Work Text:
Alec feels like he’s going to be sick. His stomach is twisting, more from nerves than—he shudders to even think the words—morning sickness.
The positive pregnancy test in his hand glares up at him.
But he can’t, he can’t be pregnant. He’s only ever been with Magnus and warlocks are infertile. It has to be a false positive. A massive coincidence that it’s happening when he’s been getting sick every morning.
He’ll take another test. He can’t be pregnant, he can’t.
Three positive tests later and Alec can’t ignore the truth. The impossible truth. He throws the tests in the kitchen trashcan, piling other trash on top to hide them, and takes to pacing around the loft. The one person he wants to talk to about this is the only person he can’t talk to.
Because what would Magnus think? What could he think?
Alec knows how much Magnus trusts him, but the evidence is stacked against him, unrelenting.
The facts:
1. Warlocks are infertile.
2. Magnus is a warlock.
3. Alec has been married to Magnus for a year, and dating him exclusively for longer.
4. Alec is pregnant.
How could Magnus possibly think Alec hasn’t cheated? Alec would never, has never, but what other reasonable explanation exists? And will Magnus think clearly enough to consider any of those unlikely scenarios? No, his trust in Alec will be shattered.
Alec wrings his hands and checks the clock. It’s just after three in the afternoon. He has another couple hours until Magnus and Rafael should be home. The former is with clients, the latter spending the day with Maryse.
The thought of Rafael makes Alec feel sick all over again. He loves his adopted son with all his heart, and he aches to think of the distress this could cause the young boy.
What will happen to his family?
Feeling like he’s going to go crazy if he stands still any longer, Alec heads for the bedroom and then the en suite bathroom. All of his worrying and pacing has worked up a sweat, and he doesn’t want his discomfort to be obvious when his family gets home. With any luck, Magnus will be too busy to notice the feelings through their muted bond at the moment. Alec just needs to calm down in the next two hours. Somehow.
He starts with a shower.
Showers have always been calming to him, but as he undresses now, he can’t help wondering if, or when, his scent will begin to change, to reflect the new life growing inside him. He sniffs at his wrist, but all he can smell is the familiar combined scent of him and Magnus and Rafe. Family.
Alec steps under the spray, resisting the urge to reach for any of the products he usually uses, the ones that Magnus brews.
After a few minutes of scrubbing with scentless soap and water, Alec sniffs at his wrist again. It smells like him, but there’s a distinct edge now that he’s looking for it. Panic lances through him as he fumbles for Magnus’ sandalwood body wash, desperate to cover it again.
He won’t be able to hide this from Magnus for much longer. Nor does he want to. But he can’t have a misunderstanding, whatever it may be—and the options all have fresh panic welling in his stomach—destroy his family.
He washes quickly, efficiently, sniffing at his wrist every time he uses a product. By the time he’s done, his normal scent is drowned out by sandalwood.
Alec dresses in his own jeans and t-shirt, with one of Magnus’ jackets on top. He nuzzles his face into the collar, drinking in the smell of his mate. It dampens his anxiety.
Then he reaches for his phone and dials Catarina Loss.
The next morning, Alec takes a detour on his way to the Institute. After he’d called Catarina, she’d scheduled him for the next morning, before her first mundane patient. Alec had spent the whole night trying to pretend anxiety wasn’t simmering just under his skin. He’d played with Rafe, had watched a movie with Magnus, and had fallen asleep on his husband’s chest. He could feel Magnus’ concern, the warlock clearly catching onto his mood, but Magnus had yet to bring it up. He was probably waiting for Alec to come to him about it.
And Alec would. As soon as he had a valid, believable explanation for Magnus. Preferably, with Cat’s support. If Magnus couldn’t trust Alec, which was more than fair given the situation, he would surely trust Catarina.
“So, Alec, what can I do for you?” Catarina asks once they’re alone in an exam room. Alec sits on the edge of a paper-lined treatment table, trying not to have a full blown panic attack.
“I think I’m pregnant,” he blurts. He’s never been good at words, and his head is a mess right now. Catarina blinks. Alec clutches the paper under him. He’d worn scent blockers today, but his anxiety is probably obvious in the way his voice keeps getting louder and shakier. “I haven’t cheated on Magnus. But if I tell him about this, what else would he think?”
Catarina regains her professional facade. She gives him a small smile. “Calm down, Alec.”
