess, the tips of it dyed a dark blue. Thick dark lines made his eyes pop, and there was a silver stud pushed through his eyebrow. Thick yellow letters wound their way across the bottom of the card. 'Like the new look?' they said. The first tear was rolling down his cheek, and Alec brushed it of as he flipped onto the next postcard.
Rafael shuffled himself closer as Alec smiled and cried, flipping through the stack of cards. Alec hardly noticed, and flinched when tiny fingers suddenly poked at his tearstained cheek. He looked up to catch the confused sadness in his son's eyes. Forcing his smile to widen, Alec whipped his face dry. He moved the box from his lap, making a space for Rafael to crawl up in. When the boy did just that, yet another tear rolled down Alec's cheek. He folded his arms tightly around his son, pressing a hard kiss against his little curly head.
"Want to look at these with me?" he whispered, picking the cards up, and holding them at an angle so that Rafael could see. "That's your Uncle Max apparently chasing innocent ducks in a park." he whispered, pointing to the laughing figure of his brother. Rafael let out a little chuckle tracing a finger over the words spelling out 'They stole my lunch!' in white letters.
It took ages, flipping through the pictures. Max seemed to have sent a postcard every other month for the past eight years. Rafael insisted on stopping at each of them, taking them in, studying them. Even the ones of random shoes ('I so want those!') and furniture ('how am I supposed to fit all my things in this thing?'). They laughed together at Max pulling faces in a library ('Whoever invented Business Planning needs to apologize!') and beaming over a huge piece of cake, some of which was smeared on his cheek ('No more Teen years!). The picture of Max smiling widely in a cap and gown, waving a diploma ('I survived!') brought the tears back to Alec's eyes, as did the one of Max standing outside of a small shop with the words 'adult worklife here I come!' printed in large happy letters.
During the second flip-through Lydia joined them on the floor with a tub of ice-cream and three spoons. On the third flip trough, Rafael fell asleep in Alec's arm's, one hand clutching his mother's sleeve tightly. The fourth time Alec flipped through the peeks into his brother's life, there was a knock on the door. Lydia went to get it when Alec made no signs of moving. She came back, and there was this look on her face, of awe and disbelief, that Alec wasn't sure how to read.
"It's for you," she whispered, bending down to pick up Rafael and carry him to his bed. Alec hadn't notice the tiredness that had seeped into his limps while he'd been sitting on the floor for hours. He stretched his body lazily as he walked towards the front door.
When he saw who was waiting at the door, nervously twining his fingers in a way that was far to familiar, Alec broke. Max must have developed ninja-like skills because he somehow managed to catch Alec as his legs gave out under him. "Hey, big brother." he whispered, holding on tight to Alec's shoulders, "You okay there?" Alec could only shake his head wordlessly as large fat tears rolled uncontrollably down his cheeks. He dragged Max into his arms, and when Max's arms carefully folded around him, too, large painful sobs broke free of his chest.
(***)
One month later
Magnus found himself bitting his lips as he drank in the sight of his soulmate. Alexander was standing in the kitchen, casually leaning against the counter, arms folded over his broad chest, while he watched his sister talk animatedly at him. It had been about a month since Alec had confirmed their bond in an otherwise empty classroom at Magnus' school. A month that had been both filled with stress and extreme happiness. They'd decided, on that day in the classroom, that they would be taking things slow. - Alec was in the middle of a divorce, and had a son who depended on him more than ever. To top it of, Alec's brother had just returned from hiding, and even though Magnus still didn't know the full story, he knew enough to understand Alec's need to be with his family. The whole taking it slow thing was hindered though, by the sudden all consuming need to be close. - It was as if the acceptance of their bond had flicked a switch, igniting a deeply rooted craving for the other.
So they had spent uncountable hours texting and facetiming between dinner making and bedtimes. They'd had dates on the nights Lydia had Rafael, and occasional sleepovers, too. It had been hard and weird and wonderful. And now they were here, at a small party in Magnus' tiny flat, surrounded by friends and family. Sharing the beginnings of their future with the people they most wanted to be a part of it.
"Hey, Mags. I think someone's ready for bed." Magnus turned to find Raphael standing behind him, Max cradled in his arms. The boy's arms were wrapped tight around his uncle's neck, and his little head was hidden in Raphael's shoulder. Magnus smiled and gently transferred his son to his own arms.
(***)
Alec was waiting for him when Magnus returned to the living room. Two arms quickly found their place on his hips, and Magnus happily accepted the kiss that was offered to him, giving back one of his own.
"I have gossip," Alec revealed, eyes wide and full of mischief.
"Oh, yeah? How well you know me already," Magnus teased, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Alec's neck.
"Indeed," Alec smiled. "So apparently your friend James is my sister's long lost soulmate. They've talked, and Izzy is not without hope of a reconciliation." There was a deeply rooted happiness in Alec's voice, though Magnus could hardly appreciate it because it was drowned out by his own joy.
"That. Is not the gossip I thought you had," He offered, still slightly stunned at the thought of Jem getting to talk to the soulmate who rejected him so long ago.
"No?" Alec rose an eyebrow at him, "What then?"
"Well. Apparently this is the night of finding soulmates, old and new alike." Magnus said slowly, teasingly, making Alec wait. Alec poked his tongue out, leaning in to steal a kiss. "Cat met her soulmate, and I bet you can't guess who it is?" Alec's eyebrows shot up and he quickly scanned the room around him. A wide smile spread over his face, suddenly, and Magnus turned to follow his gaze. Cat was sitting on the couch, which had been pushed against the wall. Next to her, Rafael was hiding behind a notebook, clearly creating his own calm in the chaos that surrounded him. Cat wasn't paying attention to Rafael though. Her eyes - her whole body - was focused towards Max Lightwood, who was speaking softly to his nephew.
Alec turned back to catch Magnus eyes, shaking his head weakly. "Huh," he hummed, pulling a widely grinning Magnus closer. "That's a whole lot of people tying us together then. Seems us meeting really was inevitable."