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Alec Lightwood’s hair wasn’t exactly gray yet, but he was noticeably older than when he had first met and fallen in love with Magnus Bane. His husband didn’t look any older, of course, because Magnus was going to look like a man in his thirties for literally the rest of his life, whether either of them liked it or not. But Alec had no real complaints about that, because Magnus was just as sexy now as he’d been then, almost thirteen years ago.
On his birthday this year, Alec had turned thirty-five years old, and he didn’t look so much younger than Magnus anymore. Magnus never failed to tell him that he still thought Alec was gorgeous, even with laugh lines and the hinting of age around his eyes. And Magnus always joked that now people would stop shooting him judgemental glares, as if he’d stolen Alec in the prime of his youth or something, and they resented him for it. But then Magnus always rolled his eyes whenever Alec deadpanned back about how it didn’t matter how old Alec looked because Magnus would still be an old man in comparison.
They’d been together for such a long time now, not enough to make their marriage stale or dull, but long enough that Alec almost never had to deal with the prejudices that had followed them everywhere in the beginning, but he could attribute that to the fact that he was not a downworlder. Still, every now and then, Alec was reminded of those old laws and resentments, and it shook him sometimes how easily he’d forgotten some things that had happened to them back then.
Magnus remembered it all, though, because Magnus had an innate ability to remember things even if he would have preferred to forget them.
Things between downworlders and shadowhunters weren’t the same now. Shadowhunters had been taken down a peg or two in the years since Valentine’s destruction. Alec himself had been a part of getting the Clave rules rewritten so that same gender relationships weren’t discriminated against. He had joined Magnus, already an original member of The Accords, in making sure that shadowhunters’ powers were culled. Shadowhunters no longer had such a far-reaching grasp on downworlder relations. They were no longer the sole security force in the shadow world, and they were no longer so obsessed with control.
Alec felt like there was still some work to be done. Because they still had to fight against some people’s prejudices, but over the years, most shadowhunters had come to realize that their way wasn’t the right way. Though it had almost taken a downworlder uprising five years ago before some of them had seen the light.
His parents, having long ago accepted his relationship with Magnus, had decidedly not been as accepting of his decision to stand with Magnus during the uprising. How could they have been, after years of believing themselves right about everything relating to downworlders? It had created a rift between their families that Maryse and Robert Lightwood almost hadn’t fixed in time.
And to be honest, the fact that they’d fought against it so adamantly had been part of why they weren’t as active in Alec’s life anymore. He could hardly accept his mother telling him that his decision to stand with his husband and daughter was tantamount to a betrayal. Izzy, as always, had sided with Alec, and Jace had as well. None of them spent much time with the elder members of the Lightwood family anymore.
Even now, there were still some times Alec could barely stand the thought of his mother because of her comments and actions then. She had tried to atone since, but her words often felt hollow and cold to Alec. Magnus had been just as affected by it, so he stood in support of Alec and didn’t try to encourage him to accept his mother’s platitudes.
Though Alec had been joined by other shadowhunters in his stand with the downworlders, a visit from Asmodeus, Magnus’s father, at a critical moment during the uprising had forced everyone’s hand. The Greater Demon had done nothing to directly affect one side or the other. But his words had carried a warning for downworlders and shadowhunters alike.
As a fallen angel, Asmodeus had more power than any of them, other than Magnus himself, had ever known. He’d warned them that they had been granted their powers by Angels and Demons, and he’d reminded him that their powers could very easily be stripped away if a solution could not be found without another war. Alec had found it telling that the one to intervene in the war had been a Demon and not an Angel. To him, it was just another proof that having angelic connections meant nothing if you never stood up for anything important.
In the end, the shadowhunters had conceded, as they should have, and the talks to create a new dynamic in the shadow world had begun. Magnus had joined The Accords as the warlock representative, and Luke had been chosen to represent the werewolves. Raphael and Simon were to represent the vampires, both the night children and the daywalkers. Simon was currently the only daywalker in existence, so his place at The Accords was guaranteed as the representative of a species of one.
Alec had joined Clary and Jace as shadowhunter representatives. Jace was chosen due to his bloodline and his direct connection to the Angels. Clary was chosen for hers as well, since Ithuriel still communicated directly with her on a regular basis, and she was still the sole nephilim given the ability to create new runes.
Once The Accords had been completed, the task to enforce the rules on the shadowhunters had fallen mostly on Alec. He and Magnus had become a sort of ambassadorship between the two groups, the shadowhunters and the downworlders. They’d decided early on that they would use their relationship with each other as a force to be reckoned with.
While they had never stood for veiled threats and comments about their relationship to begin with, they’d decided as a unit to actually use their connection with each other to show the shadow world that the two groups could manage to not only get along, but to thrive by embracing their differences.