“I am calm… I mean look at me! Don’t I look calm!?”
He sounds crazy. He knows he sounds crazy. He can’t help it.
But Catarina looks unfazed. “I promise you we’ll figure out what’s going on. Let’s do an ultrasound and see if there’s even anything to worry about. Store tests are wrong all the time.”
“Ten times in a row?”
He sees the concern flash over Catarina’s face before it’s hidden again. “You took ten tests?”
“I wanted to be wrong.”
“Let’s do the ultrasound.”
Ten minutes later finds them in a different room, Alec laying down with his shirt hiked up over his stomach as Catarina spreads a small amount of gel over it.
Alec waits with his heart in his throat as she starts the ultrasound. He’s already sure he knows what she’ll find, but there’s still a spark of hope that she won’t find anything.
A hope that is quickly dashed when Catarina’s lips form a thin line. “Well, you’re definitely pregnant.”
It’s not surprising at this point, but Alec still feels his stomach drop. Pregnant, but with whose child?
“What is it? Can you... can you see?” He isn’t sure he wants to know. But if it’s the spawn of a demon, creatures that often disguise themselves as women’s and omega’s lovers to impregnate them, then Alec needs to know. Now.
At least, if that is what happened, he can tell Magnus. He could keep his family together.
“Not with this.” Catarina throws her thumb towards the grainy monitor. Alec isn’t sure how she sees anything on it. He’s glad he can’t make out the thing living inside him though. “But with my magic, I can try to get more of a feel for it. No promises because it’s still so early on, but I can try.”
Alec nods. “Please.”
Catarina moves the ultrasound stuff away and waves a hand over Alec’s stomach. Green magic mists over his skin and Catarina's eyes fall shut, her fingers moving incrementally.
Finally, her hand falls and her eyes open, “It has demon blood, but that doesn’t tell us anything. It could still be Magnus’.”
“How?” Alec’s voice comes out sharper than he intends. He makes a deliberate effort to stabilize it when he continues, “Warlocks are infertile.”
“Well, as far as we know, a warlock has never tried to impregnate a shadowhunter. It should be impossible, but I've heard of, and met, women who, by all means, shouldn’t have been able to conceive that still did. Science is always evolving.”
The far-fetched idea that it could be Magnus’ baby has Alec’s head spinning. He places a hand over his stomach without thinking, imagining a baby with dark hair and golden eyes. Something he’d never allowed himself to hope for. It had always been an impossibility.
Even now, he’s sure the demon theory is more likely. But… what if the impossible has happened? “What now? How do we find out?”
Catarina’s answering smile is apologetic. “We can do a paternity test, but we’ll need blood samples from both you and Magnus.”
That means telling Magnus. Alec supposes it’s time. He nods slowly. “Can we do it now?”
“Of course. Do you want to call Magnus or should I?”
“Uh.” As much as he wants to hear his husband’s voice, he still feels floaty and far away. His voice will probably tip off Magnus that something is wrong, and will only serve to worry him. “If you don’t mind…”
“Of course not!” Catarina pulls out her phone and a second later she’s talking into it, “Magnus! I need you to come by… It’s rather urgent… No, no, everything’s fine. No one’s hurt… okay, portal outside and I’ll meet you at the front desk.” She lowered the phone. “I’ll be right back.”
Alec nods, and then he's alone in the doctor’s office. He sighs, pulling his shirt down and burying his face in his hands. He isn’t sure when his life become so complicated, but he figures it was around the time he stumbled into Magnus Bane.
Even if the thing, the fetus, the baby, is Magnus’, will the warlock want it? They already had one perfect kid and though they’d discussed having a second, it had always been hypothetical and far off. Four year old Rafe had only been with them about six months. It was probably too soon to add another child.
But if, by some miracle, the baby is Magnus’, Alec already knows he’ll kill and die for it. He wants it so much it hurts.
The door opens, cutting off Alec’s spiraling thoughts. Catarina steps in first, and then Magnus, with Rafael on his back. Alec hadn’t realized it was probably still too early for Rafael to be at school yet. He hadn’t anticipated him being here for this, and Alec is suddenly terrified of what Magnus’ reaction to the news will be, and how Rafael will respond to that.
“Alec?” Magnus’ eyes are wide. “What are you doing here? Are you alright?”
Guilt floods Alec when he sees the way Magnus is scanning him with worried eyes. He stands up, reaching for his husband. “I’m not hurt.”
