Hello! Here's the new chapter, I won't say much about it since there's no much to say. I just wanted a chapter where we could see what Alec and Magnus think of what's happening between them before hell breaks loose. I know many of you are rooting for Alec since he's the one who will discover that everyone's been lying to him and stuff, but Magnus is going through hell too, it was not part of his plan to fall for Alec, so please don't hate my pirate son too much lol.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
Also, next Tuesday I won't be able to add a new chapter since I'll be on vacation, but I promise that CH13 will be up next Friday.
Enjoy!
Chapter 12
Magnus was awake just thinking while Alec slept peacefully beside him. In the last two days they had been exploring all those feelings they had for each other, and although it had been the greatest experience of his life so far, Magnus was a bit overwhelmed by it. First, because he hadn't really understood how much he felt for Alec until recent days, and second, because he had never in a million years, expected to be Alec's so many firsts. But now that he was, he couldn't help but aspire to be all his lasts as well.
It was a selfish feeling, and deep down he knew he didn't deserve someone like Alec, but he couldn't help it. Alec had become the helm of his ship, the eye of his storm. He liked him more than he had liked a lot of things in his life, including his ship and rum—and that was saying something.
Alec, with his shy, but yet surprisingly captivating personality, had stolen his heart and now Magnus was in the middle of a very hard predicament. On the one hand, he couldn't tell Alec the truth about the treasure and what he had planned from the beginning because the boy was going to hate him and probably do something very, very stupid, but at the same time he had to get some of Alec's blood to make the potion work. Camille had clearly said: "pour the mixture on a map and follow the trail." And there weren't many days left before they had to use it to track Valentine.
How was he going to get Alec's blood without telling him?
Ragnor and Raphael had told him to take advantage of his sudden closeness to Alec to accidentally hurt him, but he hadn't found in him the will to actually do it. When he was with Alec he was entirely at the boy's mercy. He became soft and irrational, his senses got clouded and he couldn't think clearly.
Why everything had to be so complicated?
If he could, he would forget about Valentine and take Alec with him to some exotic island and never look back. But that was impossible, his ship was still important to him—it was part of who he was—and also, he knew that Alec wouldn't just abandon Jason. So although a lot of things had changed between them over the last two days, what had brought them together was exactly the same, except that now Magnus could lose Alec and with him his heart, if the truth ever came out.
"When it comes out." He thought, because he knew it would happen at some point. He could try to delay it, but...for how long?
At the moment his only chance was to find some miraculous way to deceive both Valentine and Alec. Valentine, so that he thought he had to go after some other imaginary Lightwood eldest son, and Alec, so that he never found out that he was said son.
"What a mess!" Magnus thought, exhaling loudly.
Having listened to his heart and not his head had complicated everything, but he didn't regret anything that had happened between them. For years he had looked for someone like Alec; in his naivete he had thought he had found it a couple of times, but he had been mistaken. Now that he knew the real feeling he could confirm that nothing he had ever felt before could compare to what he felt for Alec. Nothing.
"Stop thinking so loud." Alec said, mumbling with his eyes still closed.
Magnus smiled. "How do you know I was thinking?"
"Because I can hear you." Alec said, opening his eyes and looking at Magnus.
Magnus smiled again. Just as he never got tired of looking at the sea, he knew he would never get tired of looking at those beautiful eyes.
"What's troubling you?" Alec asked.
Magnus took a deep breath. If only he could share what was really troubling him...but he couldn't. "Nothing, Alexander, go back to sleep."
Alec, as per usual, did the exact opposite and just rested his head on his arm to get a better view of Magnus. "You're lying...tell me what's wrong."
"I'm just worried about the future, that's all." He said, being as honest as he could be. How the tables turned, right? Now it killed him to hide things from Alec.
"Are you worried about the battle against Valentine?" Alec inquired.
"Aye."
"Well, stop worrying about it. We're going to defeat him, I promise. It's going to be dangerous, I know, but we'll do it."
Magnus sighed. "That's exactly one of the things that concern me, Alexander." He admitted. "I don't want to put you at risk."
"Magnus…"
"If, let's say…" Magnus said, "I asked you to stay in the Spiral and wait for me, would you do it? Would you stay? I could go face Valentine on my own, rescue your brother and then come back for you."
