Pandemonium: Chapter 16
Y'all know the situation; nothing is actually mine except for a few characters; credits to CC and the rest, etc.
Alec woke up feeling warm and ensconced in Magnus' arms. For once he didn't have any nightmares that night.
Of course, what nightmares don't come in the night become real in the day.
For the most part, Alec's life was an exception to the rule, both his days and nights were ruled by nightmares. Today was more of the same.
It took Alec a moment to realize that there was a soft knock at his door. "Your Highness, it is 10AM; you must get up for the day."
It was Carstairs.
"Fuck." Alec muttered quietly to himself.
Magnus, who was mostly sleeping, replied "Maybe later, darling. I want to sleep some more."
Alec didn't have much time. Carstairs would come in soon enough, and even though he was blind, he would be able to hear, and most certainly smell, Magnus. How was Alec going to explain any of this? Carstairs would most certainly tell his father, and Robert Lightwood was many things, but accepting was not one of them. Not to mention, the difficulty he would have explaining to Carstairs the trail of clothing lying on the floor if he should happen to step on something.
Alec gently lifted Magnus' arms from his body, and got up quickly to the door where he greeted Carstairs with a hoarse voice.
"Good Morning, Carstairs. I'm sorry I woke up late. I had-uh-a long night."
Carstairs only chuckled lightly. Then he said, "Well it's good that you're up now. You have a busy day ahead of you, so you'd best get ready."
He then turned to walk away, and right before leaving he said with a kind smile, "Oh, and you might want to tell Mr. Bane to get up too; his day is just as busy as yours."
Alec's jaw dropped; Carstairs knew. How did he know? Who else knew?
He quickly ran into his room, and shook Magnus awake. Magnus, yawned in a very cat-like manner and said, still somewhat sleepily, "I could get used to waking up to your blue-eyes, even if that does involve rudely shaking me awake."
Alec didn't have time for flattery and sexual innuendo. He rather brashly said, "Carstairs knows. We're done for."
Magnus laughed. "What?" Alec asked, rather annoyed.
"Of course he knows. That's his job, you know, knowing things. He's known you for a very long time, that means he must have figured it out, and when I probably didn't show up back home or to my office this morning after a dinner party at your place that I was invited to, he connected the dots. If your secret is safe with anyone at all, it's with him."
Alec looked a little abashed for having drawn such rash conclusions, but then he began to scowl.
"You know Alexander, when you scowl like that and furrow your brow, it is actually extremely alluring.
Alec giggled at that, and playfully pushed Magnus back down on the bed. Magnus responded by taking him down with him and planting his lips down on Alec's. They began lightly kissing each other and playfully nibbling on each other's lips. At one point, Magnus gave Alec's ass a good squeeze, making him moan with pleasure and begin to kiss a little more furiously. They both were careful to note the other's throbbing erection rubbing against his own through the thin cloth, making them both flustered and very aroused.
Suddenly, Magnus pulled back a little. He gently tried to hide the erection with his hands as he said, "We really should get ready...I suggest I head back to my place, and you-uh-take a very cold shower."
Alec blushed a little, but agreed that it was for the best. Then he did said something he wasn't planning on saying, "Magnus, have dinner with me tonight."
And so they agreed that it was best to have dinner that evening for they both had important questions to ask the other.
It was lunchtime and I was hungry. I decided that it was best to pause a bit, before the following evening to once again try to get to know the Professor. This time I did my best to avoid talking about his employer, and move to other matters, like how he learned to speak, read, and write our language so well.
"I have always had an affinity for languages, and yours in particular for it is said that the best stories have been told in this language."
Duly impressed I asked him the question that had been nagging me since I first met him, "Why are you called the Professor?"
He looked at me a little dumbfoundedly; evidently it was supposed to be common knowledge.
"I am called the Professor because that is who I am; that is what I am. The place that I'm from has a renowned university, I'm sure you've heard of it; we've taught many great students, best known of all would be Kvothe. I am a member of the faculty who specializes in the literature of the world. I was tasked with collecting stories by my patron, so here I am."
There was a hint as if he wanted to say something more, but I couldn't seem to get it out of him. There was an ulterior motive here; there was an external purpose driving him to get these stories. Somehow I couldn't put my finger on it, but it had something to do with the way his eyes always shifted around, looking to see if someone could see him or could overhear what he was saying.
