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Surprisingly it doesn’t take Alec long to realize that Magnus is nervous; the frantic way he threw out the outfit he’d been planning for the last three weeks to how he fussed for a straight ten minutes over Alec’s hair. He doesn’t mind the attention, Magnus’s fingers on his scalp is therapeutic plus for the first time since this morning Magnus has seemed to calm down.
When Magnus’s hands still, tangled in his hair he finally finds his words; breaking the easy silence that has settled around them. “I’ve never seen you so nervous before,” it’s a question, an offer, an observation. An open invitation for Magnus to respond how he sees fit.
Magnus’ lowers his hands, fingers trailing down to catch his cheeks, “There aren’t many situations that I feel uncertain in.” He states, “This... meeting, happened once every... 100 years give or take. Warlocks around the globe are going to be showing up and showing off. It’s absolute hell every time.”
“Then why go?”
“As a high warlock it’s expected of me. Unfortunately.”
“And are you sure you want me to come?”
“Of course Alexander. I’d rather have you at my side than have to deal with extremely old warlocks who tell the same six hour long story every single damn time.” Magnus brushes his knuckles across his cheek, comforting the both of them. “A few hours and then we can head home.” Magnus’ gaze trails down his body, “besides, as stunning you look in this shirt I personally think I’ll look better come off. And I truly would like to test that theory.”
“Magnus-“ he barks, hiding his forming blush in his boyfriend’s neck. It’s embarrassing to still be affected by small comments like this although no matter how often Magnus remains rather crude it still always succeeds at getting him to blush.
Magnus all but coos, fingers once again carding through his hair. There’s a sigh and then the telltale sound of a portal opening. “Okay, okay. Let’s go before I drag you into the bedroom.”
Chuckling softly Alec shifts and allows Magnus to tug him through the portal. Arriving at the house isn’t as surprising as noticing the flashing lights and pounding base. Magnus freezes, snaps his fingers, invitation appearing between his fingers, there’s a pause. And Magnus blinks uncertain at the address.
“Wrong house?”
“No.”
“I thought you said this was a get-together not a rave?” It’s not an accusation and Magnus seems to understand this nodding slowly, uncertain.
“I did.”
“Do you need a minute.”
“No,” Magnus responds then lets out a sigh, half dragging Alec towards the side yard. “Yes.” He states finally, once they are hidden from view. Alec is presses against the siding, can feel the music resonate within the walls but muffled, likely magically, in the warm summer air.
“I’m surprised this doesn’t help.” Alec states after a moment, “You love parties.”
Magnus huffs into his shirt, fingers clinching, “It’s not that darling. It’s just... I, understandably am not the most popular warlock of the community. To ignore my parentage doesn’t discount the fact I tend to be... a lot.”
“They don’t know what they’re missing.” Alec responses simply, smiling as Magnus’ eyes soften.
“Thank you.” He breaths, shoulders relaxing slightly. “I believe that I’ve stalled long enough, let’s... get this over with shall love?”
Alec smiles, fingers tangling with Magnus’ as the round the corner and break into the threshold. It’s louder than Alec even thought was possible; people shouting, dancing and drinking at every inch of the party. He only makes it through the crowd by holding onto Magnus with a death grip. Apologizing to every one he brushes against.
“Magnus Bane!” A voice calls out, a young women approached them, crowd parting for her easily. “So glad ya could make it,” her eyes fall in Alec and then she is beaming wider. “Oh lookie here. If it isn’t the famous Alec Lightwood. God, I wish more of ya’ll shadowhunters cared for the downworld like you do.”
“Ona, I was a bit surprised walking in here. I do enjoy the changes you’ve made.”
“Yah, I figured that those old traditions needed a bit of a change.” She answers, “Well, I’m gonna say hello to couple more folks. See you around Magnus. Alec, was nice meeting ya.”
“Nice meeting you too.” He responds seconds before she races off to greet someone else entering the house.
“Ona Lawson, only about 90. Intelligent girl, has a lot of potential. Her half-brother is hosting the party but left her in charge because... well, it sucks fo plan.”
Alec smiles, “I think people like this one better.”
Magnus smiles slightly, “Yeah. I think they do.”
They spend the next hour and a half moving from person to person. Magnus relaxing as time goes on, while Alec fits easily in with some of Magnus’ closer friends. A women, Tessa, as Magnus has introduced her, has been inquiring about his family.
Unfortunately, Magnus is tugged away. He tried to argue for staying right where he is but Alec waves him off easily. “It’s important,” Alec argues. “I’ll be fine.”
Magnus tries to disagree but with a prompting from a seemingly higher ranking member his boyfriend is dragged off. Tessa says with him for the next half an hour eventually they run out of drinks and Alec offers to go grab them more.
