Chapter Text
Alec
“We have Bane’s location,” Robert said, as soon as the team of twenty Shadowhunters had assembled in the briefing room. “He opened up a portal, which we have tracked, but he’ll likely escape to somewhere else if we wait too long.”
Within five minutes, the team was moving out.
Alec knew that Robert had taken a risk by waiting to assemble a full team of Shadowhunters, rather than simply sending the nearest patrol to take Bane. It was slower this way, because the twenty of them needed to cross the city to reach Bane’s apparent address, while patrols were out in the area. But any patrols Robert could scrounge up would be substantially smaller than the group of twenty currently heading out, and the chances of defeating and capturing Bane would therefore be lower.
Alec needed to decide what to do. Bane’s capture would devastate the Downworlder resistance to the Clave, and he likely had secrets that the Clave would love to know, which meant that Alec needed to free him before they reached the Institute. Breaking him out from one of the Institute’s cells would be far more difficult, in addition to the risk that Bane could be tortured for information before Alec managed to get him out.
The problem was that he had no idea what state Bane was in. Why had he opened up a portal, risking detection by the Institute? Was he injured? Out of magic? Taking care of somebody else? Alec couldn’t plan how to rescue him if he didn’t know to what extent Bane could help him in getting away.
He was pulled from his thoughts when his phone buzzed, in unison with everyone else’s — Bane’s location. Alec glanced at it quickly, then did a double take.
Magnus’s address.
It was possible that it was a coincidence, but even the room number was the same. Alec’s mind scrambled for an alternative explanation — maybe Bane had somehow noticed traces of Alec’s angelic energy in the apartment, and gone there for… an unknown reason? Or he’d portalled somewhere at random — an idiotic and out-of-character thing to do — and just happened to come across the room of the leader of the Resistance’s secret, supposedly mundane boyfriend, even while that leader was sent to capture Bane? No; it was clear that Magnus had some involvement in the Shadow World.
Alec realized that he’d been staring at his phone for a moment too long, and shook himself, tucking the phone away. He kept his expression perfectly calm, serene, blank. No sign of his inner turmoil.
Obviously, Magnus was part of the Shadow world. Either he was a Downworlder who Bane was coincidentally visiting at this moment, or — and the thought was bright and clear in Alec’s mind, tumblers of a lock clicking into place — Magnus was Bane.
Magnus Bane. Scourge of the Clave, the closest thing to a global leader that the Downworld had. And also the beautiful man who’d flirted with Alec in a coffee shop, asked him out on a date, smiled at him with such brilliance.
It wasn’t certain — it was possible that Magnus was just another Downworlder, not Bane, and even vaguely, faintly possible that he wasn’t part of the Shadow World at all. But somehow, Alec knew that Magnus was Bane. The name Magnus Bane was somehow much more Magnus than Magnus Young, which was what Magnus had called himself; Alec had heard stories about Bane, and they certainly seemed like the type of thing Magnus would do.
And now, Alec and the host of twenty Shadowhunters were on their way to capture bane.
Alec couldn’t let that happen.
But they were already arriving at the food of Magnus’s building, and Alec felt wards sweep over his skin — they felt like Magnus, and Alec wondered for a moment how he’d never noticed them before. But the answer was obvious: whenever Alec had gone to see Magnus, he’d been wearing one of Clary’s runes, which fully glamoured his runes and his magical signature so that he would appear mundane to all intents and purposes, even a magical scan from a warlock. The side effect was that while wearing Clary’s rune, Alec’s Shadowhunter senses were severely diminished; he still had the Sight, but not as much as he had otherwise, and he probably wouldn’t’ve been able to feel the pull of Magnus’s wards over his skin.
In any case, the feeling of the wards was further confirmation that Magnus and Bane were one and the same. Alec wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but the wards themselves almost felt tired, like they were out of strength. Was that why Magnus — Bane — had ended up portalling here, and attracted the Institute’s attention?
Alec ascended the stairs directly behind Robert, climbing up the familiar steps to Magnus’s floor. At the end of the hallway, the door swung open, and Magnus was there.
