#jace stroking his hair and murmuring good boy that’s it you can take a little more

[t4tozier]

FUUUUCK everyone stop.

jace holding his bong between his thighs and making porter kneel on the ground to hit it <3

[starogeorgina]

Violent delights

Warnings: Mentions of blood, swearing, smut (hand jobs)

Pairings: Jacaerys Velaryon x oc

1.07

Late in the night, your sons are fast asleep, tucked into the large bed at the top of the room, while your daughters both stare at your husband with curiosity in their eyes while the maester stitches his arm. While you were focused on Aegon hurting your younger brother, you were clueless to Aemond picking up a knife from the table, which Jace snatched from his hands, causing the deep cut in his arm.

The moment the maester leaves the room, you place soft kisses over Jacaerys face, ignoring the sting in your bottom lip as you do. “I am so sorry; if I had just ignored Aegon, none of this would have happened. I should have known better than to even entertain what he was asking.”

“But now our uncles have shown their true colors, and because of their actions, we can tell we made the right decision by keeping the greens at arm’s length.”

Noticing Rhaenys bottom lip quivering, you kneel down to offer her a hug, but she shakes her, backing away from you. Her lilac eyes moved between your lip and Jace’s arm; she seemed frightened by you both. Lucerys picks her up, and immediately she buries her face into her neck, mumbling something you couldn’t hear.

Jacaerys sees the hurt on your face and sighs. “Reni, what’s wrong?”

She murmurs something that only her uncle can hear. Luke strokes her hair gently, quietly saying, “She’s scared of the blood.”

The cut on your lip had already started to scab, and both Jace’s arms had blood on them. The angle that he punched Aegon in caused his knuckles to burst, and his other arm would most likely have a nasty scar left behind. The thing that hurt most was seeing your little girl so frightened, especially when all you wanted was to hold your children close. You get two damp cloths and give one to Jace, then use the other to clean your face.

Aemma leans her elbows onto the table before dropping her face into her hands. “Kepa?”

“What is it, my darling?”

“Who’s Aegon?”

You hear the hitch in Jace’s breath but cut in before he can respond. “Right, it’s time for bed; off you go.”

Aemma pouts as she drags her feet walking towards the bed, and she climbs in next to Aethan. Knowing it was going to be impossible for you and Jace to fit in beside four children and Luke in the bed, you grab two pillows, handing one to Jace and keeping the second for yourself to sleep on one of the chairs for a couple of hours until it was time to leave.

Daylight couldn’t come quick enough.

—

Groaning, you sit upright, cringing as your bones creak from sleeping in such an awkward position. The first thing you see is Jace sitting across from you, talking quietly to your newborn, holding him close to his bare chest. You note that Lucerys and your other four children are no longer in the room; since your husband was calm, you didn’t assume anything was wrong.

Noticing your awake Jace smiles, he kisses the baby's head, whispering, “Look who’s awake, Daemon, do you want to say good morning to Muña?”

You sit beside him and take Daemon into your arms. “My precious boy,” you say, kissing the tip of his nose and Jace on the cheek. “Where are the rest of the children?”

“Breaking fast in our mothers quarters You were sound asleep, so I thought it best to leave you be, but I did bring you back some almonds before they were demolished by Gaemon.”

He motions to the small bowl sitting on the table in the center of the room. You were never hungry in the mornings but always tried to eat a small amount so you’d have enough energy. “Thank you, husband, but I think I will get dressed first, so do not keep everyone waiting.”

Daemon’s eye closes over as you reach the cot at the foot of the bed. Gently, you place him down before stepping back to remove your nightgown. In hindsight, you should have woken up early to bathe before, but the antics of the night before and Daemon crying throughout the night had taken a toll on you. Three times you left the room during the night to feed your newborn to spare Lucerys from feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable if he woke up and saw you breastfeeding.

Feeling eyes on you, you look over your shoulder to see Jace staring at you, his brown eyes practically glued to your bare backside. Grinning, you turn around, giving him a full view of you. “It’s far too soon for that, dear husband.”

“I know,” he gulps down. His gaze lingers on you as you put your small cloth on, and when you wince in pain as the fabric of your lilac dress brushes against your sensitive chest, Jace clears his throat. “I asked Clara to bring ice water; I put a couple of napkins in it for you.”

You kiss him on the cheek as you walk by; the cold compress would do wonders for reducing the swelling in the breast. You place the wet clothes underneath the soft linen corset before pulling your dress the full way up. “Can you tie this at the back for me?”

Jacaerys fingers shake as he laces up the back of your dress, which was unusual. “Is something wrong?”

He lets out a sigh while tying a small bow with the loose strands of fabric. Jace steps back. “I need to say something.”

Immediately, you feel guilty, as if you’ve done something to cause the pain on your husband's face. “Jace, what is it?”

“I know I always said I’d never be the type of father or husband who tells his family what to do, but I should never have let you or our children come here.” He takes a deep breath as red blotches start to cover his neck and chest. “I put you in harm's way.”

“Stop; none of this is your fault. The only people to blame are Aegon and Aemond; if they weren’t brutes, then none of this would have happened.”

Tears build in his eyes. “How long do you think it will be until my legitimacy is brought into question? Because as soon as that happens, our children will be as well.”

“Oh Jacaerys,” you cup his face. “I wish I knew, but there’s no way to tell what the greens will do.”

“I don’t know how you survived living here alone.”

You kiss his cheek and say, “I believe the gods put me through it all so I can have the family that I do now.”

“I don’t know how to protect you from them; they are so malicious. What if now that Aegon and Alicent have seen Aemma, they want her back?”

“Then all hell will break loose,” you say, pressing your forehead against Jace’s. “Alicent isn’t a fool; she knows what would happen if they tried to take one of our children from us.”

“Does Aegon?”

You had no clear answer for your husband. “I hope so.”

—

Sitting on the soft gray rug covering the center of your son's nursery, you cradle Daemon closer to you, kissing his head while doing your best not to laugh as your children and brother continue to debate between two dragon names to pick from, which was highly amusing. When Daemon’s egg began to crack, you were stunned, given that your son was still a newborn. You sent for the children to be temporarily removed from their lessons so they could witness a dragon hatching since none of them had seen it before. When the egg cracked, a beautiful dragon with light blue scales crawled out. It was so tiny, you didn’t think you’d ever seen a dragon so small.

You had asked if any of them would like to help pick a name since Daemon couldn’t do it himself. The children had gone back and forth on Gaelithox, Aegarax, and Trixon. But you knew the Maester would become irritated if they didn’t return to their lessons soon. “Have you decided on a name?”

“Aegarax,” Gaemon says. “But only if you and Jace like it too.”

You hum in agreement, “It sounds like the perfect name.”

It seemed fitting that your brother chose a name that belonged to one of the gods of Old Valyria when both his mother and father's dragons were named after the gods as well. Aegarax was the God of all creatures that walk, run, swim, or fly. The creator of the first dragon

“When will you take us flying on Viserion again, muña?”

You smile at Avery, ruffling his silver hair. “Soon, my sweetling, I promise.”

One of your favorite things to do was take your children riding on dragons. It was a great bonding experience, and it also meant they would have experience for when they rode their own dragons some day.

You smile at Clara, who is patiently waiting on the other side of the room to escort the children. “Right, you lot, time to go back to your classes before they send out a search party.”

—

You frown, hearing Jace cursing in pain as the warm water spills from the tube as you enter your bed chamber. “Fuck!” He hisses, and as you walk further into the room, you see him attempting to clean around the stitches in his arm. “Gods! Fuc-”

“Jacaerys?” Your voice startles him, causing Jace to throw the cloth back into the water. You chuckle lightly, “Let me help my love.”

You crouch down beside him, picking up the cloth, and rinse it off before scrubbing his back. Jace’s body softened slightly at your touch, but his back and shoulders were still tense. You move to the side and begin gently cleaning his arm; even though Jace was perfectly capable of doing it himself, you enjoyed the intimacy of it.

You watch amused as his Adam’s apple bobs back and forth, his dark eyes blown wide with lust when water splashes onto your swollen chest. You kiss his bruised knuckle before moving. You gently start rubbing at his chest. Smirking, you kiss the back of his neck.

“Lyarra,” he says in a warning tone.

“Yes, my prince?” You lower your hand to the bottom of his stomach while continuing to pepper his neck with gentle kisses, an action that always turns him on. “My husband, my-”

He cuts you off by crashing his lips against your own. “I promise in five weeks time you won’t be leaving this room. I will take you in every position possible, and won’t stop until you are screaming in pleasure.”

“Hmm, I'll hold you to that,” you giggle. Jace was a man of honor and always followed through on his promises, so you knew when you were eventually able to lay with him again that you wouldn’t be leaving your chambers for days.

As you deepened the kiss, Jace untied the laces at the front of your dress, pulling the fabric down until your breasts spilled from it. He holds back on groping them, instead delicately running his fingers over them so as not to hurt you. Jace groans when you take his hard dick in your hand and begin to stroke him, quickly taking up your actions. He grips your hair with one hand, holding your face in place as he kisses you.

It doesn’t take Jace long to come undone, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck as he climaxes into your hand. After a few moments he kisses your cheek, “you look really beautiful; you always do.”

You blush at the compliment, “Thank you.”

“I mean it; you really are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Inside and out, I’m truly lucky to have you.”

“Avy jorrāelan.”

“Avy jorrāelan tolī.”

—

“Dracarys!”

Aethan squeals when Viserion burns the dead horse lying in front of him, burning its corpse before devouring it. Avery watched in awe. Out of all your children, he was the most fascinated by dragons. He loved nothing more than going with his grandsire Daemon to search for dragon eggs. Aemma and Rhaenys remained in their lessons, but since your sons finished sooner, you decided to take them dragon riding with you.

In the distance, you could see Jace and Lucerys training, but you could tell Luke was struggling to keep up with his older brother.

Hearing a loud roar, you look up to the clouded sky. You pull your sons closer to you while trying to locate the sound of flapping wings from above, and then finally, you see the red queen, Meleys, fly into view. You smile, happy that your grandmother was visiting Dragonstone.

