Magnus felt the warmth of the low winter sun filter in through the window and caress his exposed skin and he sighed contentedly. As he awoke he gave a silent thanks to the Universe for the delightful, yet rather unexpected, path his life was now set upon. Who would have thought that he, of all people, could truly admit that he was happy and fulfilled. Old memories still clouded around him, but now it didn't matter as much – now he was mortal there would be an ending to his story. And he hoped that it would be a happy one. The way things were going he was hopeful that he would be blessed with love and happiness to the end of his life. Because he had Alec. He had someone that he loved beyond everything, and what was even more astounding was that Alec loved him back. Magnus had never considered himself particularly lucky, especially considering the disaster that was his childhood, but now he felt like he had travelled over a rainbow on a white elephant whilst wearing nothing but four leaf clovers and horseshoes.
Magnus reached out instinctively to the other side of the bed to find the comforting heat of Alec's body, but all he felt was the cool crisp cotton sheets. He snapped his eyes open to have his worst fears confirmed: Alec wasn't there. With a certain amount of effort he raised himself into a sitting position and ran his hand through the messy tangle of his sleep-scruffy hair. He was sure Alec was meant to be there, in bed with him, snuggled up cosily. He let out a confused sigh before reaching over to the bedside table and grabbing his cell. Upon reading the date and time on the display, however, realisation dawned – Alec was probably fussing downstairs over Jace's birthday party. Today was goldilocks' 18th and apparently everyone thought it was a big deal that boy wonder had now become… well, man wonder. Maybe he should start celebrating his own birthday more now that he was mortal? But if he was being perfectly honest, he couldn't exactly remember when it was supposed to be. He always told everyone it was December 12th because he liked the idea of the date 12.12.12 being his birthday, which coincided with the same year he had arrived in Spain. Of course, his name day was actually 6th September, but as 'Magnus' was not the name he was christened with he felt he had no claim to celebrate on that particular date. Beside, December was usually so pretty and lots of cool stuff came out around about then because of Christmas looming, so others had always been able to find any gifts easily.
With a huff, he rolled tiredly out of bed and landed on the floor with a thump onto his knees. "Owww," he whispered hoarsely to himself. Magnus Bane was not really a morning person, unless he had drunk an excessive amount of caffeine the previous night. He was currently bone tired because he had been working out in New Jersey until late – he wouldn't change being mortal now except he was pretty sure he never felt this tired when he was immortal. Or maybe it was because Alec was making him cut down on sugary drinks. He supposed that now he did very much need to grow up. However, instead of the abject terror he had always assumed that idea would cause him to feel, he felt nothing but elation and warmth and excitement. 'Growing up' for Magnus meant that he would get to spend the rest of his life with Alec. It was an idea that he had never truly believed possible, but here he was, living a mortal life in the arms of someone who loved him for all of who he was and had ever been.
And Alec had asked to marry him.
The thought made him deliriously happy until he remembered that Alec had kind of taken it back afterwards. That had been about two weeks ago now. He let out a long sigh and pulled himself clumsily to his feet, the after-effects of sleep still coursing through him. He understood where Alec was coming from, he really did. And so he couldn't be angry with the Shadowhunter. But that feeling he got of pure joy when Alec had asked him, nervously wobbling onto one knee and staring at him like he always did, with such intensity and sincerity electrifying his blue eyes had made Magnus melt and his heart skip. But then Alec had told him he wasn't actually ready for marriage. It was understandable, because he was so young and had so much going on in his life right now, and he had specifically told Magnus that he did want to marry him 'one day'. But that didn't stop the horrible twisting feeling he got when he thought about it. He hadn't realised he even wanted to get married before Alec asked him, but now it was all he could think about. And it wasn't fair on Alec, he knew that. He wanted to scream at him, to shake him fiercely and make him realise how utterly consumed Magnus was by this amazing idea. But he wouldn't. He couldn't do that to Alec. And there was a promise – a hope – there for a very true and public commitment because Alec had given Magnus the Lightwood family ring to wear. In Shadowhunter custom this was serious business, although according to Alec it didn't actually symbolise a promise of marriage (but he had said, rather confusingly, on a side note that it 'sort of' did, just not officially) but a symbol that Magnus was now very much a part of the Lightwood family. He knew that most Shadowhunters didn't actually exchange family rings until after they were married. And it was lovely. It really was. But it wasn't 'official'. Magnus hadn't even realised this was what he had been craving until (he thought) it had been offered to him. But now he ached for it – for the official seal of approval to his and Alec's relationship. It was silly really, considering he wasn't that concerned by anything else 'official' or any other kind of ceremony. And it was certainly something he would not be bringing up with his boyfriend.