He stood strongly, eyes glowing gold — his warlock mark, Alec realized, golden cat eyes — but Alec thought he could detect a trace of exhaustion in his posture, like he was putting on a show, doing his best to fake confidence. Magnus’s eyes widened as he saw Alec, clear shock and betrayal on his face.
Alec didn’t bother to wait a moment longer. He’d figured out what he needed to do to protect Magnus if he was out of magic — break him out as soon as possible. The hallway wasn’t particularly narrow, but it was narrow enough to limit the number of Shadowhunters that could come at Alec at once, which meant that this was his best chance to fight them off. Alec unsheathed his dual blades and stabbed one into his father’s back.
Robert fell, twisting, surprise frozen on his face. Magnus looked frozen, too, eyes wide as he gaped at Alec, but Alec had to turn his back on him to fight the Shadowhunters behind him.
The first one fell easily, still surprised, as did the next. But after that they seemed to rally their strength, and the next charge left Alec with a bleeding hole in his abdomen before he managed to kill them.
He had no idea what Magnus was thinking — he knew Alec was a Shadowhunter now, and that Alec was doing his best to save his life, but Alec knew there was a high chance that he’d want nothing more to do with Alec after this (and honestly, Alec wouldn’t blame him, but this was not the time to be thinking about their relationship goddamnit) — but he was at least hopeful that Magnus wouldn’t attack him while he had his back turned. Healing Alec, after the fight was over, was another matter — Alec’s injury was making him lose blood at a rate that would’ve been frightening if he weren’t so occupied trying to save Magnus, and he knew he likely wouldn’t survive without warlock healing, but that could wait until after.
Suddenly — somewhere between killing the fourth Shadowhunter and the fifth — Magnus was beside him, wielding a curved sword in one hand and a small dagger in the other, killing with ruthless efficiency at Alec’s side. He moved with an easy, lethal grace, and Alec couldn’t help admiring him, even as blood spattered across Magnus’s clothing. The warlock didn’t use magic, confirming that he was magically exhausted, but he still fought as well or better than Alec.
Fighting had never come easily to Alec, not like it had to Izzy, Jace, or Clary. They had the advantage of extra angel blood, of course, but Alec had learned early that that was no excuse. He’d trained hard to keep up with them using his bow or his dual blades, and fortunately, the Shadowhunters currently fighting him were too old to have any extra angel blood. And Magnus by his side was a blur of death, cutting through their opponents, fighting by Alec’s side.
Alec and Magnus were still outnumbered, but sometimes that almost worked in their favour — the Shadowhunters were all pressing forward, crushing each other in their haste to get to the two of them, and the press of bodies restricted their movement. The more Alec and Magnus killed, the easier it became, because the bodies underfoot formed a barrier to give them a bit of breathing room.
Finally, the last Shadowhunter fell, and Alec swayed on his feet. Adrenaline had kept him going throughout the battle, but blood was still flowing from the wound in his abdomen.
The last thing he saw before blacking out was Magnus, gorgeous golden eyes wide.
Magnus
When Magnus had portalled from the Jade Wolf to his loft, he’d known that he was alerting the Shadowhunters and that he’d need to get away.
Unfortunately, he’d portalled rather than calling a taxi because Luke was dying of alpha bite poisoning, and healing the injured werewolf had taken more out of him than he’d expected. He had barely enough magic left to send Luke and Maia off through another portal.
He hadn’t gone with them, however, because the Mortal Cup was still in his apartment — he couldn’t leave it for the Shadowhunters to find. But before he’d managed to escape with the Cup in tow, he’d felt the Shadowhunters pass through his wards, and he’d known that he’d need to fight his way out.
At the time, he’d noticed something vaguely familiar about the magical auras of the Shadowhunters (or rather, of one specific Shadowhunter), but he hadn’t had a chance to think about it fully. He’d downed a magical energy replenishment potion, though it wouldn’t kick in for another fifteen minutes; there was a chance he’d be able to use his magic in the battle that he was sure was coming, but it was low. He’d most likely be relying on his blades and his wits.
Then, of course, he’d opened the door and seen Alec standing with the Shadowhunters, a deflect rune on the side of his neck. Alec was one of them, he realized, a cold shock down his spine at the betrayal; Alec’s magical signature was the one that had felt familiar on his wards.