Avy jorrāelan - I love you

Avy jorrāelan tolī - I love you too

Muña - mother

[echo-bleu]

take me back to the start (2)

 Chapter 1

Read on AO3

For @moonlight-breeze-44 More angst! And a lot of Magnus in this chapter. Huge thanks to @jeanboulet for betaing this. [Specific warnings: suicidal thoughts (mentioned), terminal illness/poisoning, internalized ableism]

Magnus curses when he feels his wards being breached. It’s someone his magic registers as a friend, but it’s still nearly midnight and he was ready for bed. He’s spent fewer nights at Pandemonium recently, discovering that he’s not in the mood for dancing and hooking up with strangers.

He’s trying to breeze through life like he’s always pretended to do, but there’s something missing. He doesn’t know what. It’s like there’s a hole in his life whose shape he can’t quite make out.

Or can he? His dreams have been filled with bows and arrows lately. And Shadowhunters. He glances at the box still on his nightstand, that he can’t seem to stop staring at every night, idly wondering what it contains.

With a wave of his hand, he changes his outfit for something more socially appropriate and unlocks the door of his loft. Which of his friends would have come at this hour, unannounced? It can only be an emergency.

“Magnus! Please, we need your help!”

It’s not a friend at all, it turns out – Magnus will have to figure out later why his wards would let any Shadowhunters through. It’s Jace Herondale, of all people. His voice is tense and scared. Magnus takes a few more steps into the living room to see him, and finds him and Isabelle carrying a barely conscious Alec between them. They’re followed by a fourth person, one that immediately makes Magnus’ blood boil. Maryse Lightwood.

Magnus entertains the thought of just throwing them out, briefly, but he can’t. He’s not the kind of person to refuse to help someone who needs it, even if that someone is a former enemy turned – whatever it is they are, after the Angel summoning the other week. And his eyes are undeniably drawn to Alec’s trembling form, as Jace and Isabelle lay him down on the couch.

He has a vague memory of another man on this couch, years ago – Luke, with Clary hovering and—

It slips away.

“What happened?” he asks.

“He was wounded by a Pervious demon a while ago,” Isabelle answers, nervously pulling at her hair as she turns away from her brother and looks at Magnus.

Magnus’ stomach drops. “There’s no cure for that,” he says. “Their venom spreads through the body until it’s destroyed all of the organs.”

“We know, but Catarina said… She slowed it down, he was supposed to have more time. But he’s been like this for three days, and we can’t reach her.”

“Catarina Loss healed him?” Magnus frowns. “Why—”

“She’s Alec’s friend,” Jace says coolly.

Magnus files that away for later, coming closer to Alec to take a good look at him. He doesn’t look good. His face is pale, bordering on gray-toned, and he’s sweating profusely. He’s restless, in the throes of a high fever. “She’s held up at the Spiral Labyrinth,” Magnus says. “I’m not a healer.”

“We didn’t know who else to go to,” Isabelle breathes.

Magnus runs his hand over Alec’s body, letting his magic confirm that the venom has spread through his nervous system, and his organs are failing. Magnus swallows. There’s nothing left to save. It’s too late.

Unless…

He eyes the prominent rune on Alec’s neck, then Jace, with his pure angel blood. The power Magnus recently inherited is the power of a fallen angel. Here on the Earth plane…

There are very few limits to what it could do. Magnus isn’t used to the idea yet, and he’s more than a little scared of what it means, what it would be like in the wrong hands, but it’s a truth he will have to face.

Maybe Alec is already too far gone, but if there’s anything in the world that could help him now, it’s Asmodeus’ power. And if it gives Magnus a little more time to understand why his throat knots up and his eyes tear up at the thought of Alec dying, then it’s for the best.

“I can’t promise anything, but I will try to help,” he says slowly, stepping back. “He’s very ill, and it’s probably too late already, but maybe I can...give you some more time, at least.”

He doesn’t have to like the Lightwoods for the sliver of hope mixed with despair on their face to be heartbreaking. Isabelle immediately thanks him. Jace takes Alec’s hand in his own like it’s a lifeline. They’re not ready to let their brother go.

And Maryse… She looks vulnerable, more than Magnus has ever seen her before. This isn’t the high-and-mighty Shadowhunter who once stood opposite him on a battlefield. Her neck is strangely bare of runes, and she looks small, defeated.

But she’s still Maryse Lightwood.

“I don’t want this woman in my apartment,” Magnus points at her.

Maryse straightens up a little. “Magnus, I know we have history, but he’s my son.”

“Mom, it’s okay,” Isabelle gently takes her arm. “You need to go take care of Max. We’ll take care of Alec. It will be okay.”

Maryse hesitates, her pleading look going from Isabelle to Alec on the couch, and finally to Magnus. Magnus gives her a hard stare back.

“Okay,” she murmurs. She takes a step forward, and Magnus stops her with a raised hand. “Magnus—” she starts.

“That’s Warlock Bane for you,” Magnus growls.

Maryse flinches, despite Isabelle’s hand still on her arm. “Warlock Bane,” she corrects herself, her voice almost breaking on the last word. “Please let me say goodbye to my son.”

Magnus hesitates, his skin crawling at letting someone like Maryse Lightwood into his lair, but he relents. He knows too well the pain of loss, and the loss of a child must be… Even he can feel some compassion for her.

She kneels down by Alec’s side and brushes his hair off his sweaty brow. “Alec.”

Alec stirs a little in his delirium, half-opening his eyes. “Mom?”

“I love you,” Maryse murmurs, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

She stands back up, staring down at him with her back to Magnus and her other children for a moment. When she turns around, there are tears running down her face. “I know my pleading won’t mean much to you,” she tells Magnus, her voice raw. “But please save my boy.”

“I will do my best,” Magnus promises. “But I won’t do it for you.”

Maryse nods and flees the room, only stopping to squeeze her children’s hands. Even with the door closed behind her, there’s no mistaking the sound of her sobs, and Magnus swallows bile.

“No Robert?” he asks.

Jace makes a pained grimace. Isabelle looks away, tears in her eyes, and Magnus can see that he touched a sore point.

“He died five months ago,” Jace says. “In Alicante, at the same time as Alec got hurt.”

Magnus just nods and kneels by Alec, who turns half-lidded eyes to him. “Ma’nus,” he murmurs. There’s a desperate relief in his eyes, and he seeks out Magnus’ hand, Magnus only hesitates minutely before he squeezes Alec’s hand in his.

“Tell me more about what happened,” he says.

“He was poisoned through a deep cut in his side,” Jace says, not letting go of Alec’s other hand. It makes their positions awkward, so Jace moves to the side of the couch, at Alec’s head. “It spread rapidly, but we got him to the hospital just in time. Thankfully Catarina was there and she slowed its progression. She did some kind of ritual to keep it contained, but she said it would keep leaking until—” he chokes on his words, making a helpless gesture with his free hand. From up close, he looks terrible. He has dark circles under his eyes, and a slight sheen to his brow that tells Magnus that he’s probably running a low fever himself.

“He’s been having bouts of fever,” Isabelle takes over, standing behind Jace. “He’s in a lot of pain, but it’s hard to tell if it’s only from the venom, because his hip is bad too.”

“And the fever hasn’t come down?”

“Not in a little over three days. Catarina gave him a year, but I think the angel summoning made it go faster. That’s when he really started to get worse.”

Magnus nods and slips his hand out of Alec’s. He gathers a magical probe into his hand and runs it over Alec’s body once more, deeper this time.

“If we leave him like this, I’m not sure he’ll make it through the night,” he murmurs, standing back up. “I don’t know if I can do anything more than contain the venom again, and even if I manage it, there a chance that his organs won’t be able to take the shock,” he warns.

“Do it,” Jace says. “We’ve got nothing to lose.”

“It will be extremely painful for him. And there’s no guarantee that it will help.”

“Please, Magnus,” Isabelle says. “We’ll pay anything you want.”

“It’s not about the money, not when it comes to saving a life,” Magnus shakes his head. “Though I’ll be sure to send my bill. But you need to be certain that this isn’t just prolonging his suffering. That this is what he would want. I don’t think he’s lucid enough to make the decision himself.”

Isabelle nods to Jace, still prostrate over Alec’s trembling body. “Jace is his parabatai,” she murmurs. “Their souls are connected, and Jace already lost Clary. I fear if we lose Alec, we’ll lose them both.” She swallows a sob. “Please just try.”

“Alright,” Magnus nods.

He kneels by the couch again and takes a moment to center himself. He can’t afford for his father’s magic – his magic, now – to spin out of control. Magnus has been testing it, step by step, but he knows he’s not ready for such a large expenditure. It could go horribly wrong.

He doesn’t think he could get Jace and Isabelle away if he tried, whatever the risks. He’ll just have to make sure that if he destroys something, it’s only furniture.

He focuses on his magical core for a while, doing what he can to prepare himself. When he opens his eyes, neither Isabelle nor Jace have moved.

“I’m going to need your strength,” Magnus tells Jace on a hunch. It’s not strictly true, but Jace’s connection to Alec could make things smoother, and serve as an anchor. And it will give Jace something to do other than wait and pace. “Isabelle, you better make yourself comfortable. It’s going to take a while.”

Isabelle bends down to stroke Alec’s cheek, her lips moving as if she’s praying. “Hang on, big brother,” she murmurs. “Just a little longer.”

Alec is too far gone to even acknowledge her. He’s shaking violently, his teeth chattering despite the fact that his skin is far too hot to the touch. He lets out low moans of pain every few moments, curling in on himself further.

Jace offers Magnus his hand, palm wide open. Magnus nods at him gravely and takes it, placing his other hand on Alec’s chest. Isabelle steps back, curling up in one of the armchairs to wait.

“Let’s do this,” Magnus murmurs to himself.

He doesn’t draw strength from Jace right away. He starts slow, searching for the edges of Alec, of the spread of the venom inside him. It’s a magical venom, coursing through his nervous system rather than his blood, and it’s everywhere. For the first few minutes, Magnus can barely find where it ends and where Alec begins.

He pushes it back, slowly. He prods at the magical signature of the demon and pushes until it recoils away from him. Alec’s body arches on the couch, and he cries out, while Jace lets out a groan of pain. Magnus barely lets them recover before he pushes again.

