"You did what?!" Magnus's voice echoed across the whole apartment.
"Sold my car to invest with your dad," Alec said in a calm voice. "I don't understand what the big deal is."
"Alexander Gideon Lightwood!" Magnus began. "There are so many reasons why that is a big deal."
"It's okay though," Alec said. "Because he showed me all the figures, and it's a sure thing."
"There is no such thing as a sure thing," Magnus explained. "It's a con."
"No he wouldn't do that," Alec disagreed. "He's your dad."
"Only genetically," Magnus snapped.
"Just relax," Alec tried to assure him. "Once the investment matures I'll get the money back and more. It's no big deal."
Magnus covered his face with his hand, hanging his head. Why did his beautiful blue eyed soulmate have to be this dense. "No Alec," Magnus said, calmly but with perfect confidence. "I've tried to tell you, but you never listen. He isn't genuine. He isn't sincere. He doesn't value your time or your efforts. He only wants something from you. I wasn't totally sure what it was until now, though I could have guessed: money."
"No what he wants is time with you," Alec disagreed. "He's your father and you won't even talk to him."
"Almost anyone can conceive a child," Magnus said, firmly. "That doesn't give them father status." He paused for only a second to breathe. "Father's read their children's bedtime stories, father's pick their kids up from school, father's take their kids shopping when they outgrow their clothes, but most of all father's are there. Present from the start. They don't just show up and make nice the moment you marry money."
With that Magnus stormed off. He just couldn't be in this fight anymore. Moving with all the surplus energy his emotions had given him, Magnus stomped off to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
To his great surprise Magnus found himself crying. What the hell was going on? He didn't care this much about never having a father, did he? Surely he was just upset because he hated fighting with his husband.
Magnus tried to think of all the wonderful ways his aunt had made his childhood wholesome. He tried to remember each time she showed him she cared and focus on that. Focus on the actions of a true parent. Like the times she'd got off work early to make sure the house was decorated for the holidays before he got home from school. Everytime she'd held him when he'd cried, especially that last time when he'd gone home for Christmas and realized he should be with Alec. Then there were the times when she'd taken him out for ice cream after he'd had a bad day at school. He smiled as he thought of how she used his baby name, Mags, even sometimes now as a term of endearment. Aleida valued his happiness the way a parent did.
She was enough. He didn't need to be disappointed by a man who was far less than he appeared.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Magnus?" Alec's gentle voice came through the closed door. "Magnus, is it okay if I come in?" After a moment Magnus replied, saying he could enter.
Once Alec stood in front of him, Magnus didn't have the emotional energy to be mad anymore. He just reached forward and hugged his husband.
"Are you okay?" Alec asked. "I didn't realize you had all that stuff bottled up inside."
"Neither did I," Magnus sniffed, pulling Alec a little closer. He definitely needed this hug.
"He'll never be what I'd like him to be," Magnus sighed. "And having him around and yet not enough, I think it's worse than if he wasn't here at all." He paused and added with an emotional exhale. "And if by some miracle he was enough, if he got better or we worked things out, it would feel like betraying Aleida."
"How so?" Alec asked softly.
"She was the one who was there," Magnus explained. "She was the one who raised me. The idea of accepting a different parent feels like telling her that she wasn't enough."
Alec pulled Magnus in for another hug and spoke in his ear. "Your aunt values your happiness far more than that. She wouldn't begrudge you getting to know your dad."
"I know that," Magnus sighed. "That parts all in my head and in the end it doesn't even matter because John isn't what he seems. I just know it."
"You can't just know things," Alec explained gently. "You need reasons."
"Gut instinct is reason enough for me," Magnus replied.
"Are you sure?" Alec asked. "Couldn't this all be you trying to keep him out so you don't betray your aunt's memory?"
With an exhausted sigh, Magnus covered his face with his hands. "I don't know anymore," he said, collapsing back on to the bed.
