Work Text:
Asmodeus is probably the worst person to leave your child with.
No, really...even he would agree with the assessment.
There’s a nice amount of risk in being associated with the King of Edom. He hasn’t exactly made friends everywhere he’s gone, and he’s never been above using people to his advantage. Asmodeus has enemies in every realm and he isn’t the best role model either. He showed Magnus a few things that could make him the King of New York in a heartbeat, maybe King of the entire U.S. Despite all of the warning signs, Catarina ended up bringing Madzie to his luxurious New York apartment around midday on a Friday.
Jace was with him. Of course, he was. There was no way Catarina would have agreed to leave Madzie along with him for the entire weekend. Catarina was going to a work conference and needed someone to watch Madzie until Sunday night. She would normally ask Magnus and Alec but the lovers were on a vacation to Japan, and her other sitters had plans. Jace offered to watch Madzie and Catarina was thankful. She jumped to accept his offer but stopped herself before saying the magic world. Catarina knew Jace would be around Asmodeus and she couldn’t ask him to stay away from his lover but she didn’t want Madzie to spend too much time with the man, especially after all of the stories Magnus told her. Jace could sense her hesitation and promised that he’d always be close and that nothing would happen to Madzie. Catarina trusted Jace, so she said yes to his offer.
“Uncle Jace!” Madzie jumped into Jace’s arms and hugged him. The Shadowhunter hugged the little warlock to his chest. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Jace said as he pulled back to look at the little girl. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun this weekend.”
“Yeah.”
“Be good for Uncle Jace.” Catarina spoke as she handed Jace a bag for Madzie.
“She’s always good.” Jace smiled and held out the bag for Asmodeus to take, but frown when he realized Asmodeus was not in his normal spot to his left. Jace looked over his shoulder and saw the king standing a few feet away from the trio, looking like he didn’t know what to do with himself. It took Jace a moment to realize why Asmodeus was putting space between them. Catarina was Magnus’ friend, his longest living friend. Jace was sure Catarina knew the entire history between Magnus and Asmodeus, the stuff that Magnus hadn’t even told Alec. “Can you hold this? Madzie is growing so much. I can’t hold them both.” Jace joked and Asmodeus nodded. He walked over to Jace’s side and took the small purple bag from him. “This is Asmodeus, you’ve seen him around.” Jace said to Madzie and she nodded, giving Asmodeus a wave.
“Numbers and addresses are in the bag along with emergency numbers.” Catarina spoke. “Don’t be afraid to interrupt. This convention is normally boring. If it wasn’t required, I wouldn’t go.” Catarina leaned in to give Madzie a kiss on the nose. “Listen and don’t cause trouble...and no conjuring frogs.”
“What’s this about conjuring frogs?” Asmodeus questioned and Madzie glowed, smiling brightly. The two looked at one another and it was like they were silently communicating their plans.
“Whatever ideas you two are coming up with, remove them from your mind.” Jace ordered and looked at Catarina. “I think we just discovered a new mayhem crew.”
Catarina shrugged. “It’s your problem now.”
“Are you seriously going to just leave me here with them?” Jace protested and Catarina smirked.
“Yep.”
Jace managed to keep Madzie and Asmodeus from conjuring any frogs in the apartment. The trio had fun indoors, running around the apartment and playing with Madzie. The little warlock had endless energy. Jace let out a happy sigh as he settled Madzie on the living room couch next to Asmodeus.
“I’m going to start dinner.” He announced before walking out of the living room.
Asmodeus sat next to Madzie in an awkward silence. The television played in the background, but he wasn’t watching it. The greater demon felt like he should be doing something with the child, but didn’t know what. Despite being a king of a realm in hell, his paternal instincts were ice cold.
He turned his head to find the little warlock staring at him. Asmodeus smirked as they looked at one another. “Do you wanna do something fun?”
Madzie quickly nodded her head, always up for something fun.
Asmodeus stood from the couch before picking the little girl up and carrying her on his hip. “Let’s go have fun.
Jace pulled some garlic and tomatoes out of the fridge along with a jar of tomato sauce. He placed the ingredients on the island counter before going to grab a pot for the water. He quickly filled the pot with water before putting it on the stove and turning up the heat on the pot.