It’s a long process. Alec’s whole body is overrun by the venom, and Magnus is honestly impressed that he’s held on for so long. He should be dead already, by all rights. Magnus wonders if he hung on by pure willpower and if so, why. Was he thinking of Jace, of Isabelle in his fever? Of his mother?

Of someone else?

Magnus feels himself sagging. The process of cleaning up every inch of Alec’s body is exhausting, and his own physical body is feeling the strain. He struggles to keep himself up and leans on Alec’s body, until he feels a strong physical presence anchoring him. Jace.

“Take my strength,” Jace urges.

“Thank you,” Magnus murmurs, drawing some energy from Jace to keep his head up. He opens his eyes briefly. Jace has moved to kneel behind him and support him, though he still has one hand on Alec. He has tears of pain running down his cheeks, but his expression is steely, determined.

Magnus’ magic is far from depleted, the expenditure barely making a dent – once, it would have been the end of his reserves – but his body is still half-human. The magic that courses through him, using him as a vessel, takes a toll.

Magnus leans back against Jace, allowing himself one deep breath before he goes at it again. But this time, it feels different. Jace’s strength leads him in, connected to Alec in a deeper way than Magnus anticipated. He knows little about the parabatai bond. It’s a soul bond, but it has a physical component, Magnus can feel it.

Of course – the rune. The runes all over Alec’s body. Magnus can use them. He can wield angelic power, so he can use the runes to strengthen Alec’s body as he works.

“Isabelle,” he calls.

Isabelle is kneeling at his side in a fraction of a second. “What can I do?”

“Activate his healing rune. As many times as you can.”

“It will be stronger if Jace does it,” Isabelle says.

Magnus focuses on Jace briefly. The pull on his energy is clearly making him lethargic, and he blinks like he’s struggling to follow their words. “Then help him,” he tells Isabelle.

He tunes them out as Isabelle puts a stele in Jace’s hand and uncovers Alec’s stomach. He can feel the healing rune – iratze, was it? – working as soon as it’s activated, sending a pulse of magic through Alec’s body. Magnus rides on its wave, going in deeper.

He’s fairly sure it takes hours before he can actually reach Alec. His soul, the part of him that’s still trying to fight back.

Alec’s angelic core is weak, too weak. It’s barely pulsing. Magnus tightens his hand on Jace’s and follows the parabatai bond straight into Alec’s soul. Unlike any mundane venom, the demon venom has its claws there, too, ripping it bit by bit until there’s nothing left. Magnus isn’t sure that there is still time to save it. And while Alec’s body will die if the venom reaches his heart, a crisis that Magnus has at least averted for now, Alec’s soul is just as necessary for his survival.

Magnus begins the tedious and taxing work of removing the venom. He coils himself tightly around Jace’s part of the soul, that’s still open and untainted. That’s what Alec is protecting so hard, Magnus thinks. His brother. The rest of Alec’s soul is wispy, barely there.

Alec trembles all the way, muttering unintelligibly. His face is scrunched up in pain, and Magnus can feel the tension in his body.

Magnus hacks away at the venom tendrils. The first time his magic fully touches Alec’s soul, the part that’s only him, he’s almost ejected out in surprise. Maybe partly fusing with Jace is what takes him this far. He sees flashes – memories.

It’s just Alec and Jace, at first. Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. The foundation of their soul bond. Magnus sees them as teenagers, taking the oath to always be there for each other. Then again as adults, Jace murmuring the words over a feverish, ill Alec – is that recent? Magnus glimpses other people, but the memory only lasts a second in his mind. It’s not his to keep.

Magnus frees Alec’s soul from another trail of venom. Isabelle jumps out at him, hugging her brother tight, training with him, sleeping in his bed at night, curled up against him. Alec’s love for her is self-evident, permeating every moment of the memories.

Magnus wants to pull out. These memories aren’t for him to peek at. He’s a skilled mind traveler, and he’s even dabbled in mnemopsionics, but he knows how dangerous this branch of magic is. Who knows where Clary would be now if Magnus had never messed with her mind?

Besides, that’s not what he’s here for. He just needs to focus on the venom.

But Alec’s soul doesn’t let him. Magnus pulls harder at the venom tendrils, with a desperation born out of exhaustion, and finds himself yanked back inside Alec’s mind.

He’s in Pandemonium, staring across the room at an Alec with a bow in his hand.

He’s in his loft and standing over a pentagram, an electric jolt going through his body as he links hands with Alec.

He’s kneeling in his living room, pulling energy from the hand in his, stumbling back against Alec’s lean and muscular body, exhausted.

He’s holding up his glass and toasting with Alec, whispering words, flirting.

He’s watching Alec train, shirtless, swallowing back his desire and trying to find the words to say how much he wants him.

He’s standing in a corridor, hurt and heartbroken, Alec turning his back on him.

He’s storming into a wedding, and Alec is striding toward him, kissing him—

No.

Back up.

Just like that, he’s back into his own body. The shockwave sends him backwards against Jace, who only avoids hitting his head on the edge of the coffee table thanks to his Shadowhunter reflexes. Magnus breathes hard under Isabelle’s concerned gaze, as she hands him a glass of water.

“Sorry,” he says. “I’m almost there.”

But he can’t go back in there. What were those memories? Memories of him in Alec’s mind, and his love, his deep, untouchable love that’s not supposed to be there because there are no matching memories in Magnus’ mind. When did this happen?

Magnus’ thoughts stray toward the box on his nightstand. Memories. Memories he’s erased, that are still in other people’s minds. Jace and Isabelle’s familiarity with him, Alec’s—

He erased them for a reason, he reminds himself. But his heart tells a different story. It yearns for Alec so much it hurts.

“Can you save him?” Isabelle asks quietly.

Magnus swallows several times, the water failing to erase the taste of bile. “I’ve almost contained the venom,” he explains. “But that won’t save him. It will give him another few months, maybe, until he’s back in the same place.”

Isabelle hangs her head, and Magnus’ heart constricts even more. He can’t let Alec die. Not now, not in a year. If it’s in his power to save him…

It might be. No one has ever been cured of Pervious poisoning before, but there’s a first for everything.

“I’m going to try to overwhelm the venom with my magic,” he says. “But it’s going to be dangerous. It could kill us both, and you with us. You should get out, come back when I’m done.”

Isabelle and Jace visibly hesitate. “Are you sure?” Jace asks. He’s still weak, swaying a little where he kneels. Magnus doesn’t feel much better.

“At the very least, Alec wouldn’t want you to risk your life needlessly. Go. I’ll call you as soon as it’s done.” If it goes well, is the unspoken subtext.

“Alright,” Jace murmurs.

Isabelle supports him as he stands up. They both touch Alec lightly before they turn away and leave.

Magnus observes Alec for a moment. He looks better. He’s still sweaty and feverish, but his skin has lost the gray undertone, and it’s flushed instead. Magnus takes his clammy hand in his own.

So Alec was, as he was starting to suspect, the lover Magnus erased from his memories. The one who broke his heart so badly that Magnus couldn’t stand to remember it.

What is he supposed to do now? Now that he knows? He can pretend that he doesn’t know, but that wouldn’t be fair to either of them. He knows how it started, but not how it ended. What could have been so awful that Magnus chose to erase all trace of him from his life?

Or did he fall in love so deeply that the breakup itself, the simple thought of living without Alec, was unthinkable?

There’s only one thing clear in his mind: he needs to save Alec. He can’t stand the thought of him dying.

Magnus hangs on to that thought as he throws himself into Alec’s core again, ripping apart the contained venom with all his power. He breezes past his former limits, where he would once have collapsed from magical depletion, and keeps going, deeper and deeper. The venom is not sentient, but it resists all the same, deeply entrenched into Alec’s body and core. It’s woven in with his angelic magic, where no demon energy should ever reach. It won’t just leave. It can’t.

Magnus gathers his magic into his fingertips, now resting on each side of Alec’s neck, and pushes. It’s the strongest magic he’s ever yielded, the full force of his father’s fallen angel magic. It sweeps into Alec, and for a moment, Magnus is afraid that it will overwhelm not just the venomous energy but also Alec’s core. But it doesn’t. Instead, it coils around Alec like a cat, filling the wounds left behind by the venom.

Alec’s mouth opens in a silent scream, and he seizes, his body arching and his head hitting the arm rest of the couch repeatedly. But the venom has finally released its hold.

Magnus collapses against Alec, spent. He uses the last of his energy to check that Alec is breathing properly and to text Isabelle to come back, then he lets himself slide down to the floor.

His work is done.

*

Magnus comes to with a pillow under his head and a blanket over his shoulders. He’s still lying between the coffee table and the couch, the rug barely providing a buffer between his body and the hard wood floor, but someone’s been here to take care of him.

“We didn’t know if we should move you,” comes a voice.

Magnus hoists himself up onto his elbow, with some effort. Isabelle is sitting in one of the armchairs on the other side of the coffee table, looking at him curiously.

“How long has it been?” he asks. He sits up fully, finding himself face to face with Alec, who is still sleeping – unconscious? – on the couch.

“About two hours since you texted me,” Isabelle answers. “We tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t move. Alec seemed better, so we decided to wait.”

Magnus doesn’t try to check on Alec magically – he probably couldn’t light a fire right now if he wanted to. “The venom is all gone,” he says. “He’s probably going to need a lot of rest for a while as his body recovers, but he’ll live.”

Isabelle gapes at him. Her face morphs into a slow smile as she processes it. “Magnus, that’s incredible! You did it! Jace! Alec is going to be okay!”

She plops down from her armchair and crawls around the table to hug Magnus, who is too stunned to stop her. “Thank you,” she whispers in his ear. “Thank you so much.”

“You fixed him?” Jace asks, coming from the kitchen. He has a tea pot in one hand and a bunch of mugs in the other.

Magnus nods in confirmation. Jace calmly puts down what he has in his hands on the coffee table before he lets himself drop onto an armchair, staring at Alec, almost in shock.

“Thank the Angel,” he murmurs, tears welling up in his eyes in relief.

“In this case, thank the demon,” Magnus says as Isabelle helps him up and into the other armchair. She sits down on the corner of the table.

“You used Asmodeus’ power, didn’t you?” Isabelle asks. “Your father.”