"Don't ask me to do that." Alec said. "You know that's not going to happen. I'm going with you. We're in this together."
Magnus tried to smile. "I know, but at least I had to try."
Alec got closer to him and started kissing his neck. "Don't worry," he whispered against his jaw, "everything will be fine. I won't let anything bad happen to you."
Magnus exhaled. Little did Alec know that that was exactly what Magnus was going to do. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him either. He was going to protect him from Valentine even if that cost him his own life. He was going to fix what he had done wrong and sacrifice himself to give Alec a chance to have a happy and better life. "Well, I won't let anything bad happen to you either."
"See?" Alec said, with a smile. "There's nothing to worry about then. We have each other's backs, so stop worrying."
Those words broke Magnus's heart, but he put the feeling aside and just hugged Alec, kissing him hard as if his life depended on it, which was probably true, but he wasn't going to voice those thoughts. He didn't want to scare the boy. "I want you to know something."
"What?"
"Whatever happens, don't forget that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, I've made a lot of mistakes too, but meeting you and being with you has been the best that's ever happened to me. I want you to remember that, okay? No matter what the future holds, know that now and here, at this very moment, you are the only thing that matters to me. The only one, okay?"
Alec frowned. "Why are you saying all those things? I don't like it when you talk like that."
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm just sentimental." Magnus admitted. "But I'm serious, you are everything to me, Alexander. So promise me, promise me that you won't forget it."
"I won't."
"Good." Magnus said, kissing him again. "Now, let's take full advantage that you're now awake and make the most of these few hours, okay? We'll be arriving to the Spiral at night."
"Okay."
o-o-o-o-o
Alec was very happy. He knew that by giving into what he felt for Magnus he had complicated his life even more, but he couldn't care less. The future was uncertain, and if there was something he had learned in all these weeks was that he couldn't think too much ahead of time. He had to live every day and enjoy it at its fullest.
Raphael had taught him the meaning of a Latin phrase: Carpe Diem—seize the day. And that was exactly what he had been doing, seizing every day. What was yet to come seemed very complicated, but he knew he'd figure it out somehow. His mother always said that at the end of the day things fell into place, and that was what he was hoping for. He hoped that when all this ended, he could have a better view of what he wanted to do with his life.
But for now all that mattered was that he was happy. Happy as he hadn't been before. He had Magnus, he was sailing and knowing all sorts of stunning new places, and soon, he would have his brother back. Life couldn't get any better.
"Alexander..." Magnus said from one side of the cabin. He had been getting ready to go out and take over the helm again.
Alec, on the other hand, had spent all that time watching him, though probably ogling him was a more appropriate verb. They had spent so much time together and yet every time Alec watched him, he found something new—an expression, a mark on his body. Like the smile that escaped from Magnus's lips whenever he spoke of something that was close to his heart or the tiny freckles that covered the pirate's back and that looked like small constellations.
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Magnus continued. "As much as I'm enjoying the view of that gorgeous body of yours, let me tell you that it's not something I'm willing to share with the crew. In fact, with anyone."
Alec smiled. He had never felt comfortable in his own skin, but with Magnus things were different. With one look the pirate made him feel special, wanted, attractive and even sexy. A word he never thought he would use to describe himself. He had always thought he had the sex appeal of a crab.
"Come on, Alexander." Magnus said. "We're about to make port."
"I don't want to move." Alec confessed. "Your bed is very comfy."
Magnus smiled and got closer to the bed, kissing him tenderly as if Alec was made of glass. Alec had discovered in the last couple of days that he liked it when Magnus had no restrains when kissing him, but when the pirate kissed him gently, as he was doing at that precise moment, he melted like ice on hot water. He couldn't deny it, that kind of kisses had a direct line to his heart.
"I have a proposition for you," Magnus said, between kisses, "why don't you sleep here permanently? After we have dinner at the Spiral we could come back here and move your stuff. There's plenty of room and it's not like you have a lot of things. We'll need the space for the new crew members, so it's an arrangement that benefits us all."
"I-I...okay." Alec said, blushing instantly.
That was something else that he had learned over the days. Magnus always knew how to make him blush. It could be with the sweetest of the compliments or with some sexual innuendo, it didn't matter. Magnus had Alec's cheeks working the extra shift in the blushing sector, and Alec wondered if that would ever change or if it would always be like that. Not that he cared that much, Magnus had said he loved when Alec blushed.
