Work Text:
“You had no right to throw Izzy out like that!” said Alec, his voice deep and angry. He was currently over at his parent’s house and was fuming with rage. Last night, Isabelle suddenly came over to his place, begging him if she could live with him for a little while. Apparently, their parents had kicked her out, because of an argument that they had. Maryse tried to convince Isabelle to start a relationship with a guy that was from an elite family, a pure Alpha. But because Isabelle had already found her mate just a month ago, a girl that was a year younger than her, Clary, she and her mom got into a fight. Maryse hated Isabelle’s girlfriend; not only that she wasn’t for an elite family, but she was a Beta. While it was really rare that an Omega and a Beta were fated to be bound for life, it still happened. In Maryse’s eyes, being mated with a Beta was below her.
Isabelle was devastated; she never had a good relationship with their mother, but she never thought that she would throw her out of the house. And honestly, Alec was appalled. Not only with their mother, but with Robert as well. Alec had always considered the man to be more open minded than their mother, so he was shocked to see that he did nothing to stop his wife from throwing out their own daughter out of the house. That was what left Isabelle so devastated; she had a close relationship with Robert, so her heart was broken and he and Magnus spent half of the night trying to make her feel better.
In the end, Magnus’ little teasing and playfulness were able to make Isabelle feel better and Alec was happy about that. Izzy and Magnus got along amazingly, but he still didn’t introduce him to his parents. He didn’t even tell them that he had found his mate, because he knew what was going to happen. His mother was trying to arrange him a marriage with someone from the Branwell family, which was considered to be one of the elite families as well. Arranged marriages were still pretty popular and the families practiced them, because they wanted to preserve the family honour by keeping their family ties and bloodline ‘pure’. But, where was the honour in throwing their child out like that? That happened more than others thought and Alec could only thank the gods that he was able to get away of that toxic life so soon.
“Alec, you don’t understand,” said Maryse and shook her head. “She is mated with a Beta. Do you know what that means for our family if others were about to find out? That would bring shame for us and, believe me, you don’t want that. She should’ve known better and-”
“That would bring shame to our family?” asked Alec, his voice loud and he tried to keep his anger under control. It was rare for him to get so angry in front of his parents and he could tell that Maryse was shocked with how he was speaking with her, but he couldn’t control himself at the same time. “What about throwing her out? Do you think that that’s not shameful? I’m sure others would be proud of our family to hear that you threw your own daughter out of the house,” snapped Alec.
“I did it for her own good. You might not understand it yet, but-”
“No, you’re right… I don’t understand. You can’t be serious,” said Alec and scoffed, interrupting his mother. He then looked at Robert, who just kept looking away and his anger returned again. “And you?” asked Alec and Robert looked at him when he saw that his son was speaking to him. “How could you allow her to do that? Izzy’s devastated that you of all people allowed this to happen. She adores and idolises you. Both of you should be ashamed!”
“Alexander,” started Robert and Alec’s face darkened.
“Alec,” he said, correcting his father. The only person that was allowed to call him by his full name was Magnus. Period.
“Look, son, you know that I and your mom just want what’s the best for you and your sister,” said Robert and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and Alec couldn’t hold back an eye-roll.
Alec couldn’t believe that his dad dared to say that. “No,” said the young man and shook his head. “You just want what’s the best for you two. You’re being selfish. If you honestly think that we’ll accept your pathetic arranged marriages then you must be crazy. I and Izzy had been lucky enough to finally find out fated mates and there’s nothing you two can do about that,” said Alec in the heap of the moment and then stopped talking when he saw that his mother’s expression darkened again and he looked away. Crap. He didn’t tell them about Magnus and he had no intentions of doing so. They didn’t even deserve to know. But, now he blurted everything out and he closed his eyes, slapping himself mentally. He really hated the fact that sometimes he didn’t even think about what he was saying.
“You found your mate?” asked Robert carefully and Alec just nodded.
“Who?” demanded Maryse and crossed her arms on top of her chest. “Who is she? If she’s a Beta Alec, for the love of God, I promise that I’ll-”
“You’ll do what?” snapped Alec and gritted his teeth. “His name is Magnus. Other things about him don’t concern you,” went on by saying Alec and then watched that his mother made a face. Now what?