It had been a long and difficult road, but soon both sides saw that Alec and Magnus Lightwood-Bane would not be divided. And they would not be disrespected. Magnus had continued not only as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but he’d also been given full control and access to the New York Institute. He no longer needed to charge a commission for his work because he had a title with the Clave and a permanent political position.
That’s not to say that Magnus was never disrespected, because some shadowhunters were just too set in their oppressive and discriminatory ways. But when it did happen, Magnus had full authority to discipline shadowhunters, up to and including stripping them of their runes if their offense was significant enough.
Magnus was their equal, and as far as Alec was concerned, their better , and the shadowhunters were exceedingly lucky that Magnus rarely chose to discipline their ranks in that way.
He mostly preferred to scare the shit out of them... or to allow Madzie to do it, and their daughter definitely got too much pleasure out of scaring the trainees. She probably got just as much of that little personality trait from Alec as she did from Magnus, he had to admit.
She was eighteen years old now, and sometimes Alec couldn’t look at her without feeling a pang in his chest at the reminder of how much she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She’d always been a powerful warlock, but she was also his daughter. Their daughter, though they had never had any sort of legal connection to her. She’d moved in with Magnus after Valentine’s defeat, and then before Alec had even realized what was happening, he was a dad . And he wouldn’t have had it happen in any other way.
Though it had been meeting Magnus that had initially changed his views on downworlders, it had been Madzie he’d had most in mind during The Accords. Magnus had petitioned for better ways to protect at risk downworlders, those who didn’t have families. Those who were trying to make it on their own. It had been through his, and Alec's, diligence in fighting for downworlder rights that had resulted in Alec having the job he has now. As a sort of diplomat between the different species.
Alec had full access to disciplinary sanctions for downworlders, but he was one of the rare shadowhunters to have that level of security clearance. It had been granted by the Clave, as part of The Accords. He never used it though, because he’d lived the past decade of his life trying to unlearn everything that being raised with conceit and faux superiority had molded him to be. He’d allowed himself to fall victim to his anger too often in the past, so he never wanted to put himself in the position of having that much power over someone else.
Magnus often argued that Alec not wanting to use that kind of power made him the perfect person to wield it. But Alec had chosen not to see it that way, and it would probably be an argument they still had twenty years from now.
Magnus and Madzie were still out when Alec got home because they had planned this day out a few weeks ago. He wasn’t sure what country they were off to this time, but he was sure that it was somehow Madzie’s idea, since she definitely had both of her fathers wrapped around her finger. He hung his jacket on the rack in their foyer once he’d gratefully shut the door behind him, feeling the exhaustion from his very long day.
The Lightwood-Bane family had moved in the years since the wedding, to a small house Magnus had owned for at least a century before ever meeting Alec. It was quieter than the loft, which was where Jace and Clary had moved to after their own marriage. It had been a gift from Magnus to his Biscuit. He’d joked at the time that since Clary waltzed in as if she owned the place, then she may as well actually own the place.
Alec took off his gear, which didn’t take as long anymore since the shadow world had managed to find a measure of peace in the last few years.
He was planning to relax and read until the remaining members of his family got home from their adventure. He didn’t like to go to bed without Magnus, so he hoped they got home relatively early, or he’d end up accidentally falling asleep on the couch again.
What he wasn’t planning on was walking into his living room to find Asmodeus standing there, accompanied by a being who could only be an Angel.
Alec snapped to a halt and threw up one hand in confusion. “What is going on?”
“Hello, Alec,” Asmodeus replied, with no other explanation for his appearance in their home.
Alec wasn’t afraid of him. Mainly because Alec was afraid of only a few things, and those things revolved around the safety and happiness of Magnus, Madzie, and Alec’s brother and sister. With none of them here, and therefore not in any danger, he could manage this with a clear head.
Whatever this was.
Asmodeus was glamoured, as always. Magnus had told him a long time ago that his father never went without it while interacting with non-Demons. His glamour looked nothing like Magnus at all. But he supposed that was intentional, because Magnus had long ago begun distancing himself from his father, because of how his parentage had negatively affected his life and how he was treated.
The Angel stepped closer to Alec, and he watched the woman approach. Her wings were beautiful, as they spread out behind her and caught the light coming in through the window. She was brown-skinned with curly black hair, and she had a look of peace about her, a look that immediately put Alec at ease. She smiled at him as she stepped forward again, and Alec bowed his head in respect. She held out a hand, and he took it without hesitation.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to speak with her, because Angels spoke a language that not even the nephilim could understand. Clary had come the closest to being able to speak with them, but she could only hear their language in her head, thanks to her connection with Ithuriel, with no ability to translate it into something she could understand.