"Coward," Magnus muttered to himself under his breath as he pulled up onto his tiptoes and stretched out his body whilst yawning loudly. He flung on a pair of black silk lounge pants and his bright emerald green yukata that he was currently using as a dressing gown because he just didn't have the time to get dressed up too much anymore – something he had moaned about to anyone who would listen. Chairman Meow gave a loud mewl from under the bed and darted out. The tabby jumped gracefully onto the bed and rolled onto his back, clearly wanting some attention.
"Alec told you not to go on the bed…" Magnus grumbled as he tickled the little cat over his head and ears and then briefly on his soft belly before the Chairman decided it was play time and took a swipe at him. "Ruthless little hairball," he observed as he scooped him up. The Chairman meowed in protest and began to wriggle from Magnus' grip but the warlock held firm. "Let's go get you some breakfast."
"Wow, nice kimono Mags!" Isabelle beamed at him as he entered the kitchen. She was very much like him: parties made her stupidly happy. He and Isabelle had planned this one together and it seemed to have made her more cheerful recently. He was glad she was smiling more because it meant Alec smiled more and that always made him completely irresistible to Magnus.
"It's not a kimono – it's a yukata," he told her with a smile and a brief, awkward one-armed hug as he was still wrestling his cat in the other arm.
"No idea what that means," she told him cheerfully before she turned away and poured a glass of orange juice. She didn't seem to want to know about the differences between traditional Japanese dress, so Magnus shrugged and released the Chairman, who landed on the floor with a slight plop. The cat seemed to realise where he was now and that being in the kitchen meant he was about to get fed, so instead of bolting away and running back upstairs to Magnus and Alec's bed (where he was not supposed to be) he purred loudly and rubbed up affectionately against Magnus' legs.
"So I am assuming Alec is up in the Greenhouse fussing over the decorations we put up last night?" Magnus suggested, going to a low cupboard to pull out some cat food.
"Got it in one," Izzy told him with a roll of her dark eyes.
He and Isabelle had stayed up late putting up decorations in the Greenhouse for Jace's birthday party, because according to Clary this would be the place he would want to spend the evening rather than in one of the large halls that were purposefully built for this sort of thing. He just had to be difficult. Even when he didn't have anything to do with it – it was a surprise party – goldilocks still caused trouble. Alec and Isabelle both suffered from allergies, so being around all the plants in the Greenhouse was good for neither of them. Alec had taken at least three packets of Clarinex yesterday and in doing so had made himself drowsy and decidedly not very fun or energetic. Much to Magnus' chagrin. Isabelle had left Magnus to finish up with the 'special lighting' last night when her eyes had begun to swell up from all the rubbing.
The Chairman almost pounced onto Magnus' arm as he placed the bowl of food onto the cold tiled floor and he had to sweep away quickly else he would have gotten scratched.
"Wow, he's energetic this morning. Did he get into the coffee jar last night?" Isabelle quipped as she rinsed out her glass in the sink.
"No idea – but I need some coffee. And quickly. Or I may collapse from exhaustion."
"My brother keeping you up again?" she smirked as she turned on the percolator. Magnus just scowled at her.