“From which family is he?”
“I don’t fucking care from which family he is,” said Alec. “No, he’s not from one of your fancy elite friends’ family. Thank fucking god for that, because all of your friends are fake and I cannot stand them. He’s a dance instructor and he’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” said Alec and saw that Maryse didn’t like what he had to say.
“A dance instructor?” said Maryse, appalled. “You can do so much better than that.”
“Much better? Listen to yourself, mother. He’s my fated mate. What do you want me to do? Spend the rest of my life with someone that isn’t even supposed to be mine and be miserable? Is that what you want from me?”
“Don’t tell me you’re already bound to him for life and-”
“Not yet, but we’re-”
“Then you still have a chance!” said Maryse. “You deserve someone better that fits with our family better. And as your mother I can help you out. Lydia is more than willing to-”
“Shut up,” growled Alec, his voice dangerously low. Now, he didn’t care if his mother said bad things about him, but insulting his Omega like that made him furious. His eyes darkened with anger and Maryse flinched when he saw Alec and made a step back. She finally stopped talking, but the damage was done. “Leave Lydia out of this, she’s actually a nice person and trust me, she doesn’t want to be bound to me. And secondly, don’t you ever dare to insult Magnus again.”
“Alec,” said Maryse slowly, interrupting Alec and he growled again.
“Don’t interrupt me,” said Alec. “You dare to call yourself a mother? Parents are supposed to love their children no matter what. Look and you and dad; your marriage was arranged as well, you aren’t fated mates, I know that much. Now look and me and tell me that you two aren’t miserable. That’s why you are so bitter all of the time. You-”
“That’s enough, Alec!” snapped Robert and Alec finally stopped talking, but the anger was still present and he cursed loudly when he looked at his mother, whose eyes were wet with tears and Alec quickly looked away. He knew, he shouldn’t have spoken to his mother like that. But, at the same time, he couldn’t help himself. Her words hurt him deeply.
“I think you should leave,” said Maryse, her voice trembling and Alec swallowed thickly when he saw deep sadness and pain in her eyes. Alec knew that she was suffering, so that was why he was even more conflicted. She knew how it was to have a marriage forced upon them, so why was she demanding the same from him and Isabelle?
“Look, mom, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those horrible things and-” started Alec, but was interrupted again.
“Go,” said Maryse and turned around. She made her way out of the room quickly, Alec’s heart clenching when he heard her loud sobbing coming from her bedroom and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach when he looked up at his father. Robert was mad and without saying anything, he made his way out of the room as well. Alec understood that as a sign that he should leave and that was exactly what he did.
“Come on, Isabelle, let me give you a makeover,” said Magnus to Isabelle. As Alec went to speak with his parents, Magnus decided to stay with Isabelle and tried everything for her not to cry again. The girl looked up at the man and then back down, shrugging and she forced a smile. She and Magnus became friends as soon as Alec introduced him to her and she was happy that she could call him her friend. Her lower lip trembled again and Magnus’ heart felt heavy again. “No, no, don’t cry,” muttered Magnus and wrapped his arms around Isabelle, pulling her into a tight hug. She held back the tears, barely. “They aren’t worth your tears.”
“Hey, Magnus?” asked Izzy with a shaky voice and then pulled back.
“Yes, biscuit?”
Isabelle giggled at the nickname and wiped the tears away. “Do you and your parents get along?”
“I get along well with my mom,” said Magnus and nodded. “Not so much with my dad though,” he then went on by saying and he shrugged. “But I guess that’s life for you,” he added.
Isabelle gave him a compassionate look and decided not to ask any further questions about Magnus’ father, because she could tell that the older one didn’t want to talk about it. A frown formed between Magnus’ eyebrows as he continued to think about his father and he quickly shook his head, chasing the unpleasant thoughts away and he then looked back at Isabelle, who was chewing on her lower lip and he gave her a little smile, placing his hand around Izzy’s shoulders and he pulled a bit closer. Isabelle let out a small chuckle and then just sighed.