Slowly he could hear Alec move closer, then feel his husband laying beside him. Magnus wrapped an arm around him. "What I do know with perfect clarity is that I don't want you giving John money," Magnus said calmly.
"Kinda too late now," Alec said, looking sheepish.
"And you know what, maybe don't make big financial commitments without consulting your husband," Magnus added, turning his head to give Alec a look with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay on that count I will totally admit that it's my fault," Alec said, looking properly ashamed. "I just got all caught up in the moment. I wasn't thinking." He paused then added, "Also it didn't seem like that big a deal to me now that everything's back to normal with my parents and credit. It's just money."
Magnus sighed, "Spoken like a man who's always had it."
"Yeah but you knew that already," Alec replied, snuggling in closer to him.
"Indeed I did," Magnus sighed.
He wasn't sure how long they just laid there, holding each other. After a while Alec broke the silence. "Do you wanna go back out to the party?"
"I suppose," Magnus sighed.
"Cause you don't have to," Alec said.
"No, I think I need the distraction," Magnus counted. Alec made to get up, but Magnus held his husband back with a gentle touch. "But I just wanted to say-"
"Yeah?" Alec asked, clueless as usual.
"Thank you," Magnus said with a smile. "For coming after me."
Alec laughed a little. "I'll always come after you," he said cheerfully. "You don't have to thank me for it." He leaned down and kissed Magnus gently before getting up to leave the room.
Even if he was too trusting and hadn't a clue about the value of money, Magnus loved that man with his very soul.
Putting himself together, Magnus followed after his husband and rejoined the party. He hadn't been awkwardly hovering for more than five minutes before he encountered a worried looking Clary looking up at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes I'm fine," Magnus smiled. "My husband has just made a very bad business decision."
"I see," Clary replied, still looking worried. "I didn't catch most of what was said, but it sounded like more than that."
Magnus kissed the top of Buscuit's head and pulled her in for a short hug before saying, "You have enough on your plate without worrying about mine. So take that fretful look off your face and enjoy the party." He pulled out of the hug to look her in the eye. "I promise you, I'm fine."
"Alright then," Clary said, still concerned, but Magnus could tell he'd calmed her down a fair bit.
"Speaking of… how is that full plate of yours doing?" Magnus asked, both interested and wanting to change the topic.
"My brother's all zen," Clary replied. "Even though I set them up, it still surprises me how well matched he and Paige are."
"That's all well and good but I asked how you are," Magnus countered with a raised eyebrow.
Clary just shrugged. "Got a job," she said. "And classes are going well so far though it's a bit early to tell for sure."
Magnus sighed and sat down as they were near the edge of the room now, with the sofa just a few feet away. "That's all well and fine as well, but I asked how you are, not what you're doing," Magnus said, gesturing for her to sit beside him.
"Now wait a minute," Clary chuckled, sitting down as instructed. "I came over here to check on you, so how did we get here?"
"Clever scheming," Magnus grinned.
"No more beating around the bush," Clary ordered.
"I'll tell if you will," Magnus offered and Clary agreed so he continued. "Alec sold his car to invest with my father without telling me, which is annoying on it's own, but the worst part is John in general. Just kinda all hit me at once. I really am fine. Though I think I will be paying dear old dad a visit to give him a piece of my mind for taking advantage of my silly husband."
"Be careful," Clary replied. "Confronting stuff like that can really backfire."
"Oh no you aren't dragging me into more on this topic," Magnus grinned, wrapping an arm around Clary's shoulders like she was his kid sister in more than practice. "It's your turn."
Clary sighed. "I'm not sure how I am," she said eventually. "I guess I just am." Magnus sensed she had more to say, but wasn't quite ready to say it so he didn't speak, giving her time to do so. "It's funny isn't it? We've come full circle you and I."
"I was just thinking the same thing myself recently," Magnus observed. "With you moving back in."
"No I don't mean that," Clary replied. "I mean emotionally." She paused before explaining. "When I first came to this University you were broken hearted and believed you'd never find love again while I thought I already had it. And now here we are with me believing nothing lasts forever and you knowing it does even if Alec messes up."
