#2x11 mea maxima culpa

[katwriting]

Fic: Rescue Mission

2x11 reaction fic. As the Inquisitor won’t let Magnus go, Alec has to take matters in his own hands.

 “Alec, where are we going?”, Magnus whispered, now really getting nervous, although he technically knew that Alec would never hurt him. “To switch you back, what were you thinking?”, Alec responded, nervously staring at the closing elevator doors and only relaxing a bit when the car began to move upwards.

word count: 2,981 | Read it on AO3

It was late at night – or at least Magnus figured it was, it wasn’t like he was allowed his phone or even a simple watch in here – and the Institute was quiet. Quiet enough that Magnus could zone out and get a bit lost in his thoughts.

He had guessed that even though he was immortal, his life would end at some point. But not in his wildest dreams had he pictured that it would be as a prisoner of the Clave. He had not expected it to happen this sudden either, not when he just had started being happy again. And certainly not while he was trapped in the body of the man he hated most in the entire world while said man was going to be free, living a life that was supposed to be his.

Magnus tipped his – technically, not his -  head back against the wall and closed his eyes. It really was ironic how he had lived through centuries of misery and been perfectly fine – and now, that he had finally found happiness again, had finally found love again, his life was about to end.

The warlock sighed deeply. Life had an odd sense of irony sometimes.

From the minute he had woken up in the Institute courtyard and seen Alec help his body up, he had known that he was in trouble, big time. He’d always been used to a bit of hostility coming from the shadowhunters of the Institute – most of them still deemed themselves above downworlders, despite everything. But being a prisoner in the Institute was an entirely different story, especially if that prisoner was accused of murder in hundreds of cases and stealing two of the Nephilim’s most valuable artifacts.

Magnus had stopped counting how often he had been questioned, beaten up, hurt with the runes on Valentine’s skin, and been questioned some more in the past few hours. As he’d told the Inquisitor multiple times, it had all been for nothing, he had absolutely no idea where Valentine had hidden the cup. But his efforts had all been useless, none of the Shadowhunters he’d seen in the past few hours had believed him that he was not actually Valentine.

Not even Alec had.

Despite all the physical pain from the Inquisitor’s torture, this was what hurt Magnus the most. He’d done his best to convince Alec, begged him to believe him – but nothing he’d tried, no story, no memory he’d recalled, had managed to convince his boyfriend that they had the wrong guy.

And if the man who’d told Magnus he loved him didn’t believe him – who else in the world would?

An odd sense of irony, really.

It was because of the silence in the Institute’s basement that Magnus heard the steps coming down the stairs long before he should be able to. Intrigued, he listened to the steps coming closer and sat up when they stopped in front of his cell door. He almost startled when he heard a key turning in the lock and a second later, the door was pushed open, revealing the tall, lean silhouette of his favorite person in the world. Only that as opposed to usual, Alexander didn’t look happy at all to see him. His features were stern, eyes revealing nothing of the softness they usually carried when Alec looked at him.

That was why it felt strange when Alec was downright careful as he grabbed his arm and pulled him up and towards the door. “Come on, get up, we have to go.”

“Alexander…”

“Quiet”, Alec hissed and pulled him out of the door and down the hallway. Magnus didn’t try to fight him. It would have been pointless anyway. He was going to die soon; he might as well try to enjoy whatever little time he got together with Alec. Even if it was in terrible circumstances.  

The basement of the Institute was even more a maze than the halls upstairs were, all narrow corridors and barely lit hallways. Not that it had crossed his mind, but Magnus was positive he would not stand a chance if he tried to escape. There was no way one could get out of here without someone who knew their way around this building.

Someone like the man walking next to him, who now swiped a key card through a black box mounted on the wall in front of them. Suddenly, the plain gray concrete walls slid open like his balcony door back home and revealed an elevator.  

“Alec, where are we going?”, Magnus whispered, now really getting nervous, although he technically knew that Alec would never hurt him.

“To switch you back, what were you thinking?”, Alec responded, nervously staring at the closing elevator doors and only relaxing a bit when the car began to move upwards.  

Magnus could only stare at him in surprise. He had been so sure that Alec did not believe him. “But, I thought…you didn’t believe me earlier today.”

Alec ran a hand through his hair and then looked at him, a strange look of both nervousness and hope in his eyes. “Look, I’m really sorry, but let’s just get this over with and then talk about it later, I…I can’t think straight when you still look like him but talk like you”

Magnus felt like Alec had slapped him across the face. Of course, rationally thinking he knew that he currently looked like the Institute’s worst enemy, but that didn’t change the fact that the rejection coming from Alec still hurt. “Yeah, I guess that’s only fair”, he murmured quietly and then waited in silence as the elevator transported them upwards, towards the main halls of the Institute.