He seemed to nervous to continue such a subject, so I moved to something that was more intrusive: his personal life. When I asked him if he had any family, a significant other, etc. He simply laughed. His response was both oddly depressing, yet quite interesting.
"I will be dying alone-though that's how we all die, even if we don't want to believe it-I plan on retiring after I complete my journey to find these stories, a journey that will probably take the next three decade. I'll find myself a small cottage in the woods and get myself some dogs and cats. When the time comes for me to die, I will go to House of Black and White and drink from the pond. What about you, Storyteller?"
I was shocked by the personal question. I hadn't thought he would ask anything like that, but I couldn't refuse to answer. I told him as much of the truth as I could: I was an only child of two parents who had died shortly after my birth. I was taken in by a kindly old wise woman by the name of Annabeth Chase. Upon my 18th birthday I was taken to my parents house, where I discovered this story amongst the others. I made it my task to find out the veracity of this tale, and so sought him out when I knew that it was true. I haven't had time to make a family, this story, these characters, they are my family now.
I neglected to mention that I too would be dying alone, but not in the way described by him; my death would be much less comforting and much sooner.
He must have realized that I was withholding some information from him, like my lineage and disease, but he didn't seem to pursue the topic much further, probably because the food had arrived. We ate silently, and upon finishing the meal, we moved on to the story.
By the time Alec's tedious day was over, he was covered in grime and extremely tired, yet he couldn't have been more excited for the impending dinner with Magnus.
When he arrived to his rooms, he was surprised to find Carstairs pacing back in forth in the antechamber, which hadn't been set up for his dinner yet. Somewhat confused Alec asked, "What's going on?"
Carstairs looked at him with the silver eyes, showing both sadness and compassion. Then he said, "I cancelled your dinner with Mr. Bane."
"WHAT!? WHY!?"
"My sincerest apologies, Your Highness, but it had to be done. Things between the two of you were becoming a bit too, how to put this delicately, obvious. There were rumors among the guards, and the servants sometimes spoke of things, things that would damage your reputation and would bring your rule to a premature end."
Alec was furious. What gave Carstairs the right to interfere with his relationship? His personal matters weren't of concern for him, but at the same time they were. Deep within, Alec knew that Carstairs was only looking out for him, that he was doing his best to protect him and Magnus, to make sure that while they're relationship stayed secret, it didn't lead to their untimely demises.
Somehow, without seeing or hearing anything, Carstairs understood this all. He said, "Now I know you may be a bit angry with me, Your Highness, so I have devised a possible solution to this predicament. I warn you though, it involves deceit, and that could lead to larger problems."
"I don't care," Alec said quickly.
"You will get a household in the countryside, but it will not be under your name. It will belong to a 'friend' of yours, who in fact does not exist. This friend has some sort of a deathly illness, and so whenever necessary you will go visit him to take care of him, an excellent example of you being a model prince. In reality though, you will be going to that household to meet with Mr. Bane. You will be accompanied by a single guard."
"This story is going to need some incredible details to make it plausible."
"I have thought of certain ideas for this plan, but first you must find out if Mr. Bane approves, something you can do during your meeting later this evening in a more clandestine location."
Alec jumped at the realization that he would in fact be having dinner with Magnus, and quickly ran to get ready. He had a lot to talk about, including those important questions. He made sure to firmly thank Carstairs for all his work.
By the time Alec got to the spot Carstairs had designated for his dinner with Magnus, a dark seedy hole somewhere deep underneath the palace, he was bubbling with excitement to see Magnus and talk about what Carstairs had proposed earlier. At the same time though, Alec was very confused; he had never felt this bubbling excitement when it came to meeting anyone. It was a very confusing thought for him, all this excitement and joy coming from one source; it just didn't seem logical to him.
Nonetheless, he couldn't argue with his feelings, so instead he ran towards his destination and found that Magnus was already seated in the dimly lit room with a small table that had a single candle on it. Despite being rather dark and murky (somewhat reminiscent of his earlier nightmare), Alec found the setting extremely romantic. Taking his seat across from Magnus, he let his hand onto the table, where it was gently picked up and placed into Magnus' own. The small romantic gesture, and the light touch set fire to Alec's soul. Seeing as the slightest of caresses could have him so enflamed, Alec worried that further contact with Magnus could only lead down to the path of debauchery.
As he sat down, Magnus smiled and asked him, "How was your day darling?"