"No. I was up until three am finishing off the decorations without you Isabelle Lightwood, meaning Alec was completely comatose by the time I got to bed. Absolutely no time for anything to be up as you so gracefully put it…"
"Sheesh, don't bite my head off Mr Grumpy!" she teased, throwing her arms up in submission. He really wasn't in the mood for her (or most people he suspected) without first consuming at least three cups of coffee, he decided. At that moment, Alec clattered into the room, looking slightly flushed and a little out of breath. Magnus was about to bounce over to him and embrace him inappropriately in front of his sister, but his boyfriend cut him off.
"Oh good, you're up," he smiled breathlessly before Magnus could get to him. "I need your help," Alec told him seriously.
Magnus turned his back in a bit of a huff and got out a mug for the coffee that was almost brewed. "I am not helping anyone until I have some caffeine," he announced darkly. The next thing he knew, strong, bare arms encircled his waist in a gesture so delicious that it still gave him butterflies in his stomach, despite the familiarity of the action.
"What's up with you?" Alec whispered softly against the skin of his neck as he buried his face into Magnus' shoulder. He could have pulled away and told him how tired he was because his stupid brother had to have the most complicated party of all time and his sister abandoned him to finish all the decorations meaning he didn't get to bed until the early hours, but Alec's embrace just felt too good and Magnus had missed the contact when he had woken.
"Just exhausted," he admitted instead. Alec placed a small kiss on his neck and hugged him more tightly.
"What time did you get to bed?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"Finished up about three."
Alec turned him around so they were facing. "And by the angel it looks absolutely amazing up there!" he gushed enthusiastically, a huge grin spread across his face. Magnus narrowed his eyes at his lover's cheerfulness and Alec's expression flickered with guilt. "Umm yeah, I'm sorry I couldn't help or anything…"
"Well your baby sister didn't completely chicken out and she braved the pollen, but I think her head almost exploded so I had to finish up by myself." He shot a glare at Izzy, who was now sat down at the table, eating a banana but she just smiled innocently back at him. "I demand recompense for all of this trouble," Magnus announced authoritatively.
"I've already told you, no one's getting any money or making any profit out of this – we are doing this because Jace is our family and this is a very important occasion for him," Alec reasoned patronisingly.
Magnus cocked an eyebrow at Alec and caused his cheeks to flush again. He loved how responsive his Shadowhunter was to even the slightest thing. "Who said anything about money Alexander?" Magnus asked him seductively, causing Alec to blush furiously and avert his gaze; Magnus' mouth quirked into a satisfied smile.
"Think that may be my cue to leave…" Isabelle announced as she rose to her feet.
"Izzy!" Alec called after her and she poked her head back around the door to see what he wanted. "I need you to go pick up the food, is that ok?"
"Why do I need to go do that? I thought you were!" she huffed.
"Because Clary asked if she could come and help Magnus with the decorating – apparently she has some special 'artwork' that she wants to include…"
"Oh great, more decorating to do," Magnus interrupted before turning his attention to pouring his coffee and adding a good helping of cream.
"And so now we have no one to occupy Jace today and keep him away so it doesn't spoil the surprise," he continued without acknowledging Magnus' observation. "So I was going to train with him upstairs and keep him away from the library and the Greenhouse and then take him out to Taki's and possibly shopping if we still need some time with the pretence I need a new outfit for something Magnus is dragging me to."
Izzy eyed him sceptically. "You are going to do this? Are you sure it's a good idea? Because you are absolutely useless at lying, especially to Jace."
Magnus snorted into his milky coffee, voicing his agreement. Alec could keep secrets, but when actually faced with someone confronting him he usually broke within seconds. His boyfriend hardened his beautiful face defensively and stared at his sister with contempt. "It will be fine," he bit out a little over-harshly. She smirked sheepishly at him, probably a little taken aback by his vehemence.
"Ok ok, I trust you – what time do you need me to pick up the food?" she was now trying to look as sweet and innocent as possible.