+++

It had taken Alec a small army of people and tons of luck to make their secret rescue mission happen. And an extra warlock. With Magnus trapped inside Valentine’s body and Valentine being unable to make use of the warlock’s powers, they had to let another warlock in on their plan.

Alec had never been more glad that Magnus was so well-respected in the downworld and had tons of friends. His old friend Catarina Loss hadn’t hesitated when he’d asked her for help earlier today.

And help he needed if he actually wanted to get his boyfriend back and Valentine locked up. It had been a risky mission to organize, one of the riskiest Alec had gone on so far. Not only that they had to break out who everyone thought was the Clave’s most wanted criminal out of a high-security cell, get him to Brooklyn and have Catarina perform a complicated spell on him. But they also had to do it in the middle of the night, take down the Institute’s security system and make sure that nobody noticed, especially not the Inquisitor.

Good thing even Imogen Herondale needed a couple hours of sleep every now and then.

They got out of the Institute without anyone noticing. He kept his tight grip on Valentine’s – Magnus’ – arm and led him towards Simon’s van that was parked around the corner. Since Magnus could not access his magic as long as he was in Valentine’s body and Catarina was all the way over in Brooklyn, portaling was not an option. So they had to resume to the mundane way of getting around – and, unfortunately, let Simon in on their plan.

The ride to Magnus’ apartment was weird, to say the least. Alec tried his best not to be to awkward around Magnus, but he could not help himself - it just felt so wrong, being in the same car with a man who looked like his worst enemy, but acted, talked and walked like the man he loved. Alec let his head fall back against the headrest of the passenger seat and closed his eyes. This was all just so confusing.

Things got even more confusing when they arrived at the apartment and Alec was faced with the other part of Azazel’s spell. Clary and Jace had captured Valentine earlier that day – he had been so distracted by the body switch that he’d let his guard down long enough for the two of them to find and capture him – and was now sitting on the couch, with his hands tied together on his back and an evil grin on his face.

“Well if it isn’t the filthy warlock whose body I’m trapped in. Nice work, Alexander, I didn’t think you’d get him out on time”, Valentine spat when they entered the living room.  

If it hadn’t been for Jace gripping Alec’s arm and holding him back the second those words had left Valentine’s mouth, Alec would have lashed out on Valentine right then and there, Magnus’ body be damned. Without Magnus’ soul inside that body, it was nothing but an empty shell anyways.

Therefore, Alec didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt when he pulled Valentine up rather roughly and got him to stand in the middle of the room. “Shut up, Morgenstern. You can be glad if that warlock lets you get out of this alive. Catarina, you ready?”

The other warlock, who had been quietly watching the scene from a few steps away, nodded and stepped forward. She flipped through an old spell book and put it down onto the coffee table in front of her when she found what she had been looking for. Alec kept standing beside Valentine whereas Jace and Clary took their places to either sides of Magnus in Valentine’s body, hands casually resting on their seraph blades, ready to take action if needed. They were supposed to bring Valentine back to the Institute once the spell was undone. And if they had learned one thing about Valentine Morgenstern in the past, then that he was nothing if not unpredictable.

Valentine and Magnus were staring grimly at each other – or their respective bodies – as Catarina started speaking in a soft, foreign language and waves of blue magic filled the room, encircling both Magnus and Valentine. The apartment was lit with blue as the spell went on, the magic now rising up between the two men, and suddenly, with a loud bang, throwing both of them back several feet, making Magnus’s body crash against his living room couch.

The blue light disappeared, leaving the room in its usual, comfy dim lighting. Alec lowered his hand from where he’d been shielding his eyes from the blinding blue light and looked around. Magnus and Valentine were both lying on the floor, not moving.  

+++

When Magnus opened his eyes, all he could see was white stars dancing in front of his eyes. He blinked a few times until his vision cleared and then looked around him. He was in his apartment, and for some reason he was lying on the floor.

Suddenly, he remembered. Azazel, the pentagon, the spell, him being trapped in Valentine’s body. Feeling panic rising in his chest, he tried to stand up, a raging headache immediately forcing him down onto the floor again. Magnus winced in pain, a hand reaching up towards his temple. He tried his best to ignore the pain and stretched out his other hand in front of him, heartbeat racing, fueled by panic. A second later, he let out a deep sigh of relief. He had never been so relieved to see that his black nail polish was slightly chipped at the top of his thumb.

Magnus pulled his knees to his chest and ran his hands through his hair, relief flooding through his body. That’s when he acknowledged soft pressure of a hand the hand resting on his upper arm. He looked up and was met with the soft gaze of familiar brown eyes.

