#blj2007

Pressure by @reallysporadicsterekart: This is a very short fic, but it leaves you feeling so very relaxed. It is so lovely and the way she describes every detail, I was swooning! So brilliant and so lovely!

Paper Thin by @prettylightwoodinspires: Magnus Bane feels all up in this! I relate so much to what he is feeling. I cried so much reading this and I read it multiple times... She is brilliant at expressing exactly what this feels like. I have dealt with Panic and Anxiety attacks for so long now and the way she taps into these feeling... Damn... BRAVO! I love this so much and cannot wait for more by her!

Meeting Catarina by @bane-of-brooklyn: This is cute and fluffy and everything I ever needed in Alec and Catarina Meeting! She gets Catarina so well! I cannot wait for more from her! I mean it this fic is awesome, fun, lighthearted! So Sweet!

Wonder by @champagnemagnus: MERMAID MAGNUS!!!! This story is brilliant and I had no idea how much I needed it until I read it! I love this so freaking much! Every word, every line so perfectly placed! This author captures Magnus and Alec so wonderfully and I cannot get enough of this fic!

I Can’t Concentrate by @blj2007: Izzy and Alec banter! WOOT! But also Malec! I mean this fic is awesome! She is so brilliant with how she writes Alec just as Alec is! I love it! This is cute and sexy and brilliant! <3

Love, Bites by @sallsmum: Parabatai and Lightwood sibling banter! Brilliant! She has a knack for making them so playful and I love it! This is definitely a cute and lighthearted read! Also a bit sexy! XD

Thank you all for the hard work and the time you spend creating this magic! You are all brilliant! I have so much love for your work, even if I don’t always express it! But trust me the love it there, I am just shy sometimes! <3 THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU! FOR BEING WRITERS AND MAKING ME HAPPY WITH YOUR WRITING!

POKE POKE POKE: 

READING IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING NOW!

SO THAT YOUR FACE WILL DO THIS:

I KNOW WHAT YOU MAY BE THINKING:

OR:

MY ANSWER IS SIMPLE:

I KNOW SHIT!!!!

I KNOW I KNOW, NOW YOU ARE LIKE:

AGAIN SIMPLE ANSWER:

I KNOW ABOUT AWESOMENESS

AND I SPEAK THE TRUTH!!!!! <3

(also yes I found a way to put Isaiah, Harry, and Matt’s gorgeous faces in this post! sorrynotsorry! PARABATRI! <3)

(I WIN! AND SO DO ALL OF THESE LOVELY AUTHORS!)

Looking between the two of them with pursed lips, he let out a terse “Clearly”, waiting for more information that could possibly serve to explain this.

“I have it.” The vampire stated, and Magnus hurried to elaborate. “And she’s graciously offered it in exchange for her freedom.”

“And her freedom requires a lip lock?” Isabelle inquired next to him, and Alec raised an eyebrow in question himself, but Magnus didn’t look at him, merely raising a finger at Isabelle, pairing it with an expression that conveyed they needed to let him explain. Alec decided to refrain from doing so until they were alone, and turned back to the vampire instead, taking a couple of steps closer to her.

“We don’t negotiate with prisoners.” He told her firmly, but Camille didn’t seem intimidated in the slightest.

“Prisoner? I beg to disagree. You see, I’m your only chance at saving the world.” As Camille talked, Alec’s gaze switched to Magnus for a second, who was twirling his finger by his head then pointing to Camille in a she is crazy gesture. Alec returned his attention to the vampire. “You need me.”

“You certainly have a type, don’t you Magnus?” She continued before he had a chance to reply, and he felt a pang in his chest. What did she mean by that? “He’s cute. Too bad it won’t last.”

“Say that again. You won’t last.” Isabelle hissed, standing up for him once again, and Alec shook his head slowly, trying to regain control of his own thoughts, because shouldn’t Magnus be the one countering those damn jabs at their… their… whatever the hell they had?

“I’d say he’s about twenty years from male patterned baldness.” Okay, that was more than enough for him. “I don’t have time for this” He stated clearly and calmly, making a point of directing his words to Magnus and Magnus alone. “Where’s Clary?”

