Archive of Our Own ^beta

It started small.  

Something that Alec and Magnus both teased him about, and Jace let them, knowing that they didn’t quite get it, didn’t understand.  

But ever since that first time, when Jace had whispered to the wards of Magnus’ loft, asking them to keep the two of them safe, he kept doing it.  Pressing a palm to the door and whispering a thank you when he was let in without Magnus being there.  

Thanking the magic he couldn’t feel, but knew was still in the loft, almost a sentient extension of Magnus itself.  It was always small. Making sure he was warm when Magnus and Alec forgot to adjust the temperature (because Magnus ran hot and Alec sometimes forgot it even mattered) during the winter months.  The couches on the balcony mysteriously free from cat hair because it always made him sneeze whenever he needed to sit out there. It was even in the little aches and bruises that were always healed the next morning.  (Except for the ones he wanted to keep, those were always there, always left by Alec or Magnus.) 

It was a habit.  One he liked. It was his own little ritual whenever he came home to the loft.  Alec always had his, and it involved putting away keys, wallet and his weapons into their usual spots.  Magnus had his own ritual, one that required a change of clothes, and drink, and often much comfier shoes.  

But Jace, he liked to spend a few minutes thanking the magic he knew surrounded all of them.  And after that, it simply became his thing and Alec and Magnus just accepted it with a smile.  

So it went.  

Jace didn't think anything of it, didn't think about how, as the months (and then years, then more years) went by, the tingling touch of the wards changed.  Little by little, he could feel them more than he used to, though that could have simply been that he was more aware of it, knew what Magnus magic felt like, no matter what he was using it for.  

But then Magnus' Christmas party happened, and he had to wonder if maybe there was more to that than he had thought.  

~!~

"Wayland!  You have to tell me your secret!"  

Jace gave a smile and tilted his head.  Where was Alec, he was never supposed to be left alone with the Clave bureaucrats.  They'd learned long ago that that was a horrible idea, for everyone. "Uh, what secret?  Though, I promise the answer is a good glass of wine at the end of the day."  

"How do you not look a day over thirty!  Aren't you on the back half of forty?"  

Jace snorted into his wine and rolled his eyes.  He smiled. "Then it's definitely the wine. It does pay to sometimes have a husband with expensive tastes.  He isn't afraid to indulge Alec and I."  

The man, maybe he was related to Carstairs, that pompous asshole who had spent the better part of a decade bitching about their marriage in the Clave registrar once it had been completely settled and made clear there was nothing against it in the Law.  

"....Wayland?" 

Jace snapped back to attention and offered an attempt at an apologetic smile. Alec would be so proud of him. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"  

"I said, it must be the immortals keeping you young.  You're lucky, they'll always be there to take care of you in your old age!"  

Jace resisted the urge to growl as the man gave him a slap on the shoulder and moved into the party, calling out to Alec.  He shook his head and ducked out onto the balcony, inhaling a desperate breath of air. He knew that Magnus and Alec, due to their positions as liaisons to the Downworld, needed to host parties like these, but he hated them.  He stroked his fingers along the edge of the balcony and sighed.  

"You probably hate this too," he whispered softly.  "Especially after the first time, when Iris came in, right?"  A small tingle along his hands and a warming up of the cold air around him told him that he was right and Jace smiled faintly.  

"Well don't worry," Jace said, patting the wall again.  "You certainly aren't alone. But they'll all be gone soon enough, and Magnus has promised we'll spend at least a week in Paris.  We haven't been there since that first year we were all together."  

Another tingle, this one decidedly more pleased and Jace relaxed.  He decided he'd give himself at least another minute of fresh air before he tried to dive inside again.  

"Jace?" 

Jace grinned, glad it wasn't some Clave official and turned to look at Clary.  "Hey, you. Coming to escape the crush?"  

Clary laughed, shaking her head.  "Alec gave me his patented, I think Jace might be about to murder someone look, so I came to make sure you're all right."  

"I'm fine," he promised her, bumping their shoulders together.  "Besides, I don't think Izzy is going to thank you for abandoning her in there."  

"Oh no," Clary said, holding up her hands.  "Last I saw her, she was in a passionate debate with both Lydia and Aline.  I don't know what it was about, but I wasn't going to come between them."  

Jace grinned, relaxing.  Between the three of them, and with Magnus and Alec acting as Downworld liaisons, change was finally starting to come to their world.  Long overdue change, and it was wonderful to see. Maybe he'd even live long enough to see some of the stuff finalized.  

"Can I ask you something?" Clary asked, glancing at him.  "I'm curious."  

Jace raised an eyebrow at her.  "Since when do you ever ask permission to ask questions, Fray?"  

Clary snorted.  "This one's a bit sensitive.  But, are you dying your hair?"  

Jace blinked and turned towards her.  "What?"  

"You heard me," she said with a huff.  "I figured it was safer to ask you, than it was to ask Magnus and Alec, since, you know, I know that's not an easy topic among all of you.  But, no offense Jace, at forty-seven? You should have a gray hair or two."  

"Good genes?" Jace suggested with a shrug.  

Clary hummed and tilted her head, looking at him.  "I suppose," she said, her eyes tracing over him and she huffed out a laugh.  "If I didn't know any better..."  

