Story: "Just Alec, now."
Chapter: 02 – Meeting the "parents"
Rating Story: NC-17
Rating Chapter: PG13
Warning(s): AU/AH, mature content, swearing, language
Pairings: Malec, Will/Jem (TID)
Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare thought of the wonderful world of the mortal instruments and infernal devices. I just play with the characters and change a bit of their life.
Sitting on a couch in a comfortable looking loft, Alec was waiting for Magnus to come back with two mugs of tea. The raven haired teenager was chatting amiably in the open kitchen, talking about Will – Magnus' guardian for all Alec had heard about the man – and another person called Jem who Alec knew nothing about but that he was the total opposite of Will and a doctor in one of the smaller hospitals in New York. Curently the boys where in Brooklyn - "You've never heard of Brooklyn?! It's the best place in whole New York City!" - waiting for said Will and Jem to come home. After helping Alec to his feet, they soon found out that, yes, the younger teen has done 'something' to his arm or hand or both and that he should not move it in any way. As you can imagine, driving home in the subway had never been so much fun.
Magnus set the tea tray down on the small coffee table in front of the comfortable couch. "There is nothing better to drink while having a mature conversation but tea." Magnus was silently purring tea into the cups adding some milk into his own cup. He handed one cup to the smaller teen and sat down next to him. Taking a sip and letting it warm him from the inside, he waited for Alec to do the same. "So 'Just Alec', what to do with you?" Said boy was swallowing his mouthful of tea setting his cup on the saucer. "I should probably go back." Magnus shot him a look. "Go? Go where exactely, Alec?" Bitting his lip the younger teen went silent. "I... Home, I suppose." Magnus was nodding silently drinking more tea. "You should drink. Nothing tastes worse than cold tea." Blinking in surprise, Alec took his cup and drank some more of the hot liquid. "What blend is that?" "Our own. Every day a little different." "It's delicious."
Not soon after the pot of tea was gone and a short game of "20 questions" Magnus heard the door to the loft open. Alec stiffened on the couch next to him, looking worried to the foyer. A man in his twenties with short blonde (gray?) hair walked into the room carrying a small brown bag with, what Alec pressumed, food. Magnus stood up to get the bag from him and to put it away in the kitchen. Alec didn't know what to do. He sat there watching his friend talking to the older man – was that Jem or Will? - while Magnus sorted the different cans and bags and bottles away to their right place without looking. He turned around to look out of the huge windows not wanting to interrupt the "family time". Clearly he still missed his siblings and mother and he supposed his father as well. But he couldn't afford to think about them any longer. When he was still there, every major decision was made by them all as a whole family. That meant that his mother and his siblings as well as his father had decided that he had to go. Closing his eyes forcefully he tried to stop the tears that were certain to fall.
A soft hand landing on the top of his head brought him back to the here and now. Opening his eyes and looking up he saw the older man kneeling in front of him. A small smile was playing on his lips as he pried Alec's arm away from his middle unwrapping the gauze. "You learnt well, Magnus." A sound between a snort and a laugh was all he got as an answer. Lightly touching the swollen area around the wrist, the older man 'hmm'd watching Alec for any reaction. "I don't think it is broken. But to be sure, I should take you with me tomorrow." He tied the gauze around the wrist again, standing up. "Do you like Chicken Curry, Alec?" Perplexed the blue eyed boy was nodding. "Good. As you can't cut anything with your hand, you will help stirring the rice." Nodding again the younger teen stood up as well and followed the older man to the kitchen area where Magnus was already cutting various vegetables in small cubes.
"Is that Will's favourite?" Looking up at Alec's question, Magnus blanched. "Pardon?" The older man, whose hair was definitely gray and not blonde, turned around with a high pot to cook the rice in. "I... Magnus said it was Will's birthday and I thought... maybe it was his favourite?" Blinking at Alec and looking from one teen to the other, Jem tried to process Alec's question. "William's birthday is a week from now." Arching an eyebrow and not looking what he was doing, Magnus stared at the gray haired man. "But my phone memo told me it was today." Suddenly the older teen screamed and let the knife fall down to the floor holding his hand to his chest. Jem rushed over and pried the arm away from the younger male – as he done so with Alec – inspecting it. "Come on. It is nothing serious." Magnus held his hand under cold water while Jem went to the bathroom to get some dressing material. Alec walked over to Magnus to see what had happened just now. He got the knife from the floor lying it into the sink where the water was still flowing freeling down the drain. "Is it bad? How much is missing?" Nibbling on his bottom lip, Alec took a closer look. "I don't know. I can't see anything missing. Just some chipped paint on your nail. It is bleeding rather heavily." After Alec's statement the older teen had to fight to remain standing.
