Flying first class had been outside of Magnus's comfort zone. Being picked up in a limo complete with a driver who greeted Magnus as sir had shocking, but none of this compared to arriving at their destination. Alec's house wasn't a house at all; the structure was far too large and elaborate. The word mansion or manor came to mind, as Magnus took in the elegant fountain surrounded by a road that was clearly only meant to drop people off since there was no where to park. The water was of course frozen; it was December, but that didn't stop it from being beautiful. Through the expertly shoved snow Magnus could tell that the road itself was made of bricks rather than pavement, and the whole place felt to Magnus like it was a picture of out one of Tessa's Jane Austen novels. Once you got past the grounds, there was the building itself. The front entrance was centered on the circular road and stood out from the rest. On either side the mansion, continued old beautiful brick walls with sophisticated windows with flower boxes under them that Magnus could only imagine looked like eden during the summer months. Magnus knew gardens like these had to have gardeners, and he very much suspected it was someone's full time job to keep these grounds looking as lovely as they were.
Magnus took a surreal moment to bask in the fact that falling for a guy he'd met at a party somehow had brought him here to this place. Magnus had to suppress a laugh as he thought what his aunt would say when she arrived tomorrow. He could remember oh so well his phone call with her explaining their new holiday plans.
"So what you're saying," Aleida spoke slowy as if unsure she'd understood correctly. "Is that your boyfriend, who I haven't even met yet, wants to fly me half way across the country to spend Christmas with his family."
"Um," Magnus said. "Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because he wants to spend Christmas with me," Magnus said tentatively. "And I want to spend Christmas with you."
"And he can just do that?" Aleida said over the phone. "Just up and invite strangers to his parents house."
"Seems so," Magnus replied.
"What has your heart gotten you into this time, Mags," Aledia sighed, but Magnus could tell she was smiling.
"Either an awkward dinner, or a wonderful vacation," Magnus replied. "We shall have to wait to find out." Aledia's laughter had filled his ear after that. Then she'd asked for flight details, and the matter had been resolved.
Now Magnus could imagine, only too well, the look on his aunt's face when she lays eyes the mansion her crazy nephew has dragged her to, with its tall stoic columns all covered so perfectly in snow that it looked like icing on a cake. The elaborate wreath on the door completely the look, but it still seemed like it had come straight out of a magazine.
"Magnus?" Alec said, waving his hand in front of his boyfriends face. "Earth to Magnus. Come in Magnus."
"You live in a Museum," Magnus stated seriously. He'd indeed been to- and worked in- Museums smaller than Alec's house.
"Museums don't have pools," Alec laughed. "Or tennis courts though that's covered in ice at the moment. It looks better in summer, but come on." And he grabbed Magnus by the hand and lead him up the stone steps toward the door.
As the door opened- Magnus took in the entrance hall. The circular pattern was again repeated with an elegant centerpiece in the middle of the room, defining it. Two grand staircases went up on either side leading to the same landing. They had dark wooden railings, but everything else in the room was bright, mostly white, with shades of gold. It seems so silly to Magnus to have two sets of stairs going to the same place. It was almost as ridiculous as a set of stairs going nowhere. Light entered the room through windows on either side, windows that went up two stories. In fact, the whole room was clearly two stores high. On top of all this, the place was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Magnus had always loved Aleida's holiday decorations for their homey feel. This place was quite the opposite. The decorations here were perfect, too perfect. Symmetrical rows of holly ran along the railing. Again, Magnus felt like it must be someone's full time job to keep the place elegantly festive.
"If you take this long staring when we enter every room, it will be New Years before we reach my parents," Alec sniggered at him. Magnus turned his eyes away from the room and looked at Alec. He didn't know what to say. If he'd felt out of his league before, it was nothing to how he was feeling now. But Alec just smiled, clearly unaware how out of the ordinary his life was. Then he kissed Magnus quickly before choosing the stairs on the left and heading up to the landing, pulling his boyfriend by the hand.
Magnus tried not to stop and look as he followed Alec, but still he saw enough to know that he and Alec were literally from different worlds. The only thing keeping Magnus from hyperventilating as they passed grand rooms and statutes that probably cost more to clean than Magnus had ever made in his life, was his solid grip on his boyfriend's hand. When his back was turned something came charging at Alec from an adjacent hallway. After a moment's panic, Magnus realized it was Izzy. She'd attacked her brother with a hug fierce enough to knock him off his feet.
"Get off Iz," Alec grumbled. "Geez. It's not like you haven't seen me all year."
"Don't you just love Christmas!" Izzy squealed.
"How long have you been here?" Alec asked.
