Author's note- Thanks so much to Kiyori-chan for the many great reviews! You rock! And also thanks to Patricia Sage for the great review. I hope this is what you were hoping for!
I wrote this chapter while listening to Tokio Hotel, the greatest band ever! I know most people will groan when I say this, but I definitely believe that Bill Kaulitz would make a great Magnus! He's just so gorgeous! … Sorry for the long Note.
OOOH! I always forget the disclaimer, so here we go: I do not own the character's, plot, or book series Mortal Instruments, that would be Cassandra Clare (Lucky duck!)
Ok… now begin!
Soft warm lips pressed against Alec's and he smiled against the warlock's, opening his lips slightly to grant the older man entrance. He moaned low in his throat as Magnus's hand trailed down his chest, his eyes fluttering shut as his hand continued trailing down. "Oh, Magnus," he murmured before closing eyes.
Opening them once again, Alec was suddenly thrown back into reality; a depressing reality where there was no Magnus beside him. "Just a dream," he mumbled darkly, feeling both embarrassed and depressed. "Magnus?" Alec called out, expecting a call from the either the bathroom where he was getting ready, or the kitchen where he would be preparing coffee. There was no response.
Sliding out of the bed, Alec stretched, his hands raised high above his head as a yawn coursed through him. Stifling the following yawn, Alec slowly shuffled out of the bedroom, his feet turning icy cold from the wooden floor. "I need slippers," Alec noted numbly, his mind still groggy from sleep.
"Magnus?" Alec called again, his voice drawling out in a slight whine; he wanted his warlock, and he was tired of him disappearing every morning. "Come on out!" He was again met with no response.
Reaching the kitchen, Alec grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a cup, taking a long swig from the pot itself before putting it back; a little extra boost never hurt anyone! As he leaned on the counter, Alec only finally noticed the slip of paper. Alec wasn't sure whether it had been the soft, crinkling nose when his finger touched it's smooth surface, the sweet smell of rose petals that seemed to envelope it, or the fact that it was a bright pink color, impossible to ignore. Alec couldn't help but find the resemblance to Magnus himself.
'Alec,' the noted read. 'I apologize for leaving early, but I figured if I had my clients taken care of earlier, then the sooner I get you to myself. Please hold out, I should not be long.'
Love you always,
-The warlock
Smiling fondly, Alec dropped the paper back down before rethinking it and folding it into his jeans. These jeans were still unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable to Alec; of course, when Magnus had gotten access of Alec's complete wardrobe, he had… well, gotten rid of it all. Magnus had then proceeded to refill his closet with more stylish choices that he deemed fit to have Alec wear. Alec himself missed his old jeans, these had less room.
Eventually, Alec decided to go to the institute; despite having moved out of the building, Alec still knew when the days off were, and when training would be. He knew that today would be a day off for him, Jace, and Isabelle, so Alec decided to take the time to watch Jace, and try to find out what was going with him.
The air outside was chilly, and he clung to his button-up, dark blue shirt; Alec felt a twinge of regret as he gripped his elbows, unable to keep the icy wind from puncturing the thin fabric. "I miss my sweaters," Alec muttered, though he'd never say it to Magnus's face.
"Hey Alec, where's Warlock?" Isabelle asked as the elevator clanged to a stop and Alec walked out, into the institute. Isabelle had always found it easy to joke about Alec's relationship, even when he was still in complete and total denial. Of course, knowing Izzy, that would have just made the playing all the more fun.
Alec shrugged in response, not really committing to any specific answer. Alec didn't know where Magnus was, or who his client was… Or even what they were doing business on. Realization hit Alec that he still barely seemed to know anything of his boyfriend. Of course, how would one begin? When a story spanned about 8oo years, not many felt up to a three day-long story.
Shaking the thought away, Alec asked his sister, "Where's Jace?" He watched as Isabelle's expression darkened and he raised an eyebrow, worry spreading through him. "What's going on Izzy?" Without answering him, Isabelle grabbed Alec's hand and pulled him through the institute halls. They passed door after door, taking turns left and right until eventually Alec recognized where they were going: Jace's room. "Isabelle please! What's wrong?" Still, Alec was ignored until Isabelle reached Jace's room. The door was slightly open, which worried Alec; Jace liked his privacy.
As Alec walked inside, a breeze stung his cheeks and he looked up to see Jace's window was open. "The idiot must be trying to get himself sick," Alec thought as he walked into the empty bedroom. "Well Izzy? Where's Jace?" Alec was unsure why Isabelle would drag him over her just to see an empty-"What's that?" Alec asked as his train of thought was interrupted by the sight of a piece of paper sitting atop his bed; it was easy to see anything that didn't belong in Jace's room, for it was bare of anything other than the necessities and as clean as a hospital room.
Alec reached toward the note and picked it up, his breathe hitched in anticipation as he quickly scanned the letter. 'Alec, Isabelle, I've decided that I am in need of walk. I will be back soon, do not come looking for me.' Shrugging, Alec asked his sister, "What's the problem?"