“Magnus?”

Alec sounded tentative, almost hesitant. His eyes were full of worry and somehow also…restraint?

“Alexander…” Magnus tried to sit up again, slower and more careful this time, Alec carefully pulling him up by his arm.

“Quick question: Where did we go on our second date?”, Alec asked, completely out of the blue.

Magnus frowned, taken aback by the question. “We went to Prague…and Tokyo, afterwards. We went to that sushi restaurant; you wouldn’t shut up about for hours because you found that it was unfair to call fish overweight. But why are you asking me that, Alec?”, confused by the look in Alec’s eyes changing from worry to relief.

“Thank the angel, it’s really you”, Alec breathed and finally pulled him up and into a crushing hug, one arm slung around his back, the other resting at the back of his neck, holding him in place. Magnus barely noticed that Jace and Clary pulled Valentine up from the floor and towards the door and the light touch of Catarina’s fingers brushing against the back of his neck. He was way too busy with melting into Alec’s embrace. Wrapping his arms around Alec, he buried his head in the shadowhunter’s shoulder and closed his eyes, blocking out everything except the warm body right next to him.

Magnus was sure they made an odd picture, tangled up on the floor like that, all afraid and worried and so very relieved.  But he honestly could not care less. Alec didn’t seem to mind much either, judging from the way he pulled Magnus even closer into his chest and pressed a kiss to his temple. Magnus cuddled into the embrace and tightened his grip on Alec’s shirt as well, intent on never letting his shadowhunter go again. “I’m so glad I got you back”, Alec muttered close to Magnus’ ear, only for him to hear.  

Magnus was tempted to shoot back a snarky response, but considering the situation and the dramatic developments of the past 48 hours, he knew that this was not the time to be sassy. Instead, he rose his head a bit so he could look at Alec properly. Alec’s gaze was no longer hard and stern, the softness was back and with it the love that Magnus had missed so terribly just about an hour ago.

“Thank you for saving me”, he muttered instead, opting to reveal what was in his heart instead of thinking of something witty to respond. This was Alec, after all, the one person he trusted most in the world. The one person he knew he could tell anything.

Alec smiled sweetly. “Thank you for not giving up on trying to convince me it was you.”

“Well, what can I say? I’ve been told I can be very convincing”, Magnus teased. But he couldn’t keep up his sassy game up much longer. There were more important things to do now. He leaned forward, closing the space between him and the shadowhunter at the same time as Alec was leaning in. They met each other halfway for a kiss that started out slow, but soon turned into something both passionate and soft, the fear from the past two days equally as present as the relief to be together again. When they broke apart, Magnus didn’t think much about it, just wrapped his arms around Alec again and pressed a kiss against his neck rune, lingering for a second.

“I’m so glad I got you back too”, he muttered against Alec’s skin, not sure whether Alec would understand what he’d said. But judging from how Alec’s arms around him tightened and the soft, relieved laugh that escaped him, he did.

+++

Alec didn’t know how long they stayed on the floor like that, wrapped up in each other’s arms, clinging to each other as if they were holding on for dear life. What he did know, though, was that he sure as hell was not going to be the first one to let go. Now that the tension and the adrenaline from earlier started to wear off, he started to realize what could have happened…what would have happened if he had not gotten Magnus out in time. Realizing how close he’d been to losing the man he loved made him only cling more to Magnus, hug him tighter, swear even more to himself that he would never let something like this happen again.

��Don’t you ever do something like this to me again”, he grumbled against Magnus’ shoulder and felt the warlock chuckle in return.

“My dear Alexander”, Magnus started, pulling away so he could look at Alec properly. “If I ever were to pull a stunt like this again, I certainly wouldn’t pick Valentine to switch bodies with. Maybe Audrey Hepburn or Coco Chanel…but rest assured that I’m not planning to do anything like that ever again. And I’m going to make damn sure that Azazel doesn’t get the chance to, either.”

It was only at this moment that it dawned on Alec that Magnus didn’t know he’d already killed Azazel. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve taken care of Azazel.”

Alec saw Magnus frown at that sentence, confusion clear in his face. “You have? Alec, are you insane? Azazel was a Greater Demon, and not only that, he was one of the Princes of Hell! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?” He shook his head, but couldn’t hide the fact that his lips pulled into a smirk. “So dangerous, but very brave too”, he added, looking up at his boyfriend with a proud smile.

Alec just shrugged and smiled warmly at him. “Just one of those things I do for the people I love, I suppose.”

Magnus felt his heart flutter at those words and smiled warmly at his boyfriend. “I love you too”, he replied happily.  And when felt tears sting in his eyes when he kissed Alec after that, that was obviously because he was so happy to have him back and not due to what those simple, yet incredibly sweet words did to him.