Magnus merely gestured with his finger, pointing behind him, and Alec moved to pass them with a final look at Magnus that he hoped would convey they would need to talk about this.

Once Camille revealed she had the book at her place and led them to the building, they all had to cram inside the ornate elevator. Alec forced himself to remain quiet the entire ride up, pointedly ignoring the vampire’s existence despite her occasional side remarks. Once he caught her smirking, however, he switched tactics. He didn’t want her to think she had affected him, even though ever since he’d laid eyes on her with Magnus his brain had been sprouting not good enough, you’re not good enough on a fucking repeat.

“Wow. You’ve got a lot of books.” He commented nonchalantly once they reached the room he assumed to be the library, not even bothering to pay attention to her answer.

“This place creeps me out.” His sister whispered behind him, and he turned to her.

“Yeah. Let’s check the perimeter.”

“Good idea. If I know Camille she’ll have a trick or three up her sleeve.” Magnus agreed readily, and gestured for him to lead the way, which he did, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking.

“I’m gonna keep watch on the door.” Isabelle announced; it was quite possibly just a subtle way to give them some space, but nevertheless he gladly let her go. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he didn’t want to snap at her unfairly. “’Kay.” He acknowledged with a nod, and once she was off he grabbed Magnus by the hand and pulled him into a random corridor, where, to his own surprise, the first thing he did was push the warlock against the wall and cover his lips with his own. He made a startled noise against his mouth but responded almost immediately, wrapping strong arms around his neck, and much like the first time Alec found himself thinking he could do this his entire life without ever getting tired. He pulled back, however, to look into Magnus’ eyes, because he just had to know. Magnus didn’t disappoint, obviously reading him the easy way he’d found so irksome in the past; he cradled his face in one hand before whispering softly. “That was the only kiss I enjoyed today.”

Alec almost sagged in relief when the words made his brain finally shut up, and he buried his face in Magnus’ neck. “Good.” Then he pulled back quickly, a frown on his face. “Wait, you mean she forced herself on you? What a-” He felt the urge to go back and rip that damn vampire’s throat out, and it must’ve shown on his face, because Magnus chuckled slightly and tugged him closer once again. “Alexander. While I’d love to go see you fight for my honor, I think we would both enjoy it more if you just stayed and… helped me forget all about that bad experience…?” He ran his thumb over Alec’s lower lip while he spoke, an enticing edge to his question, and Alec could only smile dumbly and let Magnus tug him in for another kiss, which turned into a third, and a fourth, until they were being separated by a freaking seraph blade. Alec looked up to find a tall, bald circle member behind Magnus, and he could feel another one right behind him now that he wasn’t otherwise preoccupied.

Shit.

Other times were to follow, though. And while some would become funny stories they’d laugh about later on…

“Need a hand, darling?”

Alec smiled instinctively, ducking under the arm of the shax demon he was currently engaged with before slipping a misericord blade into its side and carefully stepping away from the explosion of ichor caused by the demon’s death. He turned on his heel just in time to see his boyfriend blast another one into oblivion right next to Jace, whose jacket got splattered with the waste. “Ups.” Magnus smiled, and Jace rolled his eyes, finishing off the demon Izzy had wrapped her whip around.

“What are you doing here, Mags?” Alec asked, backing away until he was side to side with the warlock and knocking an arrow back with his bow; there were still about fifteen shax demons in front of them – they’d been getting reports of mundanes going missing in the area, and they’d just found the herd’s nest. He shot the one nearest to Clary, who was dealing with a particularly vicious one, but since he didn’t have a clear shot at the beast he trusted the redhead could handle it. Magnus threw three consecutive fireballs at the center of the fight, each one hitting its target if the inhuman shrieks that came their way were any indication.

“Well, I wanted to take you out to dinner, and you were taking far too long, my love. I figured maybe I could be of assistance.” He punctuated the words by disintegrating another one that had gotten too close to Alec as he was lining up his shots, and the Shadowhunter shivered as he felt the familiar pull of Magnus’ magic pass him by.