"I'd leave at about four – you need to be back here by half five at the latest."
"Half five?!" she protested. "The party doesn't start til seven!"
"Yes," he drawled sarcastically. "And how long does it usually take you to get ready?"
"Fine," she puffed and rolled her eyes, conceding that it probably would take her an hour and a half to get ready.
Alec proceeded to hand Isabelle over the money for the food and some more strict instructions before she was, finally, allowed to leave the room. Magnus had almost finished his coffee by the time she left and the percolator had already heated up again. He poured another mug full of the dark liquid and added a couple of spoons of sugar before offering it to Alec, who took it gratefully. The Shadowhunter smiled broadly at the taste and seemed to relish sipping his drink. Magnus knew just how Alec liked it by now and it filled him with a great sense of pride and achievement. It was just coffee, but to Magnus it symbolised how well he knew him.
"I missed you," Magnus told Alec with a small pout and the Shadowhunter eyed him from the rim of his mug.
"Hmmm?"
"This morning – I woke up and you weren't there. You know I hate that."
"I know, I'm sorry. But I had to get up and do some work because I won't have time to do it later – I will have to be out with Jace and then we will have the party." Alec smiled sadly, his blue eyes shining a beautiful shade of azure in the low winter sun that was flooding through the small kitchen window. "Sorry."
Magnus placed his mug down on the counter and opened his arms and Alec rushed to him for a hug without any prompting. He loved how Alec felt in his arms – warm and intoxicating, and he loved how their bodies could slot together like puzzle pieces no matter what position they embraced in. The thought send a slight cramping jolt into Magnus' lower abdomen and he began to caress his lover's back softly, snaking his hand under the thin black fabric of his t-shirt in order to feel the exquisiteness of his skin. Alec sighed contentedly and let his head fall to the Warlock's chest where he breathed in deeply. He didn't know exactly why he was so attracted to Alec or why he liked him so much or loved him so completely: he just did. And it made him stupidly happy, even if Alec wasn't going to marry him anytime soon.
Magnus' hands trailed down Alec's sides and came to rest on his buttocks. As he forced his hands down below the waistband of Alec's jeans he felt his boyfriend chuckle lightly before drawing himself up so they were gazing into each other's eyes.
"You're insatiable," he told Magnus with a crooked grin. The Warlock licked his lips wickedly and moved his leg so it was positioned between the Shadowhunter's. He pressed towards the already growing hardness there and smirked. "We are well matched I think," he purred, causing Alec to plunge towards him and kiss him passionately; their tongues collided and caressed the other's mouth in a sensual duel. It wasn't long before they were both moaning with desire as they kissed ferociously enough to crash about the room, taking it in turns to collide with the counters, the appliances, the walls and the table. Magnus didn't know how but at some point they had ended up on the floor because suddenly he was pinning Alec to the ground roughly and kissing his neck. The Shadowhunter gasped as Magnus bit down, knowing the pleasure it caused and how it drove his lover insane with need.
There was an unexpectedly loud cough from the door and both of them tumbled off each other with a start and got hastily to their feet. Clary was stood there, her face almost the same shade of red as her hair.
"Guys, I don't mean to interrupt but just thought you should know that Jace is heading up to the training room – I just left him putting on his gear," she told them timidly, averting her eyes and staring anxiously at her shoes.
Magnus shot a quick and worried look over at his boyfriend, who looked like he was about to choke.
"No! You don't get to act all embarrassed missy! Not after you and Jace took over the library last week! We all had to hear that…"
"Magnus!" Alec chided.
If possible, Clary turned even redder. "Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in or anything. Trust me, I didn't want to see that, it's just that you told me to come and get you right away when he went off for his morning training." She looked up at Alec, her green eyes wide with sincerity.
"Thanks," Alec told her and walked towards the door of the kitchen, motioning for her to follow him.