Jace tensed, frowning at her.  "What's that mean?"  

"It means," Clary said, reaching out to give him a hug. "Happiness is a damn good look on you, and continues to be, Jace.  Don't worry."  

Jace watched her head back into the party and frowned.  His hands tingled where they were gripping the balcony again. He shook himself.  Plenty of shadowhunters still looked damn good in their forties. He wasn't strange, this wasn't weird.  

Except it was.  After Carstairs, and Clary, four other shadowhunters all made jokes about his age, and how he still looked not a day over thirty.  By the time the party was ending, Jace was ready to snap at the next person who even mentioned his age, let alone that he still looked young.  He knew that he was worrying both Magnus and Alec, that they had been shooting him worried looks for hours, but they had to do the schmoozing required by their jobs.  

As soon as he was able to, Jace slipped out of the party, pressing a hand to the front door with a soft order to protect both Magnus and Alec and keep them safe, Jace stuffed his hands into his pockets and made for the roof.  Thankfully, Magnus had shut down the roof access from his loft for the party, but he could still get up there via the fire escape, and climbed up quickly, settling into the garden there, breathing in the calming scent of the plants Magnus grew.  They'd even started an herb garden, mostly as a joke, but then, when Jace had found himself having a surprising knack for it, they'd kept it.  

He settled in next to the plants and glanced down the length of the glamoured garden.  Here, at least, it was quiet and he didn't need to listen to anyone ask about his age. Jace flinched and hid his face in his knees.  It wasn't like age was a sensitive topic or anything, with two immortal husbands. But he'd made his peace with it, they all had. So what the hell was different about tonight?

His phone chiming made him fumble it out of his pocket and Jace huffed at the short text from Alec.  

'Magnus or I?' 

Jace blew out a hard breath.  Fuck, Alec knew him so damn well.  But he didn't even know what kind of comfort he was looking for tonight.  He looked around the garden, past the normal plants and into the magical ones and guessed that at the very least, maybe Magnus could offer some advice.  

'Magnus.'

Jace sent back the single word text.  Twenty years together and he knew that Alec wouldn't be hurt at the answer, only thankful that he was able to ask for whatever it was that he needed.  When a portal opened up, seconds later, Jace glanced over at Magnus with a smile and held out his hand.  

"Your guests are going to be annoyed," he offered, glad when Magnus took his hand and settled in next to him.  

"You'll always be my priority over them," Magnus said, giving his hand a squeeze.  He shifted and leaned against Jace's shoulder. "You've been tense all night. Something happen?"  

Jace frowned and thought about it, looking up at the stars that he could see, even with all the light pollution from New York.  "I don't even know that I can say that something did happen. But it feels like everyone started to notice something that...isn't there."  

Magnus hummed.  "You're going to need to be a little bit more descriptive, Jace."  

Jace huffed out a laugh and pushed his hair out of his face.  "I'm not even trying to be vague on purpose or anything. I'm just trying to say that I don't know that something is wrong.  But it feels weird."  

"What does?" Magnus asked.  

"Almost everyone I talked to tonight complimented me on how young I still look, despite being almost fifty," Jace said, feeling Magnus tense next to him.  He switched the hand he was using to hold Magnus' and wrapped his right arm around the warlock. "I know. I know, and I'm not trying to bring up a conversation none of us enjoy.  But it was talked about again, and again, and I just..."  

Magnus sighed and leaned into Jace's shoulder.  "It wore you down?" he offered.  

Jace nodded.  "Yeah. That's an understatement.  I mean, you'd think more people would realize what a sensitive topic that is for us.  It's not one I want to discuss with every asshole on the street."  

Magnus snorted and pressed a kiss to Jace's cheek.  "You would think as much, but we also know that people are always people, and that is never going to change, despite our best efforts."  

"Yeah," Jace whispered, looking up at the stars again.  "I am scared of it, you know. Leaving the two of you. Not dying, I don't honestly care about that.  But leaving the two of you? I know you'll be fine but..." he swallowed.  

"You don't want us to forget you," Magnus said, tightening his hold on the shadowhunter, holding him closer.  "You know we never will, Jace. And when you..." he took a shaky breath, clenching his eyes shut. "When that does happen, I have no doubt that Alexander and I will never be the same again, without you."  

"But you'll have each other right?" Jace asked, his eyes wide and frantic as he looked at Magnus.  "You won't let this rip the two of you apart, right?" 

Magnus reached out and cupped Jace's cheek in his palm and pulled him in for a kiss.  "No, darling. We won't be ripped apart. We'll cling to each other all the tighter and miss you more than you can ever imagine.  But we will be together."  

Jace let out a shaky exhale and nodded.  "Okay. Okay, good."  

Magnus kept cuddled up against Jace, letting the silence stretch between the two of them.  It didn't feel like their conversation was quite over. "Is something else bothering you?"  

"I..." Jace thought about it and tilted his head with a frown.  "No? Not really. Because it wouldn't be possible. But I just wonder..."  

Magnus hummed and looked at him.  "Wonder what?"  

"Could you," Jace swallowed and fidgeted.  "Could you check and make sure something hasn't been done to me?  About, about the aging thing? I just," he plowed through, not wanting to stop.  "Could you make sure there's nothing weird or wrong with me? With the angel blood, and everything?” 