Before he’d had the chance to fully realize what was happening, though, Alec had been moving, a blade severing the neck of the man standing in front of him — Robert Lightwood — before Alec turned to confront the Shadowhunters behind him. He’d moved with Shadowhunter grace, killing with the ease of long practice, and it had taken Magnus a moment to reconcile Alec the mundane who looked adorable when he blushed with Alec the Shadowhunter who was fighting about twenty other Shadowhunters to defend Magnus.
In that moment, one of Alec’s opponents had managed to land a lucky hit to Alec’s abdomen. Magnus had summoned his arit and keris to his hands and joined the battle. They’d made short work of the other Shadowhunters, fighting together like they were born to do it.
Which led them to now, and Alec collapsing to the ground, the hole in his abdomen bleeding profusely.
Luckily, the magical replenishment potion was beginning to work, and Magnus managed to heal Alec up so that he was no longer in danger of bleeding out. Full healing could wait until they were somewhere safe.
Magnus knew that Alec was a Shadowhunter, which meant that he’d most likely killed Downworlders — but he’d also saved Magnus’s life. He might or might not be a member of the Resistance, but even if he wasn’t one, Magnus wasn’t going to let him die. He vanished the bodies and cleaned the hallway, hiding the evidence of Alec’s work in case it was useful for Alec to return to the Institute.
He put the unconscious Shadowhunter on the couch, then summoned the magic to move his apartment to a different location. It was a drain, but he’d done the spell so often in the last twenty years that it came almost second-nature.
Once settled, he called Maia to assure her that he was all right and to make sure she was organizing the werewolves to move — the portal he’d made went from the Jade Wolf to his apartment, which meant that both locations were compromised. A few more messages ensured that everyone who needed to know his new location could find him, and then he called Cat, because he needed her help to heal Alec.
When she arrived, she gaped at the figure on the couch. “That’s the Alec you’ve been mooning over for the last several months?”
“Yes, though I obviously didn’t know he was a Shadowhunter,” Magnus said testily. “Why?”
“He’s Falcon, Commander of the Resistance in New York,” Cat informed him. Magnus remembered what she’d said about Falcon — he’d saved Madzie from the ruins of Iris Rouse’s horrible warlock-breeding house, and taken her to Cat because she was the only warlock whose location he’d known. (Magnus had of course scolded her for being careless enough for a Shadowhunter to find her location, though she’d been only mildly repentant seeing as it had all turned out for the best.) Falcon had often visited Cat after that, becoming good friends with her and an uncle to Madzie, who Cat had ended up adopting.
And apparently, Alec was Falcon. At least they’d confirmed that he was in the Resistance, though if Alec was Falcon, it brought up the possibility that he’d entered into a relationship with Magnus because he knew Magnus was Bane. How long had he known Magnus’s real identity?
Magnus wasn’t mad at him for hiding the fact that he was a Shadowhunter, especially if he’d believed Magnus was mundane — that would be rather hypocritical, seeing as Magnus himself had hidden the fact that he was a warlock. But if Alec had known Magnus was Bane, and been using their relationship as a way to get Bane’s favour and support for the Resistance…
Perhaps it was pathetic that Magnus still loved Alec, still hoped that what they’d had was real, but he couldn’t help it.
And if Alec had been genuine, if he’d only discovered that Magnus and Bane were the same person when he arrived at Magnus’s address — Magnus found himself hoping that they could talk about it, still love each other, stay together. It was unlikely, if only because Alec might not react kindly to Magnus being a warlock, but he hoped.
“Then I suppose you’d better finish healing him,” Magnus said aloud.
Alec
Alec hadn’t entirely expected to wake up.
He’d wondered, of course, if Magnus would heal him, but he hadn’t been sure how severe his injuries were, and Magnus would have more important priorities than taking care of a Shadowhunter. Even if said Shadowhunter had once been his boyfriend.
But wake up he did, and to his surprise, he saw Cat sitting beside him. A glance around told him that he was still in Magnus’s loft, though the angles of the walls seemed slightly different — hopefully Magnus had moved the loft to a new location.
Magnus. Alec pushed himself into a sitting position. “Is Magnus okay?”