"He's not in a very good mood by the way – I don't think he liked the 'gift' I got him," she told Alec with a nervous laugh. Apparently Clary had given Jace a 'joke' gift this morning and was planning on giving him his 'real' present at the party later. Magnus had no idea what gift she had got him, nor did he have any desire right now to find out because he was seriously deprived of energy. However, he made a mental note to find out later because anything that would annoy Jace was sure to be hilarious.
It took a few moments for Magnus to realise Alec had just walked off with Clary. He banged his mug down onto the counter top and jogged out to the corridor after him.
"Alec!" Magnus yelled after him, the disbelief and the pain in his voice surprising even him. Alec turned on his heel abruptly and looked mortified for a brief moment before recovering.
"Sorry darling!" he yelled back. He never usually called Magnus that in public and it startled the warlock slightly. "I really have to go – we don't want to ruin the surprise, especially after how hard we've all worked on it."
Magnus folded his arms about himself suddenly feeling very hot and very angry. His expression must have changed because Alec blushed crimson and looked like he was waiting for the floor to open and swallow him up. "Especially with the amount of work you've put into it," he added, slightly quietly. All Magnus could do was turn around and head back into the kitchen. He felt very empty all of a sudden, despite his rage.
It couldn't have been more than ten seconds later, as he stood facing the far wall and trying to take deep breaths that Alec came bounding back into the kitchen and almost knocked him over with the force he flung himself onto Magnus with.
The Shadowhunter placed his hands carefully on the sides of Magnus' face and drew him close, so that their foreheads were touching.
"I love you," he told Magnus determinedly with a ferocious glint in his eyes, before crushing Magnus' face towards him and kissing him. It was only when Magnus had to pull away, gasping for air, that Alec relented and let go of him.
"And you know it," Alec told them with a slightly off-centre smirk before taking his leave once again. He left the warlock panting for breath in the kitchen and feeling as light as a balloon. He knew Alec would not just abandon him, not really. He smiled serenely to himself as he swept his hand through his hair, trying to fix its current state of dishevelment somewhat and whispered, "I love you too," to the empty room.
Alec gazed around, feeling his chest swell with pride at what they had accomplished. The green house looked so wonderful with what Magnus, Izzy and Clary had done to it: the flowers were lit, fairy lights hung from every bough, swathes of multi-coloured silk draped from the ceiling and the floor was dotted with large picnic rugs, pillows and hampers full of food. It looked like an enchanted forest. To say that Jace had been surprised had been an understatement. The poor guy almost fell backwards down the steps upon reaching the top and seeing the green house done up like this. Alec especially loved the large banner that said: HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY JACE that ran all the way across the width of the space. Clary had painted it with varying shades of gold paint and it was beautifully eye-catching and shone under the lights. It reminded Alec of Jace actually, which he suspected was exactly what Clary had been going for. Granted, he had had to take about a million antihistamines to even be able to stand more than five minutes in the pollen-infested room and Isabelle was currently trying to badger Clary for a rune to help her symptoms subside, but it was worth it.
Magnus pretended to not like Jace very much, but Alec knew the truth. Looking around the greenhouse and at the attention to detail and the care and thought that had gone into decorating the space, he thought it was obvious that Magnus had grown fond of his parabatai. This made him very happy.
He smiled contentedly to himself and didn't notice Jia Penhallow's small frame approaching until she was only a couple of feet away.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she enquired in a friendly tone.
"What? Sorry, I was miles away."
"It is a lovely party, Alec. I bet Jace is thrilled."
"I think he's feeling a little uncomfortable actually. It's Magnus' fault – he was the one who thought it would be a great idea to invite Jocelyn and Luke. Overbearing mother of your serious long-term girlfriend at your eighteenth birthday party – think he might be a bit overwhelmed."
"He hides it well," Jia told him with a grin. Alec turned to look in the same direction of the Consul and saw Jace spinning Isabelle around rapidly to the music. They were laughing raucously and Alec was tremendously glad that both of his siblings seemed to be having fun – they needed it.