Magnus starts. “How do you know he’s my father?” He doesn’t tell that to just anyone. In fact, the only people who know have been his friends for a long time. How does a Shadowhunter—

“You told me yourself, Magnus,” Isabelle sighs. “A few months after you told Alec.”

Magnus closes his eyes. If she’s telling the truth, then whatever memories are in the box are worse than he thought.

Or maybe they’re exactly what he thinks they are, and he just doesn’t want to admit it to himself. The heartbreak would have had to be agony for him to decide to erase his memories. Camille-level of agony. No, worse: he never erased Camille from his memories.

And Alec was at the center of it. Was he abusive? Did he hurt Magnus so badly that remembering it was unbearable?

Magnus looks at him, vulnerable in his sleep, his face still lined with pain. It seems impossible. But it happened. It must have.

Magnus shakes the thought out of his head. “Yes, I used my father’s power. I inherited it when he died.”

Jace nods. “We saw it happen,” he says in a low voice. “We didn’t know then that you’d—erased your memories.”

“You saw it?” Magnus frowns. “Tell me what happened in Alicante.”

He knew – he felt – that a major magical event happened in Alicante that day, that coincided with his father’s death, but no one has been able to tell him what, exactly. Idris is closed to Downworlder, and even the Spiral Labyrinth researchers aren’t good enough to see through its wards.

“Jonathan – that’s Valentine’s son – opened a rift into Edom, just over Alicante,” Isabelle starts. “The sheer number of demons overrode the demon towers quickly and we couldn’t do anything. There were too many to fight off. Then Lilith came through.”

“Lilith,” Magnus murmurs to himself.

“We thought it was over,” Isabelle says. “We saw Dad go down trying to protect Max. Our little brother,” she explains at Magnus’ confusion, with another of her sad looks. “He’s okay, he got to us eventually, but Dad—” she makes an aborted gesture, swallowing. “Lilith was ready to destroy everything, but she was stopped.”

“By Asmodeus,” Magnus breathes, the pieces of the puzzle coming together in his head. “They’ve been rivals for forever. He was already on this plane... Of course he would see it as an occasion to finally get rid of her.”

“Yes,” Isabelle confirms. “They fought over Alicante for a while. It was...terrifying. We were just running for cover as they destroyed building after building, and it was still swarming with lesser demons. Alec must have gotten bitten at some point, but we didn’t realize it.”

“How did it end?” Magnus asks.

“They obliterated each other,” Isabelle says. “When their powers met on this plane, it didn’t just kill them and send them back to Edom, it made them stop existing entirely. And since your father was King of Edom and it was tied to him somehow, it imploded in the process. The blast took out a whole chunk of Alicante and killed everything in its path.”

“How did you make it out?”

“Clary,” Isabelle says. “She has—she had a special ability thanks to her angel blood, she could create new runes. She made up a shield rune so powerful that it protected all of us. But Alec was weakening and he was a bit too slow to get to cover. He wasn’t entirely behind the shield and his leg was shattered. It’s more than what iratzes and Catarina’s magic could heal.”

Magnus nods. “I saw he was struggling to walk. That requires delicate healing rather than brute force magical strength, so I’m afraid I can’t help with that. If Catarina couldn’t do anything, I won’t be of any use.”

“You did so much already,” Isabelle shakes her head. “You saved his life. We thought—” her voice breaks.

Magnus reaches out to squeeze her arm. “The last few months must have been hell for all of you,” he says sympathetically.

“You have no idea,” Jace mutters. There’s more than a little resentment in his voice, but Magnus chooses to ignore it.

“Ma’nus?”

Magnus starts and looks over at Alec, who is stirring, weakly searching around with his hand. His breathing has picked up, and he’s frowning in pain. Isabelle, who is the closest, gives Magnus a look and catches Alec’s hand in her own. “Alec, it’s Izzy. Open your eyes for me.”

Alec seems to struggle for a moment, then his eyes open a fraction. He looks around the room blearily, settling first on Isabelle, then on Jace, and finally on Magnus. “Ma’nus,” he repeats, the word slurred but unmistakable.

Magnus makes an aborted move to stand up, but Jace stops him with a glare. “Don’t give him hope he doesn’t need,” he says through his teeth. Magnus swallows and relents with a gesture.

Isabelle looks torn, and she bites her lip as she turns back to Alec. “We’re all here,” she says. “Magnus healed you. Now I need you to wake up properly so we can celebrate.”

Alec chuckles, though he’s obviously confused. “’kay,” he murmurs. He closes his eyes again and his breathing evens out, though the lines of pain remain on his face.

“The pain will fade with time,” Magnus says, trying to reassure the Shadowhunters. “At least the one from the venom,” he adds, remembering Alec’s other injuries.

“We’ll get back to the Institute as soon as he’s awake enough to move,” Jace says. “We’re truly grateful, Magnus, but we won’t take any more of your time.”

Magnus shakes his head. “I’m not throwing you out.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t think staying here is good for Alec. We only brought him here because we were out of options.”

“And I’m glad you did,” Magnus says.

“But we can’t stay. He’s...vulnerable, right now.”

“You think I’d take advantage of him?”

Isabelle winces. Jace sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “No offense, Magnus, but you made your choice. Maybe it was to protect yourself, but we need to do our job and protect Alec. And right now that means keeping him away from here. From you.”

Magnus stands up forcefully, overwhelmed by the need to go. To be alone with his thoughts long enough to figure this out. He hasn’t processed the things he saw in Alec’s mind, or the feelings that keep arising in him every time he looks at Alec. He doesn’t know what to do with the near-hostile guardedness in Jace’s posture, the sorrow in Isabelle’s eyes. He doesn’t know what he did – or didn’t do – to deserve them, only that they know more than him about his own life, and his entire being is screaming that it’s not safe.

He flees to the kitchen, where he spends several minutes riding out a near panic attack.

What is he going to do now? Now that he knows something of the memories he’s missing, something more than whatever his mind could conjure to fill the holes and the little Catarina deigned to tell him, how can he go back to normal? He was doing just fine, before these damn Shadowhunters barged into life!

No, that’s not true. Magnus may be an expert at deceiving other people, but he doesn’t lie to himself. Or at least he didn’t use to – he feels like he’s been doing it a lot, recently. He’s not doing well. He’s going through the motions, but nothing in his life feels complete, feels right. He knows what depression looks like.

Can he pretend that he doesn’t crave whatever memories are in that box? The brain isn’t made to suddenly lose a part of itself like this. The neural pathways that have ruled Magnus’ emotions for however many years he erased are still here, and he doesn’t know how to fulfill them anymore. He’s physically and mentally craving something that isn’t there.

Maybe that’s why the glimpses he got from Alec’s mind have left him shaking and yearning.

Yes. It’s all a physical reaction from his brain. It’s an addiction. He just needs to treat it like any other addiction: wean himself off. Stay away.

That means staying away from Alec. At least he can agree with Jace on that. However much it will hurt, Magnus needs to remove himself from this situation.

When he walks back into the living room, hiding his trembling hands behind his back, Alec is awake and mostly alert. He’s sat up partially on the couch, propped up on the arm rest, and Isabelle is quietly talking to him. The tea has finally been served, and the three siblings are each holding a steaming mug, a fourth one awaiting Magnus on the table.

“Magnus,” Alec says when Magnus gingerly sits back down in his armchair. His voice is stronger than before, and his tone is no longer hopeful and confused, but pained. “Thank you, for saving my life. We owe you a debt beyond what we could pay you in money.”

Magnus takes his mug in his hand, trying to draw comfort from the warmth. “You don’t,” he says. “I was glad to help. And…I don’t know exactly what we...what happened between us that I’m missing, but it would be better for everyone not to keep score, wouldn’t it?”

Isabelle chokes on her tea. Alec just looks infinitely sad. “Okay,” he murmurs. “Whatever you want, Magnus.”

“Drink your tea,” Magnus says, feeling guilty for no reason he can understand. “Then I’ll make you a portal to your Institute.”

Alec nods. “Thank you.”

Playfully, Magnus leans over the coffee table to clink his mug with Alec. Alec meets his eyes and swallows. “To us,” he murmurs.

Magnus tilts his head, the words echoing strangely in his mind. “To us,” he repeats.

Alec looks away, letting out a small wounded sound. Magnus retreats, trying to give him space. He doesn’t know what he did wrong, but it obviously has to do with the memories he’s missing. Besides, he promised himself to detach himself, and he’s already getting too close again.

They sip their tea in silence, until Alec gives some kind of invisible signal and Jace hoists him to his feet. Magnus doesn’t say a word, a knot in his throat, as he throws open a portal and stands aside to let them through.

He already feels bereft, before the portal is even closed.

[roseherondale]

Helpless

Summary: When a mysterious faery illness affects Kit, Tessa and Jem look after him. However, there is a more sinister reason for it, and Jem is forced to act.

Word Count: 6044

Warnings: N/A

Read it on AO3 here

When Tessa had first heard the news of a faery sickness spreading through the Shadow World, her first thought was of Kit. He had been in New York with Jace and Clary a week before the news begun and since he had returned, she had kept their little family safe in Devon. As the sickness was concentrated in the Faerie Realm, the Shadowhunters hadn’t found out about it until long after it started, when Kieran fell ill, and Christina and Mark notified Jia.

Due to their secretive nature, the symptoms and treatment of the sickness were unknown, and Kieran had remained ill. Magnus had immediately started work on a cure, his need to protect fellow Downworlders stronger than their warnings to not get involved. The faeries were proud and refused help from warlocks, believing that they could find the cure themselves.

One evening, she was curled into the sofa, baby monitor perched on the table beside her, and a book in her lap. They had already put Mina to bed, and Kit had long since retreated to his room, when Jem entered the living room. Looking up, she noted that his face was drawn, and he looked older and worn. Immediately, she sat up straight, her heartrate rising.

“It is not just full-blooded faeries affected. I just got off the phone with Emma and she said that both Mark and Helen Blackthorn have it. She said that Christina was distraught, and this was after she had made sure Mark was nowhere near Kieran whilst she was tending to him.” His eyes were sad, shoulders slumped as he sat beside her, and she leant into his side, under his arm.