"Good." Magnus smiled. "Now up, sleepyhead. I need you to help the men with the sails. They are going to need those skilled and strong arms to not make a mess."
"Aye, aye captain."
Alec finally got up and dressed himself as fast as he could, following Magnus outside. The sun was setting and the Spiral was just a tiny dot barely visible on the horizon.
"I'll see you in a bit." Alec said, leaving Magnus by the helm and walking to the main deck to start helping the crew with the sails. His new status as the captain's partner didn't exempt him from doing manual tasks. And that was probably a good thing because he didn't want them to act differently around him. He liked them, and although he hadn't spent much time with them—he had been most of the time with Magnus, Raphael and Ragnor—he didn't want them to see him as a freeloader. Yeah, he was with Magnus now, but he was still just a sailor.
"Move those ropes! Tie them well!" Ragnor shouted.
All the men around Alec moved in perfect synchrony and he couldn't help but smile. He had always admired that about ships. It didn't matter in what kind of vessel you were, all ships, even pirate ships, had to have some sort of order to work properly.
"Alexander!" Magnus shouted from the quarter deck, throwing him his spy-glass. It had become some sort of tradition between them. Whenever they arrived to a place, Magnus let Alec use his spy-glass to catch a glimpse of the port.
Alec caught the device in the air and with a smile observed the tiny island. It was slowly taking shape before his eyes. The setting sun was casting long shadows all over the buildings, making them look more impressive than they were. The Spiral Labyrinth looked like a golden paradise of tall buildings and colorful corners.
"Prepare to make port!" Magnus shouted; the docks were a few feet away from them.
Alec helped some men to drop the anchor, while others set the gangplank. In less than it took to say the name of the island out loud, the ship was securely tied to the docks and the crew was descending.
"Alexander!" Magnus shouted again, now walking toward him. "Wait for me!"
Alec smiled and waited. Half the crew was already making their way to the town, all of them eager to have a decent meal and probably get drunk for the night.
Ragnor and Raphael passed hand in hand next to him, and as Alec observed them, he couldn't help but wonder if Magnus was going to hold his hand as well. They hadn't talked about what they would do when they arrived to the island, if they would act as a couple or not, but Alec hoped things were the same as they had been in recent days.
He knew that what they had was very new, but that didn't make it less stron-
Magnus hugged him from behind, taking him by surprise. "Are you ready to go?" The pirate asked, leaving a kiss on his cheek.
Alec nodded.
"Then, let's go." Magnus said, taking Alec's hand and squeezing it tightly.
Alec grinned and with a happy heart, walked with Magnus to the chaotic town.
o-o-o-o-o
Magnus had always loved the Spiral. This island had been a safe heaven for him in all his years of piracy, but arriving to it had never felt quite as perfect as it felt at that precise moment. Magnus knew that the source of that renewed feeling lay in the fact that he had Alec by his side, and although that probably sounded very cheesy, he didn't care. It was true, everything was better with Alec by his side.
Magnus was happy and trying to treasure every minute he got to spend with the boy. He knew that things could change tomorrow, so just for today, he was allowing himself the chance to feel as if nothing bad could happen...as if this happiness he felt inside could last forever.
"Are you alright?" Magnus asked, when he noticed that Alec had frozen in place. They were outside the tavern, a few feet away from the door.
"Yes, I'm fine, it's just that…" Alec hesitated.
"What?"
"Hmmm...don't laugh, okay?" Alec said. "It's just that well, I just remembered that the last time we were here there was a line of...people looking forward to seeing you. So yeah, I'm not so sure if I feel comfortable enough to go in there." He pointed to the door.
"Do I detect a tone of jealousy?"
"No, just hesitation." Alec admitted. "I know you have a past, and I respect that. I'm just not sure if I'm going to enjoy when they all come to greet you as effusively as they did the last time. Remember what you said about not wanting to share me with the crew? Well, I don't enjoy sharing either."
Magnus smiled. "Do you really think I would let them do that?"
Alec shook his head.
"Then don't be silly, Alexander. We are together. For me there's only you, okay?"
"Okay."