"Alec, he left yesterday," she sounded worried, but also grudging, as if she wasn't all too concerned about if he was hurt or not. Alec sighed and patted his sister's cheek, "And how often has Jace gone on walks that last two, maybe even three days?" He shrugged, smiling crookedly to ease his sister's worries. "He's been acting really different lately, so maybe he's just figuring some stuff out. We just have to be happy that he isn't going to be hearing about missions while he's gone, or else he'd be trying to kill himself like he always is." Isabelle's eyes softened slightly and she nodded, though he couldn't help but feel the same stubborn concern for Jace; it was bound to be there, but Alec was sure that Jace was just blowing off steam like he usually did. "Just call me if he comes around again, ok? I still have to talk to him."
After Isabelle nodded again, he decided to take his sister out for dinner. Though Alec desperately wanted to return to flat in hope that Magnus was home, he didn't want to leave Isabelle alone in the institute; their mother was out with five other clave members and they were searching out the rest of the vampires; Alec had begged his mother to take more people when she'd told them she was going out alone and eventually, despite her superiority, she agreed and made the call.
"I think that we should stop worrying about rogue Vampires and fights between the Faeries! We need to focus all of our attention on finding Sebastion!" Isabelle pointed out before stabbing a piece of apple pie.
Alec had gone over this many times with Isabelle, but he did understand her concern. "Isabelle, there is stuff being done, but you're too young to be a part of it," he explained patiently. "I have been to the meetings Izzy, and trust me; they're doing all they can." He leant back, finished with his dessert. "The only reason why I'm still here is because there aren't enough people at the institute. I mean, the only adults are mom and I with dad in Idris." He shrugged nonchalantly. 'Or maybe it's because they don't trust a gay shadowhunter who's with a Warlock' Alec's thought noted spitefully, causing Alec to wince. He looked up to see Isabelle watching him closely and he smiled slightly, though it didn't seem to reach his eyes.
"We should probably go back, I'm sure mom has to be back by now, and maybe Jace.
As it turned out, Maryse had returned, bloodied and bruised, but with a face full of victory. Obviously they had gotten the rest of the vampires.
Alec stayed until their mother had returned after a long shower. Isabelle and her had been planning to have a shopping trip to pass the time, and Alec found that the perfect time to leave. Despite Isabelle's begging and his mother's guilt-tripping that they spent no time, there was no way he would go shopping with two girls.
Alec waved the two away before walking back to the flat, sighing tiredly. He wasn't sure why, but it had felt like a long day already, and he was desperately hoping that things would be more pleasant back at home.
He was sorely disappointed.
"Magnus?" Alec called as he opened the door. No answer, and Alec instantly deflated. "He can't be too much longer," he muttered to himself as he kicked his boots off and walked through the hallway.
Alec was instantly stopped when he reached the living room, however, by the sight of a golden-haired boy standing in the middle of his living room. "Ummm Jace, how'd you get in here?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Jace turned toward him, his face blank as if he didn't quite believe that it was Alec there. His mouth slowly quirked into a smile, though his eyes turned mean and Alec felt the hairs raise on the back of his neck. "Jace?" he asked while stepping slowly toward him. "How did you even get in here?" The door had been locked, so how could he have gotten in?
Jace continued to smile with that mean expression on his face until his expression again flattened to frighteningly blank. "Why are you here?" Jace asked, instead of answering Alec's many questions. Alec wasn't sure how to answer this, and he froze, confused by how Jace was acting; this wasn't his usual 'I'm feeling angry so I'm going to be mean to everyone' or any of his other usual moods. No, this just didn't feel like Alec's parabatai. "I mean, do you actually think that Magnus cares about you?"
Alec frowned at Jace, his confusion only increasing. Yes, Jace had been cruel to Alec before, but never had he been so angry toward Alec that he would mention his relationship with the Warlock; no, Jace had always said how happy he was that Alec had him. Something was obviously wrong with Jace. "Jace, what's wrong?"
A laugh devoid of humour left Jace before returning to that evil grin. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm not a fag," Jace spat at Alec, causing him to wince. Not even the disapproving Shadowhunters had ever voiced their opinions of Alec's sexuality. Though his father had a taken a long time to finally accept his relationship, he had never told Alec to his face that he thought that Alec was wrong for being who he was.
"Jace, what happened to you?" Alec again asked; he was having trouble keeping his expression neutral and the anger from his voice. But no, he wouldn't start shouting at Jace if something terrible had happened; Jace had always been weird at dealing with things. "Is it Clary?" Alec figured that it might just be jealousy of some sort; perhaps they'd fought and he was angry to see Alec's relationship going to well.
