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Magnus picked up his phone with a flourish, smiling at it as he relaxed into his favorite chair in the apartment. “Isabelle, to what do I owe the honor?"
"I’m about to be your favorite in-law for the remainder of eternity,” Izzy said with a laugh, flipping through pictures on her phone.
“Darling, you already know you’re my favorite,” Magnus corrected. “But I do wonder exactly what makes you say that. Care to share?"
"You’ll see,” Izzy promised. “Just hope Chairman doesn’t get jealous."
Magnus frowned, about to ask what the hell that had meant when Izzy disconnected the phone call. He looked down at his phone in bewilderment, wondering if it would be worth portalling down to the Institute to see exactly what his husband and sister-in-law were up to.
He was considering it more seriously when neither Izzy or Alexander answered his follow up phone call, but then his notifications went off, several times in quick succession. Snapchats. From Isabelle.
Magnus raised an eyebrow and went to open them, wondering exactly what the two of them had gotten themselves into.
The first was a video, of Isabelle laughing so hard she was nearly falling over. Magnus couldn’t help smiling at the sight, but then the camera panned and he caught sight of Alexander, sitting on the floor, several kittens using him as a jungle gym while the mama cat stretched luxuriously in his lap. The annoyed look on his face was enough to have Magnus bursting into laughter along with Isabelle.
Thankfully, the next snap was a picture of the face Alec had been making and Magnus was able to save it a moment later.
The next video was Alec with several bowls of milk, growling at the cats as they all whined and hissed at him with a single phrase “Fucking Priceless” from Isabelle. Fucking priceless indeed, Magnus had to agree with her. He had no idea where the kittens had come from, but they had clearly imprinted on Alec if he was getting a series of photos like this.
Next up was Alec grudgingly watching them with a smile on his face as they all drank from the bowls of milk he’d put out and Magnus sighed. He knew they were going to end up with at least one more cat by the end of this. There was no doubt.
"You’re going to have competition for Alexander,” he warned Chairman, glancing back at his phone. Next was a picture of Alec in a briefing, and behind him, a deep basket with kittens attempting to crawl out of it.
“Oh please have sent me a video of that,” Magnus whispered. “Please, Izzy, if you love me at all, have taken video of that."
The very next video was from the meeting, Alec attempting to talk about the Shax demons terrorizing downtown and his direction for the patrols going after them, but every few words, Alec’s hands were darting out, redepositing a kitten back into the basket. All of the shadowhunters watching had indulgent smiles on their faces and Magnus could feel the same expression on his face. Alec was trying so hard to work normally. But there was no normal for something like this.
The last picture in the string was one from Alec’s office, and it showed his husband, passed out on the couch, the basket at his feet. All of the kittens had clearly escaped, but they hadn’t gone far, curled up all over Alexander, from on his legs, to his arms, to his chest, and one tiny one curled up against his deflect rune.
Magnus bit down on his lip and took another screenshot. That was going to be one of his favorite pictures of Alexander for the rest of his life, he was certain. He’d never seen anything so adorable.
He sent a quick text to Isabelle. ‘You are forever my favorite. I owe you imported chocolate from your country of choice.'
He grinned when he received a winking emoji in return. Magnus leaned back in his chair and debated going to rescue Alexander. He did seem to be in a bit of a kitten covered mess. Of course, that was when his wards pinged, informing him that Alexander was home.
Magnus made a quick bet with himself. How many kittens would Alec be coming home with? Four? Five? There had been at least nine, but he had a feeling that they were going to end up adopting some of them.
"Magnus,” Alec called. “You home?"
"I am indeed,” Magnus said, pushing himself upright, walking towards where Alec was removing his gear carefully, his arm cradled against his chest. Magnus raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "What have you got there?“
Alec flushed. "So, uh, earlier today while we were airing out some of the older rooms in the Institute, we stumbled across a litter of kittens. They kinda, um. Imprinted on me, I guess?"
"I can sympathize, you are very imprint-worthy,” Magnus said with a laugh. “How many did you find?"
"Nine kittens along with the mother,” Alec said. “I didn’t bring home nine!” he promised, his eyes wide. He looked down at the crook of his arm and gave it a gentle stroke. “Just one,” he admitted.
