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“Alexander,” Magnus tells him, voice serious with warning, “Don’t move.”
Alec stops in his tracks, watching Magnus approach the small bundle on the ground. They had both been called to the shadowhunter academy, nobody wanting to touch the small moving bundle that was left on the doorstep, instead calling in the Consul and Alicantes high warlock.
Alec complies and stays where he is, which is still close enough to hear his husband's small gasp. "What is it?"
Magnus grabs the bundle of blankets from the floor, pulling it closer to his chest, fingers grasped around a slip of paper. Sensing the lack of danger Alec approaches his husband and also gasps at the sight.
In Magnus' arms, still and quiet in the bundle, is a little baby with deep blue skin. "A warlock?" Alec asked, more out of surprise than anything else.
Magnus nods, "No more than a month old," he tells Alec. "It was left with this note."
Alec takes the note from Magnus' ringed fingers and reads the hasty scrawl. Who could ever love it? Alec's heart lurched in his chest. The baby was so small, and their chubby fingers were pulled up to their cheek, and Alec wondered how anyone couldn't love them. "A boy or a girl?" Alec asked Magnus, seeing the pain of the note reflected in his husband's eyes.
"Boy," Magnus tells him, his voice quiet.
"Why would anyone leave him here of all places?" Alec wonders aloud, heart still pounding.
Magnus shakes his head, "I don't know. Could have been a mundane thinking they were leaving him on some church steps. Could have been a warlock." Magnus looks up to Alec, "I don't know."
"Mr. Lightwood-Bane," a voice from behind them called out, the headmaster of the school, Alec knew. They both turned their attention from the baby to the man striding towards them. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I didn't want a commotion in the school after the students all woke up."
"It's no problem," Alec replies, voice slipping seamlessly into his professional all business tone. "The good news is that there is no threat to the safety of the school. The bad news is someone abandoned their baby on the steps. The baby is a warlock, and was left with a note that indicates the mother did not want him."
The headmaster's face screws up into a complicated expression. He tilts his head towards the baby in Magnus' hold, and then looks back to Alec. "Will you be taking the baby to the Clave then sir?"
Alec bites his tongue and replies tersely, "We will ensure that the baby is placed in a home with someone who will care for him, yes."
The headmaster nods at this, seemingly pleased with this answer, "Well not too rush you but the students will have word of this soon and I would rather the infant not be exposed to dozens of shadowhunter youth."
Alec looks to Magnus, who gives a curt nod, then turns back to the headmaster, "Of course. We will leave immediately, thank you."
"Thank you," the headmaster nods at both Alec and Magnus, "Your help is appreciated as always."
They part ways and Alec grabs Magnus' arm on the way to the door, squeezing gently, "Portal to the loft," he whispers loud enough for Magnus to hear, but no louder.
Magnus gives him a quizzical look, but summons a portal as soon as they are outside the school. Once the two stepped through they were in their living room, the baby still in Magnus' arms.
"I couldn't take him to the Clave," Alec explains before Magnus has time to ask questions. "I didn't know where he should go, but I wasn't going to leave him."
Magnus smiles simply at his husband, face bright and joyous.
Alec looked back at the baby, his eyes were closed and he was sleeping peacefully, unaware of anything awful around him. "Can I hold him?" Alec asked hesitantly.
"Of course," Magnus carefully hands the baby over into Alec's arms, ensuring he holds the base of the little warlocks head until he's fully place in the crook of Alec's arm.
"He's so small," Alec breathes out, "I can't believe anyone would leave him."
"People are cruel," Magnus chimes in, "Bad things happen to innocent lives. They always have."
Alec takes his hand at this, knowing in the wordless way he so often does that Magnus must be remembering his own past. "Magnus," Alec starts, voice serious, if a little nervous, "I don't want this baby to go to the Clave. I don't want anyone taking him."
"What are you suggesting?" Magnus asks, knowing the telling tone of Alec's voice, the voice that suggests he has a plan already constructed.
"Maybe we were called for a reason, maybe it was meant to happen. I think he was meant to be our baby. We could raise him together. We've talked about kids before, maybe now is the right time." Alec's voice is hopeful, optimistic in a way that makes Magnus smile.
When he looks up, Magnus is looking at the baby, eyes swirling with something Alec can't name. When he looks at Alec, eyes glassy and happy, he nods simply, "It's not going to be easy. They probably won't give him to us without a decent fight."
"I've always been good in a fight," Alec replies easily, "Especially for what I love."
Magnus looks from the baby to his husband and beams, "He's our son, isn't he?"
Alec actually looks like he's going to cry, and Magnus squeezes the hand still holding onto his own. He knows Alec grew up wanting to be a dad, he confessed to Magnus once that he thought kids would be his light in the dark if he was ever forced to marry. Alec was born to care for kids, and to have his own. Magnus knew the second Alec saw the baby, read the horrible note, that he was Alec's son. Seeing Alec so sure about him made Magnus sure. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he knew that he wanted it desperately.
"He's our son," Alec agreed, and Magnus felt his heart skip a beat.
They were going to be dads, and they were going to love him so much and prove the note left with him wrong. And Magnus knew from looking at Alec's face, from looking at the sleeping baby, they both already did.