He then went to the pantry and grabbed the box of pasta that he wanted to use. Jace closed the pantry and turned back to place the box of noodles on the counter. “What the-.” Jace stopped short as he looked at his empty counter. His tomatoes, sauce and garlic were no longer on the counter. He swore he put them on the counter. Jace quickly placed the box of pasta down on the counter and went to the fridge. He threw the doors open and saw the produce and sauce in the refrigerador, sitting perfectly on the shelves and in the produce bin. Jace sighed loudly as he reached into the refrigerator and grabbed the ingredients again. He placed them on the counter once more, giving them a double take before walking over to the stove to peer inside of the pot. He wanted to see if the water was boiling.
“What the fuck.” Jace said under his breath as he looked into an empty pot. He knew, for sure, that he put water in the pot before placing it on the stove. He also noticed the stove was no longer on. Jace quickly turned around and saw that his ingredients were still on the counter, letting out a sigh of relief. He turned again to look at the stove.
“Oh my angel, what the hell!” Jace yelped when he saw that the pot was no longer on the stove. The box of pasta was also missing.
Jace was ready to break out all of his weapons and his full shadowhunter kit until he heard it: The giggle of a small warlock child and the chuckle of a sinister king.
Jace sighed. Asmodeus had already turned Madzie to the dark side. He moved away from the stove and looked at the counter. His ingredients were once again missing. Jace listened and smirked as he followed the quiet laughter around the corner and into the hallway. He found Madzie with a deep purple hue glowing from her palm as Asmodeus knelt beside her, his own fiery red magic flowing from his hand to hers in assistance.
Jace placed his hands on his hips and gave them a false angry father stance. “You know, this isn’t good for my mental health.” Madzie couldn’t hold back a giggle as their magic died down, seeping back into their palms.
“We’re just practicing.” Asmodeus answered. “You know, she’s at that age where practice is essential.” He explained as he rose to his feet.
“Where practice is essential.” Jace mockingly repeated before teasingly poking Asmodeus in the side. “Well, I’m not cooking. I’m too scared of your trickery.”
“Let’s go out then.” Asmodeus answered and turned to Madzie. “Have you ever made a thunderstorm inside of a portal?”
“Don’t you dare!”
The trio portalled out into the city without any trickery or giving Jace a heart attack. They walked into a restaurant and Jace was taken aback by the casual nature of the place. Simple booths and tables with brown carpet and non-descript walls. This was out of the ordinary for the greater demon.
“I’m surprised you know this place exists.” Jace teased as they were led to their table.
“I didn’t think a child would appreciate fine china and white table clothes.” Asmodeus answered before getting settled at the table with Madzie and Jace. The waiter brought menus and water for them before leaving again.
Asmodeus helped Madzie read through the menu and pick out what she wanted before the waiter came back. Jace ordered for the table as the two magic users were too engrossed in the coloring packet the waiter gave Madzie. Jace smiled at the sight of Asmodeus with a red crayon, helping Madzie color in the first picture. It warmed his heart and made Jace think of his own future, his own kids with Asmodeus helping them play or with homework.
Jace stopped himself mid-thought, shaking his head. He was thinking about kids with Asmodeus and he wasn’t even married to the man. Besides, would it be a good idea to have kids with the king of Edom? Asmodeus wasn’t exactly well liked and as a Shadowhunter, he had no shortage of enemies. How would a kid affect Magnus? Would Asmodeus run off like he did with Magnus?
“Who had the spaghetti?”
The waiter’s words brought him out of his head. Madzie raised her hand and the waiter placed the plate of spaghetti on the table. He finished serving Asmodeus and Jace before leaving the family to eat. Their dinner was delicious and uneventful which Jace was thankful for. He had to talk Asmodeus out of turning an older lady’s hat into a frog. The trio finished and paid their bill before leaving the restaurant and making their way out into the New York City streets. They spotted an ice cream stand and the adults knew they weren’t going to hear the end of it if they just ignored it. They all grabbed ice cream cones from the stand and made their way to a park bench to sit because Jace was paranoid that Madzie would drop her ice cream if they walked and ate.