"Oh I left the second my exams ended," Izzy explained. Magnus knew he'd been the reason Alec had been delayed arriving home, due to fourth years like Magnus usually having their exams spread out over two weeks rather than one.
"Where are mom and dad?" Alec asked.
"Where else," Izzy replied. "Office." She paused for only a second before adding. "See you for dinner. I wanna go hit the pool."
"Bye," Alec said, waving to her retreating back.
"If you could harness her energy," Magnus said grinning. "You could power a small city." He was happy to hear Alec laugh at his joke. His boyfriend took his hand again, and together they continued through the house, presumably to the 'office.'
Moving past more marble busts of probably important people, Magnus found himself entering a large room with a desk as its most prominent feature. He assumed this was the office Izzy had referred to. Sitting at a grand solid oak desk was a man with the same colour hair as Alec. When he turned, Magnus saw that his eyes were dark though not blue like Alec's. Despite that he could be none other than Alec's father.
"Welcome home," Robert said smiling, arms outstretched. Alec moved closer and hugged his father before turning to face Magnus.
"This is Magnus," Alec introduced him. Magnus just waved awkwardly.
"Sorry we didn't meet you," Robert continued. "Time rather got away from me. I could have sworn it wasn't even noon yet. Then I hear you down the hall, and somehow the clock has passed two."
"It's fine," Alec replied. "Izzy tackled me in greeting. This is much better." Robert's laugh was deep and honest; Magnus couldn't help but take note of the traits Alec had inherited, the shape of his face reflected in pieces on Alec's expression.
"Where's mom?" Alec asked, turning to look at another desk on the other side of the room.
"Ah yes, you are right," Robert said. "She isn't at her desk. Maybe she's with Max and the tutor." Magnus knew Max was Alec's seven year old brother, but the fact he had a personal tutor for his education was news to Magnus. This whole experiences was making Magnus realized a little about why Alec had offered to buy Magnus's summer vacation last year. Money was just never something Alec had never once had to think about in his life, not even a little.
"We will go check," Alec said, waving goodbye to his dad before turning them both in the direction of the door. Craning his neck around, Magnus saw Robert sit down and get right back to work.
Alec didn't talk as he guided Magnus through the house, past elaborate wallpaper and elegant crown molding. When Alec finally turned into a room, Magnus saw a woman with dark hair leaning over a desk. The child sitting at the desk could only be Max. Magnus knew Alec's mother to be named Maryse, for the same reason he'd know Alec's father's name: Alec had told him. Maryse turned to face them, and once again, he saw the same reflection of features he'd noticed in Robert's face. It was rather remarkable to see. Magnus was so used to family looking nothing like him, the way Aleida, and Clary looked nothing like him. To have a family that all resembled each other was a new to him.
"Hey mom," Alec began. "This is Magnus."
"Ah the famous Magnus," Maryse said taking a step forward to shake his hand. "I've heard alot about you."
"Good things I hope," Magnus mumbled a little. He'd done the meet the parents thing before, but never like this. He'd met Etta's parents in high school, simply because it was high school. It had been similar with Axel, meeting his parents, simply because Axel still lived with them. Meeting Imasu's parents had ended their relationship, since Imasu's family had encouraged him to leave Magnus. Then Camille's situation was similar to his own, in that she hadn't been raised by her parents, so Magnus hadn't met them. Though Magnus had met her close friend Archer.
"Good things for sure," Maryse replied with a smile.
"Now," Magnus corrected.
"Yes, okay I am a horrible whiny boyfriend who shouldn't complain to his family," Alec sighed. "How many times do I have to say sorry for this?" Magnus was surprised to see Maryse laugh.
"Oh one more time will probably due," Maryse said, with a slight laugh. Then she turned to Magnus. "Don't worry, when I first started dating their father, I had nothing but complaints for months." She laughed again, and somehow Magnus felt infinitely better.
"ALEC!" Suddenly another sibling shaped bullet flew at Alec, banging into his legs with a thud.
"What did I say about finishing your work before Alec got home?" Maryse told her youngest son, but Max clearly wasn't intimidated, since all he did was grin at her wickedly.
"I can't wait till I get to be at Universtiy too," Max said looking up at Alec from where he was perched on his brother's foot, arms wrapped around Alec's leg.
"It will be a while," Alec laughed. "A solid decade at least."
"Na uh," Max disagreed. "I'm gonna be all grown up tomorrow! Santa said so."
"Well there are some things even Santa can't do," Maryse told Max. Then she turned to check the time on the wall. "Unfortunately I really must be going. See you at dinner?"
"'Course," Alec said. She leaned down to tickle Max quickly, smiled, and left the room.
"Pool!" Max started chanting. "Pool!"
"Alright Max," Alec laughed. "But you have to get off me."
