#underrey

Lorenzo nods, leaning forward, and a dam seems to break. ‘Ever since he was on that mission that went… less than ideally, he’s not been himself. He’s isolating himself, he’s not eating, I don’t believe he’s sleeping properly… In short, I think it’s had a larger effect on him than he’s willing to admit.’ His eyes flick away for a moment. ‘Even to me,’ he mutters.

Realisation hits Alec not unlike a truck. ‘Oh,’ he says. ‘Oh, so… you two, are…’ he trails off. Lorenzo rolls his eyes. ‘Yes. For quite a while now, in fact. I wouldn’t have thought you of all people would be surprised, Mr. Lightwood-Bane,’ he points out, and Alec tilts his head in capitulation. ‘Actually, I expected that Andrew would have told you by now. I understand you two are friendly.’ ‘We are,’ Alec says, ‘but I just… haven’t seen him in a while.’

He frowns at the realisation, especially when he remembers the mission Lorenzo’s talking about. A Ravener demon had somehow slipped past the Shadowhunters surrounding it, fleeing through alleyways into the nearest open area – which happened to be an outdoor basketball court, where a bunch of middle-schoolers were playing. According to the report, they’d only managed to relocate the demon when the children had started screaming.

The mission had resulted in four civilian casualties. All under the age of fourteen.

And because he’s been so busy dealing with the Mundane witnesses, it’s possible Alec’s dropped the ball when it comes to the effect it’s had on his own people. ‘Okay,’ he says. ‘Thank you for flagging this up. I’ll make sure all personnel involved with that mission undergo a secondary debriefing, and that they all pass an updated evaluation before they go back out in the field. And I’ll call in a few favours, see what can be done about establishing a better support system.’

Lorenzo seems satisfied, reaching with one hand to shake Alec’s, clasping the other over the top. ‘Thank you,’ he says sincerely, and he turns to leave.

‘Lorenzo,’ Alec calls after him. ‘Hm?’ Alec pauses, not quite sure how to phrase what he wants to say. ‘Just… thank you,’ he settles on. ‘Underhill’s a friend, and I’m glad he has someone looking out for him.’

Lorenzo smiles. ‘Of course,’ he says, and his expression softens, even as he fixes Alec with a knowing look. ‘He’s my world.’

With that, he leaves, and Alec wanders back over to his desk. He has a few calls to make.

“Lo?” Andrew shouted through the apartment. The lack of music playing from the record player surprised him, but not as much as the swearing coming from Lorenzo’s apothecary. Since Andrew knew better than to interrupt, he slid off his jacket and shoes, taking it upon himself to throw his favorite record in the player. The slow rhythm of “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” filled the room as Andrew lowered himself on the couch, his head resting on the pillow. He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he felt a soft kiss to his forehead. A soft smile found its way to his lips as his eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim lighting. When he saw Lorenzo leaning over him, he smiled wider, reaching a hand out to run his fingers along his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Rough day?” Lorenzo asked, picking up Andrew’s legs and taking their spot on the couch. He plopped them back down, lightly massaging the soles of Andrew’s feet earning a soft groan from the other man. Andrew nodded slowly, stretching his arms over his head and a yawn ripped from his lips.

“Normal day. Isabelle is kicking our asses lately. We all thought Alec was a handful as Head but Izzy is giving him a run for his money.” Andrew sighed, covering his face with his hands as he felt his body relaxing into Lorenzo’s touch. He removed his hands to place them on the back of his head, lifting it up so he could connect eyes with his boyfriend. “But, I’m here. You said you wanted to have a special night, so I’m wide awake and ready for anything.” Lorenzo laughed at the implications of his words, raising his eyebrows at the other man. Andrew just wiggled his in return, sitting up so he could press a small kiss to Lorenzo’s lips.

“I actually wanted to… Well… I went to Alicante today.” Andrew tilted his head in interest, his eyes widening only slightly. He knew that Lorenzo contacted Magnus every once in a while, but there wasn’t an impending disaster he knew about that constituted a visit. He could sense the nervousness radiating from his partner from the way he was wringing his hands and how he apparently found a very interesting spot on the coffee table.

“Hey, is everything okay? A visit to the High Warlock of Alicante is a pretty big deal.” Lorenzo nodded, forcing his hands apart and his eyes to lock on Andrew’s.

“A visit to the High Warlock, yes. But I was visiting Magnus. As a… friend?” The words came out as a question and Andrew chuckled a bit, inching just a little closer to his boyfriend.

“And why were you visiting your friend?” Andrew inquired, suddenly feeling like Lorenzo’s nervousness was burrowing itself into his body. He grabbed Lorenzo’s hands which felt a bit different than they had a few minutes prior. When Lorenzo looked down, Andrew followed his gaze and his eyes caught a glimpse at his boyfriend’s warlock mark. He gasped, taken aback at the trust Lorenzo had just imparted in him. He ran his fingers lightly over the scales that replaced Lorenzo’s skin, his fingers brushing the back of his hands and up his arms.

Without meaning to, a bubble of laughter escaped from Andrew’s lips. Andrew’s laughter usually had Lorenzo giggling along, but this time his heart broke at the sound. The instant Andrew saw the hurt on Lorenzo’s face, he let go of the other man’s hands to cover his mouth. The laughter kept falling out and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“I should have known this was a bad idea.” Lorenzo attempted to glamour his scales once more, but the agony rushing through his body was enough to make him lose control. “That you were just another shadowhunter who could never accept a vile warlock like me.” Andrew shook his head roughly as Lorenzo stood up, his magic shooting out and cracking the frame of one of his paintings. Andrew winced, an action that did not go unnoticed by Lorenzo. “Now you’re scared of me? Give me some credit, Andrew. I’d never hurt someone I love even if they have hurt me.” Andrew stood up, throwing caution to the wind as he grabbed his boyfriend’s hand. The cool magic instantly calming at Andrew’s touch.