Magnus smiled and nodded, snuggling into Jace.  "Of course, darling, I'm happy to do that, you know that."  He pressed a kiss to Jace's shoulder and closed his eyes. He reached out with his magic, sparks around gathering around his hand, dancing from him to Jace.  Like this it, pressed close together, it was easy to let his magic sink into Jace.  

He blinked in surprise when it was even easier than it should have been.  His magic sinking into Jace was spinning and rejoicing and Magnus let it wander freely through the shadowhunter, wondering exactly what that meant.  He felt Jace jolt a little and smiled comfortingly at him. "Don't worry, think my magic is just enjoying touching you," he said.  

Jace relaxed and sagged easily, smiling.  "Ah, that's why it feels so familiar," he managed.  He closed his eyes and breathed through the tingle running from where his hand was clasped with Magnus' through the rest of his body.  It was like whenever he touched the wards, but so much more. Likely because it was coming from the very source of that magic - Magnus himself.  He grinned and relaxed, leaning into it as the magic wove through him, his whole body tingling.  

"I will never be able to understand how you and Alec react the way you do to my magic," Magnus whispered softly.  "The way the both of you open yourself up to it, welcome it."  

"Well yeah," Jace breathed, inhaling slowly, feeling the magic flex with the shifting of his body.  "It's you, so of course we do."  

Magnus smiled and was about to withdraw his magic from Jace, having felt that everything was fine, when something pinged back at him.  He blinked and turned to look at Jace, his glamour dropping. "What was..." he whispered to himself. "Hold on. Nothing's wrong," he reassured, immediately able to feel it wasn't dangerous. "But my magic felt something." 

Jace tightened his hold on Magnus and felt him draw further into the magic.  The tingle, where before it had felt gentle and familiar, now started to feel like more, like sparks shooting through his whole body.  "Magnus," he managed, gritting his teeth together. It didn't hurt, but it was rapidly becoming uncomfortable to bear the weight of how much magic he could feel in him.  

"Almost there," Magnus muttered, reaching for what he could feel pinging against his magic.  When he finally touched it, awareness flooded through him, and he jerked back, withdrawing his magic as quickly as he could without hurting Jace, but now that he'd given it more power, the silver thread running from his heart to Jace's was now visible in the darkness of the roof.  

Jace stared at the silver thread, the way it twinkled between the both of them in surprise.  "Uh, Magnus? What is that?"  

Magnus blinked, unable to look away from the thread.  He reached out to touch just a single fingertip to it and closed his eyes.  Now he could feel it without reaching into Jace, and he sucked in a surprised breath.  The nature of it wasn't hard to ascertain either, his magic happily singing along it, wrapping around the Nephilim that he, his magic had claimed.  Magnus lifted his eyes to stare at Jace, horror threatening to choke him.  

"Magnus," Jace snapped, his voice harsher.  Whatever it was had made Magnus go almost white, his skin unnaturally pale.  His golden eyes were wide and Jace hated that he could see the fear in them. "Alec!"  Jace shouted, praying that their husband was listening. "Alec, roof, now!" he added.  

In less than a minute, Alec was skidding to a stop next to them both, his eyes wild as he looked between them.  "What's wrong? What is it? Jace?"  

"Magnus," Jace managed, pressing a hand to his heart as he watched the silver thread between them start to fade at last.  "Something's wrong with Magnus."  

Alec turned all of his attention to Magnus, but when he reached out to touch him, Magnus stumbled to his feet, his eyes still wide and scared.  "Magnus? What's wrong? Talk to us," he ordered.  

Magnus lifted his eyes to Alec and looked back to Jace, and he could feel it now, the tentative thread that was so strong, brought on by how he felt about Jace that his magic had... had.... "I have to go," he whispered, taking a step back from them.  "I, the Spiral Labyrinth. I have to go, I'll be back, but I have to..." 

Jace watched as Magnus summoned a portal and stumbled through it before he or Alec could move fast enough to stop him.  When Alec's stunned eyes met his, Jace forced himself to his feet. "What, what the hell was that?"  

"I don't know," Alec said, frowning as he pulled out his phone, hitting the number for Catarina.  "But we're going to find out right now. What were the two of you doing?" 

Jace swallowed and looked at Alec.  "Was getting a lot of comments about how good I looked for my age at the party.  Rubbed me the wrong way."  

Alec reached out and wrapped an arm around Jace, pulling him in close, even as he left a quick message for Catarina, explaining what had happened and that they needed to hear from Magnus.  "You're okay though?"  

"Yeah," Jace said, nuzzling into Alec's shirt.  "M'fine. Was weird though. Almost like there was something that he found when I asked him to make sure I was okay."  

Alec's eyes immediately sharpened on Jace.  "What do you mean?"  

"When I talked to him about it.  I figured I'd ask him to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with me, you know.  No weird ass spells or something with my blood and shit," Jace gave a dismissive hand wave.  "He heals me so often it was more for my reassurance than anything."  

Alec frowned and looked between Jace and the phone, debating whether to agree with him that maybe Magnus had found something.  "Do you feel all right?"  