“This means that Kit could catch it.” She pointed out, heartbeat and panic rising. “We need to find a cure.”

“Magnus has been working on it, and so have the warlocks of the Spiral Labyrinth. All we can do is hope they find something soon.” She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. He looked as resigned and helpless as she felt, and she placed her forehead against his.

“None of us will stop until we’ve found one.” She said, quietly, placing a gentle kiss against his lips.

<>----<>----<>

For the next few days, Tessa kept close watch on Kit. He was acting just like himself; training hard, and reluctantly studying demonic languages at the kitchen table, tongue between his teeth as he concentrated. Everything was normal, and she let herself relax. She, Jem and Magnus had come to the conclusion that Kit’s faery blood was diluted so much that he was immune to the disease but planned to keep him away from other Shadowhunters or Downworlders in case they carried it, just to be safe.

Kit had noticed the extra attention, and when he caught Tessa or Jem watching him, he would raise his eyebrows and make a sarcastic comment about them not being able to get rid of him that easily. Tessa would roll her eyes and ruffle his hair as she got back to whatever she was supposed to be doing.

The truth was, after watching Jem go through the sicknesses brought on by his yin fen addiction, Tessa couldn’t stand the thought of watching another member of her family be ill when there was nothing she could do, and after her other children dying, the thought of Kit following suit broke her heart.

Tessa had been receiving daily updates from Magnus and Catarina, and Emma was keeping Jem updated on the situation with the oldest Blackthorns and the faerie prince.

She was stood at the stove, putting the kettle on for tea. Jem had taken Mina to the village for pastries and a walk. Wiping down the counters and the table, she didn’t hear Kit come in until he moved a chair.

“Hi, darling.” She smiled, turning back to the kettle to take it off the stove. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please.” His voice was croaky, and she turned towards him. Cheeks flushed, and hair tousled, it looked like he had stumbled straight from bed. He was wearing Spider-Man pyjamas and he rubbed his eyes, blearily.

“Everything okay, darling?” Tessa asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” She placed his tea in front of him and gently rested the back of her hand against his forehead.

“You’re burning up.” She stated, pulling the first aid kit from the cupboard and giving him a thermometer. He placed it in his mouth without any complaint and she looked away, frowning worriedly. Kit always protested when she fussed over him, and the fact that he took his temperature without causing a scene, made her bite her lip.

When it beeped, she took it from him and read the temperature. 38.4⁰C. He had a fever.

“Alright, darling. Let’s get you back to bed, you’ve got a bit of a fever; you need plenty of rest.” She helped him to his feet and led him back upstairs to his room, tucking him into bed. His eyes closed at once, and she stayed for a moment, smoothing his damp curls away from his forehead.

“I’ll just go bring you some water.” She murmured, dragging herself back downstairs. Jem had returned, and he had sat Mina in the high-chair, where she drank some juice, her pastry a mess in front of her.

“Hello, my darling.” She stroked Mina’s head, then started putting a tray together for Kit. “He has a temperature, so I’ve sent him back to bed. I hope it’s nothing, but we should maybe have Magnus take a look at him later.”

Jem nodded. “I’ll call him now; you see to our boy.” She kissed him on the cheek, feeling the familiar spark of warmth that she got whenever she was with Jem. With the tray balanced in front of her, she pushed the door open with her back and headed upstairs to Kit’s room. The tray had his tea, a jug of water and a cup, and the chocolate pastry that Jem had brought him for if he felt up to eating.

She opened the door, to see Kit in the same position she had left him. The room was dark, and she propped the tray on his bedside table, pushing the book and his phone to the side. She turned on the lamp, and a soft orange glow lit the room. Kit blinked, tiredly, and she shushed him, quietly.

“I brought you some food if you feel up to it, and something to drink.” She helped him sit up properly and propped his pillows so that he could lean against them, comfortably. Taking the water jug off the tray, she poured him a glass, and placed it on the tray on his lap.

“Thanks.” He croaked. His cheeks were worryingly red, and he looked exhausted, as if he short journey to the kitchen and back had taken everything out of him.

“That’s alright, my darling. You just eat and drink what you can, okay.” She pulled the chair from his desk to beside the bed and settled herself in it, next to him. Watching as he picked apart the pastry, she was pleased when he managed half of it, a few sips of tea and the glass of water.

“Well done, love.” She smiled, reassuringly, removing the tray from his lap and placing it back on the bedside table. Kit smiled, at her and she helped him lie back down, leaning over to stroke his hair. He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes.

By the time Jem came in, Kit was fast asleep, snoring softly, though Tessa still kept her hand carding through his hair.

“How is he?” Jem asked, in a whisper.

“He ate some and drank a glass of water. Where’s Mina?”

“I put her down for her nap; it’s already eleven.”

“Oh.” She had lost track of the time, looking after Kit. “What did Magnus say?”

“He’ll be over in an hour to take a look at him. He just said to make sure he gets plenty of rest and fluids.” Tessa nodded, distractedly. As if sensing what she was thinking, he carried on. “There’s no way of him knowing whether it’s the faerie illness without seeing him, but according to Christina, Mark’s started with a fever too.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him. His thumb brushed her shoulder, soothingly, and she felt herself relax, although there was still an ache of worry in her chest.

“Why don’t you go have a break?” He asked, gently. “I’ll watch Kit, but you need to eat.”

She sighed. “You’re right, but I don’t want to leave him.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be here, and I’ll text you if anything changes.”

“Okay.” She conceded. She trusted Jem more than anyone and she knew that he would keep a close eye on their son. Standing, she bent over to place a kiss to Kit’s forehead. He stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Jem took her vacated seat as she made her way out. Pausing in the doorway, she watched her husband, stroke their son’s cheek.

<>----<>----<>

Jem was relieved that he had managed to get Tessa to leave. He knew it wouldn’t be good for her to sit with Kit all day, as, although she kept a calm exterior, he knew how much she worried. After years of being a Silent Brother, he had learnt to mask his emotions, but seeing his son sick for the first time, he was barely keeping it together. Jem’s hand had found its way to Kit’s curls, brushing them away from his face with his thumb. Kit slept soundly, and Jem couldn’t help but think that if he were awake, he would be embarrassed that he allowed himself to be loved by the people who weren’t really his parents.

They had been working hard to help Kit realise that they loved him and thought of him as a son, reassuring him that it was okay for him to be happy here with his new family, whilst still loving his old one. Johnny Rook hadn’t been a particularly good father, but he had kept Kit safe and Jem was glad of it, but now, he vowed to be the father he never was and show Kit the love he deserved but never had.

Kit groaned, pulling his arms out the duvet, and placing his head to the side.

“It’s okay, Kit. You’re safe, I’m here. Just rest, my boy.” Jem said, soothingly, continuing to rub circles onto his temple. Kit sighed, sleepily, and drifted off again.

<>----<>----<>

Tessa had taken the baby monitor from Jem, and she looked in on her daughter as she passed her room, thankfully finding her still fast asleep. She headed to the kitchen, putting the kettle over the hob and sinking into the nearest seat at the table, putting her head in her hands. Jem was right; she needed a moment. She knew that she would spend every second of the day at Kit’s bedside but was grateful for her husband that she didn’t have to.

Why did it have to be Kit? She found herself asking herself. He had been through so much in his sixteen short years of life and she wished that she could make everything better for him. They had been trying to and Kit had finally begun to feel at home with them, though it was clear he was overwhelmed at the unconditional love of their family.

Please, Will. Please, my children; my James and my Lucie. Please look after my Kit, please let him stay here with us.

She was unaware of how much time had passed since she had started her silent prayer to her family, when a knock on the door startled her. Standing and smoothing her skirt, she hurried to the entrance hall and opened it. Magnus stood there, in a shirt, violet waistcoat and jacket.

“Magnus. Come in.” Her voice shook slightly, and he took her hand.

“My dear, Tessa. Let’s see what I can do for your boy.” He said, kindly and she took him to Kit’s bedroom.

Jem looked up as they entered, smiling at Magnus, and getting to his feet to give him space to work.

“It is wonderful to see you all, but I would much prefer it to be under different circumstances. Would you wake him for me?” Magnus said, and Jem nodded, gently shaking Kit awake.

He blinked his eyes, groggily, and Jem helped him sit up, Tessa hovering at the end of the bed. Once he was settled, she perched herself at the edge and sent him a quick smile.

“Magnus is just here to see how you are.” She explained, simply. Kit nodded, then winced, but his eyes were unfocused, and Tessa wasn’t sure how much he could understand in his state.

Tessa had always seen Magnus as a gentle person. He had always taken lost Downworlders under his wings; including her after the loss of her husband and children, but the softness had amplified since he found Alec and they had children of their own. He approached Kit like he was one of them, speaking quietly and kindly, but not babying him.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“Cold.” Kit said, “and my head hurts a lot.”

“Well you have a fever, you’re actually very warm.” He observed as he placed the back of his hand against Kit’s forehead. He winced slightly.

Turning back to Tessa and Jem, Magnus spoke again. “I think it is the faery sickness; he has the same symptoms as Mark. I am working on a cure, but it’s slow work.”

Tessa gripped her skirt, tight in her hand, but kept her face impassive. A wave of hopelessness passed over her and her heart seemed to stop. Jem placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke for them.

“What does this mean for Kit?”

“It’s likely that it will get worse before it gets better. He has such diluted faerie blood that we can only hope that it will leave him soon, but I will find a cure.” He promised, eyes glinting despite the darkness.

Kit was struggling to keep up with the conversation, his eyes slowly moving between them and blinking. Magnus gave him some water, and he sipped at it, seemingly grateful for something to distract himself with.

“Just make sure he gets plenty of fluids. I have this,” he pulled out a potion, “that might lower the fever. It works with non-magical ones but it’s a symptom, not a cause, so I’m hoping it’ll work for him. Just put two drops in a glass of water twice a day and make sure he drinks it all. Once in the morning, once in the evening, after food. He should like it; it’s lemon flavoured.”

“Thank you.” Tessa said as he placed it on the bedside table.

“I can see myself out.” He said. “I’ll keep you updated on the cure and you’ll be the first to know when it’s ready.”

“Really, Magnus, we can’t thank you enough.” Jem said, shaking Magnus’ hand.