“Lorenzo, I have to explain!” Before he could say another word, Lorenzo was attempting to pull his hand away. Andrew sighed heavily, drawing Lorenzo into his arms and taking his face in his hands. “You were a chameleon!” The warlock’s magic immediately ceased all movement, a look of mortification crossing Lorenzo’s face.

“I… Who told you that?” Lorenzo snapped, eyes widening as an amused smile found its way back to Andrew’s lips.

“The King of Edom and his warlock son turned the High Warlock of Brooklyn into a chameleon and you thought the Head of Security of the New York Institute wouldn’t hear about it?” Lorenzo sighed, looking down at their feet. Andrew stroked his thumbs across Lorenzo’s cheeks, still peppered with scales. He took a moment to absorb the new sensation across his fingertips, his eyes scanning over every inch of exposed skin.

Lorenzo looked up and asked with a slight bitterness to his tone, “Are you going to explain the laughter now that I’m calm.” Andrew chuckled, tilting his head at his boyfriend.

“Asmodeus turned you into a chameleon and your warlock mark is scales. You have to see the humor in that… Did he do that on purpose? Or was is just coincidence?” Andrew let out a grunt as Lorenzo shoved his shoulder, turning quickly away from his boyfriend. Andrew promptly placed himself back in front of Lorenzo, noting the fact his glamour was back up. He sighed, holding onto Lorenzo’s shoulders tightly.

“Maybe you should go, Andrew…” The words sounded too rigid to Andrew, so he leaned in and place his forehead on Lorenzo’s. He felt his boyfriend’s shoulders relax at the new connection and took a deep breath, trying to think of the right words to say.

“Ren, I don’t care what your warlock mark is. I didn’t fall in love with you without knowing we were going to have our differences.” Lorenzo peeked back up to meet Andrew’s eyes, a small smile crossing his lips at the love he saw in them. Andrew smiled back, placing a soft kiss on Lorenzo’s lips. “Show me them again.” Without hesitation, Lorenzo dropped his glamour, his yellow toned scales shining through.

Andrew took a step back to absorb the sight before him. He’d known from his studies as a shadowhunter and from Alec that warlock marks were easily hidden and not often shown except to those a warlock trusted. He couldn’t believe that he had gained that much trust from Lorenzo. He gazed over every inch of exposed skin, yearning to reach out and touch. As his hands made movements to do so, he paused, looking up at Lorenzo for confirmation. Lorenzo nodded his head, his heart bursting a little bit more at the silent question. Andrew stroked his fingertips over the smooth scales located on the back of Lorenzo’s hands, gasping at the new sensation. He slowly brought Lorenzo’s hand up to place it on his face, taking a small step closer. Andrew closed his eyes, letting Lorenzo’s fingers stroke down his cheek to cup his jaw.

Before he could open his eyes, Lorenzo slid a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. This one was like no other to Andrew. He felt like he was kissing Lorenzo for the first time. This was the real Lorenzo. This was all of Lorenzo, warlock mark and all. He vaguely registered the new feeling of scaled lips against his before Lorenzo’s tongue slid across his own. A small moan left Andrew’s lips as he wrapped his arms more securely around his boyfriend’s waist. He pulled away for a moment, his eyes opening to meet Lorenzo’s.

“So… These scales. Are they all over your body?” Andrew asked, tilting his head to the side as Lorenzo kissed his way down his neck. Lorenzo chuckled, nipping at Andrew’s ear lightly before whispering huskily.

Magnus felt nowhere near as surprised as Alec looked. ‘Huh. I saw them talking at the wedding, but I must say I wasn’t expecting them to last this long. Good for them.’ ‘Good for them? That’s your reaction?’ Alec had moved from surprise to incredulity, and Magnus thought he must have activated a speed rune, because he then shifted almost immediately into confusion. ‘Wait – the wedding? Our wedding?’ ‘Yes, Alexander, our wedding. You didn’t notice?’ ‘No, I was mostly paying attention to you.’ Magnus couldn’t help smiling. Alexander could be so sweet – often by accident. ‘Well, I won’t apologise for keeping an eye on Underhill. You do have a history of running away from your weddings with handsome men,’ he teased.

Alec rolled his eyes. ‘Thanks. Seriously, though – you don’t think it’s strange? Those two hitting it off?’ ‘Well, I can see your point,’ Magnus said, trying to keep his face straight. ‘They are very different. I mean, a prominent Shadowhunter being swept off his feet by the High Warlock of Brooklyn? Madness! It’ll never work!’ Alec gave him a flat, unimpressed look, but the corners of his mouth were twitching. ‘Yeah, but I got you out of it. Underhill’s going after Lorenzo.’ He gave a slight shudder. They’d been on good terms with Lorenzo since Edom, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a pompous asshole.

Magnus chuckled, closing the distance between them and placing his hands on Alec’s shoulders. ‘Well, Alexander, you insisted on tying the knot at the Institute. ‘Think of what it would mean to others like us,’’ he said, in an impression more accurate than he knew Alec would ever admit. ‘’The message it would send.’ Apparently, those two were the ones to receive that message. It seems that now, you’ll have to just wrap your head around the consequences.’ Alec smiled. ‘I know they’re an odd couple,’ he said softly, ‘but weirdly, I’m kind of rooting for them. I mean, if there’s a chance Lorenzo can make Underhill half as happy as I am, he’ll be the second-luckiest Shadowhunter on the planet.’

Really, this had to stop, before Alexander could say anything else like that. Magnus wasn’t sure his poor old heart could take it. So, ever in favour of pre-emptive action, he leaned in for a kiss.