"Yeah, other than pissed off that twenty fucking people asked me how I'm aging so well," Jace grumped, looking at Alec.  "I'm fine, I promise."  

Alec called Magnus and scowled when his husband didn't pick up.  "Okay, we're not going to panic until we think there is actually something to panic over.  Do you need to stay up here for longer?"  

Jace rubbed his hands up and down his arms, looking at Alec.  "Is the Christmas party still going?"  

"Yes," Alec admitted reluctantly.  "I'll take care of it. You stay up here.  You want Izzy?"  

Sighing, Jace nodded.  "Would that be all right?"  

Alec pulled Jace in for a soft kiss and hugged him tight.  "Of course. I'll send her up. Don't worry. Magnus is fine, you're fine, we're all going to be fine, okay?"  

Jace nodded and nuzzled into Alec's neck, taking a deep breath.  "Love you," he whispered, glad when Alec hugged him all the tighter.  

"Love you too," Alec whispered, kissing the top of Jace's head.  "Now stay here, I'll send Izzy up."  

Jace nodded again and watched Alec disappear in a blink at full vamp speed.  It was a matter of a few minutes before he heard the click of heels approaching before Izzy sat down next to him.  "Hey," he said.  

"You know," Izzy said with a hum.  "The way the two of them mama bear over you, I'm surprised they haven't ripped anyone's arms off yet for everyone making you uncomfortable tonight."  

Jace huffed out a laugh.  "They know that won't help them in the long run, no matter how satisfying it would be."  

"Might be worth it," Izzy said, bumping his shoulder.  "Alec said you wanted to see me."  

Jace turned and looked at Izzy and for the first time in a long time, forced himself to really look.  There were laugh lines at the corners of her lips and eyes. There were silver streaks in her hair, and while she was still gorgeous, there were clear signs of aging on her face.  Signs...that were missing on his own.  

"Jace?" Izzy asked when he frowned and looked away.  "What's wrong?"  

Jace sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair, thinking of the silver thread that he'd seen connecting he and Magnus.  He pressed a hand to his heart and wondered if the tingle that he could feel was the residual touch of Magnus' magic, or something else.  

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Izzy said, looking over at him.  "Considering it can't be more scandalous than you're in a relationship with your former parabatai and his husband, I'm pretty sure you aren't going to shock me."  

Jace laughed and let some of the tension drain out of his shoulders.  Izzy had always been one of their biggest supporters and had never wavered from that through the years.  He twisted his wedding ring on his finger and looked down at it. "I suppose that's true." 

"Come on," Izzy said, giving him another nudge.  "Talk to me while Alec clears out your house."  

"I..." Jace swallowed and looked down at his hands.  "I think something happened, Iz. Something that none of us meant to happen, but maybe wanted to."  

Izzy raised both of her eyebrows.  "If you tell me you're pregnant..." 

"No, no," Jace said with a laugh.  The fact that Magnus and Alec had both tentatively asked him about kids in the past year was something that was staying between them.  Magnus was looking, and convinced that they would find who was right for them when the time came. "None of us are pregnant."  

"I don't..."  He paused and exhaled hard.  "Do you think I'm not aging anymore?"  

Izzy looked up at the stars and considered how to answer that.  She took a deep breath and glanced back at Jace. "About fifteen years ago," she admitted.  "I figured that you three had done something, and whatever it was, you weren't ready to tell the rest of us about.  But right around when you turned thirty, or just before? That's when I started to wonder."  

Jace sucked in a hard breath.  "No, no, Iz, we, we didn't...."  Tears pricked at the corner of his eye and he clenched his eyes shut, longing threatening to choke him.  How many times had he had the stray or errant thought that it would be nice to not have a countdown over their heads?  That he would love to see Alec hit his first century and then maybe his second? Celebrate Magnus' five hundredth birthday?  But it was impossible unless he'd decided to become a vampire, and with his angel blood, that hadn't been something he was willing to consider.

Izzy hummed and frowned.  "What do you think happened?"  

"I don't know," Jace whispered.  "But something clearly did. Magnus noticed it tonight and then had some kind of freak out."  

Both of Izzy's eyebrows raised.  "Magnus had the freak out?"  

Jace waved towards the roof.  "He muttered something about the spiral labyrinth and then disappeared."  

Izzy reached out and wrapped her arms around him.  “Are you okay?”  

“I think so?” Jace offered, hugging her tight.  “I don’t feel sick, or like anything is wrong. But whatever freaked out Magnus that badly can’t, well.  It can’t be good, right?”  

Izzy squeezed him again.  “He’s the only one that can answer that, Jace.  But I know that he and Alec are going to make sure they do everything in their power to protect you from whatever it is.”  

Jace nodded, hiding his face in her neck.  “I don’t want to leave them, Iz,” he whispered, feeling her tense.  “I, I know they’ll be okay without me. And, and we knew this coming in.”  

“But that doesn’t stop you from wanting to stay,” Izzy finished, combing her fingers through Jace’s hair.  “And if it turns out that there is a way for you to stay?”  

Longing spiked through him, hot, wild, and desperate and Jace stared at her, unable to swallow through how much he wanted exactly that.  “I’d spend every day I have loving them with everything that I am.”  