They were done with the entirety of the nest, eggs and all, in a matter of minutes (much faster than they would’ve without Magnus), and with nothing more than a couple of bruises and scratches. Alec stood outside the abandoned warehouse that had been taken for that effect, panting, and not just from the physical exertion.

A lot of people underestimated his boyfriend based on his looks alone, he knew; but clearly none of those people had ever seen Magnus Bane fight. He was fierce and lethal, but still so damn gracious all the time, like a feral cat mid-hunt – basically, it was hot as fuck to watch Magnus fight, especially since Alec didn’t get many chances to do it.

As the rest of their group cleaned their weapons, Alec walked up to his boyfriend, pulling him in for a swift kiss that Magnus pulled away from far too soon in his opinion, a pleased little smile on his face. “So, dinner?”

Alec shook his head, arms coming around to circle the warlock’s waist as he rested their foreheads together, a seductive edge creeping into his voice. “Actually, I really just want to go back home, if that’s okay.”

Magnus failed to notice his mood, pouting playfully. “You mean after all the trouble I went to to come pick you up, you just want to blow off our dinner date?”

“Magnus.” Alec groaned quietly in frustration, then pulled him closer until he could press their hips together just so the warlock could feel his hard on, thankfully concealed in his black jeans. He tongued at Magnus’ ear lobe, his voice dropping so only he could hear it. “I just really wanna go home so I can blow something else.”

Magnus’ eyes widened a fraction before a slow grin spread across his face; he grinded subtly against Alec, making the younger man hiss quietly, before he pulled back slightly and raised his voice so the rest of the shadowhunters heard him too. “Alright, darling, let’s get you home.”

They said goodbye to the rest of their group (Izzy gave him a knowing grin that had him blushing scarlet, but luckily they were otherwise unbothered) and then they stepped into the still lit up streets of New York, and Alec had to hold himself back from jumping his boyfriend in public like a virgin teenager. He managed to keep his hands to himself and just walk alongside Magnus – the loft wasn’t that far away, but every minute felt like torture and he could tell by the little smirk on his boyfriend’s face that he hadn’t summoned a portal for that same exact reason. Alec’s skin tingled in anticipation.

They’d almost reached their street when they passed a mundane bar from which a large group of men, all clearly very intoxicated, were exiting, blocking the way. Alec cursed inwardly, but Magnus was already attempting to contour the obstacle, so he followed behind him. Until one of the men noticed them, or rather, noticed Magnus, and flailed slightly in his spot, eyes widening almost comically. “Oi!” He called out in a British accent, and then promptly fell forward and into the warlock. “You’re like… tremendously hot, dude.” He slurred, grabbing onto Magnus’ shoulders for support, whose eyes widened as well, but in displeased shock. The stranger called out to one of his companions, a taller, lankier redhead, who turned his head around. “Oi Joel! Tell me this ain’t the prettiest motherfucker you’ve ever seen.”

Joel rolled his eyes. “You know I’m not into guys, David.” As he came closer though, he tilted his head, or tried to, as his whole body ended up tilting sideways, and his beer tipped onto the floor. “Oh wow. He’s pretty, alright.”

David was very excited now, to the point where he almost seemed to be skipping in place, looking back and forth between his friend and Magnus with sparkling eyes, who in turn now merely looked amused. Alec was anything but. He was perfectly aware of how attractive his boyfriend was (the erection in his pants could attest to that), and he most certainly did not need a bunch of wasted mundanes to inform him of that fact.

“Well, David.” Magnus began, smiling up at his boyfriend before taking his arm and pulling him into his side. “While that might be true, I am very happily taken.” Alec blushed slightly and scoffed, but couldn’t help himself from pulling the warlock closer and dropping a hand to his hip, directly in the line of sight of the two mundanes, whose eyes had gotten considerably larger. “And if you don’t mind, I was well on my way to getting some of this.” Magnus announced to the pair, while Alec spluttered helplessly.

David looked up at Alec, almost gaping. He gave a low whistle.

“Damn. Will you hit me if I tell you you’re also real pretty? You look kinda scary though. Black Widow Style, ya know? Like… some serious tall, dark and handsome vibes, man.”

