Chapter Text
Alec had been standing in front of Magnus’ house for a good ten minutes now, looking at the warlock’s name next to the bell, contemplating wether or not he should ring it.
It had been Isabelle who had talked Alec into going to Magnus Bane’s house to talk to him. It had been Isabelle who had told him that the warlock had a thing for him. However, it was Alec who didn’t know why he had really made the trip. He knew that it was right to thank the warlock for saving his life, yet Alec wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to come here. Actually, he had just wanted to get out of the Institute, away from that mundane girl that played with all of them as if they were her new favorite toys. Away from Jace, who he felt had left him behind along the way.
At first Alec had been just walking through some streets, the alleys he’d usually go to with Jace to hunt demons. Now that it was only him the glory of those moments after they had tracked down a demon and killed it was gone. Still Alec could feel Jace’s hand on his shoulder as a thank you. They had never needed too many words on their trips, they just had to look at each other to know what the other one felt like. After all they were parabatai, brothers. Now it seemed that the connection he had shared with Jace was long gone.
Alec wiped his sweaty hands on his pants for the third time since he had reached Magnus’ door, exhaled and lifted his finger to the door bell. Really, it wasn’t that hard.
„Just get it over with,“ Alec whispered to himself as he pressed is eyes together and his finger on the little button.
„Hello?“ Magnus sounded rather annoyed, as if the bell had interrupted something. Well, Alec hadn’t planned his visit.
„Hi, it’s me,“ the shadowhunter said, his hands stroking over his pants.
„Well, hello, you.“ Alec winced as he heard the sarcasm in the warlock’s voice. „How nice of you to stop by.“ The intercom clicked and Alec opened his mouth to say something before he realized that Magnus would not hear him. He took a deep breath and pushed the door bell again.
„Still you?“ Now Magnus’ voice sounded almost angry.
„I-.. Its me, Alec,“ he took another deep breath. „Alec Lightwood.“
For a moment he could only hear the noise of the intercom.
„Alec Lightwood,“ all of a sudden Magnus’ voice had an strange sweet undertone. „Come in, Alec.“ The door clicked open and Alec entered slowly.
Magnus was leaning in the doorway, smiling as he watched the shadowhunter come up to him. „I was wondering when you would finally give me a call.“
Alec nodded. „I was in the area, so I thought I’d drop by,“ he lied.
The warlock stepped aside and let Alec enter into his loft. „Sit down, make yourself at home. Do you want something to drink?“
Alec shook his head. „No, thank you,“ he mumbled as he sat down on the couch. The room that had been empty during the party was now filled with suprisingly classy furniture. Not that he wouldn’t have expected Magnus to be classy, the warlock’s partyoutfit the other night, however, had been a little too much. Today Magnus’ clothes weren’t half as tacky.
„I just wanted to thank you. You saved my life,“ he explained his visit.
There was something about Magnus’ smile in the way it was so close to Jace’s that made Alec more than uncomfortable. He wanted to leave.
„I should-..“ Alec sat up, but Magnus ignored him.
„You really came all the way to Brooklyn just to thank me? You didn’t even bring cake.“
„I-.. Why would I bring a cake?“
„I don’t know,“ Magnus shrugged. „I thought that’s what you do. Birthdaycake, cake when you move in, cake at funerals, weddingcake.. A simple card would have been fine, too, you know.“
Alec could feel the warlock’s eyes on him and instantly ducked down a little, as he felt his face heat up.
„I am sorry. I didn’t think that-..,“ he mumbled, but was interrupted by Magnus once more.
„I’m just kidding. Now look at you. I didn’t think you’d look that good that quick. Makes me proud of myself. I should have taken before and after pictures,“ the warlock grinned and winked at the young shadowhunter. „Now you made me want cake. Is red velvet alright with you?“
He didn’t even wait for Alec to look up again. All of a sudden there was a huge cake on the coffeetable covering it almost entirely. The air was filled with a sweet scent, too sweet for Alec’s liking but Magnus seemed delighted.
„Oh, Chairman Meow,“ he said to the cat that had been watching them from afar, unsure if Alec was a friend or not. „Look at that, Chairman. Alec brought cake to thank us. How considerate!“
The cat slowly walked towards them, eyeing Alec down with a wierd stare he could not really interpret. It was probably better not to think about it.
Magnus dipped his finger into the creamy white icing and smiled as he held it up to his cat’s face. Chairman Meow started licking the icing off his owner’s finger without hesitation.
„Well, Chairman Meow likes the cake and that’s always a good sign,“ said Magnus. The warlock started to rub his cat’s head and he, still smacking the icing, started to purr. Alec felt like he was in some kind of a freak show, yet he hadn’t the heart to just leave.
„Why don’t you help yourself to some cake, Alec?“ he heard Magnus and Alec nodded quickly. There was, however no room for plates, which the warlock had clearly forgotten. „Oh, I am sorry. Of course, you need a plate,“ Magnus said with a sigh. „That’s what you get for never having guests over.“
All of a sudden there was an elegant, thin plate in Alec’s hand. It was painted with light colored flowers that looked like a golden sun was shining on them. It reminded him of someone he desperately wanted to forget, Jace. Why was he not able to forget him just this once? Why did everything have to remind him of his parabatai?