Asmodeus added sprinkles to Madzie’s ice cream and caramel to Jace’s before eating his own. He smiled as he watched Jace wipe away the ice cream from Madzie’s face and made sure she was cleaned up once she finished. After everyone finished, Asmodeus found a secluded spot and opened a portal to his apartment. The trio stepped in and walked into the living room.
It was already slightly past Madzie’s bed time, so the adults quickly moved to get the little warlock ready for bed despite her protest and claiming to not be tried. Asmodeus carried her to her bed after getting her into her pajamas and laid her onto the guest bed. Almost immediately, she was asleep.
“So much for being not tired.” Jace whispered and Asmodeus bit his lip to hold back his laugh. The couple silently exited the bedroom and closed the door behind them. Jace watched as Asmodeus placed his hand on the closed door and muttered some words before moving away from it.
“What was that?” Jace questioned as they made their way to their bedroom.
“Spell...it will alert me to a rise in heartbeat and change in breathing.” Asmodeus explained.
“Not taking any changes.” Jace teased as he walked into their bedroom.
“The last thing I need is Catarina on my ass saying I killed her kid.” He explained and closed their bedroom door. “Besides, the little warlock is fun and she appreciates my mischief...unlike someone else.” Asmodeus snapped his fingers and Jace was now naked.
“She’s five. Mischief is all she kno-Hey!” Jace yelped when his clothes disappeared. Asmodeus chuckled and Jace wasn’t sure if he was going to survive another day with all this mischief.
- The next morning, Jace woke to an empty bed but his nose was filled with the smell of good food. Jace pulled himself out of bed and followed the smell to the kitchen. He found his two magical beings there, putting together plates of food with their magic. Asmodeus was holding Madzie on one hip while he supervised her as she used her magic to pour syrup on a small stack of pancakes. Jace smiled at the sight. It was a cute one.
“Good Morning.” Jace moved into the kitchen. He gave Madzie a peck on the cheek before kissing Asmodeus on the lips.
“This one s’yours!” Madzie exclaimed happily. Jace nodded before taking the plate that Madzie made for him. Asmodeus took his and Madzie’s plates and followed Jace to the kitchen table. Jace sat down and started to eat his food, glancing over at Asmodeus and Madzie every few moments.
The trio finished off their food before getting ready for the day. Over breakfast, the trio decided to make their way to the zoo and the park. The weather was nice and they wanted to take advantage of it. They quickly got ready, at Madzie’s insistence, and Asmodeus opened up a portal to the zoo before Madzie burst opened from her excitement and impatience.
The zoo wasn’t very crowded so the trio had many of the exhibits to themselves. Madzie was firmly in charge of the outing with the two men chasing behind her as she jumped from enclosure to enclosure.
“Madzie, don’t run!” Jace called out as the little girl ran toward the elephant enclosure.
“Relax, she has magic.” Asmodeus turned to press a kiss to Jace’s temple before squeezing Jace’s hand.
“And Catarina is her guardian.” Jace reminded him. “And I’m too young to die.” He added and Asmodeus chuckled.
“Your daughter is so adorable.” An older woman said, smiling at the couple.
“Oh…” Jace was taken aback by her compliment. “She’s n-.”
“Thank you.” Asmodeus cut him off and gave him a sly wink. “She’s a great child.” He said and the older woman walked off. Jace looked over at Asmodeus and the greater demon shrugged.
“Madzie.” Asmodeus called out and the little girl turned to face them. “You want to let some of the penguins out of their enclosure?” He asked and Jace looked horrified.
“Yes!” Madzie exclaimed and Jace shook his head.
“No, no.” Jace protested as Asmodeus reached down to pick Madzie up. “I’m serious, do not.”
“No one will get hurt. They’re penguins.” Asmodeus reasoned and Jace rolled his eyes.
A flock of penguins getting loose at the Zoo made the six o’clock news. No one could figure out how they managed to get out except for Jace, who watched as Madzie and Asmodeus used their magic to assist them. He had to talk the two troublemakers out of stealing a penguin and taking it home.
(But it’s cute!)
(Where would we even keep a penguin?)
(It would make Madzie very happy.)
(Don’t use her to guilt me into saying yes.)