He smiled flittingly, but his face resumed its serious expression within seconds. “You feel better, Kit.” He said, placing his hand on his shoulder. Then, he left the room.

Kit’s eyes were still open, but they were misted and unfocused. Tessa sunk into the chair that Magnus had just vacated.

“Hey, sweetheart.” She placed her hand against his forehead to find it hot and damp. “Jem, could you bring a cold cloth, please?” Kit’s eyes fluttered shut whilst he was gone, and Tessa thought he had drifted back into sleep.

“Of course.” He returned a few moments later and Tessa placed it on Kit’s forehead. He sighed, quietly.

“Thanks, mum.” He whispered; eyes still closed. Tessa’s eyes met Jem’s in a mix of joy and panic. She felt tears gather at the edges, and she did her best to blink them away. Within a few seconds, Jem was at her side, pulling her into her arms, and she muffled her cries against his chest. She pulled away, checking that he was asleep before she spoke.

“Jem, he called me mum.”

“I know.” He whispered, pulling her close again.

“Did he mean it?”

“I don’t know, my love. He isn’t well, but there is no doubt that he thinks of you that way. Perhaps one day, he will feel better about admitting things like that when he isn’t feverish.” He spoke calmly but his voice was filled with affection, and Tessa nodded, her cheek against his chest and reached up to where his hand was resting on her shoulder, taking it into her own.

“Whether he wants to refer to me as such or not, I will always be a mother to him.” She promised, turning back and letting her hand smooth out his curls.

<>----<>----<>

Jem watched them both, his face filled with adoration, until Mina’s cries could be heard through the baby monitor.

“I’m thankful she slept so long.” Jem remarked, calmly, placing a last kiss on his wife’s head, and then one on his son’s cheek to avoid messing with the cool cloth. He retreated from the room, quickening his steps once he had left.

The door to Mina’s room opened smoothly, and revealed her beautiful round face, streaked with tears as she held onto the bars of her cot, glaring at him, mournfully. Jem placed the baby monitor on the cabinet and switched it off.

“Oh, Mina mine. My dear, what is the matter?” He picked her up and held her against himself for a few moments. Her cries subsided and she snuffled, sucking her thumb into her mouth. He kissed her forehead and placed her onto the changing table to get her ready for her afternoon awake.

“Pa-pa.” She gurgled, and when he praised her and tickled her under the chin, she repeated it in delight. Looking around as much as she could from her position on the table she said “kih-kih” which was her word for Kit.

“Kit isn’t well, little Mina. He’ll be right as rain soon and will play with you again. For now, though, we must let him rest.” She grumbled slightly at his words, recognising that she couldn’t see him, but being annoyed about it. Jem felt his heart swell with love for both of his children. He knew that Kit was going to be a wonderful brother, but it still warmed his heart to see the results of him stepping into that role.

Once Mina was changed, he took her downstairs to get her a bottle of milk, when an alarm sounded through the manor. Jem looked up in surprise and Mina began to cry at the noise. Someone was trying to breach the wards.

Running to the nearest window, he looked outside and saw a battalion of faeries trying to get through. His phone was in his hand before he even thought about it, and he was running upstairs, two stairs at a time to Tessa. She met him at the door her own phone at her ear.

“Hello.” Said the person on the other end of Jem’s phone.

“Emma! We need help. Magnus will bring you here but there are faeries outside; they’re trying to break down the wards and I think they want to kill Kit.” He said, breathless. Placing Mina on the floor of Kit’s room, he pulled back the curtains to look outside. From behind him, he could hear Tessa telling Magnus to go to LA for the Blackthorns.

“Jem? Are you there?” Emma’s voice shook him from his haze.

“Yeah.”

“We’re coming, okay.” Her voice was calm, but breathless, and he knew she was running to gear up.

“Thanks, mèi mei.” He said and hung up. “They’re going to break them.” He remarked to Tessa.

“Magnus is going to get the Blackthorns, but Clary is bringing Jace and the others now.” She said.

“Watch Mina and Kit. I’ll gear up and help.” He turned to her, and she kissed him gently on the lips, her mouth warm and sweet against his.

“Stay safe, my love.” She smiled.

“And you, my Tess. Look after our children for me.” The broke apart their embrace, and Jem left, running to their makeshift armoury. He changed into gear and added seraph blades to his weapons belt, grabbing a sword and, at the last second, grabbed a cloth pouch, before heading out the door.

There was a bloodbath outside. The wards were down, and faeries were streaming into the grounds, though their friends from New York were there, creating a barrier between them and the house. He saw Clary and Jace side-by-side, her red hair loose as though she had no time to tie it up. Jem was struck by how similar Jace looked to Kit, as he always was, and turned away quickly. Alec was shooting the faeries, a few metres behind Jace. Isabelle’s hair was braided, and she swung out with her whip, pulling faeries to the ground, for Simon to stab with his seraph blades.

Before he joined them, he turned and placed a locking rune on the door and sprinkling a line of salt in front of it from the small pouch he had grabbed. It wouldn’t hold them off for long, but it was a precaution to protect his family.

He ran towards Clary and Jace and greeted them; he hadn’t known them well until Kit had come to live with them. However, Jace had made a great effort with Kit, visiting him and allowing Kit to visit the New York Institute. Jem was grateful that Jace had taken to having another person in his family, and never failed to help Kit, whether it was with training, teaching him the piano, or offering him advice, which Kit had laughed at and refused to implement.

“Is Kit okay?” Jace asked when he reached them.

“He’s with Tessa, but he’s still sick.”

“I only just found out from Magnus.” Jace said, as he dispatched a faerie of its head.

“Sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s been crazy here.” Jem said, lunging forwards, and saving Clary from what would have been a harsh blow. He felt a surge of guilt as he realised he should have texted Jace as soon as Kit had felt ill that morning.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Jace shook his head. Though, Jem was spared a response when a golden portal opened nearby. Emma was the first to come through, with Julian directly behind her, then Tiberius and Drusilla, home from the Scholomance and Academy respectively, and Christina with Magnus bringing up the rear. Christina had butterfly knives in her hands, and she threw them, one finding its mark in the back of a skull, the other in an arm.

Cortana burned bright, golden light reflecting on Emma’s hair, and Jem knew that with the extra reinforcements, they were saved.

The faeries were obviously members of the Seelie Court from their appearances, and although she was dating the Unseelie King and a half-faerie, none of them fought as viciously as Christina. Like him, she had a very personal stake in the battle, and her energy seemed to brush over him and he found himself being able to fight harder and harder.

The leader of the faeries was a tall Seelie woman with a light sky blue hair that reached her waist and was tucked behind her pointed ears. She wore a golden chest piece over a long, white dress, and carried daggers that shone brighter than any weapon Jem had ever seen.

He headed to her next, his sword held in front of him and they began to circle each other.

“What do you want?” He demanded.

“The First Heir. I come to finish what the Riders of Mannan could not.” Her voice was high-pitched, poisoned with malice and hatred.

“How do you know about them?” Jem asked, keeping his voice neutral.

“The Seelie Queen sees and knows all.”

“So, you are here on her behalf?” Jem wanted to keep her talking until he could piece everything together. She just smiled, showing a row of pointed teeth, and that was the only confirmation Jem needed.

“You’re not sick.” He observed, suddenly. The faery illness had been affecting all of them, and if she weren’t sick, it meant that the Seelie Queen could be involved.

“Astute observation, Shadowhunter.” She said, coldly.

“The Queen spread the sickness beyond her courts so that you could find the one sick Nephilim and single them out as the First Heir.” He said, understanding.

“Smart. It’s a shame your blood will decorate the grass, the Seelie Queen would enjoy your clever mind.” She twisted the knife in her hand. They were still circling one another.

“You must have a cure for it, then.” He observed, and she just frowned, annoyed that he had figured that out. “Give it to me and I shall spare you.”

“I will give my life so that the Queen can rule unchallenged.” She replied. Then, suddenly, Magnus was there, and his magic caught hold of her, twisting her tight and she cried out in frustration, her hand forced to drop the dagger.

“Who are you?” Magnus asked, and his voice was so strong; it was one of those times where Jem was taken aback by the power he possessed, even disregarding his magic.

“My name is Ailsa.” She gasped as the magic held her tighter.

“Ailsa. Do you have the antidote to the sickness?” He asked, and Jem was watching, hope blossoming in his chest. The magic squeezed her again.

“Yes.” She said, breathlessly.

“Give it to me.” One of her arms was freed, and Jem watched as she reached into her pocket. He took the bottle from her before she could consider dropping it. He took it to where Magnus was, and the others had gathered around, the rest of the faeries incapacitated or dead. Magnus waved his other hand over it and nodded. “It is the cure.” He confirmed.

Jem’s face must have showed his relief. Magnus handed it to him, along with three vials.

“Take some to your boy, some to the Unseelie King and I shall need some to replicate the rest.” He said. Once he had split them up, and pressed one bottle into Christina’s hand, and the other into Magnus’, he headed back towards the house. Alec, Jace and Julian had apprehended Ailsa and were planning to take her to the Silent City for sentencing.

As he was crossing the lawn, he heard someone behind him. He spun around, but it was Tiberius, headphones around his neck.

“Is Kit okay?” He asked.

“He should be once he’s taken the cure.” Jem said, kindly. “If you’d like to wait around, I’ll let him know that you’re here when he wakes up. I’m sure Jace will still be around.”

Tiberius’ eyes seemed to light up with the suggestion. “Really?”

Jem nodded, but felt a flicker of doubt. There was no guarantee that Kit would want to see him, after all, he and Tessa were convinced that the boy in front of him was the main reason why Kit wanted to leave the care of the Blackthorns. He left Tiberius outside, but kept the door propped open for him and the others.

When he reached Kit’s room, he called out to his wife and she opened the door, falling into his arms.

“I have the cure.” He said, and she immediately brought him to Kit’s bedside. They gently shook him awake and pulled him into a sitting position. Once he was upright, Jem rescued Mina from her position on the floor and held her close against his chest.

“You need to drink this, sweetheart.” Tessa said, her voice joyful, and Kit’s eyes blinked open. He was drowsy, and they seemed to close immediately after they were opened. Jem felt his heartbeat speed up, and he was thankful that they had gotten the cure before Kit got any worse. If it had been much longer, he may not have survived.