They entered the tavern still holding hands and immediately made their way to the table where Raphael and Ragnor were already seated, chatting animatedly with Catarina. Magnus saw some familiar faces popping up here and there, Imasu, Axel, Etta...but none of them tried to approach him. He was almost certain they had noticed the resolve with which Magnus was holding Alec's hand, so they only acknowledged each other with a soft and polite smile.
"Well, well, well." Catarina said, looking them both from head to toe and fixing her brown eyes on their intertwined hands. "It seems that some things have changed since the last time you two were here. I see you didn't follow my advice, young man." The woman said, looking at Alec.
Alec blushed.
"What advice?" Magnus asked curiously. "Please, tell me you didn't give him the annoying motherly lecture and ask him to stay away from me."
"I didn't..." Catarina said.
"Then, what did you tell him?"
"That's between the boy and me." Catarina said, pouring beer for everyone.
Magnus rolled his eyes, but dropped the matter. He was in a very good mood and he wasn't going to waste his time arguing with Catarina. He could always get the truth out of Alec later.
"Well, and what brought you back to the Spiral so soon?" Catarina asked.
"We need more crew." Ragnor informed her.
"Are you still chasing that crazy pirate?"
"Aye, and we're very close to finding him." Ragnor admitted. "We just got a potion that will help us track him and soon we'll-"
"A potion to track him?" Catarina raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you didn't get this famous potion from a Sea Witch. You know how dangerous those creatures are."
They all looked at each other.
"You did." She stated, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "At least tell me you didn't go see that certain Sea Witch. I swear Poseidon should disappear her from the face of the earth, well, sea."
Magnus looked at Ragnor and Raphael. Catarina knew all about Camille and what she had done to Magnus, so naturally, she despised her with a wild passion. Catarina had always been very protective of Magnus.
"Oh, dear God. You went to see her!?" Catarina asked surprised. "Why!?"
"She was our only option." Raphael said. "We were running out of time and we didn't have the means to pay another one, so..."
"And you agreed to that after all that happened!?" Catarina asked Magnus, looking him straight in the eyes.
"I didn't go voluntarily," Magnus admitted, "but yes."
Catarina looked at them all and then exploded, scolding Ragnor and Raphael for their lack of sensitivity towards Magnus's feelings. Magnus appreciated the concern, it proved how much Catarina cared about him, but he wasn't angry with any of them for having taken him there. Yeah, he had almost killed Raphael when he had shared the detail about the potion, but it was now forgotten. In fact, he was grateful for that little detour. First, because it had helped him to get closure with Camille, and second and most importantly, because without what had happened there, he would have never admitted his feelings for Alec.
"Let them be, Catarina." Magnus said. "They did what they had to do. I would have done the same if I had been in their places."
Catarina snorted, but said no more, leaving the table to get some food for them all.
"Well, she's mad at us." Raphael stated the obvious.
"But what she said isn't true, though. We do care about you, you know that, don't you?" Ragnor immediately said.
"I know, my dear Prince, I know." Magnus smiled. "Don't worry about it."
The food arrived and they all cleaned their plates as fast as they could. Their cook was not the best, so it was nice for a little change to have a decent meal after weeks and weeks of the same tasteless food.
"We need to get ourselves a better cook." Ragnor said. "Remember that cook who joined us in Singapore?"
"Aye." Magnus nodded. He was resting the food, enjoying some rum, with his arm placed around Alec's shoulders.
"Was he good?" Alec asked intrigued. He always showed great interest when they shared stories of their days as pirates.
"He was." Ragnor said. "Too bad he left us too soon."
"He left you, like in abandoned you?" Alec asked.
"No, he died." Magnus said. "We were attacked by fellow pirates and during the battle we lost many men, including him. That was one of the things that I loved about the Danube. We never had to worry about being attacked; there was no ship that could match our speed."
"So this attack was after you lost the Danube?"
"Aye." Magnus nodded. "It wasn't that long ago, actually. It was a little after these two met each other."
Raphael and Ragnor smiled at each other.
"And, how did you two meet?" Alec asked curiously.
Magnus smiled. That was one of the things that he had loved about Alec since day one: his insatiable curiosity.
"It's a long story…" Raphael said.
"We have time." Alec said in hopes to get to hear the story.
"Fine…" Raphael exhaled, starting to share his side of the story.