Cat started, looking up at Alec in surprise and then displeasure as she forced him to lie back down. “He’s perfectly alright, though a little tired from healing you. Don’t waste his efforts by tearing your stomach back open.”
“How — what—” Alec stuttered, struggling to find the words to ask what had happened, why Cat was there.
“Magnus called me, told me that the mundane he’d been falling in love with was a Shadowhunter and had been severely injured protecting him from other Shadowhunters. I came to help and recognized you,” she summarized succinctly. “Now, before I tell Magnus that you’re awake, tell me this: when did you find out that he was Bane?”
“Earlier today, when I was sent on the mission and recognized the address,” Alec told her. “I had no idea before, I’ll swear by anything you like—”
“That won’t be necessary,” Magnus said, appearing in the doorway. Alec looked at him, first a quick scan for injuries and then another glance to appreciate how beautiful he was, though his makeup was minimal and he was wearing only boxers and a robe. “I believe you.”
Alec wanted to apologize, to tell Magnus that he loved him, to explain, but what came out of his mouth was: “Why did you heal me?”
Magnus raised an eyebrow, face calm though Alec had no doubt it was a mask. “You did save my life, Alec.” (Alec tried not to flinch at the short, sharp Alec rather than Magnus’s usual Alexander.)
“You didn’t know I was Resistance, though,” Alec pointed out.
“I didn’t know you weren’t. I hoped you were.” Magnus hesitated, and Cat, apparently reading the tension in the room, quietly got up and left. Magnus took her chair. “Gideon isn’t a Shadowhunter name.”
Alec nodded. He’d told Magnus his name was Alec Gideon, to better conceal any trace of the Shadow World from him; it made sense that Magnus would want to know Alec’s real name. “Gideon’s my middle name. I’m Alec Lightwood.”
“Lightwood.” Magnus blinked at him for a moment, before a sudden realization dawned in his eyes. “Alexander, did you — Robert — he’s your—”
“My father, yes,” Alec said softly. “I’ve known that I’ll likely have to kill him since I became Commander of New York, though I’d hoped to only lock him up. I — he’s my father, but he’s a horrible person, I know that.” Robert’s cruelty to Downworlders, his cheating on Maryse, the way he would hit Max, the way he used to hit Alec. “I won’t say it was easy to kill him, but I don’t regret it, either. Maybe that’s bad, but — it’s the truth.”
“I’m not exactly in a position to judge your relationship with your father,” Magnus told him. “Mine, after all, is a demon. But… if you’d let them take me and rescued me at a different time, you might not have had to kill him.”
Alec swallowed, looking up at Magnus. “I wasn’t going to let them take you.”
“Why not?” Magnus asked, softly, the words hanging in the air.
“Because…” Alec hesitated for a moment before shrugging helplessly. “Because I love you. Warlock or mundane, Bane or Young — I don’t care. And I know that it’s not necessarily going to be the same for you—”
Magnus kissed him, and Alec stopped talking.
“I love you too, Alexander,” Magnus said, a smile creeping over his face like the light of dawn over the sky. “Does that mean you don’t want to break up with me?”
“Of course I don’t want to break up with you, idiot,” Alec told him.
“Your idiot,” Magnus replied immediately, grinning, and Alec kissed him again.
“In the interests of a full disclosure,” Alec said at last, slightly out of breath, “I should probably tell you that I’m not just Falcon, Commander of the New York Institute. I’m also the Wolf, leader of the Resistance.” He waited to see Magnus’s reaction to the bombshell he’d just dropped.
“Right. Of course you are,” Magnus said faintly. “I’m afraid I don’t have a second secret identity to tell you about, but I may have access to the Mortal Cup?”
“Of course you do,” Alec said, echoing him in his shock. “Let’s not tell anyone about that.”
“I have kept it a secret for twenty years, darling.” Magnus smiled at him. “You know, if I’d known the Wolf was this attractive, I would’ve made efforts to contact him a bit sooner.”
“We’re in contact now, though,” Alec said, thoughts suddenly running ahead on different lines. “You know, with the Downworld’s help, the Resistance will be able to fight the Clave head-on.”
Magnus’s voice was bright and sharp as his smile. “Ready to save the world, then?”
“Always.”