Kit drank the potion, and for a moment nothing happened. He rested his head back against the bedframe, and his eyes fell shut. Tessa lurched forwards and Jem followed suit, Mina in his arms. Crying out, Tessa’s hands closed around Kit’s arm and as she spoke, her voice got more and more frantic.

“Kit. Kit, sweetheart. It’s okay, darling, just wake up for us, please.” She let out a sob and continued shaking his arm and calling his name.

“Kit.” Jem croaked, feeling wetness gather in his eyes, but he made no move to wipe it away. He was staring, transfixed, at where his son lay, barely moving. “Stay, my son. You have so much waiting for you.”

There was a choked noise behind them, and Jem turned. Jace stood there, staring unblinking at his distant cousin. He moved forwards.

“Christopher, wake up.” He said, firmly, as if Kit was just ignoring their pleas. He didn’t stir. Mina began crying, and Clary, who had followed Jace upstairs, placed her hand against his shoulder, then gently pried her from Jem’s arms, and left the room. He listened as her cries got quieter and quieter the further they went.

All of a sudden, Kit coughed, sitting up. Tessa made a noise, the tears flowing freely, and rubbed his back as he heaved.

“Shh, darling. You’ll be okay. We’re here, my Kit.” When the coughing subsided, she placed a gentle kiss to his forehead, and was pleased that he wasn’t as warm as before. He blushed slightly and looked down at the duvet.

When he looked up again, he saw Jem and Jace and his brow furrowed. “What’s going on?” He asked.

“You weren’t well.” Jem said, unable to take his eyes off his son. He stepped forwards and pulled him against his chest in a gentle hug. Kit returned it and buried his face in his shoulder. After a few moments, Jem pulled away, placing a kiss to Kit’s cheek.

Jace watched them, and when Kit caught his eye, he shook his head. “You deserve fifty laps around the garden for that.”

Kit grinned. “Did I scare the all powerful and mighty, Jace Herondale?”

Jace raised his eyebrows. “Nope. The laps are because you slacked off today.” Kit just laughed, knowing Jace well enough that he knew he didn’t mean it.

“You love me.” He joked, and was surprised when Jace replied:

“I suppose I do. There’s no accounting for taste.” Kit blushed, and Jace smiled kindly, “I’ll leave you with your parents and tell the gathering of well-wishers that you’re okay.” He closed the door behind him on the way out.

Jem was grateful that Kit didn’t question Jace calling them his parents, and instead asked what he meant about well-wishers. Jem filled him in on the details of the faery sickness and the battle.

“Tiberius Blackthorn is here. He wishes to see you.” Jem watched as Kit’s face whitened. “You don’t have to, especially not today, if you don’t want to.”

“I do.” He whispered. Tessa smiled at Jem, knowingly.

“Why don’t you take a shower first and get ready. You can show him around the gardens; it’ll be good for you to have some fresh air.” Tessa suggested, and she and Jem left him to it.

When they left the door, Jem turned to Tessa and smiled. “You know exactly what you’re doing with your matchmaking.” He remarked.

“Well it’s about time someone did something.” She rolled her eyes, “I cannot deal with more angsty Herondale children.” She laughed.

“Yes, you can. They’re your specialty.” He grinned and she laughed in agreement.

<>----<>----<>

They entered the kitchen to see a group of people sat around with mugs of tea or coffee. Magnus was talking to Jace and Clary, who had Mina seated on her lap and was feeding her some mushed up bananas, and she waved when she saw them come in. Emma and Julian sat beside each other, whispering, and Tiberius sat opposite, stoically silent, playing with the cord of his headphones. They all looked up as they entered.

“Everyone else is helping with the faeries.” Clary said, cheerfully. “Glad I don’t have to drag corpses around.”

“Thanks for helping with Mina.” Tessa smiled, placing her hand on the back of her daughter’s head. She giggled but made no motion to indicate that she wanted to move away from Clary’s lap, and Tessa was content to leave her there. Emma had gotten up to pour her and Jem a cup of tea and she took it, gratefully, placing her hands around it when she sunk into a chair.

“Is Kit alright?” Ty asked, staring at the table.

“Yeah, he’s feeling much better. I’m sure he’ll be down soon.” Tessa said, reassuringly.

“We’re all glad he made a recovery.” Julian remarked.

“Thank you. How are Mark and Kieran?”

“Christina texted me a little while ago to say that they’re awake and well.” Emma said.

“What about the Unseelie faeries affected?” Jem asked.

Magnus replied. “The cure was relatively simple, I listed the ingredients and Kieran’s brother, Adaon, knew the spell, so they’re producing and distributing it now. Less work for me,” he said, stretching.

“I’m glad everything worked itself out.” Tessa remarked, kindly, and Jem placed his hand on her shoulder, the other holding her tea.

Idle conversation started around the table, and Tessa was immediately brought into recounting one of her and Magnus’ stories. During the dramatic retelling, Tiberius snuck out of the room.

<>----<>----<>

Kit hesitated on the stairs. Freshly showered, in jeans, a t-shirt and trainers, he looked normal, but he could imagine nothing worse than everyone’s attention on him. He considered going back upstairs and hiding in his room until everyone got bored and left, but he could imagine the jokes that Jace would make about that.

However, before he had to make a decision, the kitchen door opened, and Ty came out. He was just as beautiful as Kit remembered, pale skin a sharp contrast with his black hair, and eyes a stormy grey. He felt himself release a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

“Ty.” He whispered.

“Kit.” Ty looked towards him, in surprise that he was waiting outside the door. “Are you feeling better? They all say you do but…”

Kit cut him off, gently. “They’re right. I’m okay now.” Ty just nodded, but stared at him, unembarrassedly. Feeling the silence, Kit tried to make conversation. “So, how’s the Scholomance?”

“It’s good.” Ty responded.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Kit asked. “I know a place where deer gather.”

Ty’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to.” Kit led them outside, across the back garden. He knew Tessa would be able to see them from the kitchen window, but she was smart, and he knew that when Ty had left the kitchen, she would have put the pieces together, and assumed they were together.

They passed a small stream and Kit showed Ty where he usually climbed over, using stepping-stones. Ty was meticulously careful, and being a Shadowhunter, he didn’t lose his footing at all. Kit had crossed the river more times than he could count, yet he usually slipped a little, even if he didn’t fall into the stream.

As they carried on, through trees, Kit’s heartrate began to slow. Being with Ty felt normal and relaxed now that the initial awkwardness was over and done with. When he spotted the first deer, Ty grabbed onto his arm in excitement, and the butterflies started again in his stomach. They sat on a short ridge, looking into a grassy clearing and watched the deer, their red coats glinting in the afternoon sun.

In a moment of madness, Kit reached his hand towards Ty’s and intwined them. Glancing at him once, before staring back at the deer, Ty smiled, and Kit followed suit. In that second, they didn’t need explanations or apologies; they just needed each other.

Thank you for reading - I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think xxx

[silver-lily-louise]

I Believe the Children are Our Future

(A Shadowhunters fanfic)

Summary: ‘I bet you haven’t met any other warlocks, have you?’ The boy shakes his head. ‘In which case, I’d imagine you have a lot of questions. So… go ahead,’ he says, gesturing. ‘Ask away.’ Set shortly before 3x03. While Maryse and Robert finalise their divorce, Max stays at the loft for a few days. Magnus offers to answer some questions about warlocks, heritage, and love.

Many thanks to @aria-lerendeair, without whom this fic would not exist. <3

Read it on AO3, or below!

~oOo~

‘You’re sure it’s okay?’ ‘Of course.’ ‘Because we can always-‘ ‘Alexander, he’s your brother. He’s welcome here.’ Magnus takes a brief moment to imagine what Ragnor would say about him letting not one, but two Shadowhunters sleep in his lair. But it’ll only be for a few days, of course, while the Lightwoods work out the details of their divorce – and with Jace and Izzy on night shifts, it’s either Max sleeping at the loft or Alec sleeping at the Institute, and Magnus definitely prefers the former.

He smiles. ‘Besides, I’ve seen what passes for breakfast in an Institute – what sort of monster would I be to let any child suffer through that?’ He gives an exaggerated shudder, and Alec rolls his eyes – but he’s smiling now, too, so Magnus will take the win.

***

Magnus gets home late that night. What had started as a ‘simple wards repair’ in Queens had quickly turned into an absolute nightmare – he was forced to begin with an honest-to-gods exorcism, followed by a purification ritual; and of course, when all of that was finally over, the property required a full wards replacement. After all, he had to make sure that the previous shoddy workmanship didn’t result in yet another poltergeist moving in.

Hearing that the TV’s still on, he banishes all thoughts of work and wanders into the living room – but his greeting dies on his lips, conquered by a slightly sappy smile at the sight before him.

Alec’s fast asleep, snoring softly. He’s got one arm around Max, who’s also sleeping soundly, burrowed into his brother’s side. The soft teal blanket Magnus leaves out for movie nights is draped over them both; it dwarfs them, making them look even younger than they are. Magnus waves his hand, and the TV fades out, sound and picture gradually diminishing into nothing. He’s about to go make a round of hot chocolates – he knows how to be a good host, and besides, he’s had a tough day himself – when a small voice catches his attention. ‘Mr. Bane?’

He turns back to the couch – Max is gently extricating himself from his brother’s hold, blinking owlishly up at Magnus. Magnus smiles, settling himself at the other end of the couch. ‘Max,’ he chides, keeping his voice low. ‘Didn’t I tell you we were friends? You can call me Magnus.’

Max nods, his expression still serious. ‘Okay. Magnus. I’m sorry I asked how much of you is a demon. I didn’t mean to be rude, but Mom told me later that it was.’ Magnus blinks, a little surprised. That’s a lot more consideration than he’s used to from Maryse Lightwood. ‘Oh. Well, apology accepted, Max. You weren’t to know.’

An idea springs to mind, and Magnus settles a little more fully into the couch. ‘I bet you haven’t met any other warlocks, have you?’ The boy shakes his head. ‘In which case, I’d imagine you have a lot of questions. So… go ahead,’ he says, gesturing. ‘Ask away.’