“What is going on?” Alec asked again, more softly this time because he felt that if he spoke any louder, it would be a disrespect to the messenger standing before him.
“She has a boon for you,” Asmodeus answered. “Well, really, we have a boon for you.”
Alec looked between them, but the Angel only continued to smile at him.
“For me?”
“Yes. I am here as a sort of middle-man. Since you cannot speak with her directly.”
“But you can?”
“Yes,” Asmodeus nodded. “As I’m sure you are aware, I am a fallen Angel. Greater Demons are the only non-Angels who can still speak and translate for the Angels, so I’m here as somewhat of a translator for her. It’s part of God’s greater plan, I assume,” he said dryly as he formed finger quotes at the word plan .
“She wants to talk to me?” Alec marveled as he looked back at the Angel.
None of the living nephilim had ever been granted the ability to communicate with an Angel, and Alec could not even imagine what he’d done to deserve this privilege.
“I have spoken with her, and I’ve assured her that you would prefer hearing it from her directly, rather than trusting my words,” Asmodeus said.
Alec nodded, “I mean no disrespect by that.”
Asmodeus nodded back at him, “I understand. At times, suspicion is warranted, though I assure you that this will not be one of those times.”
Asmodeus held out a hand, and Alec took it. Once the connection was made, their voices echoed in his head. He could hear the words as they flowed from her mind to Asmodeus’s, and then on to Alec’s own.
You have become a great pride to us, young Lightwood.
Alec fought back the automatic denial, but since it was only a response in his mind, she heard it anyway.
You have, and you do not credit yourself enough. The Angels are proud of the work you and Magnus Bane have done in the past decade. You see, the nephilim were never meant to become what they became. They were never meant to use God’s blessings upon them as reasoning for the discrimination against and the torment of downworlders. They were meant to do only good with those blessings. They were meant to protect the weak, and to feed and house the downtrodden. Those blessings, those powers, granted them by Raziel, were never meant to make the nephilim believe they had absolute power. God, and Raziel, and the rest of us have welcomed your presence in the world, as well as the presence of your mate, Magnus Bane. You both, along with countless downworlders in the great struggle, have taught the nephilim something that the Angels have been unable to communicate to them for hundreds of years. Asmodeus once helped you with this cause, to send them a message, though I believe he continues to harbor resentment over being asked to do so.
Alec could hear Asmodeus’s agreement with that statement.
You have become a more important soldier for Raziel than you will ever understand, young Lightwood. So we have come to grant you a boon. We need both of you, you and Magnus Bane, in the years to come, to help keep the nephilim in line. To ensure that they never again become what they became.
“But why grant me this now, when Magnus isn’t here? Doesn’t he deserve a boon as well? And what about the downworlders? I merely fought alongside them. It was their actions that led to the real change," Alec added.
My dear child, this boon is as much for Magnus Bane as it is for you. But this cannot be offered in his presence. And as for the downworlders involved? Worry not, for they have been granted blessings as well, based on their own individual needs. Your Magnus has a good friend, I believe. The Alpha werewolf, Luke. His boon was the return of the love of his life. And the boon was, of course, a comfort for Clary Fairchild as well. As I assume it would be for you, also.
Alec suddenly found it hard to breathe. Jocelyn was alive now? But the Angel did not wait for him to absorb this information before she continued.
But yours is a unique situation and must be handled differently.
Because of my son, Admodeus’s voice sounded in Alec’s mind. And he cannot know until you have made your decision, or it will torment him.
“Is this what I think it is?” Alec asked, unwilling to believe that they might be offering him something he’s struggled with since he fell in love with Magnus Bane.
Yes, young Lightwood. It’s an offer for immortality.
Alec’s legs shook underneath him. Magnus’s immortality could not be stripped away, not without doing him harm, not without the possibility of killing him as a result. They’d discovered that years ago, and he thought they’d both made peace with it.
Well, Magnus had made peace with it the way he’d long ago made peace with the idea of losing everyone he loved. Alec never had, because the thought of leaving Magnus alone tormented Alec every day of his life.
“My son cannot know about this until you’ve made up your mind because he would fight with himself over it. He wants this desperately, but he doesn’t want you to face a life of living on after everyone you love had passed on.” Asmodeus spoke the words aloud.
Alec didn’t know whether Asmodeus knew this about Magnus or had just read Alec’s mind and found the scraps of memory Alec had left over from their conversations, but this was exactly what Magnus had brought up the times they’d discussed it in the past, during the few times they'd toyed with the subject.
But Alec had always reminded him that once he’d died, he would leave behind the two people who were the most important to him. Magnus and Madzie.
After all this time, the solution to their problem was being handed to him, a reward that Alec was certain that he did not deserve.