Just at this moment the flat's last resident choose to arrive. "You shouldn't tell this little drama queen here, that something's bleeding. He can't see blood." Alec was met with the sight of a man in his late twenties who looked exactely like him – maybe his eyes were darker but that could have been the light in the kitchen. "Drama queen? Just for your information, mister, I could have lost my finger here. And maybe I will, as Jem is taking pretty long to fetch some band aid from the bathroom. Maybe we should drive to the ER? Just to be sure? Oh my poor finger and I had applied the polish just today." Walking over to Magnus, Will turned off the water and got some paper towel from the roll beside the sink and wrapped it around Magnus' finger. "Now be a good boy and walk over there and sit down." Pouting the older teen did as he was told, wobbling to the couch and letting himself fall down into the cushions. "There is nothing wrong with your leg!" "There could as well be!"
Sighing the black haired man turned around to Alec who was still gaping at him – total opposites, there was never a description as true as this. "So, Alexander, right?" "Just Alec." "Just Alec, then. What were you doing while this little demon cut his finger?" The younger male looked around the kitchen. "We were making dinner, I suppose." Will nodded at that and got an apron from a cabinet standing closest to the sink. "And Jem informed me that your birthday is not today." "Why would you think, my birthday was today, Maggie?" What Magnus couldn't see was that Will was smirking while questioning the teen. "Oh don't be so innocent all of the sudden. I know that you changed the date in my phone memo. You know that I can't very well remember every birthday and anniversary there is. Hence the memo. But no. Mr High and Mighty FBI Agent has to play a trick on me, the poor school-ridden boy from Brooklyn, so that I take the subway to Manhattan just to buy a cake. And stop calling me Maggie."
Huffing Magnus slumped further into the cushions playing with the paper towel around his hand. "For someone who has just lost a part of his finger you're able to argue pretty loudly." Jem walked into the living room area holding a package of band aids in one hand. Still pouting Magnus looked up at the other man. "And where were you? Did you have to produce the band aid on your own?" "Oh stop sulking, Magnus." Sitting next to the teen, Jem got the paper towel off Magnus' hand and took a look at the finger. "Nothing is missing from your oh so pretty finger. There is just a small cut on the side that was bleeding but it is nearly closed now." He lay the hand on his thigh an put a band aid around it. "Should I kiss it better?" Rolling his eyes Magnus stood up and walked back into the kitchen taking the paper towel to the garbage bin.
Getting back to cutting the vegetables Magnus missed the worried look Will gave Jem as the gray haired man put the package of band aids into one of the hanging cabinets. Shaking his head slowly, Jem took the pot from where he had put it and got the rice from the pantry. "Have you ever cooked rice, Alec?" The younger male having watched the interaction between the adults, shook his head. Jem took a cup out from one of the other cabinets and put it on the counter. "1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water. We are 4 people, so we need 2 cups of rice. Can you do that for me?" Alec nodded and got to work. Soon the rice was washed – with the help of Will – and put on the stove with another pot for the chicken curry.
The smell of different spicery was filling the air while Alec stirred the rice every few minutes. When he was still living with his the people he had called family he wasn't called to help in the kitchen. Normally Maryse – that would be his mother – cooked for the whole family and called them to set the table, Shortly before it was done, Robert – his father – would come home and they all would sit around the table and talk about their day. At the last family dinner Alec had been very quiet and brooding. Just before dessert he had decided to talk to his father when they were done eating together. Robert had listened to him, nodded his head and talked to him as if they were equals. Two days later Alec was told in the middle of the night to pack and get into the car.
"I think the rice is done. Thank you, Alec." Jem got the wooden spoon from the teen's hand and put off the stove. He poured the water in the sink and put the rice in a small bowl waiting on the counter. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the way the younger male was watching their every move, Jem gestured for Magnus to take Alec with him to set the table. "Come on, Alec. These old men can handle the rest." The older teen got some plates and cutlery from around the kitchen and together they set the big table behind the small wall seperating the dining from the sitting area. "How do they know my name?" Looking up from placing water glasses on the table, Magnus arched an eyebrow. "They were calling me Alec from the moment they walked into the loft." Magnus nodded at the younger teen's words. "And Jem knew my arm was hurt and he couldn't have seen it from where he was standing." Again Magnus nodded. "Well obviously I send them both a message saying my friend 'Alec' was staying over for a bit." "And they just let you?" "Obviously." "And they don't mind me staying here, without so much as a background story?" "Obviously." "Are you going all Severus Snape on me?" "Obviously." Grinning like the loon he was, Magnus put the last knives on the table. "At ho... With my... Before. I couldn't just bring anyone home without the name and phone number of their parents. Before they didn't do a thorough background check to ensure that my friend wouldn't put me off my books, I wans't even allowed at my friend's place." Magnus looked thoughtful before answering. "Do you trust me, Alec?" "I... I think so." "Then trust them. Trust Will and Jem. They helped me through a really rough time not so long ago and I know they will help you. Without so much of a questioning glance at you or your past." Alec couldn't do anything else but nod at what was the older teen was saying. "For all I know, those two are my parents and I'm glad I have them."