Magnus laughed again, while Alec blushed profusely. Suddenly David’s eyes widened like he’d just reached an epiphany, and then he was leaning towards them, whispering conspiratorially. “Would you lot be interested in a three way, by any chance?”

Alec was sure his eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the other man incredulously. Thankfully, Magnus took over, whispering something he didn’t quite get but that made the mundanes nod quickly. David held his hand up to high five Alec (needless to say, he didn’t get one, and a mortified Alec simply dragged his laughing boyfriend over to their apartment).

…some of them were just painful.

Alec smiled as he shook Luke's hand, watching the werewolf proceed further into the room. Raphael and Magnus approached him together, his boyfriend chuckling softly while his vampire friend remained stoic as always, apart from the subtle up tilt of his lips that was possible to spot in very few companies by a couple of very few people. Alec could honestly say he was proud to be one of them; even if he and Raphael weren’t the warmest with each other, they had grown to be very good friends in their own way (they were similar in a lot of things, including the fact that they both loved Magnus Bane.)

"Mr. Lightwood." Magnus greeted him, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he extended his hand forward. Alec smirked slightly and took it, raising it to his lips quickly - he did love this little game they still played, but Magnus looked stunning today, decked in blues and golds, and he just couldn't help himself. It was worth it for the glimpse of cat eyes he got for the brief second his lips made contact with his boyfriend's skin. "Mr. Bane."

Raphael cleared his throat loudly, and Magnus let go with a fond eyeroll. Alec regretfully directed his focus onto the sullen vampire, who held out his hand. "Lightwood."

"Santiago." He replied, shaking his hand firmly before gesturing towards the council room. It was Raphael's turn to roll his eyes but he left the couple alone nonetheless, and Alec was grateful, especially when Magnus pulled him in for a kiss that left his head spinning. "Missed you today, Darling." He whispered against his mouth when he pulled back, and Alec smiled against his lips. "So did I. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to lunch."

The warlock hummed, tugging on the hair at the nape of his neck lightly. “I’ll let you make it up to me later, Nephilim.” Alec grinned but regretfully pulled away when he heard steps echo in the hall, facing forward and placing his hands behind his back in a more professional stance to greet Meliorn.

Except the knight was nowhere in sight: instead, a Seelie woman walked up to the pair. She was beautiful, even Alec could tell, with long, sleek black hair and eyes the color of liquid honey; her dress was a deep forest green, and had a slit that reached almost all the way up to her hip, exposing delicate sandals that appeared to be made out of flowers and their stems. She smiled when she reached them, and bowed her head slightly. “Mr. Lightwood.” she addressed Alec first, holding her hand out. The Shadowhunter shook it firmly, even as he made a mental catalog of the weapons he had on him while he waited for the Seelie to identify and explain herself – his bow was in his office, but he still had a blade on his foot and another at his waist.

“I am Eelya, of the queen’s court. I have come to take the knight Meliorn’s place in the meeting.”

Alec raised an eyebrow in surprise. “And why has he failed to be present? Meliorn has never skipped one of our meetings before.”

Eelya’s smile was dangerously sweet; Alec noticed her teeth were pointy and thin beyond those cherry red lips. “The queen required him for a special assignment. I assure you I will do my best to be worthy of representing the seelies in this cabinet.”

The Shadowhunter pursed his lips but made to wave her inside, just as her peculiar gaze switched onto Magnus. Her smile widened, and Alec’s expression soured exponentially. “High Warlock Bane – such an honor.” Magnus smiled and shook her hand, but the Seelie held on, her voice almost a purr by then. “I must say, it has been far too long since your last visit to the court. It certainly left some of us… most fascinated.”

Magnus didn’t miss a beat, expertly extracting his hand from within the seelie’s two while maintaining his polite smile in place. “You flatter me, Lady Eelya. Word of the beauty held by the queen’s court members has travelled the whole of the downworld for centuries. I would not believe myself capable of holding their attention.”

“Oh, but you are.” Eelya let out a deep, soft sigh as she let her gaze not so subtly rake over Alec. “Of course, we were all extremely disheartened to learn that your… infatuation grows, still.” She reached forward to drop a hand onto Magnus’ shoulder, making a point of whispering loudly enough for Alec to hear. “Not that I blame you – he is a rather pretty thing. If you ever need something a little more… durable, however, you must promise to visit us, Mr. Bane.”