It was not like someone could prove the opposite, anyway.  

[carolinahope]

2x11 Mea Maxima Culpa

After all this time they still didn’t learn to do exactly the opposite of whatever reckless poorly thought out scheme Clary comes up with? Does she have them all under a spell? She is turning into a truly insufferable character. That is the one upside of the terribleness that is Simon and Clary together. The annoying is concentrated it one place and doesn’t invade so much of the show. Right now, not even Jace makes her bearable.

On the other hand, Raphael and Maia still make Simon somewhat bearable.

I applaud Maia for staying with Luke. I would have left his undeserving ass a long time ago. And Raphael, sweet, sweet Raphael. He cares for Izzy so much and all he gets are insults. Alec is a really good brother. His reaction when he got the phone call was so lovely. Kudos to Matt. 

I am kinda looking forward to Harry and Alan playing different roles. Could be interesting. 

Loved the little moments with Alec and Magnus. They truly shine in even the most inconsequential scenes.

But the MVPs of the episode were definitely Alec and Jace. I’m glad they remembered their friendship and I’m glad Alec was the person Jace felt comfortable enough to let his guard down around. That semi-incestual training session was really fun and also touching - pun not intended, and that hug ... so much said with so little words.

I skipped some parts of the episode *coughtClaryandSimoncough* but overall, it was a nice episode.

[trollaxine]

That’s how you do a character entrance

[nephilimthreads]

A.P.C. Wool Sweater-$TBD (Auction Format)

Dominic Sherwood wore this exact sweater as Jace Herondale for Shadowhunters 2x11, ‘Mea Maxima Culpa’. The sweater at the auction link is the exact sweater worn by Dom during filming.

Link: Lot #6111

Size: Men’s Small

** Please note that most items in the Shadowhunters auction must be picked up on location in Toronto. please read each individual listing carefully.**

[guinevere20]

Aw, Alec checking on his boyfriend.

Izzy, why couldn’t you call earlier?

Obviously, something is off with Sebastian. Gee, I wonder what.

*sighs* Clace drama.

Crap, Valentine is in Magnus’s body.

[bisexualrhee]

i think you should worry a little less about my love life and a little more about your fighting skills.

[rainbowjikook]

Magnus doesn’t appear until the third act of the episode, but we see him in new capacities throughout the remaining three acts. His relationship with Alec feels very secure and second-nature, but romance doesn’t drive their storyline here. Rather, we see them collaborating and putting trust in one another to solve a major problem. There’s a twist (I don’t even know if I can call it a twist; it’s more than a twist) that we don’t see coming at all, and I don’t even completely know what actually happened in the final moments of the episode, but when Harry Shum Jr. tells us that we’re going to see a completely different Magnus in Episode 12, I believe him 110%.

http://hiddenremote.com/2017/05/30/shadowhunters-season-2-episode-11-review-mea-maxima-culpa/

[seraphicmaze]

obsessed with alec lightwood 29/?

#for science

[shrewind2]

Shadowhunters 2x11: Mea Maxima Culpa

Free to use.

[firstkhaoo]

“Parabatai" said Jace. “It means a pair of warriors who fight together - who are closer than brothers. Alec is more than just my best friend.”

[malecstele]

What I loved about, "Mea Maxima Culpa"

• Alec and Magnus’ outfits • Parabatai training • Alec’s love and concern for Izzy • Luke being pack leader AND a cop. He’s amazing • Everything about Maia • MALEC CASUAL KISS • Parabatai hug (poor Jace) • Simon being excited about his life and college was adorable • Magnus performing magic • Alec making sure Magnus was alright after the Greater Demon attack • “Come back home with you”

[jaskiersbeloved]

Me and my friend kept wondering which one is more gross: Alec kissing Valentine! Magnus Or Alec kissing Magnus!Valentine

[fantasiafiction]

Alec’s smile developement: 2x11 -> 2x13

[takemetohometoday]

Shadowhunters - Season 2 “Mea Maxima Culpa”

[nephilimthreads]

THE KOOPLES Leather-Trim Wool-Blend Coat-Sold Out

Will Tudor wore this exact coat as Sebastian Morgenstern for Shadowhunters 2x11, ‘Mea Maxima Culpa’ & 2x12, ‘You Are Not Your Own’. Affiliate link used. 

[guinevere20]

Yea, a Saia scene.

We finally have a name to our demon: Azazel.

Alec, it wasn’t all Raphael’s fault. Isabelle has some responsibility, too.

Same, don’t trust Valentine, Clary.

Finally, the truth comes out.