ALRIGHT! Let me take this moment to say I'm very very sorry about such a long delay. What with graduation, life has been ridiculously crazy lately. I had meant to get this out nearly three weeks ago and I really did have most of it written I promise! I also went through and rewrote a lot because there were some things that were originally included that I want to save for later chapters. That said, I apologize if it seems a bit short as well.
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AND DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN ANY OTHER CREATIONS OF CLASSANDRA CLARE'S GENIUS.
Also, if you didn't read the description there is explicit boy-love, yaoi, homosexuality, and whatever else you want to call it. Of course, if that offends you, don't read. Common sense :)!
A strong wind blew as Magnus stood on the top step leading to his townhouse. He gathered up his coat with one hand, pulling it tight to his body, and grabbed his top-hat with the other. Fighting the wind, he walked quickly down the stairs and off to the right. After only a ten minutes, he could already see Mr. Scott's house. It took no effort for Magnus to see past the glamour of the quiet, pale grey exterior to see that the residence was actually bright orange from which seeped roaring laughter and music. Bright light could be seen through all of the windows and the dangerously sweet smell of faerie foods wafted from the open door. Magnus shook his head and smiled as he reached the entrance, letting himself in. Everyone was dressed in their finest clothes, a mandatory dress code for Woolsey's parties. Preoccupied with scanning the room for a certain someone, Magnus ran into a very tall man and a very short man, one fey and one werewolf, both reeked of alcohol. Magnus wrinkled his nose, and shoved his way through the crowd of warlocks, fey, and lycanthropes, feeling a bit at ease when he saw none of the Night Children had attended. Mr. Scott often tried to bridge the gap between the races, but the only time a vampire had shown up the result had been...bloody.
"Mr. Baaane!", a jolly voice called through the roaring crowd, "How kind of you to join us!" Woolsey Scott sauntered in, surrounded by female werewolves and one lone male. Magnus was sure Woolsey would make good use of all of them later tonight.
Magnus removed his hat and shook hands with his friend, "You know I have nothing better to do."
Woolsey smiled and looked Magnus over, then studied the empty air around him, and frowned. "No date?"
Magnus fiddled with the hat in his hands, "I suppose not."
Woolsey studied Magnus a moment more. Suddenly he smack a hand onto the warlock's shoulder, "There, there," he laughed, "I've got plenty to go around!" He scooted a few eager-looking were-girls towards Magnus. The girls grabbed at his jacket and threw it onto the back of the chair, then clung tightly to his arms. Magnus was sure they were already drunk beyond compression and had to fight to keep them all standing. They pulled him into the parlor and he felt as though he had hit a solid wall of heat and he began to sweat almost immediately. There were so many bodies squished into every corner of the room it was a wonder they hadn't suffocated by now and on top of that the fire was burning at full force. Magnus saw that everyone else was sweating too but they hardly seemed to care. There were men and girls kissing; men kissing men; girls kissing girls and even a few cases of a little of everything. Seeing such a sight only made Magnus sweat more. Woolsey's parties were known for this, Magnus knew, he had attended many of them, but he could never get used to the heat.
Before he knew it, Magnus was sitting in an arm chair with two girls on his lap, teasing at his slightly exposed collarbone and giggling over every word he said.
Hours passed in much the same way. The clock struck three a.m. and the party was just reaching its maximum potential for drunken humor and casual sex in the parlor. Magnus had grown bored some time ago and was beginning to doze off, much to the delight of the drunken girls who thought he looked "positively adorable" when sleepy. Suddenly, through the haze of clumbsy dancers and passionate couples, Magnus saw a familiar head of hair, easing gracefully between the bodies that packed the room tight. He perked up in a second and leaned forward, dragging the girls along with him, one slid right off the side of the chair.
"That's no way to treat a lady, Magnus Bane." Cooed a familiar voice. From out of the sea of people, Will walked effortlessly, as if he were walking about his own room. "Even I know that."
The girls giggled and some ran to greet him, others clung to Magnus. As Will flirted carelessly with the group, one girl leaned in close to Magnus' ear.
"Cute isn't he?" she whispered, "He's all dressed up, too. I wonder who he came here for."
Magnus felt his face grow hot but he couldn't resist sneaking another look at Will. He stood, basking in the drunken worshipers that practically lay at his feet. For a moment, Magnus felt something like pity for them but as he got a closer look, he envied them. Will hadn't been lying when he'd said he'd wear his best clothes. Will held a fine hat in his hands and sported a sharp gray brushed-cotton vest tucked neatly beneath a formal black tailcoat, accented with a royal blue silk puff tie. Magnus couldn't help but notice that the tie brought out his eyes in a way that made them seem almost unnaturally blue. Fortunately, he caught himself before his thoughts could travel any further and cursed himself for getting so caught up in this boy.
