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Alec ran through the building, searching frantically for Izzy and Jace, Clary panting behind him with the effort of keeping up with his long legs. So much for his brother's assessment that they were dealing with a nest of Shax demons. Why they listened to him at times was a complete mystery to Alec, but they did, over and over again. Stupid! The nest turned out to be 3 Shax demons and a Dragonidae, and that's why the building was currently on fire around them. "I'm going to fucking kill Jace!" Clary wheezed at his heels. "Then I'm going to get a warlock to resurrect him, so that I can kill him all over again!"
Alec slid to a halt, head cocked as he listened out for any sound from his siblings, not that he could hear much over the sound of Clary's heavy breathing. There was something though. Flapping his hand at Clary to hold her breath, he listened carefully. There it was again. A thready mewling noise was coming from a heap of rags in the corner, the edges of the cloth already smouldering. Clary mouthed the word "Demon?" at him as he stepped carefully towards the pile. Shaking his head in response he knelt and used the tip of his bow to lift the edges of the cloth. Two dark blue eyes peered back at him and a tiny pink mouth opened, producing another thready mewl.
"Hey buddy. What are you doing in here?" Alec whispered, as he held out a hand. "It's not safe." The tiny cat crawled out from under the pile and made its way tentatively over to the tall Shadowhunter, butting it's grey fluffy head against his fingers. Alec's eyes softened as the kitten climbed onto his leg, placing one of its front paws on the arm of his jacket. "Mrow?" If a person could melt, Alexander Gideon Lightwood would have turned into a puddle of goo on the warehouse floor.
And that's how Alec and Magnus found themselves at the vet having a health check carried out on the newest member of their family.
Chatting idly to Magnus about the need for vaccinations and worming tablets the vet sat the cat onto the table, casually lifted it's tail and slipped a thermometer in. His eyes popped wide open in shock and he gave a long, slow blink as he looked at Alec. "Mrow!"
Kneeling on the floor, he rested his arms on the edge of the table, bringing his face down to eye level for the horrified feline. "You're ok buddy." He whispered to the little cat. Huge blue eyes fixed on his, pleading with him to end the humiliation. "Mrow?"
As soon as the vet took her thermometer back and let his tail go, he scrambled across the table to the safety of Alec's shoulder. Settling himself regally, the cat pulled himself up to his full height and drew the vet an indignant look, narrowing his eyes. She was still talking to Magnus. "So he's not actually a kitten, though you'd be forgiven for thinking that, with his size. He's probably about a year old, maybe a little more. Have you had any thoughts on getting him neutered?"
A loud hissing and the scrabbling of claws on metal drew their attention back down to the table, just as Alec scooped the bristling cat up with his large hands, stopping him from launching himself at the vet. Standing up he stepped away from the table and cuddled the animal against his chest, fingers scratching the sensitive skin on the back of its neck. The Shadowhunter was rewarded for his efforts with a loud rumbling purr and a small lick on the chin.
Magnus chuckled at the sight, walking over to join his boyfriend and their new addition. "He's going to be a house cat, so I'm not sure it's strictly necessary, is it?" The vet didn't need to know that there were magical ways to keep the kitty's urges under control, without resorting to surgery. The tiny grey cat climbed over and perched on Magnus's shoulder, his expression one of sheer satisfaction, and Alec could have sworn that he stuck his tongue out at the vet! Magnus leaned in, sliding an arm around Alec's waist, and whispered. "Let's get this little one home, shall we? Papa has a lot of shopping to do."
Alec sighed happily and tilted his head back, allowing Magnus more access to his neck. His boyfriend humming contentedly as he rubbed his nose up the length of Alec's deflect rune, planting soft kisses against the sensitive skin behind his ear. They'd originally come into the kitchen to make a start on dinner, but after discovering the fridge was practically empty, aside from a ridiculous number of tubs of gourmet cat food that is, other more pleasurable activities had taken priority.
Magnus was currently sitting on the kitchen counter, legs wrapped loosely around the shadowhunter's hips, their bodies pressed together. Alec's hand cupped the back of his head as the Warlock grazed his skin with his teeth. Magnus slid his hands under the hem of his boyfriend's Henley, delighting in the shudder that ran through the Shadowhunter's body as his fingers brushed warm, smooth skin. Having been starved of intimate physical contact for so many years, Alec was extremely responsive to even the slightest of Magnus's touches. Something that pleased the Warlock no end.