The trio quickly left the zoo after the prank and got lunch before playing in the park. They ran around and played tag with Madzie. Asmodeus bowed out after a few rounds of tag and sat on a bench. He watched as Jace spun Madzie around, the little girl laughed loudly as she went round and round. The sight brought up a lot of feelings, feelings that a greater demon wouldn’t normally have. Jace was definitely melting his heart but seeing him with Madzie brought good feelings along with some tension and a bit of regret over what could have become. Reflection wasn’t something a king of Edom did, but Jace had the ability to make him do things he normally wouldn’t do.
A second later, Asmodeus was brought out of his thoughts when a pale finger touched the tip of his nose.
“Boop! You’re it!” Jace exclaimed before running off with Madzie already a few steps ahead of him.
Asmodeus smirked and looked around before casually waving his hand. His magic caught up with them and made them stop in their tracks.
“No magic! That’s not fair!” Jace whined, his muscles frozen from whatever Asmodeus did.
Asmodeus shrugged. “Greater demons aren’t fair.” He explained, moving to Stand in front of Jace. He leaned into kiss the shadowhunter on the lips. “Now, you’re it.”
After their day out, the trio returned home for the day. Asmodeus decided to order some Chinese food for dinner while Jace got Madzie cleaned up from the park. They decided to get into their sleep clothes because the trio had no plans of going out again.
Jace and Madzie settled on the couch as Asmodeus used his magic to conjure their favorite Chinese food. Jace gave Madzie the control of the television and they settled in for a night of cartoons and family friendly movies.
“She’s out cold.” Jace noted a few hours later when he looked over at Madzie. She was curled up on Asmodeus’ lap, eyes clothes and mouth slightly open.
“Yeah, she’s drooling on me.” Asmodeus whispered. He wrapped his arms around Madzie so he could carry her. “I’ll put her to bed.”
“I’ll clean up.” Jace leaned over to kiss his greater demon. “Goodnight.”
“Night.”
“Hey! Welcome back! How are you?”
Catarina smiled as she moved into the penthouse apartment, hugging Jace after he closed the door behind them. “I missed my girl.” She answered truthfully. She was so used to Madzie being around, Catarina almost didn’t know what to do with himself. The head nurse was also worried about her little girl being around Asmodeus. It appeared that Asmodeus was good to Jace but that didn’t mean he was good. If there was one hair out of place on her little warlock’s head, she would unleash her own version of Edom on earth.
“I present to you…”
Catarina turned toward the voice and saw Asmodeus with a smiling Madzie in his arms. She was giggling and Asmodeus was actually smiling, not smirking.
“Lady Madzie, Duchess of Edom.” Asmodeus finished and Catarina raised an eyebrow at the title. “What? It’s the only land I rule.” Asmodeus explained before passing Madzie to Catarina’s waiting arms.
“Uncle Modee said I can have land when I’m older!” Madzie happily exclaimed and Catarina raised an eyebrow at that.
“Oh, did he?” Catarina looked Asmodeus up and down before smirking. “Uncle Modee.” She chuckled before turning to Jace. “Thank you for watching her.”
“It was our pleasure.” Jace moved toward Asmodeus. “But l think it’s a good idea to keep these two trouble makers apart for a while.” He said as he wrapped his arms around the greater demon.
“What happened?”
“Did you read about an incident at the zoo?” Asmodeus questioned and Catarina remembered reading something about the zoo on her flight.
“Wait, with the penguins?” She asked and Asmodeus didn’t have the decency to look ashamed of himself. Neither did Madzie. Asmodeus reached out and Madzie raised her hand to give him a high five.
“Yeah, they need a cooling off period.” Catarina agreed before shifting Madzie. “Say bye, Madzie.”
“Bye!” She waved.
“Bye!” Jace and Asmodeus helped them to the door and waved them off before closing the door behind them.
“So...I lost my partner in crime.” Asmodeus claimed. Jace nodded as they moved back into the living room.
Asmodeus grabbed Jace and the shadowhunter let out a yelp as he went falling on to the couch back first. Asmodeus was on top of him in the next second, smirking down at him. “Want to get into some trouble together?”
Jace smiled up at him. “Only the good kind?”
“The best kind.” Asmodeus leaned down and kissed Jace on the lips. Jace smiled and nodded.
“Let’s get into some trouble.”