Chapter Summary: the gang goes on a hunt plus four special words are being spoken.
Not all demons are equal
He's alert. All his senses are enhanced in this moment. He moves together with his surroundings like one entity and feels the precise moment when something shifts in the air. His hands move out of instinct and lash out, cutting deep into the core of the demon, it burning to dust as it gets exterminated by the angelic blade.
He closes his eyes and takes a step back, listening, waiting, and then one turn, a side step and he's cutting through another shax demon.
It's the ninth one.
A ninth shax demon that Alec has personally killed throughout the evening and he wonders when they will end, and when the main threat will finally make its appearance.
They got a call in the Insitute about the brutal killings, body count and a severely strong demonic aura roaming the streets of New York city. But as soon as they came to the identified place, they were met with a swarm of shax demons and had to split up, taking as much ground as they could.
But they're yet to find the strong demonic aura.
He hears a bang echo down the hallway and sprints towards the noise.
A thud and slide on the ground, a grunt and then finally a clang of a weapon. Someone's finally found the demon.
He's just about to round the corner when the doors on his side throw open and a shade of orange flies before his eyes, landing on the cold ground with a harsh thud.
"Clary!" he calls, taking a second to check that she's okay, before his eyes settle onto the creature responsible for overtaking the fierce young warrior.
The demon is humanoid but it stands half crouching on both his legs and hands. Its skin is grey, closer to a dirty white, covered in wrinkles and uneven stretches, but the real contrast is the deep pitch black eyes that just stare at him, unblinking.
The weird part is that the demon is covered in clothes, in tatters of what were supposed to be clothes, Alec supposes, but still, unmistakably, clothes. There's blood covering the better half of the chest and Alec cringes at the thought of whose blood is that. Are they even alive yet?
His grip on the seraph blade tightens and he braces himself. He thinks he should distract the demon before backing away to shoot an arrow at it.
Just then, when his foot shifts a fraction, the demon's whole back stretches out like a cat's and some kind of deep guttural sound comes out of the demon's mouth, the whole body vibrating.
He covers his ears in defense.
It feels like shouting, like a high, piercing yell and it unsettles something deep inside Alec's stomach.
He sees Jace moving from his peripheral vision before the sound stops, and he can only soundlessly call out for Jace, before the other shadowhunter strikes at the back of the demon. Except, he doesn't. Because as soon as he lifts his blade, the demon stops emitting the high volume sound, twirls around and grabs for Jace's neck in a matter of seconds.
"Jace!" now Alec hears his own voice as he calls out for his parabatai. He wastes no time in hooking an arrow and launching it between the bones in the wrist, successfully making the demon drop their prey.
Jace gasps on the ground as the demon turns towards Alec, eyes blazing black.
Taking a few steps back Alec hooks another arrow, launches it but at the last second misses and has to duck from the running demon that leaps in the air and barely misses Alec's head.
He rolls out of the way and blocks the next swing of claws with the seraph blade.
The demon is strong. Alec can't remember the last time his body's strength wasn't enough to keep himself standing but here he was; his legs trembling from exertion and slowly kneeling as the demon pushes him with his strength. Pure raw strength. That's what the demon was. He might have appeared humanoid but its strength was anything but that.
He grunts as the demon's stench reaches his nose – the smell of death and blood - and he is faced up close with the demon's face. It feels more like a mask than a face, like something is looking at him from beneath it and it just makes the whole ordeal all the more creepy.
He feels his knees digging into the cold ground, pushing him, pushing him deeper and then suddenly there's Clary Fairchild on his left side, ready to swing her blade; he wants to yell at her to move the hell away, she is no match for the demon, and when the demon turns at her, long sharp teeth baring at her, he's preparing himself for a full day of regrets, but before he or the demon itself can blink, there's a blade thrust right through its heart, Jace holding the handle from the back.
Alec's breath catches in his throat, and he just stares at the demon before his eyes.
He stares. And stares some more. And he's not alone.