Her heels have long been slid off, toe nails painted a bright pink. Soles angry and red, he tells her he’ll be five minutes and leaves before Tessa has a chance to argue.
Unfortunately for him, Alec winds up lost. The sea of people disorientating and he’s dizzy under the pressure of it. A unfamiliar hand snapped him out of the stupor, not enough to fight the tight hold but he has to start somewhere. Somehow he winds up outside, the hand releases it hold and a man is looking him over with concern. “Sorry if I startled you, you seemed a bit panicked.”
Alec shakes his head and suddenly the wine glass he’s holding is a water bottle. Only after months of Magnus doing the exact thing does he not startle. “Thanks.” He breaths, uncapping the lid to take a drink. He didn’t realize his throat was dry until the water were it once more. “I uh... I’m Alec.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re Magnus’... boyfriend? Am I correct?” Alec nods and the man mouth flickers in a sort of smile. “Charles, I am an old friend of Magnus’. Haven’t spoken to him in... well decades...”
“How come?” Alec questions.
Charles shrugs, “A sort of falling out, you know. I was actually thinking of trying to reconnect with him... at least become pen pals.”
“I’m sure he’d love that.” Alec responds, smiling, “He hasn’t mentioned you before but I’m sure you just haven’t come up yet.”
“Ah yes. We never had vastly interesting adventures... we were friends through my girlfriend actually, Rosalina. A beautiful women that one.”
“The artist?”
“Yes!” Charles perks up, then something unreadable passes over his face, “Magnus... talks about her?”
“Yeah, she came up while visiting an art museum. One of her painting it there.“
“Oh yes, a midnight picnic.” Charles smiles, almost sadly, “A wonderful night. It was her sister’s birthday. We all were gathered to watch the northern lights. God, the sky was so murky, clouds spanning every inch. But Rose. She swore up and down they would part. That we would see them through the clouds.”
“And then you did.” He remarks, smiling as Charles glances towards the sky.
“No. We didn’t.” He states. “It rained that night, stormed, ruined the painting she had been working on all night. But Rose, she never let anything stop her. If they world didn’t give her the picture she wanted to paint then she was going to give it to the world.”
“Sounds like an amazing women.”
“Oh she was.” Looking to the ground... “I lost her too soon. Even now... a century later... I morn. Love like that only comes around once in a life time. I am glad that Magnus has found someone as well. It’s a long and lonely life. You have to cling to the joy while you have it.”
Alec doesn’t know how to respond, but at the same time he knows exactly what he would want Magnus to be told. So before considering it Alec speaks, “All I want for Magnus is for him to be happy... when I die, I didn’t want him to look back on our memories without regrets. I want him to smile... like you did when you talked about Rosalind. And... I think, I think that she would want the same for you.”
Charles blinks at him, letting out a soft breath, once more an unreadable emotion passes across his face. Then, he smiles, small tears beading at his eyes. “Yes, I think she would.” He reaches a hand out, squeezing his shoulder when suddenly Charles is knocked off his feet. Crashing to the ground with an oof.
He didn’t bring an entire blade today, peaceful meeting and all so the knife in his boot would have to work. Alec spins, ready to face down whatever just attacked them, when he spots Magnus. Hands out, breathing ragged, hair tangled and makeup unruly. Charles groans but doesn’t move from his position flat on his back.
“Mag—“ He hardly gets the first syllable out before Magnus hands are on him. Magic swirling around him, frantic in a way he has never seem Magnus before. Magic cuts off suddenly and hands replace the intangible feeling, fingers brushing through his hair, up his arms, his neck, across every inch of Alec. It takes him these minutes, too confused to do anything but stand there and let Magnus check him over. As Magnus’ shaking hands slowly come to a stop at his side Alec finally catches up with the vast confusing stream of events.
“Magnus?” He tries once more, this time not cut off, only shifted furthering both the distance between him and the downed warlock as well the conclusion Alec has come to. “Magnus... I’m not hurt.”
Finally Magnus takes in the first even breath since clutching at him, “I’m so sorry. God Alec, if he so much as-“
“We were just talking.” Alec states, finger stroking Magnus’ back, “I’m not hurt, he didn’t hurt me. Okay, we were hurt talking. I promise.”
Charles seems to think this is an appropriate time to jump in, with a slightly panicked warlock who tends to get a bit protective. “If anything, Bane. I rescued him. He was on the verge of a panic attack in the center of a mosh pit. You’d think would would keep a better eye on him.”
Alec blinks, surprised by the sudden shift in personality, his guard is up immediately. At first he had thought Magnus considered this guy to be some creep lurking on a possibly drunk Alec, but now there seems to a deeper story. He goes over everything Charles has said in the last hour.