A yell of surprise and a loud clattering from the entryway shattered the mood, bringing both men tumbling into the living room, in a rush to find the cause of the noise. The sight that greeted them was confusing to say the least.
Jace was pressed against the wall of the entryway, hands held up in front of him as if trying to ward off the beast that was currently threatening his safety. "What the fuck is that!" He squeaked.
Alec's face was a picture of puzzlement as he took in the scene in front of him. His brows furrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Pressing his lips together, he turned and looked at Magnus for help. The Warlock stood at his side, one arm wrapped around his own waist, pinching the bridge of his nose with the fingers of his other hand. "Alexander? Where exactly did you say you found the cat again?"
Chairman Meow puffed out his long fur and narrowed his eyes, as he growled loudly at the blond shadowhunter pressed against the wall. Their once tiny grey cat was now the size of a German Shepherd, the growl more akin to the rumbling of a train than it was to the cute little grumbles they were becoming used to. His long grey fur had taken on a smoky appearance, seeming to change colour as they looked at it, shades of dark and light grey constantly moving and merging. Almost as if they were watching puffs of smoke floating in the breeze. The cat turned huge dark red eyes on his master, and the one he allowed to share him, opening his mouth with a loud yowl that had everyone in the room wincing. The noise was accompanied by the strong smell of sulphur wafting through the room.
Wrinkling his nose, Alec pointed a finger at his once tiny, adorable cat. "Is he a……"
"....hellcat. Yes. Yes he is, darling." Magnus sighed loudly. Of course Alexander would not only rescue a demonic beast, but have it imprint on him as well. This really went a long way to explaining why the cat was so obsessed with his boyfriend. "Now can you ask him nicely to leave your brother alone, before we have a mess on our hands. It's bad enough emptying the Chairman's litter tray, without having to clean up after Blondie too."
"I heard that Bane!" Jace didn't take his eyes off the animal in front of him, as if frightened that it would attack as soon as his attention wavered. "How can you stand there so calmly when there's a giant fucking hellcat in your living room Alec?!"
"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't the strangest thing I've witnessed this week?" Alec snapped his fingers. "Chairman! Leave him alone!" The cat's look of complete incredulity would have been comical under any other circumstances. "He's my brother. He's ok." The snort of derision he received in return told him that the hellcat thought otherwise, but he turned and trotted over to Alec's side anyway, throwing Jace one last look of warning as he did so. Settling in to sit at his master's side, he rubbed his face against Alec's hip, a deep purr rumbling through his chest. A flood of affection coursed through Alec as he looked down at the massive animal pressed against his side. Gone were the days when his first reaction would have been to pull out a seraph blade, or reach for his bow, at the sight of something so out of the ordinary. He gave a short bark of a laugh, life with Magnus had definitely opened his eyes to a whole new world.
Digging his fingers into the cat's fur, searching for the sensitive patch between his ears, Alec watched in amusement as Jace moved tentatively away from the wall and inched his way into the living room. Grinning at the sight, he absent-mindedly wondered if the Chairman would shrink down again, or if they were going to need a bigger litter tray. Bigger everything really.
The pinging of a phone drew Alec's attention back to his boyfriend. "Are you messaging Izzy?"
"Nooooo….." Magnus fiddled with his ear cuff guiltily. "Well, not just Isabelle. I put a picture of Jace and our new pet in the group WhatsApp." He looked down at his phone as it pinged again. "Izzy and Clary are on their way over. Raphael says we're all idiots and he'll be here when it gets dark, to meet our new baby, not to see us, of course." Kneeling down, he gazed at the giant cat, all gooey eyed. "Who's a gorgeous boy then? Is it you?"
Forgotten for the moment, Jace stood and looked at Alec, Magnus and the giant demon cat leaning smugly against his brother's leg. Alec was stroking the cat gently between its ears, while Magnus scratched its chin, the pair chatting casually about whether to order takeaway for dinner, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jace blinked and shook his head in amazement. How the fuck was this his life now?