Magnus just leaned his head against Alec's shoulder and listened intently. He had heard it more times than he could remember, but it was always entertaining to hear the different versions that his friends had of the meeting. Magnus had been there when it had happened and he remembered something very different.
The conversation lasted for hours and next thing Magnus knew, the night was at its fullest. They had been laughing and talking, and even joking with Catarina, who at some point had forgiven Raphael and Ragnor and decided to join them.
Magnus looked around at all the faces gathered on the table and his heart filled with a joy he had never felt before. All these people were the closest thing he had to a family. The only ones he cared about, and for whom he would give his own life if necessary.
"Are you alright?" Alec whispered into his ear.
"More than alright, Alexander." Magnus said, leaning over for a quick kiss, but Alec seemed to have a different plan because he pulled him from the lapel and kissed him more passionately.
"Disgusting." Raphael murmured under his breath.
"Jealous?" Magnus quirked a brow.
"Bah!" Raphael exclaimed, rolling his eyes playfully.
Magnus laughed. "Let's go." He murmured Alec, taking his hand. It was late and they still had to move Alec's stuff to Magnus's quarters. Besides, that kiss had left him with a certain need that demanded to be satisfied. "Ragnor, please make sure to recruit more men, okay? Twenty more or something. We'll see you all tomorrow after dawn."
"Aren't you going to stay in town?" Ragnor questioned. "Sleep in a proper bed for once?"
Magnus shook his head. "Alexander and I have other plans, but we'll see you all tomorrow, aye?"
"Aye."
Magnus and Alec walked away from the tavern and headed to the ship. They were in complete silence, but there was no need for words, they were just enjoying their time together, admiring the moon and the stars, which were unusually bright that night.
"Do you know the name of all the stars?" Alec asked.
"No, some of them yes, but no...do you?"
"No, but I want to learn them."
Magnus smiled. Of course he wanted to learn them, he would be surprised to hear otherwise. "Ragnor knows a lot about astronomy, so maybe you could ask him to teach you." Magnus said, helping Alec climb into the ship. The gangplank was a bit slippery and they had drunk a little.
"It's so quiet." Alec pointed out.
They knew the crew was in town. They had the ship to themselves.
"It's just you and me, like when we first got this ship."
Alec smiled. "A lot of things have changed since then. I know it was not that long ago, but I feel like it had been years and not months since then."
"It certainly feels that way, Alexander." Magnus said, kissing him just because he could. "Now, do you want us to move your stuff to the cabin?"
Alec nodded.
They walked to Alec's small cabin, and immediately the boy ran to hide something he had on top of his bed.
"What's that?" Magnus asked intrigued.
"A book." Alec said, closing it and grabbing more books to make it impossible for Magnus to see the cover.
"Let me see it."
"No."
"Alexander…"
Alec rolled his eyes, but handed the book. It was a very familiar red book with golden letters. Magnus had last seen it a few weeks ago in Cartagena. It was the book that Magnus had told Alec that had been his favorite when he was younger.
"Did you steal this from the Silent Brothers?" Magnus asked in disbelief.
"Maybe." Alec said, blushing. "Well, yes. I was curious to know why it was your favorite."
Magnus laughed. "You're full of surprises, Alexander." He admitted, smiling fondly at the boy. "And, what are your thoughts about it?"
"I'm still reading it."
Magnus smiled and picked up the other books from Alec's hand. They all were part of the set that they had stolen from the brothers. "Any other hidden possession?"
"No, just my clothes." Alec pointed to all the clothes scattered in the room. He didn't have a wardrobe like Magnus so there was no place for him to put them but the floor.
"I'll help you pick them up." Magnus said.
"Don't worry, just take the books and my map." Alec said, smiling fondly at the scroll that Magnus had given him. "I'll take care of the clothes." He added, quickly gathering them and putting them in a sack.
"Okay." Magnus nodded, heading toward the door. "Don't forget your coat." He said, picking up a coat that was on the floor by the door and throwing it to Alec. "I can keep you warm enough, but-"
A folded piece of paper fell from one of the pockets. Alec picked it up immediately.
"What's that?"
"Nothing." Alec said, putting it aside. "My notes about the treasure."
"Okay, well, I'll go put this in my, I mean, our quarters. I'll see you there, okay? Don't take long!"
"Okay."
Thanks for reading! See you all next Friday!