He is nephilim after all.
After the girls had settled down, Magnus took his chance to try and behave like a civil gentlemen. Hopping from his seat, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, he offered Will a hand to shake. Will took it and smiled.
"Quite a happening here, hm?" his eyes darted around and he leaned in closely, causing Magnus to curse his pounding heart. "I like it." he whispered devilishly.
Quick to change the subject, Magnus offered to take Will's coat. Will raised his eyebrow and he made a rather snarky remark about Magnus wanting his clothes off already. The warlock mental punched himself as he lead Will to the parlor closet. Possibly not the best distraction he could have thought of.
They reached the closet just in time to run into Woolsey, who was practically dancing down the steps. He was giddy as a child with candy and pulled Magnus into the tightest hug he'd ever been given.
"Wool-sey" He struggled and the werewolf released him but the smile on his face was not dampened.
"OH I JUST LOVE A GOOD PARTY!" He shouted, "NOTHING LIKE A SMALL GROUP OF GOOD FRIENDS AND GOOD LIQUOR!"
Magnus saw Will smirk in the corner of his eye, "YOU CALL THIS A SMALL GROUP?" Will shouted back. "IT SEEMS MORE LIKE A CIRCUS TO ME!"
"THIS IS MILD, REALLY. MANY OF MY USUAL GUESTS COULDN'T MAKE IT."
Magnus, caught in the middle of a pointless scream-off, rubbed his temples. He was starting to get a headache.
"WELL, I'M SORRY THEY MISSED IT!" Will chuckled, "I'VE BEEN HERE ONLY A FEW MINUTES AND ITS BEEN QUITE ENJOYABLE!"
Magnus took this moment to slip off into the kitchen.
"Why are they screaming?" he muttered, "It's not even loud in here."
The kitchen was completely empty save for a man, most likely Woolsey's cook, who had been sprinting about with hors d'oeuvres for hours, clutching a bottle of unlabeled liquor and drooling on the table. Magnus searched the cupboards and finally brewed himself a hot cup of tea with a flick of blue fire. The warmth of the cup alone calmed his nerves. That was until there was a horrid shriek from the parlor and the cup smashed to the ground. Magnus quickly ran to the door and peaked out to see what was the matter and it was clear to see. The front door had been smashed to bits, a piece of wood that had hung precariously dropped to ground narrowly missing a werewolf girl. She let out a scream as her friends pulled her back and gave her away as the owner of the shriek from before. Magnus realized with a bit of shock that a piece of wood had already pierced her arm. He could see a bit of the razor-sharp tip sticking out of the back of her arm, just above her elbow. Through the settling dust and debris, Magnus saw the shimmer of something metal and felt Will duck into the kitchen beside him.
Hot breath danced against his neck as Will stood, close and tense.
"One of Mortmain's clockwork monstrosities..." He whispered harshly. Magnus could feel him go for his stele in his pocket.
"Will." He pleaded, grabbing at the shadowhunter's wrist, "Don't. There are too many people here to start a fight of your caliber."
Will huffed but dropped his hand and returned his attention to the monster making its way through the doorway. It was a rough copy obviously. There was no attempt to make it look human other than the general shape; two arms, two legs and a torso, all clunky and oversized with bit of wiring hanging all over. From its throat leaked the most horrible sound, like the scraping of stones. Girls screamed and men swore, everyone was finally snapping out of shock and scrambling away from the metal monster.
"I-I-I" the monster spoke, a voice skipping and omitted from its throat, booming throughout the room. "I carry a message from The Magister." The voice belonged to Mortmain, but it was scratchy like a poor record "All downworlders who wish to tear the Nephilim down from their high pedestal are welcome in my presence. Those of you who have been victimized by their oppression and wish to join my forces may follow this machine with the promise of serving the greater good." The beast turned, smashing whatever was left of the steps and stalked off into the night. To Magnus' relief none of the party goers followed, most likely only because of shock and the fact that there was a shadowhunter among them. He knew there were quite a few in the group who had been hearing of Mortmain's plans and many that actually supported him, if only in a small way. Magnus himself wasn't really up for engaging in a war that would cost thousands of lives.