“You know,” started Isabelle and straightened herself as she was sitting down. “Did Alec tell you that it’s thanks to me that the two of you met? It was me who forced him to go to the club that evening, so in a way, I feel proud,” she then went on by saying and Magnus smiled brightly, but he shook his head. No, Alexander did no mention that before.
“It seems that he failed to mention that,” said Magnus playfully and Isabelle laughed along with him. “I’m really happy to have met you brother, you know. He’s really so wonderful to me, so I guess I owe you a form of gratitude as well?”
Izzy smiled and shrugged. “I’m just happy that he finally found you. Before, he was grumpy all of the time. I mean, he still is the same annoying and grumpy older brother that I love, but he’s different. I know that he won’t admit it, but he was really lonely before.” Just as she was about to continue, her phone started ringing and he heart fell to the pit of her stomach when she saw Clary’s name written on the phone screen. Because she still didn’t tell her what happened between her and her parents, he was kind of hesitant about answering her.
“What’s the matter?” asked Magnus as he leaned in and saw who was calling Isabelle.
“I just… I haven’t told her about what happened and I don’t want to burden her with my problems quite yet. We’ve been together almost a-”
“Nonsense,” said Magnus. “Answer her. You didn’t answer her texts and calls from last night, so she must be worries. Plus, she’ll gladly listen to you. Trust me, I know. Alec was always there for me, ever since we met,” said the older one and Isabelle chewed on her lower lip, nodding. She then got up and answered the phone call, going to the next room, so that she could have some privacy when talking with her girlfriend.
After a few more minutes passed, the entrance door Alec’s apartment opened and then closed with a loud slam. Magnus flinched at that and sighed; Alec was home and definitely not in a good mood. He slowly came closer to the door and saw Alec, who was angrily taking off his jacket and loudly cursed when the jacket fell from the hanger when he hanged it. Angry, Alec kicked off his shoes and cursed again when he almost tripped over them. It’s been a while since he was so angry; even though he regretted speaking to his mom like that, he still didn’t forgive her for doing what he did. Not only her, but Robert as well. Not only that did they threw Isabelle out of their own house and talked bad about Isabelle’s mate, but they had insulted Magnus as well.
Carefully, Magnus made his way to his Alpha and placed a hand on top of shoulder. Alec quickly turned around and the younger one just walked to him and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. When he’d get frustrated like that, holding Magnus close like that always worked like magic and he felt himself relaxing in his Omega’s arms. Magnus didn’t say anything for a few moments as he brought his hands up and placed them onto Alec’s back, drawing uneven patterns against his back. Alec hid his face into the crook of Magnus’ neck and inhaled deeply; Magnus’ scent was magic. In a few moments, he was completely calm and when he broke their hug, Magnus gently touched his cheek.
“Feel better?” asked Magnus softly and Alec nuzzled into the touch.
“Yeah,” whispered the Alpha and leaned down, pressing his forehead against the older’s. Even though he felt calmer, he still wore a troubled expression on his face and Magnus clenched his jaw. Just what happened between Alec and his parents now?! “How’s Izzy? Where is she?” asked Alec then, because he couldn’t find his sister and Magnus pointed to Alec’s bedroom.
“She’s talking to Clary,” said Magnus and sighed. “She’s feeling a bit better, I suppose.”
“Thank god,” whispered Alec and kissed Magnus gently.
“What happened?”
“My mother said some disgusting things,” said Alec. “From insulting Izzy even further, she went on by saying that throwing her out of the house is supposed to teach her a lesson. According to her, she did it out of love, for Izzy’s own good,” he said and Magnus became horrified. Alec could tell that the other was confused, because he just couldn’t understand why someone would say that about their own child. “Their main problem is that Izzy’s mate is a Beta,” explained Alec and Magnus shook his head, not getting it.
“But why?” asked Magnus with a small voice.
“Us Lightwoods are supposed to be one of the ‘elite’ families, heirs of pure blood Alphas and Omegas,” said Alec and wrinkled his nose; God, that felt so weird to say. It was as if he was talking about animals; a family of purebreds. “So you can imagine their reaction when she told them that her mate is a Beta.”