Izzy smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead.  “The three of you have gone through hell to get here, Jace.  You’ve fought the world to get where you are today. And the change you have brought about for this world is making things better for everyone, not just you.”  

“I know,” Jace said with a wet laugh, thinking of the kidnapping, Alec dying, the numerous near death experiences they had had in the past two decades, only to come out stronger on the other side.  “I know we have. But it’s worth it, it’s all worth it.”  

“All I’m saying,” Izzy said, her voice quiet.  “If my time spent as a liaison with the Seelies has taught me nothing else, sometimes the world will balance itself in strange and unexpected ways.”  

Jace frowned, raising an eyebrow at her.  “Which means what, exactly?” 

Izzy shrugged.  “I don’t know. But I do believe in balance, Jace.  And maybe this is the way the universe is granting you that.”  

Looking up at the stars, Jace considered that and laughed, sadly.  “I’m not worth that.”  

“You are,” Izzy snapped, her voice fierce.  “You always have been. Magnus and Alec know it, and so do I.  If this is what you think it might be? Don’t fight it, Jace. It’s a gift, and after everything you have gone through - together with them and before?  Maybe it’s the universe offering you balance.”  

Jace swallowed and leaned into the circle of her arms again, closing his eyes to breathe steady until the sound of footsteps on the roof joined them.  Alec sat down on his other side and Jace reached out, squeezing his hand tight.  

“You two going to be okay tonight?” Izzy asked, looking over at them.  “I need to get back to the Institute.”  

“Yeah,” Alec said quietly.  “We’ll be okay.”  

“All right,” Izzy said, leaning over to give them both quick hugs before heading back downstairs.  

Jace didn’t know how long he and Alec sat in silence, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what Izzy had said.  The thought was pounding in his mind now, desperate to break free, but Alec would think he was crazy.  

“You can either tell me, or we go spar until you tell me,” Alec said, giving a small yawn.  “Those are your options.”  

Jace sighed, pushing his fingers through his hair again.  “Izzy thought we did something to make me immortal fifteen years ago and hadn’t just been able to tell any of them.”  

Alec jolted in surprise, his eyes wide.  “What?”  

“Yeah,” Jace said with a huff.  “Hell of a thing to find out tonight, right?” 

“Shit,” Alec cursed, sighing.  “No wonder Magnus freaked out. If something did happen to you and he didn’t notice, he’s going to be beating himself up for not realizing sooner.”  

Jace groaned.  “Fuck, that does explain his freakout.”  

Alec stood up and held out his hand to Jace.  “Come on, regardless of whether Magnus is beating himself up or not, I am fucking exhausted and I need to sleep, and I’m sure you do too.” 

“I don’t know if I can sleep,” Jace muttered, following Alec back into the loft.  

“I’d offer to wear you out like we promised earlier, but I don’t think either of us are in the mood,” Alec said.  

Jace sighed and looked around.  “I don’t want to go to bed without Magnus.  If he’s out there worrying himself instead of sleeping-” 

“There’s nothing we can do about it tonight,” Alec said, wrapping an arm around Jace, pulling him in close.  “I’ve called Catarina and sent a fire message to Tessa. If she-” the sound of a portal opening had him spinning around, sagging in relief at the sight of Magnus.  “Magnus!”  

“Thank the angel,” Jace muttered, striding towards Magnus, wrapping his arms tightly around Magnus, hugging him tight.  “Was fucking worried after you left.”  

Magnus sighed and wrapped his arms around Jace, pulling him in close, reaching out for Alec, glad when he joined the hug a second later.  “I’m sorry for worrying the both of you. When I realized what had happened, I…” he swallowed. “Can we perhaps talk about it tomorrow?”  

Alec pulled back and looked at Magnus, at the sorrow and hint of fear in his face.  “Are either of you going to sleep?” 

“Probably not,” Jace muttered, sighing as he nuzzled into Magnus’ neck.  “Not knowing that something is wrong.”  

Magnus sighed again and looked up at Alec.  “We’re both fine,” he said softly. “Healthy, there’s no issue.”  He reached up and combed his fingers through Jace’s hair. “But when I looked, I did find something.”  

“Right,” Jace said on a hard exhale.  “I had guessed as much, but why was this the first time you noticed it?  You heal me all the time.”  

“Come on,” Alec said, giving them all a small tug towards the bedroom.  “If we’re going to have this conversation, we’re going to do it in bed. I’ll clean up.”  

Magnus nodded and watched Alec begin to dash around, making quick work of the mess that had been left by their guests.  

“Go change,” Jace said, pressing a kiss to Magnus’ cheek.  “You’ll feel better. I’ll help Alec.”  

Magnus swallowed and gave Jace another hug.  “All right.” He watched Jace go and move around Alec, despite his vamp speed, with ease.  Watching the two of them, his heart pounded and he turned to the bedroom, stepping into it with a sigh.  After everything they had weathered together, was this going to be what ended up breaking them apart?  

A tear slipped down his cheek and Magnus quickly reached for his makeup wipes, getting himself sorted before he changed into a robe and lounge pants.  