"So how is everything going? Are you very busy?"
Alec gave a shrug. "Sometimes it is crazy – last week we had an issue with a demon cult and some mundane murders, which is sorted now. But this week we haven't really had anything bad. We've all just been really busy getting this party organised."
"Well you've been fortunate the Universe decided to give you a break to let you get on with this party!" she laughed jovially.
"Give me a horde of Molochs any day over organising a party… it's really more Magnus' thing than mine."
"Speaking of Magnus, is he around?"
Alec frowned and looked sweepingly about the room. His boyfriend wasn't usually this conspicuous. His gaze found Helen and Aline who were at the edge of the dance floor crowd, wrapped up together and swaying in time with the music. Helen waved enthusiastically at him and Jia and they both returned the greeting.
"Have they set a date yet?" Alec asked.
Jia sighed in exasperation. "Aline wants to get married as soon as possible, but I have been trying to tell her to wait a few years." Alec wasn't sure what expression he had at that moment, but it made Jia a little jumpy and she backtracked slightly and added, "It's not that I don't think their relationship will last or anything like that. I just don't like the idea of her getting married so young. And Helen agrees with me. Not sure it will stop her for long though – she has already started wedding dress shopping."
Alec smiled encouragingly at Jia, who really was a wonderful parent. She had always seemed to be so accepting of her daughter's sexuality and very accepting of Helen Blackthorn as a partner. Alec suspected a lot of the hassle he had got about being gay from his parents had more to do with the fact that Magnus was a warlock and not a nice decent Shadowhunter boy.
"Well they look incredibly happy. I am so pleased for them," Alec told the Consul sincerely and took a sip of his drink.
"Thank you, Alec. It will be yours and Magnus' turn to get married soon I think!"
He choked on his beer and sent sprays of the liquid from his mouth onto the floor.
Nice. Not embarrassing at all.
"Alec are you alright?!" Jia asked him as she slapped him – hard – across his back.
"Are you trying to kill my boyfriend, Consul?" Magnus' sultry smooth voice resonated from over to his left as the Warlock walked over to them. He placed a hand delicately on Alec's shoulder and asked, "Are you alright sayang?"
"I'm fine!" Alec managed to choke out. "Just went down the wrong way," he rasped. Magnus looped his arm protectively around Alec's waist and pulled him in towards him. He kissed the side of Alec's temple lightly.
"Well I had better go and talk to the birthday boy!" Jia announced a little over-zealously, clearly wanting to get away from the awkwardness.
"Word of warning: if you go over there he will try to dance with you. I speak from deeply scarring experience," Magnus told her solemnly, though the Consul just laughed breezily.
"That is why I am wearing my dancing shoes, Mr Bane!" she told them as she slipped gracefully away from them into the crowd of dancers. Alec coughed loudly again.
"Are you sure you're ok, baby?" Magnus asked him with a concerned tone, turning the Shadowhunter to face him. He stroked Alec's cheek soothingly.
"I am now," Alec smiled at the Warlock.
"Come on," Magnus smiled mischievously, "let's go dance." He began to pull Alec towards the dance floor but he resisted.
"Wait. Can we just dance over here? Just the two of us?"
Magnus, of course, conceded immediately and grabbed onto Alec's waist and spun him gently. He wrapped his arms around Magnus' neck and played with the back of his dark, glittered hair.
"Magnus, I wanted to talk to you."
"Uh-oh, am I in trouble?" Magnus smirked, though Alec could detect a slight quaver to his normally confident tone.
"I want to get married Magnus. To you. More than anything."
Magnus stopped dancing abruptly. "Alec –"
"Hear me out. Please?"
Magnus nodded for him to continue.
"I want to get married but I really don't want to have a long engagement. I don't think I could stand all that waiting and expectation. And the thing is, I don't want to get married yet. I love being able to call you my 'boyfriend' and I want to keep going on like that for a while. And, when we are ready we should get engaged and then get married. No waiting around – I don't see the point."