Magnus tightens his hold, Alec’s shirt bunching as his boyfriend’s tries to contain his magic. Alec knows that the tension in Magnus’ shoulders means he wants to lash out, to burn whoever so much as threatened someone he cares for. Either because of Alec’s words or lack of injuries he is holding himself back.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but dragging him outside, away from everyone, an entire block from the party?!”
Alec jerks up in surprise, notching the unfamiliar surrounding for the first time. How had he not noticed they were no longer standing beside a field. That a dim street light is buzzing feet away.
Charles smirks, uncanny to the bright smile he gave seconds earlier. “I figured the quiet would do him good. Didn’t want to panic him further and the glamours are always easy.”
A hand drops from Alec’s shirt, almost as if to blast the once again standing man onto his ass. Alec reacts before Magnus tries, catching the hand in his own and lacing their fingers together. The warmth of the magic tickles alone his palm, softening as Magnus calms himself.
“Magnus.” Alec says, he’s disoriented, more disoriented than he noticed before. He is about to ask to go home but something hurts in his shoulder and within moment of Magnus shouting his name in shock, in fear, he’s unconscious.
----
Waking isn’t pleasant. In another reality there might be a comparison, something random and unreadable. Alec doesn’t have a brainpower to think anything besides how painful it was to think in general. He noticed things in waves, sunlight warm on his skin, it’s soft gleam tickling his sight behind his closed eyelids. He notices the shifting of fabric, the pressure of a wet cloth resting on his forehead. Things begin to exist outside of Alec, voices of concern and panic; movement of the air around him, pressure of hands and magic atop him.
Until finally Alec wakes, going from peaceful oblivion to agonizing pain in mere moments.
His shoulder is burning. Fire is pulsing through his veins but he doesn’t scream, can’t find it in him to scream. Instead he whimpers, a pitiful gasp of lost air. A curse rings out from his left and without warning Magnus is filling his view. He looks worse off, tear tracks stained with mascara along his cheeks; Alec longs to wipe them clean but the prospect of movement chills his spine.
“Shh,” Magnus whispers, fingers brushing along his temple, soft press of freezing hands is calming enough that Alec almost drifts off again. But the pain flares up, violently and Alec tries to jerk away but Magnus holds him still. His vision goes black for a few terrible seconds but returns with a lull in the pain. Magnus is breathing heavily, he might be sobbing. Alec can’t tell, he is too distracted in the loss of agony that it takes him a while to come to his senses. Or at the very least become semi-aware enough to reach out and unceremoniously all but slap his palm onto Magnus’ cheek.
A relief filled smile flashes brightly across the warlock’s lips, shaking hand trapping Alec’s. “There he is.” Magnus mutters fondly, turning slight to press his lips against Alec’s hand.
They stay like that for hours, more likely minutes, but finally the events roll up on Alec and he tries to make sense of what happened. He vocalizes such forcing Magnus to finally release his hold.
Magnus holds out a finger, signaling for Alec to wait and stands, only to return a few moments later with some tea. Alec can tell from the ungodly color it’s a potion and dreads having to drink it. Magnus says within his reach while Alec starts of the tea, that surprisingly tastes like honey. He winds up watching Magnus rub away at the makeup giving Magnus time to compose himself.
It comes once Alec finishes the tea, haze clearing as it seems to easily rid him of the fever. Magnus’ fingers aren’t freezing when they tangle in his hair.
“Purified demon blood.” Magnus tells him, “it’s the perfect poison. Kills even the strongest of shadowhunters.”
“We were across the street from a party full of some of the most powerful warlocks in the entire world.” Magnus answers calmly, forehead pressing against Alec’s. “Even drunk a hundred warlocks can figure out an impossible cure.”
“I— what?”
“Every single person who met you there wanted to help. Even those without magic. A fairy girl, the one you made laugh with the story about Jace, she was the one who knew about an wise-tale of a flower. She brought it and Catarina along with a few other were able to mix it into the cure. You know the real old warlock I told you about? The one that tells the same six hour long story? He was two hours in, Alexander, and he stopped. Knew a spell that would stop the progression until we were able to synthesize the cure.”
Magnus is already crying again, eyes puffy and red, “I could hardly think Alexander... I thought, I thought that I’d lost you. But all it took was a few hours and you had an entire armada of downworlders fighting to save you.”
Alec opens his mouth only to snap it shut once more. He does this twice more before Magnus kisses him to complete silence.
Gently Magnus traps his cheeks between his palms, “So few people are capable of such feats.” A soft smile spreads across his face. “I am proud to be loved by you.”
Still unable to speak Alec only nods softly, wrapping his arms tightly across Magnus’ back. No words his mouth will ever form will begin to describe his love for Magnus instead he hopes he can show it.