Jace quick ran up to Alec, too quick for Alec to even react, and he pushed Alec against the wall. "You're no shadowhunter anymore! You can pretend, but no one wants you there when all they can think of is the fact that you're fucking a guy." Jace snarled as he spoke. Alec didn't even recognize him, and his control broke as he pushed Jace back. "Oh, because they really supported you when you were all for being with Clary despite her being your sister?" Alec immediately regretted saying it, and he apologized, "I'm sorry Jace, I shouldn't have-"
"Oh, trust me. I've heard the things that Isabelle says behind your back, and oh god Maryse!" Jace didn't seem at all affected by Alec's words, where usually his eyes would fill with pain. "She doesn't even consider you her son anymore." Jace's eyes flashed unpleasantly and he barked a laugh of dark humour.
"What are you laughing about?" Alec asked through clenched teeth. He wasn't even sure how to feel; Alec couldn't be angry, for he knew that Jace wasn't acting like himself, but he couldn't keep the fury back for long by Jace's words. That was, until Jace's next words; "You're entire life is worth laughing about, Alec!"
Alec's control slipped there and he leapt toward Jace; Despite the fact that Jace likely could have dodged Alec's attack, Alec hit him, and Jace was sent to the ground but he was… laughing. Jace stood slowly, eyes alight with amusement. Alec pulled back and punched him, hitting his jaw with enormous force and sent Jace back to the ground. Despite the already blooming bruise on the side of his face, Jace was still laughing.
Alec snarled in anger and pulled his arm back for another punch, but his arm was held back from behind him. Disordered, Alec looked back to see Magnus holding his arm back, a look of utter confusion on his own face. "Dear?" Magnus asked, looking unsure. "What's going on?"
Alec turned back toward Jace, but saw nothing. He looked around and saw an open window, cursing slightly. Turning back to Magnus, Alec sighed, crumbling into the Warlock. Now that Alec's fury had begun receding, he felt tears push against his eyes and he blinked them away as Magnus held him. "Jace is acting different," Alec finally answered Magnus, pulling away to look into the Warlock's unique eyes.
A small smile lifted Magnus's lips as he asked, "And I suppose that is a good enough reason to begin beating him up?" Magnus's eyes darkened for a moment and he asked seriously, "What did he say to you."
Shaking his head, Alec's only reply was, "You don't want to hear about it." Of course, it was Jace he was more worried about; it Magnus knew what Jace had said, he would have gone shadowhunter-hunting.
Sighing, Magnus ran a hand through his gelled up spikes, but conceded defeat. "Alright, I suppose I'll just have to assume that you beat him up enough for the both of us." Magnus kissed Alec lightly on the cheek, obviously unsure how Alec was feeling at the moment, and whether he would want any form of intimacy. "Are you hungry?"
Alec shook his head, smiling up at the Warlock and resting his head against the tall man's chest. "No, me and Izzy ate before she and mom went shopping." Alec heard Magnus's joking gasp and he added with a smile, "Sorry, didn't think of inviting you."
"Well I believe I'm mad at you now," Alec heard Magnus say. Though Alec had believed his boyfriend had been joking, Magnus's voice truly sounded angry, and he looked up worriedly. "Wow, you've obviously been through quite the ordeal if you actually thought I was serious," Magnus pointed out when he caught Alec's worried expression. He smiled and kissed the boy's nose before adding, "How about we watch some movies to relax?"
Alec nodded slowly and they walked into the bedroom. While Magnus picked out a movie, Alec dropped into the bed, gave a worn-out sigh. Before he nestled in with Magnus, he sent Isabelle a quick text; "Be careful of Jace, he's seriously messed up right now." Without awaiting a reply, he turned the phone off to keep himself from being interrupted, and climbed into Magnus's arms, snuggling up to him. A soft smile instantly lifted his lips and he looked up at Magnus.
Magnus's face was relaxed, but he also seemed to hold some concern in his eyes as he watched the T.V. and Alec asked, "What's wrong?"
Looking down at Alec, Magnus smiled, though it still didn't reach his eyes. "You," he answered simply. "You seem really torn about whatever Jace said to you," Magnus's expression darkened at the mention of Jace. "And if he hurt you that badly, I swear on you shadowhunter's angel that I will kill him." Alec caught no joking in Magnus's voice and he reached up and pressed his lips to the Warlock's, instantly softening his expression. "Of course… I could always get to that later," he mumbled before kissing Alec back with more intensity.
Alec felt arms wrap around his waist and he wrapped his own around Magnus's neck. Their embrace turned from soft and sweet to passionate as Alec's fingers tangled into Magnus's spiked-up hair. Magnus's lips left Alec's only to kiss down his neck, and he moaned low in his throat.
Despite Alec's pleasure and the eternal love for the Warlock embracing him, Alec couldn't help but hear Jace's words running through his mind. "I've heard the things that Isabelle says behind your back" Magnus's lips returned to Alec`s but he was having trouble kissing back. "You're no shadowhunter anymore! You can pretend, but no one wants you there."