Magnus was quite taken aback by her words; though he recognized the truth of them right away.
"I've never thought about it like that before," he replied.
Clary shrugged. "The thing about spending a lot of nights alone is that you think too much," she stated.
"Well if I recall your advice then," Magnus began. "You told me I was too young to give up on love, so that is now my advice to you."
"Thanks," Clary smiled, but in that polite way people did when you were sure they weren't going to listen.
"Don't say it that way," Magnus replied. "I mean it. The future is fluid. Anything can happen."
Clary shook her head. "You were hurt over and over again by the wrong person before you found the right one, while I had the right person and took him for granted. See the difference? No one else will ever compare so I can't move on, but I can't take back my mistakes either. So I just am."
"You can't float in that no-where-land forever, Biscuit," Magnus replied.
"Don't really have a choice," Clary shrugged. "I have school, and wonderful friends. One day I'll have a career and that will have to be enough."
"Oh god, no wonder you were so frustrated with me back then," Magnus said, closing his eyes tight in exasperation. "Just listening to that is infuriating."
"Tough," Clary said, sticking her tongue out at him. She laughed lightly before standing up and continued, "I'm gonna see if there's any food left." Her smile turned from fake to genuine as she added, "I'm glad you're okay."
Looking out over the room from his spot in the corner, Magnus saw that the party was breaking up. Quite a few guests had gone home. In fact, right now Alec was playing host and bidding Jordan and Maia goodbye at the door. Magnus saw Jace heading for the door next, noticing that he gave Clary a little wave on his way out. Magnus didn't care what Clary thought the future held, he was still holding out hope for her and Jace to patch things up.
Pretty soon the only people left were the ones sleeping there. For once this included Paige who had let her boyfriend go back to his place without her. Clary and Paige sharing the double bed in their guest room wasn't ideal, but for now it was what they had. Neither Clary nor Paige could afford to live on their own and Magnus would never have made them. He liked being able to take care of his friends.
As Magnus curled up in bed that night, Alec snuggled in next to him. Magnus was so used to having Alec there all the time, he had to really think to remember how it felt to sleep alone. Magnus knew Clary hated sleeping alone and was thankful that at least for tonight she had Paige for company. Even if a roommate wasn't anything like a soulmate, at least she had someone there with her.
You may not have noticed that I re-uploaded the seven chapters before this. I found a new editor to save me from my typos so you guys won't get typo ridden stuff anymore.
My usual editor is working like 96 hour weeks right now. So if you follow her stories just know that she would love to write for you but sleep comes first.
This chapter edited by Connie Brown.
This means I've now had three different editors for this story, though I suppose this is to be expected with such a LONG story.
Sneak Peek Chapter 174: (added over a week after publication)
"Inuyasha," Jordan answered.
"It is any good?" Maia asked casually, thinking it an innocent enough question until she saw his face.
"Any good," Jordan replied in mock horror. "It's only awesome!"
"Oh it that all," Maia laughed. "Good as in FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood good?"
"Definitely!" Jordan exclaimed. "But for different reasons."
"You better play it then," Maia chuckled as she curled up next to him to watch the show.
"Just to give you some background," Jordan said as he reached for the remote. "Inuyasha is a half demon who travels with four friends: a monk, a demon slayer, a young fox demon and the reincarnation of his ex-girlfriend from the future who has priestess powers."
"Ok-ay," Maia said slowly, trying not to laugh at his description.
"It's better than it sounds honest," Jordan replied. "Anyway they are all trying to hunt down and kill another half demon named Naruku, each character has different reasons but basically he was insanely cruel to them all in different ways while trying to poison their hearts. Oh and corrupt the Shikon Jewel which is-"
"Why don't you just let me watch it honey," Maia giggled, turning to kiss him into silence.
Also side note: wow how in the world could I ever have imagined this story would have a name other than Roommates and Soulmates. I just keep referencing it over and over like a dork. ^_^