Quick as a flash, Will gathered up his coat and was studying the remnants of the wall the machine had ripped through. Magnus kicked around what used to be the door-handle.
"MAGNUS!" Woolsey called from the other room. "WE NEED YOUR HELP!"
Magnus, startled by the shouting, ran to the voice. "What-" He saw the girl with the wood pierced through her arm, writhing in pain. "Oh." He dropped to his knees by her side and began to work a web of fiery blue thread around her arm.
"Woolsey, I need you to pull the wood from her arm quickly."
"ALRIGHT!" Woolsey did as instructed and the girl shrieked. Gently, Magnus lowered the net he had woven onto her arm and she grew quiet.
"This will numb the pain until you heal, which shouldn't be long now."
The girl smiled up at him, wearily, and he patted her head.
"THANK YOU MAG-" Magnus silence his friend with a swift smack across the back of the head.
"nus..." He whispered. "Oh thank you. I haven't been able to hear right for the past hour or so."
Magnus rubbed his temples again and headed for the parlor, only to find it empty. His heart dropped.
"Will?" He called, nervously. "William?" Haphazardly sliding down the rubble that was the front porch Magnus walked into the street, calling again and again.
"Will!"
Will tossed his coat onto the curb as he ran. It was slowing him down and would've gotten ruined in the inevitable fight that ensued. Swiftly, he ducked behind a staircase as Mortmain's clockwork henchman spun around, looking for any potential followers accepting the invitation. Slowly, the machine continued on its path. It wasn't hard for Will to keep up with his shadowhunter training, but it did become boring after a while. It just kept circling the same area over and over, back and forth over the same bridges and up and down the same streets. It was as though the monster was looking for something or someone. After what felt like hours, but must have only been thirty minutes, Will grew tired of the chase and began to trudge back towards Woolsey Scott's home in search of his discarded coat and the hat he had left behind. Rounding a corner, he nearly ran into none other than Magnus Bane.
Why does this man show up everywhere?, he thought.
Upon further inspection, he found that Magnus was carrying his coat, a bit damp and muddy, and a rather strange expression about his face that made him seem very vulnerable. Surprise, worry, a pinch of anger, but mostly relief. Will himself was shocked to think that the warlock may have been relieved for him and fleetingly wondered if they were getting too close. Suddenly the vulnerability was swallowed up by the usual cool and calm Magnus that Will had come to know.
"You dropped your coat." He said matter-of-factly
"I noticed." Will took the coat and shrugged it on, not realizing what a cold night, well... morning, that it was until he felt the warmth. "Thanks."
Magnus nodded and turned back, trudging through the muddy streets towards the townhouse with the smashed in door. Will trotted to catch up with him.
"You came all this way to bring me my coat?"
"No, I followed you in circles for thirty minutes to make sure you weren't killed. The coat is an added bonus."
"You followed me?"
Magnus nodded again, cheeked flushed and shivering.
Will stared, quizzically. "Cold?"
Magnus shining yellow cat-eyes met Will's in a way that said "Of course, you idiot". Although he had too much tact to say such. Will noticed Magnus himself was lacking a coat and wondered if he had been so concerned for him that he ran out without one? Will shook his head to rid himself of such a ridiculous idea. Magnus was a warlock. Why would he be so concerned over a nephilim?
Magnus watched as Will Herondale walked gracefully as always towards the Institute.
"Just stopped by to grab his precious hat." Woolsey sighed groggily, "Not even so much as an offer to help with the clean up." he shrugged, as if holes were blown in his walls at least twice a week. "Eh, I suppose thats always how they end, parties."
Magnus stuck around to offer his assistance to the rebuilding and to keep an eye on the injured.
"Are you sure you want to head home at this hour? The troublemakers are still about and you looked exhausted."
"I'll be alright Mr. Scott."
"You're sure? I have a spare bedroom if you need it."
Magnus mustered up a weary smile, "Thank you, but I can handle myself."
Just as dawn arose, Will, hat in hand, snuck soundlessly into his room and rid himself of his dirty coat and changed into more casual wear before sneaking across the hall to Jem's room.
Jem was still asleep, and sleeping peacefully at that, which was a good sight to see. Dreary from the night's events,Will crept under the covers and fell asleep to the sound of his friend's breathing.
"Will. William wake up!" Jem whispered
Will rolled to his side and pulled the blankets above his head, groaning miserably.
"Will, you must wake up. Theres been an attack. One of Mortmain's machines."
Will shot up like a bolt. Could it have been the monster he had been following?
"Who was it?"
"Magnus Bane."