Magnus stretched out on his couch after Alec had left, and lit up his pipe. It was an old habit of his, something he had picked up when pipes were still the fashion. He puffed out the smoke in curlicued letters that lilted slightly to one side. Chairman Meow swatted at them with a paw, and stared accusingly at Magnus when the smoke tilted away from the cat.
"Be quiet, I'm out of practice," the warlock said, and blew out a ring that encircled his pet, who turned and sauntered away from the smoke, tail held high with dignity.
A, Magnus blew out. L. E. He stopped, realizing what he was doing. He set the pipe aside and gazed at it with a puzzled expression. When had his feelings for Alec reached this ferocity? It had been a long time since he'd felt such infatuation. In fact, he wasn't sure he ever had felt this way before, which worried him. New feelings after living for hundreds of years... How odd.
There was Camille, of course. There was always Camille. He couldn't shake her anymore than he could cut off his past completely. But their affair was derived from the necessity of eternity, not from real love, not from the kind of love Alec could give him. There was a certain desperation to mortality; it made people more alive, more passionate, truer. Loving Alec - and Magnus had to accept that that was what he was doing - was all the best parts of the fevered passion of a teenage romance, and all the sweetness of infinite affection.
"Dear god," Magnus said out loud, although even Chairman Meow wasn't there to hear him. "I'm getting sentimental." But then he thought of Alec's quick kiss goodbye - that hasty, apologetic gesture - and the sentimentality seemed warranted.
The warm feelings in his chest evaporated, though, as he looked at the stack of paperwork on his table, and he let out an exaggerated sigh. To say that the Faerie he was helping out of the Unseelie court was a friend would be misleading. He owed the sprite a favor, that was all, but he had hardly wanted to explain that to Alec, not when the Shadowhunter was being so affectionate. Besides which, Alec had enough on his mind. He was worried about Jace and Clary - although perhaps the word wasn't 'worried'.
'Jealous' might be more accurate, Magnus thought, not without some venom. Alec would drop everything for Jace, even Magnus if necessary. It did put a damper in their relationship, one of them being in love with someone else.
PUFF. Magnus, startled, sat up straight as the cloud of smoke appeared in front of him with a loud popping sound. He blinked, and waved the haze away, evaporating it, to find the letter that he'd been waiting for had appeared upon the table.
"Theatrics," Magnus muttered, aware of the hypocrisy in his annoyance. Had he been the one sending a message, there would have been lightening in the smoke cloud, along with colors, shapes, maybe even a musical number or two. But really, Magnus thought as he rose to unfold the note, the sender could have just dropped it into his hand. Then he wouldn't have had to get up.
Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn,
The Queen of the Unseelie court will hear your argument regarding the release of Dyion, Seelie sprite. Present yourself to the old oak in the park, at 7:00 on the 22nd, and she will allow you entrance...
Magnus stopped reading. He was perfectly capable of getting to the Unseelie court without instructions and all this Fae blathering. He ran a hand through his hair, mussing the spikes. On the downside, the Unseelie court was one of his least favorite places in New York. On the bright side, if he got it over with quickly, he could be back in time to oversee his usual weekend party that Friday.
"Chairman Meow," he called, not really caring if that cat had left the apartment or not. "I think it's your birthday again this weekend."
The cat, from some corner of the apartment, gave a piteous meow.