Because instead of burning to the crisp like any other demon, this demon just bleeds and bleeds, pitch black blood oozing out of the wound that ultimately was its demise.
Jace takes the blade out of its body as it slumps on the ground with a heavy thud, a pool of blood underneath it.
"What's that?" Clary asks the ringing question in everyone's mind.
"It's... blood," Jace supplies, staring at the body in wonder.
"I thought demons don't bleed," Clary protests and neither he nor Jace have anything much to say to that.
Alec sighs, feeling a headache coming.
"Whatever the case, we have to bring the body to the Insitute," Jace says. "Clary, help me lift the legs," he instructs and is just about to do that when Alec stops them.
"Wait. What's that?" he asks, and squats down beside the body.
"Alec, that's-" Jace starts but is cut short when Alec lifts up the demon's hand to show a silver bracelet around the wrist, it being covered in still mostly fresh red blood.
"Son of a bitch," Jace curses, while Alec unhooks the lock and takes out a bag from his pocket to pack the accessory.
Alec stands up, and says with a sad resignation. "We have to find the body."
"Wait, we don't really know if the owner of that bracelet is dead, do we?" Clary says, her eyes still filled with hope. He doesn't want to feel like he has failed either but he knows the reality of this world. And demons might play with their prey but ultimately they all end up the same way.
"Yeah, we do," Jace says quietly and that's the end of it.
He's tired and exhausted by the time he's finally free to go back home. The whole institute got pushed on their feet, fussing about the new treasure. It's not often any demonic entity gets inside the institute - both dead or alive - and even then, it's either a possession demon or a forsaken. The carcass of a demon currently lying on the institute's lab table was neither. That's what made it so interesting to Izzy that she declared ownership of being the first one to examine it as soon as Alec and Jace appeared in the institute carrying the thing.
So after a long day he just wanted to forget it all and unwind, as Jace would say. Izzy suggested he go take a shower before he left, but Alec was adamant to get back home faster, thinking about Magnus the whole way back.
Though not official, a part of him has recently started to associate Magnus' apartment as home. Which he knows isn't entirely true as he still goes back to sleep at the institute and it would be imposing of him to assume something the warlock hasn't mentioned yet himself, but he feels the nights he would sleep at the institute slowly become rarer and his body instinctively leading him to Magnus' more often than not.
And that's how he finds himself standing in the dimly lit hallway of the warlock's apartment.
He knocks a few times, his body's weight leaning on his side - he's barely holding himself upright, just hoping to faster land under the covers of the silk sheets and snuggle the warm body in the bed.
It happens as he waits for the doors to open, when his focus darts downwards and he stares at the stark black smear on the otherwise perfectly clean rug of Magnus. He stares at the dot for a prolonged moment when another drops a few millimeters from the first one. At first he's slow to understand how it came to be but when the third smear finally joins the group, he realizes he's the one dripping all over Magnus' expensive rug.
He staggers on his feet as he rights himself upwards and looks down towards his body and hands.
He's a mess.
His upper body is covered in the demon's goo, hands sticky and dirty - and that's the kind of image of himself he's about to present to Magnus, not to mention a pool of blood seeping into the rug.
And Alec knows that Magnus loves that thing. He got it personally made by a crafts master, celebrating a friendship of thirty years. And now it's ruined because Alec had foregone taking a shower when Izzy specifically advised him to.
His hand goes through his hair, cringing when he feels the stickiness coming in contact with his dark locks and he's one second away from picking up the carpet and rushing with it to the nearest dry cleaners when the doors open and Magnus steps out in the doorway - a blue dressing gown fitted around his waist with a hint of make up covering his eyes.
Alec freezes mid-run and lets Magnus stare at Alec in mock surprise, assessing his state.
Alec opens his mouth once, twice before his shoulders slump and he sighs. "This was a stupid idea," he admits in a quiet resignation.
Magnus just continues to stare at him intently, then only says, "Are you okay?"
It takes a moment for Alec to realize that the worry in Magnus' voice is directed at him and that as unsightly as he might look like it could also be mistaken for a serious injury.