Magnus smiled and stepped closer to take a peek at the calico bundle curled up in Alec’s arms. “I’m impressed your restraint."
Alec nodded and leaned in close, giving Magnus a quick kiss. "I spent the day with most of them, but thankfully they were adopted quick. The Mom seems to be at home in the Institute, so we’re happy to let her live there, of course."
"But this little one caught your heart?” Magnus guessed. He recognized the kitten that had curled up on Alec’s deflect rune and smiled at it.
“Yeah,” Alec whispered. “He’s the runt of the litter. So he’s smaller than the others, but he’s so adventurous, and he’s so determined to keep up with the others, even when he can’t.”
Magnus let Alec go on for a few more minutes about the kitten, how this one in particular had caused him endless amounts of issues over the day. Even with all the complaints, it was easy to see that Alec loved him already, and he was certainly not going to say no to keeping him.
“So have you decided on a name for him yet?" Magnus asked.
Alec shook his head. "I don’t have any idea what to name a cat. You’re the one with the experience in that area." He narrowed his eyes and cautioned Magnus. "No cat puns though."
Magnus chuckled and reached out to slowly stroke a finger over the back of the kitten, his magic reaching out to make sure that everything was well with the kitten, and it looked like despite some minor nourishment issues, that everything was more than fine.
"You should name him, Alexander. He’s yours,” Magnus said.
Alec huffed and glared at Magnus before looking back down at the kitten again. “That’s not helpful. I still have no idea how to go about naming a cat. I mean, we can’t just call him Calico."
"Well,” Magnus said. “You could, but I’d mock you for your lack of originality for eternity."
"And this is why I wanted you to name him,” Alec said with a sigh. He looked back down at the kitten and watched him yawn, big and wide, unable to keep from smiling at the sight.
“You know that I’m going to tease you no matter what you name him, so you might as well pick something that you like,” Magnus teased, pressing a kiss to Alexander’s cheek. “I’ll leave you to ponder that while I get dinner ready."
Alec rolled his eyes and gave the kitten a gentle pet. "What do you think,” he whispered. "What’s a name you would like, huh?“
The kitten only snuggled deeper into his arms and Alec rolled his eyes, walking over to the couch, sitting down and debating the decision. Unfortunately, he didn’t have anymore ideas when Magnus came back out.
"How about Lucifurr?” Magnus offered.
Alec groaned. “Magnus."
"Catsanova?"
"You’re horrible,” Alec grumbled.
“Kitkat?"
"Slightly less horrible."
"David Meowie?” Magnus couldn’t help snickering at the look from Alec. “Oh, how about Catpernicus?"
Alec sighed. "Why do I love you again?"
Magnus snickered. "I see how it is. You already love him much more than you love me."
"Well, at least he isn’t mocking me with bad pun names,” Alec shot back, shifting to put the kitten into his palm, watching bright green eyes meet his. He smiled.
The sight of Alec with a kitten curled up in the palm of his hand was devastating and Magnus took a second to thoroughly appreciate it. “Okay, how about a less-traditional name, but one I think you’ll like?"
Alec waited for the joke.
"Seraph,” Magnus offered.
Alec blinked and looked back to the kitten, a smile starting on his face. “Seraph, huh? I like that. What do you think? Seraph work for you?” he asked the kitten, stroking over his head, watching him yawn. “That’s as close to a yes as we’re going to get."
Magnus smiled. "Seraph it is."
They shared a quiet moment between the two of them before Magnus couldn’t resist any longer. "I’m impressed you didn’t come home with more after Isabelle sent me that picture of them all sleeping on you."
Alec groaned, flopping back onto the couch. "She was taking pictures and videos of me all damn day, and she got everyone in the Institute in on it!"
Magnus lit up, his eyes wide. "You mean there’s more pictures?"
Alec held up a stern finger, giving Magnus a glare. ”No.“
”Yes,“ Magnus said, summoning a portal. "I’ll be back in a few minutes, Alexander."
Alec sighed and lifted Seraph, smiling at him. "Your Papa is ridiculous, you know that?” he whispered, cuddling the kitten close. “But we love him just the way he is."