Magnus grasps his hand tightly. Rafael peeks over his shoulder with huge, curious eyes. “Daddy?”
“Hey,” Alec greets softly. He reaches for his son and Magnus crouches to let Rafael down. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Rafael is racing to Alec and wrapping both arms around his leg. Alec rubs his back, already upset about the distress this is causing him.
“What’s going on?” Magnus asks softly, glancing between Alec and Catarina.
Catarina glances at Alec, but he can’t find the words. How can he even begin to explain? Catarina clears her throat. “We need to do a blood test, per Alec’s request.”
“A blood test? For what?”
Magnus’ suspicion is obvious. Alec reaches for him again, linking their hands together. He needs the contact, and he hopes it soothes Magnus. “Trust me?”
“You’re worrying me, sayang,” Magnus says quietly, just for Alec.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll explain, as soon as we have the results. Please, just, it’s easier this way. Trust me.”
Magnus doesn’t look pleased about it. His eyes are narrowed, his mouth set in a thin line. But he raises Alec’s hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to his wedding ring, and then nuzzles his cheek against Alec’s scent gland, uncaring of the blockers. “You know I do.”
The blood test is the easy part. It takes less than ten minutes for Catarina to collect the samples, while Rafael plays with a stuffed bear Magnus summons.
“Usually I’d send these to a lab, but I don’t think that’s necessary today,” Cat says, laying the two vials side-by-side and waving her hand over them. Magic fizzles in the air again and she lets out an almost imperceptible sigh. She nods once, subtly, at Alec.
Relief floods him. It’s Magnus’ baby. He’s carrying Magnus’ baby.
Tears prickle his eyes and instantly, Magnus is reaching for Alec, wrapping his arms around him. “Darling, please, talk to me.”
Alec nods. Even if Magnus doesn’t want this, they can figure it out together. Somehow. This doesn’t have to ruin them.
“I’m pregnant.”
Magnus freezes. The bond goes haywire, Magnus’ emotions flickering too quickly to be truly discernible. But the way his arms drop from around Alec is quite telling. Alec tries not to feel hurt by it.
“It’s yours,” Alec continues, the words barely a breath. Magnus’ eyes flick to Catarina, who nods again, more obviously this time.
“How?”
Alec doesn’t know what to say to that, but Catarina steps in, “I don’t know for sure, but there’s no documented history of shadowhunter/warlock relationships. We know mundanes and warlocks can’t have a warlock’s offspring so we assumed warlocks were infertile, but maybe we just weren’t compatible. I don’t pretend to understand it, but maybe something with Alec’s angel blood means he can carry a warlock baby? I intend to research it further, trust me.”
“Isabelle would love to help with that,” Alec says, some distant part of his mind coming online. It feels like only a small fraction of his mind has been working since he took that first pregnancy test, the rest shut down in shock. He’s slowly waking up now.
Alec doesn’t know what he expects Magnus to do, but the warlock’s hands softly cupping his cheeks wasn’t on his list. Magnus’ golden eyes bore into his. “How are you feeling about this?”
Shutting his eyes so he doesn’t have to see Magnus’ response, Alec admits, “I want this. I know we haven’t discussed—mmph.” He’s cut off by Magnus’ lips on his, warm and soft and insistent.
When Magnus breaks away with a little cut off noise, Alec opens his eyes agin. Magnus is smiling, his eyes suspiciously wet. “I never thought this could be possible, but nothing could possibly make me happier right now.”
Alec nearly breaks down as the relief rolls over him. The turmoil and stress of the past twenty four hours recedes, leaving tingly joy and excitement in its place.
Rafael’s hand taps his leg. “What’s happening?”
Alec lifts his son into his lap, nuzzling into Rafael’s hair. “What do you think about having a baby brother or sister?”
“I want a baby bother,” Rafael says decisively.
Alec snorts, lift his head. “Or a baby sister?”
Rafael’s face scrunches up, like he’s thinking hard. “That would be okay, I guess. But I really want a brother.”
“Noted.”
“So do you want a copy of the ultrasound?” Catarina asks, drawing their attention back to her.
Alec’s answer is instant, “Yes.”
He can’t wait to find their pup in the grainy picture, to hang it on their fridge, and then eventually put it in a photo album. His little miracle baby, another impossible part of the family he loves so much. He can't wait to meet them.