"Terrible. I couldn't concentrate on anything because I kept on thinking about you."
Magnus purred softly at the sound of that, and gently caressed Alec's hand, enflaming him more. "I couldn't stop thinking about you either," he replied.
Alec looked into Magnus' eyes and noticed the golden flecks were glowing even more in the faint candlelight. Even in the darkness, Magnus looked glorious.
"Stop that!" Alec told himself, "You have things to talk about."
And so Alec set about trying to get into the conversation that he needed to have. He began first by asking Magnus about his family, something he had never done before; as it turned out, that was a terrible idea (he made a mental note never to do that again). Magnus not only avoided the question but also scowled in a way that could compete with Jace when Alec tried to bring the subject up again. In return, Magnus asked him a plethora of questions about his own family, which, while he wasn't entirely willing to answer, gave him a chance to relax more. He realized whilst answering the questions, that he never felt more natural than when speaking to Magnus. With everyone else, even Izzy at times, the conversation seemed forced, but with Magnus it was natural-completely and utterly natural.
Eventually though, the conversation came to the topic he feared the most. It wasn't a natural progression there either, it could be seen in both of their eyes that it was something they were trying to avoid for the entire night. The inevitable conversation that they should have had two nights ago. The conversation about the future, their future.
Alec began, "Magnus, we need to talk about-"
"Your soon to be fiancee? Yes, I know. Though I'd rather not. There are plenty of other things I'd rather have your lips doing than talking, especially about that."
Alec blushed slightly, though the light already gave his cheeks a rosy hue. He looked down at his plate and whispered, "I don't know what to do Magnus. I-I'm-I think I have to marry her-or someone-some woman. But I just don't think I can because... well because of you. You make me smile in a way that I've never smiled before. You make me laugh like someone whose never heard a joke before. With you I feel like I'm home; I feel natural; I feel safe in your arms. I don't know what I'm trying to say, just that I don't know what to do, and I know I can't marry her or anyone because... because I love you Magnus Bane."
Alec sniffled as the tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. Magnus remained silent. Alec slowly lifted his head to look at Magnus whose eyes seemed the slightest bit watery.
"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you confuse me; you torture me with the way you act and speak and breathe; you are an enigma, an ethereal being that has encapsulated my imagination; you drive me insane and you calm me down; you make me feel at home in your arms, and I may not truly understand you, but I do know one thing: I love you too."
Then they kissed. Not the impassioned kisses they had shared before, not the lustful desirous kisses that hinted of something more coming. No, they kissed like two lovers whose only comfort is the other's arms.
When they broke off the kiss, Magnus said, "We'll find a way around the marriage situation, don't you worry. Now tell me about Carstairs' idea to make this sneaking around less conspicuous."
"It's a bit odd, and it involves a lot of lying. Basically I make up a friend who has some sort of sickness; he lives in the countryside and I go visit him often. Except when I'm visiting him, really I'm going to be with you."
Magnus only smiled and said, "Do you have any names and sicknesses lined up?"
Alec put on a small soft grin and said, "I'll be visiting my good friend Algernon Moncrieff, who just so happens to have a terrible case of pentapox!"
"Pentapox? I'm pretty sure I've heard of that before."
"It's not actually a thing...I think. But I think I'm not ready to visit him just yet."
Magnus looked at Alec and smiled warmly while taking his hand, "You don't have to visit him until you're ready. He can wait as long as you need to."
With that, they kissed lightly again, knowing that they were kissing not in passion, but in love.
They wished each other a good night, and left for the night, wondering "for in that sleep of [love], what dreams may come."
AN: A couple of things I just wanted to go over.
1. Sorry that was long (and sorry that things are getting longer) I'm just trying to cover a lot of stuff in a limited amount of time.
2. If things are becoming too rushed, especially with Malec, please let me know in reviews so I can work on slowing that down.
3. Here's something interesting you might want to know: The process that Carstairs came up with for Alec to sneak off with Magnus? That has a name-Bunburying. :P In fact, the "Bunbury" in this case is the original inventor of Bunburying in The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon Moncrieff. (Pentapox is a reference to something else entirely) Furthermore, certain scholarly articles have argued that Bunburying is a euphemism for gay sex, which in this case it is, so yeah that's a thing.
Hope you enjoyed that excessively long chapter. Keep on Reviewing!