There were times that vamp speed just plain came in handy, and Jace chuckled as he watched Alec pull the loft to rights in a matter of minutes.  He focused on cleaning the dishes and filling in the small gaps Alec left behind as he cleaned. Once they were finished, he smiled and pressed his fingers to the wall.  “Thank you for keeping us safe tonight,” he whispered.  

The same tingle that always responded to his fingers made him grin, but then there was a blue spider web growing out from where he’d touched and Jace took a step back, his eyes growing wide as he watched the intricate web grow and expand, moving along the wall.  There was a pulse of light through it and then there was even more, and he could see the spell circles weaved into the web, all of it the same vibrant blue as Magnus’ magic, but now he could see it. 

“Jace?” Alec asked, pausing in the middle of the room.  Jace’s heartbeat had skyrocketed and he was staring in shock at the walls.  

“Can, can you see that, Alec?” Jace asked, looking over at him, before he gestured to the walls.  “The, the web?” 

Alec frowned, looking between Jace and the wall.  There was nothing there that he could see. “What are you talking about?”  

“It’s…” Jace paused and studied it more carefully, even as he watched the web grow, continuing along the outside of the loft and he felt his heart stop for several long, painful moments as he realized what he was looking at.  “They’re the wards…” he breathed.  

“Jace?” Alec repeated, moving closer to him.  “The wards? You can see them?”  

Jace nodded, glancing back towards Alec before he moved closer, pushing his hand to the web again.  White light pulsed around his hand, moving out from him and into the web carefully constructed around their home.  “You could always feel and hear me, couldn’t you?” he breathed, and this time, the magic warmed his palm, a response in its own right.  

“Jace?  Alexander?” Magnus called, striding out of the bedroom.  “I can feel something on my…” he trailed off and stared in shock, looking at the wards responding to Jace’s touch as easily as they did his own.  “Oh,” he whispered.  

“Magnus?” Alec asked, staring between the both of them.  “Can you tell me what’s going on, please? I’d really like to know.”  

Magnus snapped his fingers, letting the wards become visible so Alec could see what both he and Jace did.  “You can see the wards now, right?” he asked Alec, waiting for a nod before he turned back towards where Jace was staring at the magic in awe.  

“Why could I see them?” Jace asked, keeping his hand pressed to the web, smiling faintly as it pulsed around it.  “I’m not able to normally.”  

Magnus swallowed.  “I suspect it’s because of what I did earlier, and because… they wanted you to.”  

Alec raised both of his eyebrows.  “They?” he asked. “It’s your magic, isn’t it?”  

“There’s…” Magnus took a deep breath.  “When you are around magic for long enough, you learn that while it isn’t sentient in the same way that you and I are...it...is.  It feels things, has the ability to choose to do things, protect people, things of that nature,” he explained. “It’s not a heavily studied field, because it’s not possible to know exactly what it does.”  

“Your magic takes care of me all of the time,” Jace said, cutting in.  He looked over his shoulder and shrugged at the surprise in Magnus’ eyes.  “It does for all of us, you just might not notice it. But I’m never cold here, if you two forget to change the temperature.”  When both of them blinked at him, he shrugged. “I never need to grab a fresh towel, there’s always one waiting for me. If I’m sore after a mission, I wake up not sore.”  

Magnus blinked at Jace, his mind racing.  “How...how long has this been happening for?”  

Jace shrugged.  “Since before we left for Alicante.  But when we got back it was more consistent.  Kinda like things settled, or something.”  

Magnus swallowed, managing a dry chuckle as he sank into one of the chairs beside his drink cart.  “Of course it did.”  

Alec raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest, looking between the two of them.  “Well, it looks like we’re not going to bed. But what the hell is going on, Magnus?”  

“It’s…” Magnus huffed out a sigh and looked at Alexander, then to Jace.  “It’s not unheard of, for a warlock’s magic to, to claim those they fall in love with.  Our magic is us, and it responds to our emotions, our desires, and like anything else, people can become the target of that.”  

“Which makes sense,” Jace said, walking towards Magnus, sitting on the arm of the chair he was in.  He glanced at the pulsing wards around their home. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there?” 

Alec waited for Magnus to answer, but he could smell the fear and the way Magnus’ heart was beating faster and faster with each passing second.  “Magnus,” he called, waiting for golden eyes to meet his. He smiled faintly. “Whatever it is, we’re going to be okay.”  

Magnus exhaled harshly.  “All recorded cases of this phenomenon are things like Jace mentioned.  Magic...taking care of another person. Or people,” he amended, looking up at Alec, then to Jace.  

Jace frowned, reaching out to take Magnus’ hand, squeezing it.  “I’m guessing this is something more.”  

“You talk to my magic, Jace,” Magnus said, his voice soft.  “Not just me, but my magic itself. The wards of the loft. The magic in the loft.  It got to know you in a way deeper than just me, and when the chance came to act on a subconscious desire I have… it did.”  

Alec hummed and stepped closer, sitting on the other arm of the chair, watching Magnus slump further between the both of them.  “And what was that? Do you know?”  

“That’s what I had to go find out,” Magnus said, squeezing Jace’s hand, leaning in to press his head against Jace’s thigh before he stood up.  He let go of both of their hands and paced across the loft, his magic snapping in annoyance. “I should have noticed, I should have known, I should have-” 

“Magnus,” Jace interrupted, standing up.  “Look at me,” he ordered. He waited until Magnus stopped pacing and took a deep breath, watching his shoulders begin to shake.  “What are you afraid of?”  