Oh, but you do deserve it, young Lightwood. The fact that you doubt that about yourself is just another proof that you do. Do you need time to think on this? If so, I will return with Asmodeus at another time when your husband is out. You may take as much time as you need. And even if thirty more years pass before you decide, the offer will still exist for you. We need you both in the future, to help ensure that the nephilim do not succumb to the greed for power again. You have used your relationship with each other as a tool for change, and the Angels have decided to bless you for that sacrifice. It is both a calling for God and a gift for both of you. So that neither of you must face being alone.
Alec could feel tears falling, but he could not brush them away since both of his hands were required for the connection to continue.
“I don’t need time. I accept.”
Magnus might be angry at him for not discussing it with him first, but as both the Angel and Asmodeus had specified, Alec needed to make the decision on his own.
The Angel stepped closer and placed her hands upon his head, and he felt the warmth of a bright, safe, and comforting light seep through his bones. He closed his eyes to the sensation, as he pictured Magnus. He knew he was smiling, because the thought of Magnus Bane always brought a smile to his face, to the disgust of most of the rest of their family of choice.
Once the light had faded, Alec asked, “How will I know this worked?”
Asmodeus snorted beside him, “Always the suspicious shadowhunter. Have you no faith?”
Alec glanced over at him, noting the irony of a Greater Demon lecturing him on faith in God. “Just answer the question, please.”
“You will be able to heal without the need for an iratze rune. You will grow no older than you are now, but that’s not something you will find noticeable for a few more years, I’d assume. You will not be indestructible, so do not live the rest of your immortality scaring my son with any irresponsible misadventures.”
“Anything else?” Alec asked.
“This boon has never been granted to a nephilim, so you may find that your angel blood endows you with benefits that haven’t been seen with this gift before.”
The Angel took his hand again and gestured for him to take Asmodeus’s. He did so quickly.
You have chosen well, young Lightwood. Though I assumed you would agree to this without hesitation. Your love for Magnus Bane is pleasing to God, as is his love for you. I know many tales about Magnus, from watching him over the years and hearing Asmodeus’s stories about him. You may tell him that he has permission to review your memories. He will understand how crucial it was that he not be involved in this decision.
“He would have wanted me to say yes, but he would have felt guilty if I had.”
She smiled at him, and he took that to mean that she agreed with him.
Your Magnus and your daughter are on their way here, as I can feel their presence coming closer. Would you prefer that I stay to explain?
Alec shook his head no. He would prefer to tell Magnus first, and then they’ll tell Madzie together.
The Angel ascended before him and Asmodeus nodded to him once before portaling away.
Moments later, Magnus and Madzie appeared through their own portal, laughing and joking with each other as they stumbled into the room.
Alec turned and smiled at Magnus, and then he rushed to hug both of them.
“What is this about?” Magnus asked as he returned the hug and pressed a quick kiss to Alec’s smiling lips.
“Dad?” Madzie asked, and Alec bent to kiss her on the forehead.
“Can you give Daddy and me a few minutes alone? And then I promise you that I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
“Sure, but I’m going to Aunt Izzy’s. I’ll be home in a few hours.”
“Okay,” Alec agreed.
He watched her portal out before turning to meet Magnus’s confused stare.
“Alexander, are you alright?” Magnus’s concern was palpable.
“Read my mind, Magnus. Review my memories for the past ten or fifteen minutes.”
Magnus placed both hands on his head and did as Alec requested, and in only a few moments of time, Magnus was crying, the tears falling from his shielded eyes, turned white from the use of his memory magic.
“Oh, Alexander.” Magnus pulled him into a kiss after he’d seen it all, and Alec sank against him, giving himself over to Magnus’s control.
Magnus always kissed him with passion, but there was an underlying sense of desperation in this one, as if Magnus was overcome by everything that had just happened for them.
Magnus held him in a tight hug, his hands sliding back and forth across Alec’s back. “I never… never thought this would be possible. No matter how many times we've talked about it.”
“Neither did I,” Alec agreed.
“I love you so much, Alexander.”
“I love you, too.”
“I can’t wait to see Madzie’s face when she hears this.”
“Me neither,” Alec grinned. “But for now, for tonight, I want this to just be about us.”
“I can agree with that,” Magnus replied. “I have so many questions, though.”
“I do, too, but now we have all the time in the world to find the answers.”
“You didn’t even hesitate,” Magnus marveled at him. “Not once did you hesitate to accept this.”
“Why would I?” Alec shrugged. “You are my life , Magnus. I’ve spent the past decade trying to come to some kind of acceptance about this issue between us. But I’ve never, ever, wanted to be another person who left you. You know that. The decision was what Simon would call a no-brainer.”
Magnus leaned forward and kissed him again. “Alexander, I think I could be married to you for eternity, and you will never stop surprising me.”