Chapter Text
Magnus took a long warm shower, doing so in hopes the water would calm him enough to relax and fall asleep, but he had no such luck. Instead he found himself wide awake despite being exhausted, simply because there were too many thoughts drawing him back to the past.
He should have expected feeling like this after the story he shared with Madzie. He should have been prepared for experiencing the contradicting emotions tightening his chest.
Letting memories back to his heart was always a double-edged sword. They were always in conflict with the fair dose of reality Magnus had learned to be a part of, knowing his new place and his new routine.
He had adapted as much as he could, accepting the mundane life as his own no matter how devoid of magic it was.
Even so, it was impossible not to imagine how things would be, if his life hadn't taken such a drastic turn. How it would be according to Madzie's idea of the fairy tale ending... It was bittersweet and even heartbreaking if Magnus allowed himself to get too caught up in it.
He knew he should be thankful for everything he had right now, to appreciate it for what it was. Because it could have been a lot worse.
Magnus was glad that little by little he had survived, had build a life for himself, and he wasn't alone. It was because of those things that he felt no envy towards Ragnor. Because he had people he loved too. It was better than anything he thought would follow after becoming a mundane had changed everything.
The first year had been the toughest. Magnus had imagined Ragnor firing him, never seeing Alexander again, as well as being left without a roof over his head and dying from hunger.
Those fears didn't come true, Magnus reminded himself, so he shouldn't surrender to the sadness of what was lost. He just... missed his old life and his magic often, both really difficult to live without, both part of the punishment.
It was а punishment Magnus never deserved, one which Maryse and Robert caused him, only because he was defiant enough to love their son without their blessing.
I imagine the parents weren't too happy, Madzie had guessed, and it was a huge understatement.
Sure, they had pretended to accept Magnus, being tolerant of him for as long as they had to. But in the meantime they were just buying their time, going above and beyond to separate him from Alexander, looking for the right kind of magic to be done with him for good. Because they too had assumed Magnus won't last long in the human world he was thrown in.
He felt pity for them most of the time. With the decision they made, they had lost so much more than they ever gained.