Magnus took a step back, fire in his eyes. Alec had gradually been choking on his own breath ever since the mention of Magnus down in the Seelie court, mind flashing to the time the warlock had left him in this very institute, with no way to know when he would come back or if he even wanted to. To that god-awful period of time when they’d been on opposing sides, when he would look at Magnus and find nothing but cold indifference in his features. His nails dug into the skin of his palms as he clenched his fists by his side. He was almost close to hyperventilating by then, but one glance down showed his boyfriend’s hands were open, palms up, and he could tell they were about ready to be used; Alec promptly moved to Magnus’ side and placed a hand on his elbow, even though his body called out for him to rip the woman in half himself. “Don’t. It’s not worth it.”

Eelya smiled at them both before sidestepping them and entering the room, her voice taking on a childlike quality as she called out behind her shoulder. “Shall we, gentlemen?”

He made a point of holding Magnus’ hand over the table for the entirety of the meeting.

Mostly, Alec had learned to live with the fact that people just couldn’t keep away from Magnus (he couldn’t really blame them, to be honest).

Alec sighed as he turned back to the bar, fiddling with the straw on his drink. The bartender – a Seelie girl with blue hair that shimmered like water when she moved – had caught sight of him and poured the fruity smelling liquid into a tall glass immediately, sliding it down the countertop to him even though there were about five other people trying to get her attention. That had been fifteen minutes ago, and while Alec had smiled and pondered over the perks of having a boyfriend that owned a spectacularly popular club then, he was now wondering if karma hadn’t screwed him over, because Magnus was being kept from him by said host duties.

He felt a poke at his side, then Aline dropped onto the barstool next to him, face flushed and eyes glowing. He raised an eyebrow at her pointedly, making a show of looking around and peeking behind her back. His friend rolled her eyes, but he saw her blush intensify slightly. “Helen is getting us some drinks.” At his answering smirk, the Asian Shadowhunter poked at his chest accusingly, her eyes narrowing. “So I decided to come check on Mr. Grumpy Pants here. Why the hell isn’t your ass out on that dance floor, Lightwood?”

Alec snorted and shook his head fondly, finishing his drink instead of replying. He barely had the time to take his hand away from the glass before the Seelie bartender replaced it with an identical one. Aline made a grab for it and knocked down half of it in one go, her face twisting slightly. “Alec, this barely has any alcohol in it. You disappoint me.”

He smiled. “Well, I happen to like it, actually. You know I don’t drink much.”

Aline lifted her shoulder in a movement that acknowledged his words but didn’t particularly care for them. She tugged at his arm, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips. “What I do know is that you can dance, whenever I manage to convince you, for some grace of the Angel. So come on, dance with me.”

Alec sighed, looking around the club once again. He spotted Magnus over by the DJ table, deeply engrossed in conversation with what appeared to be a small group of werewolves. The hand at his side was fidgeting with his rings though, a minuscule movement that Alec knew he only spotted because of how familiarized he was with it – Magnus was bored. A lot. The Shadowhunter took some comfort in the notion that he wasn’t the only one, at least.

Then an entirely different hand flickered in his line of sight. One of the wolves, a bulky blonde about his height, had moved closer to Magnus, and had his fingers lightly spread on his boyfriend’s lower back. Alec gritted his teeth even as he saw Magnus’s smile turn even more forced, saw him take a step back and re-engage in conversation with the redhead girl that he would guess was an alpha, merely by the way she stood among her taller peers with an air of calm importance. The blonde man kept his eyes on the warlock though, and Alec could swear he looked hungry.

Helen returned at that moment, three tequila shots balanced in each hand and a bright smile on her face. “You know, Alec, dropping your name in conversation with the folks at the VIP bar apparently gets you free drinks. I might just stick around New York for a little longer.”

Alec snapped his head down to look at her (and away from the handsy werewolf) so fast his neck made a clicking noise, and he blinked for a few seconds before he could focus again. Maybe it was time for him to steal his boyfriend’s attention for a while. He smiled at Helen before taking two of the shots in quick succession, feeling the burn in his throat and fighting not to cough it down. “Well, we should take advantage of that, then. But I might be stealing your girlfriend for a dance or two.”