This seemed to be a reasonable agreement in Max's eyes since he instantly jumped off Alec and starting running down the hall.
"Did you get the only non-energizer bunny gene in the family, Alexander?" Magnus asked.
"Maybe," Alec laughed as they followed Max.
A few minutes later, Magnus found himself in a large indoor pool area. There was also a hot tub in the corner, and possibly a sauna, though Magnus hadn't looked that closely. He did notice Izzy already in the pool. She waved to them as they approached.
"Maybe we should have gotten the bathing suits out of our luggage before we arrived?" Magnus suggested. Max had already disappeared into a room off to the left, that Magnus assumed was a changing room.
"They are already in our room," Alec explained. "This is why I suggested you pack the suits in an outside pocket." Warily, Magnus followed Alec through the same door Max had gone through. And sure enough, there laid out neatly for them, were their swimming clothes.
"I am not sure if this is a good thing," Magnus said. "Or a creepy thing." Alec just shrugged like this was a normal thing. The fact that some invisible staff member of the house had taken his luggage, and brought the one part of it he needed here, just so he didn't have to go back down the hall again felt insane.
"When in Rome." Magnus sighed before going to collected the swimming trunks.
They all changed behind elegant barriers of artistically fogged glass, and then joined Izzy in the pool. Magnus couldn't help but feel like he was in a hotel, rather than a personal home. It was all too clean, not proper, and too well staffed to feel like a home.
"Come Alec!" Max cried, pulling on his brother's arms. "Come see my jump." Alec turned to Magnus who nodded, then let himself be dragged off toward the deep end of the pool where the diving board was. Magnus decided to start small and headed to the hot tub. Slowly sinking into it, he tried to focus on breathing. This was Alec's world, and he needed to understand it, even if it was totally overwhelming and absolutely crazy.
"Wow, I can't believe how home sick I've been," Izzy said appeared suddenly beside the hot tub.
"I can imagine," Magnus replied, knowing full well she probably just missed the pool and in house cook more than anything.
"So," Izzy said. "How did meeting mom and dad go?"
"Fine," Magnus replied. He wasn't totally sure why she was talking to him. Maybe she just really wanted to be in the hot tub, but somehow Magnus doubted it. After all, he'd only been in the hot water mere moments before she'd joined him.
"Alec's never brought a guy home before," Izzy continued. "I bet mom and dad were on their best behaviour. But just wait till next Christmas, then you will actually get to know them. You are still going to be around next Christmas aren't you? All this-" she gestured to show she meant the general grandness of the room, "-hasn't made you want to run for the hills?"
Magnus couldn't quite figure out what she was playing at. Sure, this was kinda how they'd met - her questioning his intentions with Alec - but still it felt strange.
"Do you want me to dump your brother?" Magnus asked. "Is that what this is about?"
"No," Izzy replied, seriously. "I- well I think Alec is stuck. Stuck on you. I am worried what might happen to him if he lost you."
It was strange talking to Izzy of all people about this. Though Magnus had to admit, the one way in which this woman had been consistent since he'd met her, was her crazy protective nature toward her older brother. Magnus had always thought that was more of an older sibling's thing, but being an only child, he didn't really know. And he couldn't imagining growing up in a house like this, would create normal sibling relationships.
"I can't promise I'll never die," Magnus said after a moment. "No one can promise that, but I love your brother more than I think I've ever loved anyone. I would be just as broken losing him, as you seem to believe he would be losing me."
"Good," Izzy said sharply. It was strange to get this kind of treatment from a sister rather than parent, and even stranger to get it from Izzy in a less yelling way. In fact, today in general had been the strangest day of Magnus's life.
What did you think of Alec's house? (I suck at description but I tired with the help of google images) Does Izzy make more sense now? Who is totally in tune with Magnus's wtf moment?
Also yes I have no self control and I am updating way too soon but YOLO.
Sneak Peek Chapter 70
"Good morning sleepy," Clary smiled. And she saw him smile though his eyes were still covered by his hand. Clary felt Jace's other hand wrap around her, squeezing gently in a hug. Then his hands moved away from his face and both arms encircled her before he kissed her gently. Feeling his usual morning situation press up against her leg, Clary moved her hands down to encourage it, but to her surprise Jace froze.
"You okay?" Clary asked.
"I just-" Jace started. Then he blushed. It was quite something to see actually since she rarely knew him to blush for anything.
"Your parents," Jace whispered and Clary couldn't help it. She laughed. Then she rolled on top of her boyfriend and kiss him. She could feel Jace melting a little, his arms around her and though she started gently grinding her hips into his again Jace stopped her. He sat up, kissing her gently before speaking.
"Parents," Jace said firmly. Clary couldn't help but shake her head at him.
