Chapter Text
Alec's lips are soft against his skin, his breath warm and tickling Magnus' ear when he giggles softly in between slow, lazy kisses. Two empty glasses of wine sit on the bedside table. The curtains are parted slightly, moonlight streaming in. Half the bed sheets are on the ground.
"I love you," Alec whispers as he kisses Magnus again. There are stars in his eyes and wine on his breath. Magnus can't remember the last time he saw him so happy and carefree. "I don't tell you that enough. I love you."
"I love you too." Magnus cups his face gently and presses their lips together again. He can't remember when the statement stopped making his hairs stand on end, when he stopped shaking his head on instinct at Alec's confession. But at some point, he just started believing that he was Alexander's whole world. And started believing he deserved to be, too. Now his own " I love you "s and " I love you too "s fall from his lips as easily as breathing.
Alec sits back for a moment, studying Magnus with an adoring expression. "I'm gonna take you out," he says with conviction; Magnus laughs. " Shh !" Alec leans back in to press a finger to his lips, barely suppressing his own laughter. "It took forever to get them to sleep. But seriously, when was the last time we went on a date? Life's been so crazy lately...we deserve a break. How does Sunday in Paris sound?"
"I think I could manage that," Magnus beams. "What did you have in mind?"
Alec thinks for a moment. Just the thought of it makes him smile. "Dinner, dancing, a nice hot bath..." He smirks. " Other stuff ."
"I like the sound of that," Magnus says. And he does. He loves his life - wouldn't trade it for anything, not a single part of it - but sometimes he wants Alexander all to himself. No reports to assess, no clients to please, no baby formula to mix, no mess to clean up, just... them . Just for one night. And then they will return to their lives with a newfound appreciation for all the annoying little things they couldn't help but miss in Paris. "I'm especially intrigued by that last part," Magnus goes on, a flirtatious edge to his voice. "Oh, look at that, we're alone. Perhaps you could go into detail about 'other stuff'?"
He blinks innocently up at Alec. Alec shakes his head fondly and flops down next to him. He pulls Magnus close by the waist, pressing gentle kisses first to his forehead, then his cheek, and at last his lips. Magnus melts into every touch, every kiss, letting the sensation encompass him, let's himself get lost in the feeling of closeness, of there being no one else in the world but him and Alec.
Of course, that illusion is shattered when the sound of high-pitched crying carries over into their bedroom.
Alec groans. "It's your turn," he mutters, eyes closed and a look of not-quite annoyance on his face.
"I don't think so - I got him last time."
Alec's eyes snap open. "I distinctly remember-"
The wailing grows louder. Magnus and Alec sigh in unison.
"Alright..." Magnus sits up with a yawn. "We're both up, so let's both go."
Alec doesn't argue. Magnus quickly puts on his robe as Alec pulls a stray t-shirt on, and they both hurry down the hallway to the baby room. Magnus pushes the door farther open and steps in first. As if he can sense their presence, Surya quiets down a bit, hiccuping more than crying. Magnus stands over his crib, smiling down at the little warlock who calms entirely at the sight of him. Magnus is struck, as he often is, by how beautiful he is: dark skin, large black eyes, a smile that could end wars.
His son.
Magnus picks him up. Surya makes a satisfied noise and clings to him. Magnus can't help but grin from ear to ear as he strokes the baby's cheek with one finger, whispering nonsense solely to let him know they're here .
"You just want papa's attention all to yourself, don't 'cha?" Alec whispers in a light, juvenile tone, placing his chin on Magnus' shoulder so he's in Surya's line of sight; Surya makes baby noises in response. "Thought so. You're stealing my husband!"
Surya babbles back nonsensically, as if they're having a serious conversation. Magnus shifts his weight in his arms. "I've got him, angel," he tells Alec. "You can go get some sleep. God knows you need it." Truthfully, Magnus wouldn't mind just standing here for a while, rocking his son back to sleep in the near-darkness, maybe singing a lullaby, just being present with him.
Alec smiles and nods, but makes no move to go back. Magnus wonders if he's going to fall asleep standing up with his chin still resting on Magnus' shoulder. Surya reaches forward with one tiny, chubby, adorable hand and grabs a lock of Magnus' hair, momentarily distracting him. Magnus tuts disapprovingly and gently begins to unwrap Surya's fingers from around his hair. This unsurprisingly results in the baby making whining noises that are far too close to "crying" for comfort. The weight of Alec's head disappears from his shoulder as Magnus tickles Surya to lighten his mood, taking care to keep hair out of his reach. He turns to find Alec kneeling by the door in front of their daughter.
"Did your brother wake you?" Alec is whispering.
Sophie shakes her head. "I had a nightmare," she sniffles. "I wanted to sleep in your room, but you weren't there." Some of her words are slurred, either because of the baby teeth she's recently started to lose or the tusks she's started to grow. Magnus quickly makes sure his own eyes are unglamoured before he speaks to her. (They have a little agreement in their home: that no one is to be ashamed of their marks or scars or anything of the sort. Magnus is really the only one who's struggled with it, even though the "rule" was partially his idea. But seeing the way Sophie smiles with her small tusks jutting out of her mouth when Alec tells her a joke makes it easier for Magnus to be more comfortable in his own skin and set a good example.)
"Do you want me to cast a protection charm on your room, cupcake?" he asks as he does every time she has a nightmare or worries about a boogeyman in her closet. "So you know you're safe?"
Sophie shakes her head vehemently. "I wanna sleep with you and daddy."
"C'mere." Alec picks Sophie up in his arms, and she wraps herself around him like her life depends on it. They rejoin Magnus and Surya by the crib. Alec looks at Magnus as if to ask whether they should let Sophie sleep in their bed tonight. Magnus gives him the slightest shrug as if to say, you're the boss too . Alec smiles and taps Sophie on the shoulder. "Come say good night to your brother, princess."
Sophie lifts her head from his shoulder as Alec steps close enough to Magnus for their shoulders to brush, Sophie in between them. Surya coos in her direction and Sophie giggles. She reaches forward and lets him grab her index finger, humming a nursery rhyme she likes to sing to him - one that Maryse taught her.
They stand like that for a moment - Magnus holding their son, Alec holding their daughter, everyone close enough to touch. Magnus closes his eyes, takes a deep breath. It's quiet, for just that one moment, surrounded by his family. It's peaceful. It's comforting. It's what his entire life has lead up to, what he could hardly dare dream about for so long.
It's perfect.
He opens his eyes to a cold and dark place that makes him feel nothing but dread.
A lump forms in his throat and tears well up in his eyes. Even though he should have known . Should have expected it. Shouldn't have fallen for it so easily. He swallows hard, blinking away the tears, pretending it didn't hurt as much as it did.
"That was cruel," he says, because it's true, and because he needs his father to know that hurt him so that maybe - just maybe - he will stop.
From somewhere in the dreadful place, Asmodeus smiles and says, "Yes. That was the point."
He doesn't look particularly cruel. Or amused. He's simply...observing, as he has been since Magnus first arrived. Like it’s all an experiment. His eyes when he looks at Magnus are filled with curiosity - and a sick sort of pride that makes Magnus shiver. He stands, the shadows dancing around his feet in a most unnatural and unsettling way, and motions for Magnus to follow. "Come now," he says, walking deeper into the darkness. "On to the real family matters."
Magnus doesn't say anything else. If this is the price he has to pay to save the rest of them - to give Alexander a chance to have everything Magnus can't give him anymore - then he'll pay it with a smile on his face.