The memory the flowerpainting evoke was the memory of a night not too long ago. One of those nights before that mundane had entered their lifes and taken Jace away from him. Looking back now it seemed that it had been one of the last nights where everything had been fine.
They had been hunting demons all night and Jace had killed six of them – a good night. It had only been the two of them that time.
After wandering through houndreds of narrow alleys they had gone up on the roof of one of Manhattan’s skyscrapers like they alsways would, Alec walking just behind Jace, like he always would. After a night of fighting and killing Manhattan’s rooftops were always a welcome place to rest.
The rising sun’s light had let the rooftops beneath them shine in a deep orange color that was only there this time of day. Small dewdrops had glistened in the light, reflecting it like diamonds, and Jace.. Jace had just stood there, his back to Alec, watching the Hudson River flow like a stream of light.
The sunbeams had caressed Jace’s hair, making it look like liquid gold and when he had turned around to look at Alec it had taken all of him not to gasp. Jace had grinned his typical grin, a grin that would alwaays get him. It were times like that, when Alec felt like he understood what mundanes meant when they talked about magic.
„Are you going to have cake now, or not?“ Magnus’ voice pulled him out of his thoughts and Alec stared at the warlock with a blank expression.
„What?“ he asked rather confused, but then he remembered. Cake, the warlock had gotten cake and now...
Alec looked at Magnus again and could see the older man raise one of his eyebrows. „You know, you don’t have to eat cake, if you don’t want to.“
„I am sorry,“ Alec mumbled. „I just had lunch. Isabelle cooked.“
The warlock smiled, but it was a distant smile now. „Well then you probably shouldn’t eat. I don’t understand why you still allow her to cook anyways. I never had anthing that bad in my entire life.“
„She cooked for you? I’m sorry,“ Alec wanted to look like he really was, but he smiled instead.
„She made soup when I took care of your little booboos.“ The leather of the couch crunched, as Magnus leaned back without lifting his eyes off Alec. „Which I did a wonderful job at.“
Nodding Alec looked down at his hands, ready to be reminded of Jace by the sight of the plate, but the painting on it had changed. Instead of sunkissed flowers there were blue, geomatrical patterns on it.
„The plate seemed to have reminded you of something rather uncomfortable,“ he heard Magnus explain. „I didn’t want to stirr up bad memories.“
„It wasn’t a bad memory,“ Alec whispered. It was one of his favorite memories, the one memory, he would always escape to. Yet it was only a memory. There would never be only Jace and him hunting again. Not with her around.
The young shadowhunter shook his head, as he felt Magnus’ curious gaze on him. Alec realized that he had clenched his fist. It was definately time to go. Taking a deep breath he opened his hand again.
„I should really go now,“ Alec hurried to say, before Magnus would make him stay any longer.
„Well, that’s good. Then I can send your cake back. If I don’t, poor Leslie is going to cry her eyes out.“
Confused Alec looked at Magnus, then down at the cake. It had ‚Tom and Leslie’ written on it in pink icing. A wedding cake?
„You stole someone’s wedding cake?“ he blurted out.
„Oh, don’t worry about it,“ Magnus sighed and with a snap of his fingers the cake disappeared again. „See, I gave it back.“
Alec snorted. Did Magnus have no decency?
The warlock walked over to the door and opened it. „It was very nice of you to come over.“
Alec looked at the older man and smiled a little. „Thank you for the cake.“
„You didn’t even have any,“ Magnus grinned a grin that painfully reminded Alec of Jace. It was scary how the warlock resebled his parabatai in so many ways, yet Magnus was totally different. He had wanted to get away from Jace but why did he come here to forget?
„It was someone else’s cake!“ He heard Magnus laugh. It sounded nothing like Jace. It was a really charming, warm laugh that made Alec feel at ease somehow. He wondered, if that had something to do with the other one being a warlock.
„You know, you should probably talk to him.“
Alec gasped as he heard Magnus and stared at the older man with his eyes wide open. „W-.. What?“
„It’s not like it’s some huge secret, is it?“, asked Magnus and Alec blushed. „It’s pretty obvious. I knew it the moment I saw you two. Come on, you’re too cute to waste your time on someone like that.“
„Don’t you ever say that again!“, Alec said furious. „You don’t know Jace.“
„I don’t, but I saw what was going on between you. And now you’re here,“ the warlorck tried to sound appeasing. Alec felt Magnus’ hand on his shoulder. „Just think about it.“
„Thank you“, Alec’s voice sounded colder than intended and he brushed Magnus’ hand off his shoulder as he stepped out of the loft. „Bye.“
The warlord said nothing and Alec hurried to get out the house. Hearing the door close behind him the shadowhunter stopped and took a deep breath.
The intercom clicked again. „If you don’t want to go home you might as well come back in. I don’t do colds, you know.“