Magnus took in a deep breath. He looked, not sad exactly, but very slightly despondent.
"Is – is that ok?" Alec asked him quietly. He hadn't expected Magnus to look like this when he imagined the scene in his head. "You're not… angry with me or anything?"
Magnus smiled warmly at Alec and pulled him in close, kissing him passionately and clearly not caring if anyone saw. "Of course I'm not angry with you," he said finally, once they both had to break apart for air.
"But – are you upset?" Alec was now biting his lower lip with worry.
"Yes," Magnus told him, surprising Alec somewhat with his blunt honesty. Perhaps Alec's personality was rubbing off on his boyfriend a little. "I never thought I would even want to get married. Ever. I play that night when you asked me back in my head constantly, analysing and re-analysing how you made me feel. I look back and I couldn't even have imagined that I would have said yes. But I did. It surprised me. And now all I can think about is marrying you."
Alec was speechless, his mouth gaping open as he tried to form coherent words in response to his boyfriend's admission.
"But," Magnus told him firmly, cutting him off before he even managed to say anything and grabbing the sides of his face. "I love you Alexander. And the last thing I want to do is hurry you into this. I guess that since becoming mortal I have started to think about making the most out of my time. It is far easier to be patient when you have the whole of eternity laid out before you." Magnus smiled and Alec could feel his heart melt. It was a rare occurrence for the Warlock to be so open and honest and something that Alec prized.
"I just want to spend my life with you – married to you."
"I do too," Alec finally said once he regained the ability to speak. "But do you really want a teenage bride?"
Magnus laughed deeply. "I'm glad you have also concluded that you will be the one wearing the dress."
Alec knitted his brow and frowned at his boyfriend. "You're the one who wears makeup…"
Suddenly, there was a shout from the other side of the room and the music cut out. Jace sped past them in a furious rage and swung himself down the circular wrought iron steps.
"Jace!" Clary called out after him and made to follow. The whole room was now silent and staring. Alec broke away from Magnus and stopped Clary in her tracks.
"What's happened?"
"He's upset," she told him, not really paying attention but staring off into the direction Jace had gone and jumping nervously up and down.
"I can see that," Alec told her a little harshly.
Jia walked steadily out from the crowd and approached them. Magnus turned away from Alec and walked towards the dance floor, shouting "Play on! Let's up the tempo!" And the music started up once more, tearing the guests' attention away from Alec, Clary and the Consul.
"It was my fault, Alec," the Consul said. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively at her.
"Jace has inherited the Herondale estate," Clary announced drearily. To anyone else this would seem like a really great event, but Alec and Clary both knew how Jace felt about his heritage that had been taken away and hidden from him for so long. Jace referred to himself as a Lightwood, though the Clave called him Jonathan Herondale officially. Jace hadn't wanted to talk to Alec about Brother Zachariah – or James Carstairs as he was known now – but he knew he had told Jace about his real family. Jace had closed himself off about that and Alec hadn't pressed him about it.
"Is it a lot?" Alec asked with a frown. Clary gave a small nod and looked off wistfully.
"I'll go," Alec told Clary purposefully. She looked at him and opened her mouth, about to protest, but smiled sadly and relented when she saw he wouldn't take no for an answer.
It didn't take long for Alec to find him. He was his parabatai after all and Alec felt like he probably knew Jace better than anyone else in the entire world. As expected, Jace was in the training room – the first place Alec checked. He was laying into a punch bag with a violent and destructive flurry of punches and kicks.
"What did that poor bag ever do to you?" Alec quipped, announcing his presence. Jace stopped and tensed briefly, but didn't turn to look at him.
"If you mean Consul Penhallow…" Jace said through gritted teeth as he began another barrage of assaults.
"Jace, come on, Jia isn't at fault here." Alec walked over to Jace, keeping his distance from the wildly flailing punch bag.