Alec turned and looked at Magnus, tilting his head as he studied his husband, rubbing his thumb over his ring.  “He’s afraid we’re going to leave,” he said, looking at Jace, meeting his eyes when they widened in surprise. “That’s what Magnus is afraid of.”  

“Leave?”  Jace wrinkled his nose in confusion.  “Why the hell would we leave? I mean, other than on vacation or something like that, but I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.  Hell, you two work together every day.”  

Magnus wanted to laugh, but then Jace was hugging him again, curling into him, and he couldn’t help clinging to him the smallest amount.  “Call it an irrational fear then,” he offered, nuzzling into Jace’s hair.  

Alec hummed and narrowed his eyes at Magnus, taking in the way he was clinging to Jace, the sparks falling from his fingertips, and…  “Oh,” he said, blinking in surprise. The sparks weren’t falling off Jace like they usually did. They were sinking into his skin.  

“Well, come on,” Jace said, kissing Magnus’ neck.  “Get the rest of it out. I’m well, not tired, but I want to curl up with you and none of us are going to sleep until we’ve got everything out in the open.” 

Magnus sighed.  “I didn’t, don't, want you to leave,” he said, holding onto Jace tighter.  “The more time went by, the better we fit together, the less I wanted to contemplate a life without the both of you.”   

Alec stepped up behind Magnus and wrapped his arms around the warlock, nuzzling into his neck, pressing gentle kisses to his hairline as they held on.  “So your magic…”  

“My magic…” Magnus said with a sigh.  “Acting on that desire, decided to… tie Jace’s life force to my own.”  He reached out and with a twist of his fingers, there was a silver thread hanging between he and Jace.  “It’s not entirely dissimilar to the parabatai bond, which might be why you never noticed, Jace.”  

Jace blinked, staring at the silver thread that was balanced on Magnus’ fingertips.  “Okay, that, that uh,, makes sense. But why didn’t you notice it, Magnus?”  

Magnus flushed and groaned a little.  “Because, the two of you are already, ah…” he huffed.  “Any warlock that sees you sees my magical signature on you.  My magic has long since...staked its claim on the both of you for any warlock to see.”  

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes.  “Possessive asshole,” he murmured against Magnus’ skin with a smile.  

“Soooooo, I’m not going to age anymore?” Jace clarified, leaning back to look at Magnus.  

Magnus tensed and shook his head.  “No, as long as, as long as that bond is there, you’ll…” he swallowed.  “You’ll remain as-is.”  

“Huh,” Jace said.  He looked over Magnus’ shoulder at Alec.  “Wish we’d known about this a few years back.  Would have saved us a ton of research.”  

Alec snorted.  “Yeah, no shit, Mister My-Angelic-Blood-Fucks-With-All-Plans.”  

Jace grinned, bright and wide.  “You’re just mad because Magnus’ magic likes me best!”  

“It does not!” Alec protested, hugging Magnus tighter.  “Loves us both equally! I was already immortal, so it’s not like it could do that to me!”  

“Does too!  This is because I talk to it, and you’re the one who mocked me for that!” Jace huffed, turning to look up at Magnus, meeting his eyes with a grin.  “Tell him, Magnus.”  

“I,” Magnus frowned, blinking down at Jace.  “You aren’t upset?”  

“No, why the hell would I be upset?” Jace asked, frowning at him.  “You think I want to leave the two of you? You’re fucking hopeless without me these days.  You’d have to go back to buying your spices.”  

Alec laughed, giving Jace a hard poke in the side.  “Stop that, stop it.”  

“I don’t…” Magnus frowned, looking between them both.  “How, why... you aren’t upset?”  

Jace shook his head and stole a kiss from Magnus, pressing their foreheads together.  “No, Magnus, why would I be upset about this?”  

Alec huffed and nuzzled into Magnus’ neck.  “Do you remember that warlock conference you went to in Toronto, for two weeks?”  

Magnus groaned at the memory and nodded.  “Of course I do. Worst memory I have in the past century.”  

“Well,” Alec said, looking to Jace.  “While you were gone, we did a lot of research.  Trying to see if there was a way that we could...that Jace could stay.”  He swallowed. “Jace brought it up first, and, well. We thought if we found something, we’d bring it to you.”  

“Unfortunately,” Jace said with a pout when Magnus’ attention swung back to him.  “My angel blood offers a complication no matter what route we took. I couldn’t become a vampire, who knows if the turn would actually take-” 

“And there’s the whole fact that neither Simon or I could kill you,” Alec said with a grumble, glaring at Jace.  

Jace snorted.  “Yeah, that wasn’t our first choice,” he agreed, meeting Magnus eyes again.  “I couldn’t become a warlock, because even if I did the summoning to trade my ancestry for demon blood-” 

“Who knows how powerful actual angel blood would have made a demon,” Alec said, finishing Jace’s sentence.  Those two weeks had been full of nothing but frustrations and disappointments and both he and Jace had hated every second of the realization that perhaps forever together wasn’t meant to be for them.  