"I'm fine. It's not...mine," he shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here like this. And your rug..." he trails off, and feels embarrassment seep into his bones.
For a second he wonders if this is finally a deciding factor that makes Magnus realize that he could do much better than an unkempt shadowhunter.
It takes a second. Then the thought is gone. Magnus speaks again.
"Forget the rug, it's an old thing I meant to throw away anyway," Magnus says as he banishes the ruined thing with a spark of magic. Alec knows better, though.
"Come in," Magnus says as he holds the doors open for him.
"But-"
The warlock rolls his eyes at him. "I honestly do not care if you leave patches of blood around my apartment as long as it's not yours." He says the last part with softness, and Alec sighs, regretful to not being able to express his gratitute towards the warlock with soft kisses and touches.
"I'll just take a shower," he says, and walks inside the loft, being careful to not get any part of Magnus dirty.
He feels his body melt as the streams of water finally hit his body. He takes a few seconds to relax under the spray and then proceeds to wash the dirt that clings to his body away. He puts some shower gel, that upon smelling he recognises as a distinct smell of magnus, onto his body and rubs it in, following the path of neck, shoulders, hands, chest and going downwards, past the hair, towards his legs. He's thorough but fast, unlike Magnus who enjoys his time just laying in the tub until his fingers wrinkle, Alec can't find it in himself to soak in the water longer than absolutely necessary. Unless he's in Magnus' company. Then he simply forgets the time and gets himself involved into situations that he normally wouldn't dare to choose on his own.
He shuts the water off, steps out of the shower and has to smile at the neatly folded towels resting on the counter by the sink together with a fresh set of clothes. Which are his, since he has left some spares in cases of need. Like today.
He's quick to dry himself and while skipping blow drying his hair, he's fresh and clothed in a matter of minutes.
He pads down the hallway towards the source of light that he sees coming through the gaps and finds Magnus curled up behind a blanket with a pack of take out in his lap while tv is quietly going in the background.
He smiles and closes the distance, asking for entrance under the covers as soon as he reaches the couch.
"Feelling better?" Magnus asks when they both have satisfied their hunger and Alec is almost asleep at the feel of Magnus' fingers playing with his still slightly damp hair while he rests against the warlock with his back to him.
"Mhm," he hums, unable to form a more coherent thought.
He's happy and relaxed and his workday is over so he lets himself have this selfish moment.
He feels the vibration against his back as the warlock softly chuckles at him. "We should probably move this to the bed," he says, words lulling him deeper. There's a hand that brushes against the fabric of his t-shirt and Alec takes out his own to cover it with as he snuggles deeper into the covers. "I'm good here," he says sleepily and zones out for a second until he feels a soft peck somewhere around his temple.
In a matter of seconds he's asleep.
He wakes up a couple of hours later - warm and content - and the first thought he has is that Magnus is still there, with him. He covers his yawning mouth with the back of his hand. "You haven't..." He yawns again. "..slept yet?" he asks as he moves to sit up.
He shivers as the cold air hits his body.
"I wanted to wait for you to join me," Magnus says. "And also saving myself a twisted neck."
There's a warm smile on Magnus' face that Alec drinks in as his head clears from sleep.
"Sorry. I was just really tired," he says and feels it. He has a mild headache and while the short sleep has certainly helped a little, he's going to need a proper night's rest to fully recover.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Magnus asks, always the diplomat.
But Alec shakes his head. "No. Maybe later."
"Okay."
In the end they decide on moving things to the bedroom and with the help of Magnus' magic, they take care of the mess in the living room. Alec is the first to settle against the covers, while Magnus takes his time to move about taking his make up off - something about the process making Magnus feel more down to earth, that's why he usually skips using his magic for that. Then he takes his rings off, places them securely in a box and after shedding his dressing gown finally joins Alec under the sheets.
His body feels a little bit chilled from the prolonged exposure outside the warmth of the bed, but Alec is eagerly scooting himself towards the warlock, joining their body heat to warm him up.
