Chapter Text
Alec never thought of his wings as beautiful.
The armor over his wings is heavy. Of course he knows that he needs it for protection, their wings are too sensitive not to be protected. Still, Alec hates it. Its heavy metal slows him down.
He senses a demon to his right and draws his bow. The string snaps and the arrow buries itself into the Shax demon, causing it to die in flames. Alec looks over the battlefield searching for his siblings. All around him are demons and shadowhunters fighting, screaming. It's horrible.
His eyes find Jace easily. The white wings give him away. Jace never uses the armor, thinks it only hinders him though Alec always tells him otherwise. His wings seem to gleam golden in the sun, which makes him look like the beautiful angel soldier he his. Truly The Clave's Golden Boy. Clary fights by his side, her wings mere scars on her shoulder blades. They make a good pair, Alec thinks as he draws his bow again and kills a demon that was headed straight at them. Clary startles, looks up and thanks him with a soft smile. He answers with a stern nod and turns around again, fights other demons, keeps watch, protects.
When they get close to the end of their strength and Alec starts to think they are losing and should retreat, a bright purple portal materializes in the middle of the field and Magnus steps through it. Behind him four more warlocks walk out of the portal. They'd called Magnus for help earlier and now, finally, he'd shown up. Just in time. Alec stands with Izzy, both have their swords drawn and fight off raven demon after raven demon. Izzy's coal black wings are spread out widely. With her long hair whipping in the wind she looks like the Angel of Death herself. Fierce, intimidating, stunning.
Magnus joins them and they fight the demons off easily. The enemy's momentum is turned around quickly and Alec finds hope again. But he allows himself to be lulled into a false sense of victory and security too early because in one second Magnus grins widely, says something flirty at Alec who won't remember it later and in an another second a demon jumps at him from behind. Magnus is yanked to the ground before Alec can do anything and the demon tears his teeth into his flesh. Alec strikes at him with his seraphblade but the damage is done already: Magnus lies on the ground, bleeding from his side. A new wave of demons is coming and Magnus won't have enough time to heal himself. So Alec does the only thing he knows from his heart: He protects.
His body acts automatically as he jumps over Magnus, covers his body with his own and lets his wings protect them fully. They're so big that they fit over Magnus and himself. The armor clinks harshly as the demons jump against it.
“Alec!” Magnus calls out, worried, scared.
“Heal yourself!” Alec answers. His face is tense, scrunched up from pain when the demons rip out feathers. But he's protecting Magnus. And that's all that matters right now.
Hurriedly Magnus obliges and lets his magic speed up the healing process. They aren't alone for long, shadowhunters come and help them. They fight the demons off of Alec's wings and back and he breathes out in relief. He watches the wound on Magnus' body close slowly and feels a weight lifted off his heart. Much bigger than the one before on his wings.
“Ready?” he asks softly and Magnus nods as an answer. But before Alec can pull back his wings and set Magnus free again the warlock holds him back by his collar. Alec stops, looks confused. Long, ring clad fingers stroke over his feathers and he shivers under the light touch.
“You're mesmerizing,” Magnus whispers and pulls him down into a kiss. Alec huffs out an embarrassed laugh against his lips and kisses back. Fingers run through his hair as lips move on his.
Reluctantly he pulls back and murmurs, “We should join the fight again.” Magnus nods, lips still open and flushed. Their little own world under Alec's wings breaks open as he draws them back and they join the others again.
They win. There are losses and tears and it doesn't feel like they won yet but Alec's siblings and Clary and Magnus and everybody he cares deeply about is okay and that must be good for now. He's exhausted, sore and tired. Izzy pulls off the armor over his wings and he groans loudly, finally the weight gone of his back. Magnus steps to him, hugs his waist and looks up with bright eyes. “My beautiful guardian angel.”, he whispers and Alec can't help but smile.
Alec never thought of his wings as beautiful. They aren't glistening white as Jace's or intimidating black as Izzy's. They are just brown. Mud brown and boring.
But when Magnus describes them he uses words like astonishing, warm and safe. And sometimes Alec believes him, lays his warm, brown feathers over Magnus' naked back and protects him from the world.