Magnus’ heart was pounding as his eyes darted between the both of them.  He could barely wrap his mind around the idea that they had not only actively pursued this, but they’d done the research to the point where-

“There was the possibility of the potion,” Jace continued, huffing.  “But not only was it exceptionally volatile in normal circumstances, you’d still need the blood of an immortal to make it work.  And while we could maybe use my blood, there’s no way we can separate the traces of Ithuriel’s blood from my own to the point where we could use it.”  

Alec sighed and looked up at Jace, offering him a grin, even as he hugged Magnus a little bit tighter.  “We chased down every lead, every rumor - including flowers in the Seelie realm-” 

“Which weren’t an option because the new Seelie Queen blames shadowhunters for the death of the old queen, even if that isn’t entirely accurate,” Jace said, meeting Magnus’ wide eyes.  “So when it came down to it… we agreed that all of the other rumored methods weren’t enough for us to trust and just... tried to move on.”  

Magnus reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly.  “Why didn’t the two of you tell me?”  

Jace shrugged and leaned up to kiss Magnus softly, even as he grumbled low in his throat.  “We didn’t want to make the sting of someday losing me even worse for you.”  

Magnus flinched and opened his eyes to look down at Jace.  “You still should have had a choice. I, my magic did this to you without asking and I can’t ever forgive-” 

“Magnus,” Alec interrupted, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Magnus.  “This is something Jace wanted. This is something that we wanted.”  

“But my magic-” 

“But your magic,” Jace interrupted, leaning in to kiss Magnus again, pressing him back into Alec.  “Took care of that for us. Don’t be upset about that.”  

Magnus exhaled harshly against Jace’s lips and dropped his hands to Jace’s waist, pulling him in close.  “But what if…” 

“Hey,” Alec said, reaching around Jace to pinch Magnus on the ass, smiling when Magnus glared at him.  “None of that. We’ve agreed that getting lost in what ifs doesn’t help us. We’ve talked about that, Magnus.  None of us know what the future holds...except for each other.”  

Jace groaned. “I still say that’s so fucking sappy it’s going to give me hives,” he grumbled.  He gave Magnus another tug and pulled out of his arms, grabbing Magnus’ hand.  

Magnus let himself be tugged by Jace until they were on the way to the bedroom and he could hear Alec following behind the both of them.  He nearly stumbled when Jace stopped at the foot of the bed and looked at him.  

“All right,” Jace said with a pout.  “I am going to say this only once, and then I am cashing in on those blowjobs you both promised me for behaving tonight.”  

Alec snorted.  “Priorities, Jace.”  

Jace gave Alec a wink and watched him disappear into the bathroom before he turned back to Magnus, cupping his face and swiping his thumbs along Magnus’ cheeks.  “I’m not angry, or upset,” he whispered. “I’m not going to be, Magnus. I’m not going to regret this, nor am I going to blame you for what happened, when you admitted it was a subconscious desire in the first place.”  

“Jace…” Magnus started and bit at Jace’s thumb when it was pressed against his lips.  

“Listen to me,” Jace repeated, his voice soft.  “Do you remember the night Alec turned? And I told you that it’s not my job, my privilege, and my right to keep him safe anymore?  That I was trusting you to keep him safe after I’m gone?” 

“Of course I do,” Magnus whispered, staring at him.  

“Good,” Jace growled.  “We protect each other, Magnus.  We take care of each other. No matter what, we are here for each other.  And if I can breathe easier now, knowing I’m not going to leave the two of you alone someday, then I am going to be happy about it, not upset, okay?”  

Magnus laughed and leaned in, pressing his forehead against Jace’s shoulder.  “Do you know what I was most worried about? Silly as it is?”  

“I’m sure there’s nothing silly about it,” Jace whispered, pulling Magnus in for a gentle kiss.  “Tell me?” 

“I didn’t know how I was going to be able to sleep,” Magnus said, his voice catching on a sob.  “I’ve gotten so used to you, now, and-” 

“Hey,” Jace whispered, tugging Magnus into his arms again, holding him tight as Alec walked out of the bathroom.  “No need to think about that now, because I’m not going anywhere. Your magic put a stamp of immortality on my ass and you’re stuck with me.” 

“Don’t think either of us are complaining,” Alec said, even as Magnus started to snicker.  

“Magical stamp of immortality?” Magnus asked Jace, raising his eyebrows.  

“Yup!” Jace said, stretching, getting to work stripping out of his clothes.  “Now, are all the feelings and drama done? Can I get laid? I was good tonight, I didn’t punch anyone!” 

Alec glanced over at Magnus with a raised eyebrow, grinning.  “You sure you wanna be stuck with us?” 

Magnus reached out to take Alec’s hand, giving it a squeeze.  “No one I’d rather be stuck with, Alexander.”  

“Less talking!” Jace said, flopping onto the bed, naked as the day he was born.  “More sexy rewards for good behavior!” 

Alec turned to Magnus and smirked.  “Shall we teach him a lesson in patience?” 

“An excellent idea, Alexander.  Do lead the way,” Magnus said with a bow, turning to look at where Jace was sprawled out on the bed, grinning at them. 

Jace grinned, his eyes on both of them as they advanced.  “Lucky me.”