"Well she has terrible timing," he bit out.
"What? It's your eighteenth birthday – you are officially an adult under Clave law and as such you have now inherited your family's estate. It makes perfect sense to me that she would tell you now. You know most people would be pleased to hear about a massive inheritance…"
"My family's estate?" Jace stopped and turned to face him. He was glistening from perspiration and his cheeks were slightly flushed with anger. He looked dangerous, as only Jace could when he was this upset. "They aren't my family," he spat as if the entire thing was revolting to him.
"No, you're right," Alec told him softly and moved towards the punch bag. He took the heavy pad in his hands and widened his stance, holding it tightly and looked up to Jace expectantly. His parabatai glared suspiciously at him before taking up his own stance.
"We are your family. Me, Magnus, Isabelle, Clary. Even Peter and Paul. You know how much they look up to you. You are and always will be a Lightwood in our hearts and I think you will in yours too. But there is another part to you – a part that was taken cruelly away from you before you even knew what you were missing."
Jace punched and kicked the bag with a tremendous amount of force, though Alec could tell he was probably holding back a bit now for his benefit.
"Keep your chin down," Alec told him when he stopped to catch his breath for a couple of seconds. "And try to breathe through your punches – otherwise all that anger will never get out." Jace lowered his chin and let fly once more, this time more ferociously and Alec struggled to hold onto the bag properly.
"So you will always be Jace Lightwood – that is who you really are. But what is the harm in trying to be a Herondale too? It's just a name Jace. And you know better than anyone about fitting a name around who you are rather than trying to change and fit yourself around the name. Be Jace Lightwood and, in doing so, redefine what it means to be Jonathan Herondale."
"I have done nothing to warrant that inheritance," he snapped, though Alec could hear the crack in his voice.
"No, but your parents would want you to have it. And Amatis."
"I don't know these people. They mean nothing to me."
"You didn't know them in life. So let their memory inspire you to be a great person. Whether that means you are a Herondale or a Lightwood, it doesn't matter. That inheritance gives you an opportunity to honour the parents and the family you never knew by being the best you can possibly be."
At that, Jace sunk to his knees and began to sob. Alec rushed to him and folded him up into a tight hug. He let him cry it out, knowing that Jace hardly ever let go of his emotions like this and that sometimes he needed the release.
"It will be ok," he told his brother. "I promise."
Jace looked up at him, wiping the tears away from his eyes with the back of his wrist and smiled. "When did you become the wise one?" he asked softly.
Alec laughed and held onto his shoulders. "Well one of us has to be," he told him.
Jace was like that – one minute he would let his guard slip, but only very briefly. And then his iron defense would be back up in an instant and he would be closed off from everyone else as usual. Clary had successfully managed to break through most of those walls, but they were still very much a part of him.
"So," Jace said as he strained and stood up heavily. He held his hand out to Alec, who took it and was hauled up to his feet too. "When are you and Magnus getting married?"
Alec felt like his heart had stopped.
"What the hell? Why is everyone asking me that?!"
Jace sniggered. "Chill out. You did give him the family ring after all."
Alec wrung his hands nervously.
"You want to know what I think?"
"I suppose I don't have a choice…"
"I can see how much you love him – how happy he makes you. You have my approval." Jace put both thumbs up into the air and grinned one of his dazzling, winning smiles. Alec pushed him gently towards the door.
"What a way to change the subject Jace Lightwood," Alec intoned. "Let's get you back to your adoring fans."
"Only if you'll dance with me," Jace told him seriously, to which Alec simply rolled his eyes.
Apologies for the long chapter but I felt we needed a Magnus POV! And I apologise if this one is a little 'bitty', but this material couldn't really be fit around any of the other chapters. Look out for the next chapter where we will be jumping a few years into the future! And do not forget the three F's - Follow, Favourite and Feedback (that is 'leave a review' to me and you (-; )