Aline spluttered out a denial at the term – even though they’d been together for a couple of months now and were seriously so in love it was ridiculous –, but Helen just laughed, and Alec grabbed both the girls’ hands and dragged them over to where Simon was performing some moves that had Izzy barely standing upright with laughter.

Now, contrary to popular belief, Alec could indeed dance. You didn’t just grow up with Isabelle Lightwood being completely useless on a dancefloor, and he was a warrior – he knew his body and he understood how to use, bend and twist it to his will. Just because he usually utilized those skills in battle didn’t mean they couldn’t be of use in other contexts. No, Alec thought with a small smile, he’d heard Magnus sing praise to his flexibility rune more than enough times to know that wasn’t the case by now. So he took off his jacket and let the rhythm wash over him, before slowly beginning to gyrate his hips to the pulse of the upbeat song currently playing.

Izzy and Helen cheered, Simon wolf whistled, and Aline joined him immediately, an easy grin on her face. Several heads turned in his direction, and he would’ve caught some pretty hungry stares directed at himself had his mind not been far away – well, about twenty feet away; he kept sneaking glances to his boyfriend, and after about five minutes of dancing there was the familiar heat he always got when those beautiful cat eyes were on him. Smiling to himself, he slowed his movements down, brought his hands up to play with the dark strands of his hair while he danced, and closed his eyes, trying to maintain a pleased, innocent look; as if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing – a couple more minutes and there were hands on his hips and lips on his neck.

Alec dropped his head back onto his boyfriend’s shoulder, eyes searching the club until he found the blonde werewolf, making sure he had his attention before burying a hand in Magnus’s hair and slowly grinding back on the warlock, a smirk in place (at least until Magnus kissed it off). He was getting better at this.

Okay, he was definitely not getting any better at it, no matter how many times he had to deal with similar situations.

Catarina had called early in the morning, when they were still wrapped up in their sheets and in each other. Magnus had spent the better part of the night soothing their little blueberry with magic tricks (they seemed to be the only reprieve he got from the pain that came with the sprout of his little horns), and Alec knew he was tired, so he wasn’t surprised when he only groaned and turned around at the sound of his own ring tone, burying himself further into Alec’s chest face first now. Dropping a kiss to his boyfriend’s temple, the Shadowhunter reached over to check for the caller; he answered it when he saw Catarina’s name flashing across the screen, voice still harsh from sleep. “’Morning, Cat.” He immediately straightened up in bed once he realized by her tone that something was wrong, and he reached over to shake Magnus awake.

Half an hour later, after they’d dropped Max off with Maryse, the couple was at one of the multiple entrances to the spiral labyrinth; Alec had refused to let Magnus come alone. A breach in the labyrinth was unheard of, and while shadowhunters weren’t usually welcome there at all, Alec’s reputation as a downworld rights defender (and as Magnus’ long-standing boyfriend and father of his child, also a warlock) had paved the way for him to enter without much fuss. That and the fact that he was immediately greeted at the entrance by Catarina Loss and Tessa Grey, arguably two of the most powerful women of the downworld, who ushered them inside – no one dared to question them.

A couple of grueling hours of work and the infracting demons had been contained. Even Magnus hadn’t been able to pinpoint its exact entry point, but luckily the procedures had been fairly simple once they had identified the beasts as smaller demons from Edom – hence why Catarina had called Magnus. She didn’t believe one could’ve made it that far, and it was always better to know what they were dealing with before applying any spells.

While it had been simple to figure out what to do, it had not been all that easy banishing an entire herd of demons to Edom, and Magnus was fairly drained of magic by the time they were finished. Alec was practically holding his boyfriend up as they walked the many corridors of the labyrinth; he tilted his head slightly to whisper tenderly in his ear. “When we get home, I’ll draw you a bath and make you the shrimp pasta you adore and you can just relax and charge up for the rest of the day.”