He's laying front to back, arm wrapped around Magnus' middle and finds himself unable to shut his mind off. His body aches and yawns but his thoughts continue to torture him, stealing the moments of sleeping.
"What're you thinking so loudly about?" Magnus asks, surprising the shadowhunter for being awake.
Alec thinks, then sighs and presses a soft kiss on the back of Magnus's neck, curling his hand tighter around the warlock's middle. "Just how life would be like without demons. Without hunting."
Magnus is silent for a moment, then his voice is quiet, yet careful as he asks. "Is that something that you would want?"
"I don't know," Alec honestly says. "It's all the life I've ever seen."
They're both quiet as they let the idea sink in.
"Have you ever thought about a world without demons?" Alec asks a few moments later and feels Magnus' body freeze then relax.
Magnus sighs. "Honestly? No. It's a bit impossible to do when the very same blood runs through your own veins."
Alec frowns and moves onto his elbows to face the warlock. "You also have human blood," he protests in a tone that makes Magnus look at him with a quiet sadness one gets when trying to explain the real world to someone with naive idealistic thoughts.
"And yet demon blood is an undenialable part of me." Alec stays quiet, thinking, and something in Magnus' eyes shift and he's guarded and careful as he speaks again. "Does it...bother you, that I have demon blood?"
There're times when he imagines Izzy slapping him in the face for the stupid things he does or says and now is one of such times.
"What? No, Magnus. It doesn't matter to me... God."
Magnus is still looking at him unsurely, now sitting by the headboard, and Alec shifts closer to cup the face of the man he loves in his hand. "I don't care if I have to fight demons and monsters alike till the end of my days if it means I get to have you in this life."
Magnus exhales a shuddering breath and Alec feels both of them relax. He takes their hands and joins them, rubbing soothing circles on the back of the warlock's palm. He feels Magnus' eyes on him, watching him silently and after a few moments he glances up, asking, "What is it?"
Magnus still looks like he's in a daze, like he's staring through Alec while also being aware of every detail on the surface. His head shakes a little as a small sigh leaves his mouth. "You make my heart jump from icy cold to scorching hot in a matter of seconds and sometimes it's scary to realize how helplessly in love with you I am." He sighs again, a small smile playing on his lips, while Alec's heart thuds wildly inside his chest, shortening his breath.
He ducks his head and bites his lip and only then Magnus seems to realize the effect he has on him. "And you act like you have no idea."
"I-it's just you're..." ...the high warlock of Brooklyn while I'm just one soldier of many...
There's a frown on Magnus' forehead as he pushes himself up on his knees to cup Alec's face between his palms. "You're a gift in my life, Alexander. And despite the different worlds we live in, I feel like it's something worth fighting for."
Alec has never felt more cherished or loved in his life and there's a sting in his eyes as he cranes his head to close the remaining gap between their lips. Magnus takes charge of the kiss. His fingers find their way on the back of Alec's head and he plays with the short hair on his nape while his lips push and pull against his own, bruising them into redness.
It ends before it can lead to anything further, both feeling the exhaustion in their bones. But it feels enough for a statement. Their foreheads are touching each other, both sharing the breathing air as they come out of it.
"Move in with me," Magnus suddenly blurts out.
It's so sudden that it makes Alec choke on his breath and both of them spring apart.
"I mean you don't have to decide right now-"
"Okay."
"Just take your time-"
"Magnus," he calls out and takes his hand to stop him from speaking. "I'll move in."
He smiles and the slow metamorphosis of Magnus' face going from realization to shocked happiness is worth all the previous hardships he had in the day.
"Are you...sure?"
At Magnus' careful question Alec just smiles at him. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
He barely makes the words come out of his mouth before he has a handful of a very excited warlock claiming his mouth with passion, their lips slipping occassionally from the too wide smiles on their faces.
This doesn't seem like a very popular thing, so I'm unsure if there's worth in me continuing to post it here. If you do enjoy it, lemme know.