“But,” started Magnus and chewed on his lower lip. “They’re fated, you can’t just…” he started, his voice trailing off. Magnus’ heart twisted. “What if your mate isn’t from one of those elite families?”
“Arranged marriages. They’ve chosen one for Isabelle already and for me as well. A long time ago,” said Alec and Magnus’ eyes widened.
“That’s selfish. They just want to benefit from their children. They take away from them the chance of finding true happiness,” said Magnus with a small voice and nervously gripped onto Alec’s shoulders, hating the idea that they had already arranged a mate for Alec on their own. It made him angry that someone would want to hurt Alec like that.
“I know. That’s why we fought in the past and I left. We had another fight about this matter today as well,” said Alec and shook his head. “I told them that I finally found the one I’m supposed to be with and my mom… said horrible things about you,” he said. “I said some pretty horrible things to her as well, but I couldn’t help it. She insulted you,” whispered Alec and gently hugged Magnus’ face, carefully lifting up his face and Magnus shuddered under Alec’s touches. Magnus’ chest felt tight. The Omega placed his hands on top of Alec’s chest and his breath shook when Alec’s fingers travelled to the back of his neck.
“Alexander,” muttered Magnus and arched his neck back. “I love it when you get so protective over me like that,” he then heard himself say and even though he didn’t intend to say that out loud, he chuckled when he looked up at Alec’s face; his embarrassment and the shy expression, which was rarely seen, suited the Alpha perfectly.
“I can’t help it, really,” muttered Alec awkwardly. “I want to offer everything to you, which means that I do get carried away from time to time.”
Magnus hummed and smiled. “And I don’t mind it one bit,” said Magnus and kissed Alec again. “Listen, don’t worry about your parents too much. I don’t mind it if they insulted me. No offence, but I’m not a big fan of them as well, so the dislike is mutual,” he then added playfully and a smile tugged at Alec’s lips and he nodded. Magnus was right, there was no point in trying to make that relationship work. After being disappointed so many times, Alec saw that it was no point. One cannot choose their family, but they can choose the people that were going to be in their lives forever, so that was what Alec was intending to focus on.
It was then that Isabelle stepped out of the bedroom, with a bright smile on her face and Alec felt relieved. “You’re back already?” asked Isabelle. “How did it go?”
“I ended up yelling at them,” said Alec slowly and shook his head. “Forget that now. You look like you’re feeling better,” said Alec and walked to his sister.
“Yeah, Clary called me and we had a little talk,” muttered Isabelle shyly and smiled. “I’m gonna go out for a little bit to meet up with her,” she then added and then looked at both of them.
Alec nodded and Magnus looked at her in a parent kind of way. “Just don’t stay out too late, young lady,” teased Magnus and Isabelle laughed softly.
“Yes, mom,” teased Isabelle playfully and then let out a happy sigh. “Thanks, Magnus. And you too, big brother. I really don’t know what I would’ve done without the two of you,” she then muttered and gave her brother a quick hug. Feeling that she was getting emotional as well, she quickly pulled back and took in a deep breath. “Right, I should go now.”
“You don’t need to thank us,” said Alec happily and watched how Isabelle put on her boots and a black shirt.
“Well, then, I’ll see you later,” said Isabelle and then finally left Alec’s apartment.
With a dramatic sigh, Magnus placed a hand on top of his chest and bowed his head. “And she’s gone now,” he said. “They grow up so fast.”
“Hey, I’m still here now,” complained Alec with a smile.
“Worry not, darling, I haven’t forgotten about you,” said Magnus and a devious smile spread across his face when he looked past Alec and saw that the bedroom door was opened. “I know of a way or two how we can keep each other entertained.”
“Oh?” asked Alec and laughed when Magnus pushed him into the bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed and then the older one climbed on top of him. Alec grabbed Magnus by the back of his neck and turned them around, so that he was now lying on top of Magnus. A soft growl left his mouth when he felt Magnus’ legs being wrapped around his waist and he waggled his eyebrows. “I like the way you think, love,” said Alec then and chuckled when Magnus impatiently pulled him down for another kiss.