Magnus smiled softly and nuzzled his boyfriend’s neck, a wistful sigh escaping his lips. “The one with the buttery sauce?” Alec chuckled and kissed his cheek. “The very same one, love.”

Magnus hummed approvingly before he startled slightly, his eyes suddenly alert. “No, wait, we have to pick up Max, he-”

“Don’t worry, I left his cream with my mother, and you know she’ll be more than happy to spend the day with him.”

Magnus grumbled some but he relaxed once again against Alec’s side, at least until they heard some snickers behind them. Alec turned his head back and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Tessa at least had the decency to look somewhat bashful, shaking her head slightly, though she continued chuckling behind her hand; Catarina, on the other hand, was still full on snickering. “Oh my god, you guys are such dads! Baths and babysitters? Really, Alec?” She got out between laughs, and Alec blushed slightly before, very maturely, sticking his tongue out at them both.

When he turned back around, however, he was surprised to see a young warlock had come closer to their little group, to the point where she was standing right in front of them. Alec was pretty sure she hadn’t reached maturity yet – she looked sixteen at most, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that matched the color of the wings on her back, but then again you never did know with immortals. She seemed to be taking everything in with a sense of wonder, however, that made him lean more towards his first guess. He was already bringing a kind smile to his face when he realized just what she was looking at that made her seem so awestruck, and it immediately retracted. Maybe he was wrong after all.

“Oh my, do you need help with him?” She asked a little too eagerly, then fluttered even closer to touch Magnus’ shoulder. “Are you feeling alright, honey? Can I get you anything? I have a somewhat permanent place here where you can rest if you want.” She was caressing Magnus’ arm over his jacket now, and Alec’s eyebrows had gone up almost to his hair.

“Yeah, no, I think I got this, thank you.” He told her, forcing a smile onto his face, and Magnus nodded next to him, barely conscious as it was. The girl’s eyes narrowed slightly and she tilted her head, gaze focused on his neck rune, prominent and standing out, especially in a place like this where no one else was seen sporting them. “And what’s a Shadowhunter even doing here?” Her tone had shifted completely, plain aggression now present in her voice, but Alec kept up his polite smile. “Taking my boyfriend home. Now if you’ll excuse us, I’m pretty sure Magnus would love to get out of these clothes and into our bed, so we’re gonna have to leave.” He watched the warlock’s eyes widen in recognition when he spoke Magnus’ name – their relationship was a term of gossip all over the downworld, and Alec was sure that (while apparently their appearances hadn’t) it had reached even the solitary confinement of the spiral labyrinth. “Tremendously sorry, honey.” He reached out to pat her shoulder condescendingly before picking Magnus up, stepping aside and walking past her to the exit. Catarina caught up fairly quickly, having promised to portal them home giving Magnus’ state of exhaustion. She snorted amusedly. “Oh my god, her face, Alec, that was hilarious.”

Alec smiled slightly at her comment, and shrugged. “I mean I know I have nothing to worry about-”

Catarina interrupted with another loud snort. “Magnus literally fell asleep while she tried to put the moves on him.”

Yeah, okay, that widened Alec’s smile some. “True. But it’s never about that. I know Magnus loves me, and I know he doesn’t want anyone else. I just really can’t help myself, though. He’s beautiful and he gets a lot of attention, and honestly, I’d be proud, or prouder, if it wasn’t just so damn irritating. Especially when those people are perfectly aware that he’s mine – just as much as I’m his. Like, not on the market, buddy. Ocupado.” He winced slightly and turned to look at his friend. “Does that make me such a bad person?”

Catarina smiled, squeezing his shoulder. “No, Alec. Just a loving boyfriend, even if a tad territorial.” Alec smiled and watched her make a portal a couple steps outside the exit once they crossed, then kissed the top of her head in thanks and farewell. She grinned at him, calling out at the last minute. “Besides. I’d say Magnus is worse. He doesn’t even let people close enough to hit on you. He has the ‘Don’t you even look at Alec Lightwood’ glare patented by now.”

Alec’s laugh hovered in the air even after the couple crossed the portal to their loft.

Of course things got a tad more complicated once there were other factors involved…

“I want chocolate!” Rafael pointed excitedly at the counter with the hand that wasn’t currently clutched by Magnus, but he was nothing compared to his brother, practically jumping in Alec’s arms.

“Blueberries, daddy, pweeeeeease!” Alec smiled softly, and he merely kissed Max’s temple before swiftly turning them around to face the sitting area of the little ice cream parlor the Lightwood-Bane family had chosen for their outing. “Why don’t you and Rafa go sit with Papa and I’ll bring us all our ice creams?” Max turned big blue eyes at him and tugged on Alec’s scarf lightly, using his very serious face. “Do you promise to bring blueberry?”

“Of course I will, Maxie. Some blueberry ice cream for my blueberry coming right up.” The Shadowhunter assured him, setting his son down and pressing a kiss to his dark curls. Magnus’ glamour only hid his small little horns and his skin tone, without whom he actually resembled Alec slightly, much to their amusement; Magnus had even taken to styling their hair similarly (not that Alec did anything to his to begin with), especially since Rafa had started to emulate his other dad lately – he had a very developed sense of style already that Magnus was endlessly proud of. Finally satisfied, the tiny warlock giggled his way over to the other two, and he and Rafael quickly began arguing about which of their flavors was best, while Magnus chuckled at their antics with a fond smile. Alec felt a sappy smile of his own slip into place while he watched the family he’d never believed he could have, then turned in the direction of the line.

Five minutes later he was in front of the ice cream scoops. He got a chocolate cone for Rafael, and reached for a cup to place Max’s ice cream (he didn’t like waffle cones, and by this point Alec was just glad they still had the blueberry flavor, otherwise he would’ve been royally screwed). He picked out a waffle combo to share with Magnus, and the waiter told him he’d bring it by the table when it was done. He was just about done paying when he heard it.

“Hey! Go away!” Came his little blueberry’s voice, and Alec frowned, carefully setting down both his sons’ orders before turning around to see what had gotten Max so loudly protesting.

“Lady! He’s taken! What do you think you’re doing?” Alec’s eyebrows flew up to the middle of his forehead. Rafa, his quiet, shy Rafael was sassing a young woman whose blush rivalled even his own frequent ones. What the hell was going on?

Then Max turned back and literally jumped off of his kiddy seat; before Alec even had the time to chastise him for it, the tiny warlock was beside him, and taking his hand before turning around and tugging him forward with determination and a surprising amount of strength. He was barely able to grab the kids’ ice cream before he was being towed away. When they reached the table, Rafa moved to his other side and then both their sons were quite forcefully sitting him down in the chair closest to Magnus, whose features seemed to be deciding between bashful amusement and a somewhat embarrassed tinted exasperation.

Rafa pushed his face sideways, and he assumed Max must’ve done the same on Magnus’ end, because he suddenly found himself squished face first into his boyfriend. Rafael glared at the woman in front of him, who seemed frozen in mortification, and then gestured flauntingly at their joined heads. “Papa and Daddy are together and love each other very much.”

Max nodded solemnly, and then proceeded to fix the poor woman with a glare that matched his brother. “And as you can see they’re both very pretty and happy and don’t need you for anything, so please stop offering.”

Oh. Alec was beginning to get an idea of what this was all about. He snickered before he could help himself, but in the end his own social anxiety instincts compelled him to rescue the woman. “I’m so sorry, Miss, my sons are just very… protective.”

The woman glanced between Raphael, who now had his arms crossed over his chest, and Max, who was pounding his tiny fist into his palm like a menacing mobster, then got up and practically ran out of the ice cream parlor. Alec immediately dissolved into a fit of giggles, while Magnus smiled amusedly as well, but their sons seemed very affronted by their reactions.

“It’s not funny daddy!” Max scolded, and Raphael nodded quickly, his voice more exasperated than any other six-year-old Alec had ever met (he suspected that fashion sense wasn’t the only thing Rafa had inherited from Magnus – not that Max was any less dramatic). “This happens all the time!” He crossed his arms across his chest, settling back down on his chair. “Papa’s too pretty and people are too nosy.”

Max, who had been distracted when he realized his ice cream was on the table, nodded solemnly around a mouthful of the blueberry flavored dessert. “Can’t leave him alone.”