Max stares at him for a moment, clearly torn. ‘I don’t wanna say the wrong thing again,’ he explains. ‘We all say the wrong thing sometimes, Max,’ Magnus says kindly. ‘It’s how we learn. How about this – I promise that if you ask something I’m uncomfortable with, I’ll tell you. I won’t get mad, but we’ll move on. Deal?’

Max nods, and Magnus returns it. ‘Okay, good. So, to start with your first question – I’m half-demon. My mother was a mundane, and my father was a demon.’

Max’s eyes go wide, but he just says, ‘Oh. Okay.’ Magnus smiles. ‘I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s mostly just the magic that’s the demon part. Which means that it’s mostly the mundane, human part that determines who I am as a person.’ It’s not the full story, of course, because things are never that black and white. But it’s a rationalisation he came to a long time ago – he worked hard to step out of Asmodeus’ footsteps, and long before Ragnor and Catarina and Dot, it was in mundanes he’d found kindness. He’d like to think that as a person, he’s got more in common with those mundanes than he has with his father.

‘How old are you?’ Max asks. ‘I don’t know,’ Magnus confesses, chuckling quietly at Max’s boggled expression. ‘About seven-hundred and seventy, I think? Honestly, I lost count about a hundred years ago.’ Max nods sagely. ‘That makes sense. I tried to count to five-hundred the other day, and it took me four tries.’ Magnus suppresses another laugh at that. Lightwood stubbornness really is genetic, it would seem.

‘If demons are evil – ‘ Max cuts himself off, suddenly looking unsure of himself again, but it’s not too hard to fill in the blanks. ‘Does that make warlocks evil?’ A meek nod. ‘Well, let me ask you a question – do you think I’m evil?’ ‘No,’ Max says, very quickly. ‘I think you’re nice.’

Magnus feels his smile grow. ‘Thank you, Max. Okay, another question; your brother – although we both know that he’s an idiot sometimes – ‘ he winks conspiratorially, and Max laughs – ‘is nonetheless a very capable, smart Shadowhunter, and the Head of the New York Institute. Do you think he would have an evil boyfriend?’ ‘No,’ Max says again, before frowning in consideration. ‘Izzy probably would, but Alec wouldn’t.’ ‘Hmm.’ If Magnus has to hold in much more laughter, he’s going to end up with a hernia. ‘Well, then, I’d say you have your answer.’

There’s silence for a few moments, and Magnus is about to make the offer of hot chocolate, when Max asks, ‘You love him, right?’ Magnus glances up at Alec, feeling himself melt a little. ‘Yes,’ he murmurs. ‘Very much so. He’s very special to me.’ ‘So are you going to marry him?’

The question shocks him more than it probably should. It’s early days, to be sure, but Max’s childhood logic is right, in a way – isn’t that the usual progression when two people love each other? ‘I don’t know,’ Magnus says honestly. ‘It’s not just up to me, after all; and though I love him very much, we haven’t known each other that long. But one day? If it was what we both wanted?’ He smiles, voice dropping to a whisper. ‘Yes, I’d marry him.’

Max seems satisfied, barrelling on to the subject he was clearly building to. ‘Okay, well – when you get married, can you pick comfier chairs?’ He gives a long-suffering sigh. ‘Izzy said the ones at the other wedding were pretty, and apparently they went with Lydia’s dress and Alec’s suit. But they were really uncomfortable. And we weren’t looking at the chairs anyway, we were sitting on them.’

‘Good point,’ Magnus agrees, grinning. ‘How about this? If we get married, you can be in charge of picking the chairs,’ he offers.

Max nods, but doesn’t say anything else – and it’s at that point that Magnus notices how he’s leaning back against his brother again, his eyelids drooping. ‘Why don’t you go to bed, hmm?’ Magnus says softly, getting to his feet. ‘You’ll sleep better there.’ He steps forward, aiming to take Max’s hand – but as soon as he leans down, Max wraps his skinny arms around Magnus’ neck instead, letting his eyes fall completely closed.

Magnus swallows the lump in his throat, a little overwhelmed by the show of trust. ‘Alright,’ he whispers. ‘Come on, then.’

He carries Max through to the spare bedroom, moving silently through the apartment. Max doesn’t rouse again. Not when Magnus puts him down, not when he pulls the covers over him – not even when he gently strokes his hair and murmurs, ‘Sleep well, Max.’

Magnus shuts the door with no more than a gentle click, and then makes his way back over to the couch, sitting back down next to Alexander. ‘So. How much of that did you hear?’

On the other end of the couch, one eye cracks open. ‘How did you know I was awake?’ Alec mumbles. ‘No snoring.’ That earns him a glare, and Magnus laughs. ‘Now, I believe I asked my question first?’

Alec shrugs, stretching broadly and stifling a yawn. ‘Not sure. I heard you call me an idiot.’ ‘Well, then you also heard me call you smart and capable,’ Magnus points out, turning to face Alec more fully, tucking his legs up on the couch. ‘So I’m not feeling too guilty about that.’

Alec huffs a laugh. Magnus glances away for a moment, something else occurring to him. ‘I hope the, ah… wedding talk didn’t freak you out. I know we haven’t really spoken about it yet.’ When he looks back up, Magnus is confronted by an incredulous pair of raised eyebrows. ‘Right, yeah,’ Alec says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘That would freak me out. After all, we usually move so slowly in this relationship, and I was so subtle the other day when I told you you’d be a good dad.’

Magnus chuckles, and Alec drops the act, a fond smile taking over his expression. ‘For the record, though?’ he says softly. ‘We’re on the same page.’

Magnus returns the smile, feeling oddly warm inside. ‘Alright. Good to know.’ He stands up with a groan, pulling Alec to his feet, too, and leaving the blanket bundled on the couch. ‘Come on. Bed.’ ‘What, I don’t get carried?’ Alec teases.

Magnus narrows his eyes – and a second later, he’s swept Alec up into a bridal carry. ‘Magnus!’ Alec yelps, his arms automatically looping around Magnus’ neck. ‘I was kidding, put me down, I’m too heavy-‘ ‘Oh please,’ Magnus interrupts, rolling his eyes as he starts towards the master bedroom. ‘Do I seem like I’m struggling, here? I assure you, Alexander – if my back was going to give out, it would have done it at least two centuries ago.’

Alec seems to digest that for a moment, before settling properly into Magnus’ arms. ‘Alright,’ he says, still cautious – but a moment later he’s smirking, leaning closer. ‘I guess those muscles aren’t just for show,’ he whispers, hot breath tickling Magnus’ ear. ‘Of course not,’ Magnus says, keeping his voice low, playful and dangerous. ‘Maybe tomorrow, when you’re not so tired, I can remind you of just what else they’re useful for.’

Alexander’s eyes fall shut again, and his quiet, half-asleep laughter is a thing of beauty.

~oOo~

[4ever4lonew1dowsclu8]

Jealous - Alec Lightwood

A/N - Been busy with life but I’m back baby :D Hope this is everything you wanted and more <3

T/W - Adult themes, sexual assault

----------------------------------------------------------

“Come on Y/N! Keep up!” Your best friend Alec was stood in front of you, sweat glinting off his athletic form, a cheeky smirk on his face. You may have a slight crush on him but you weren’t gonna let him know that.

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’. We can’t all be half-angel fitness buffs.” You knew you looked a mess, sweat on Alec looked hot, sweat on you made you look like a lumpy dumpling. Alec tried unsuccessfully to hide the smile that lit up his face.

The two of you were climbing to your secret treehouse. It was just outside of the city. It wasn’t really a treehouse, just a giant tree with a hole in it. Together, you had decked the hole out with blankets and pillows. Whenever things got too hectic at the Institute the two of you would escape to your hideout. 

Everyone had told you how Alec normally never mixed with mundanes but when you’d met him a year ago, after meeting him through Simon, he had been enamoured with your, what he called “sparky-ness”. He found Clary’s attitude grating but on you, he found it adorable. 

When you finally reached your little safe space, you stopped to catch your breath before laying out the picnic you’d packed at home. The two of you spent the next few hours just talking and laughing about anything and everything. 

The conversation turned to the topic of dating when an attractive runner gave Alec a suggestive up-down look. You joked about Alec ignoring them, suggesting that maybe he knew he didn’t have enough game. 

“I have more than enough game Sparky! You’re the one who hasn’t been on a single date since we met!”

You knew that it was true but you weren’t about to tell him that it was because he’d had your heart the moment you laid eyes on him.

“Yeah, well Simon set me up with one of the guys from Magnus’ apartment block, I’m going out with him tonight once we get back!”

You hadn’t meant to tell Alec unless things got serious but at that moment you wanted to make him jealous.

“We better not stick around here then, pack up and I’ll take you back so you can get ready.”

This was not the response you expected. You didn’t know what you expected but it definitely wasn’t acceptance. It almost felt like he was rushing to get you on this date. You watched as he started packing up the blanket and leftovers, your chest felt tight and your stomach dropped. 

“Yeah, I guess.” You sighed as you got up and dusted yourself off.

The walk back to the Institute was awkward, you didn’t know what to do, things had never been awkward. Several times you opened your mouth to talk but nothing seemed appropriate. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Alec do the same thing. Clary was waiting outside, a glint in her eye, obviously Simon had told her about your up-coming date. 

“A little birdy told me that you’re going out tonight!” She ran up and started dragging you inside. “Alec you can drop that stuff inside, I’m going to go get this goddess all dolled up.”

Alec just grunted in acknowledgement before sulking off to the kitchen. You turned to follow Clary, knowing that if you weren’t careful you’d end up tripping while she pulled you further inside. As you both entered your room, there was Isabelle, make-up brushes at the ready. You had helped both these girls get ready for dates in the past and now they were going to help you.

Despite being with two of your closest friends, you couldn’t muster any excitement as they offered different outfit choices. You saw Isabelle giving you a look, you’d never told her or Clary about your crush but you suspected they already knew. 

“Alright, sit on the bed.” You did as you were told. Clary climbed on behind you and started brushing and playing with your hair. “What’s wrong? Only this morning you were grinning away about this date and now it feels like we’re dressing you for your execution.”

Silence seemed like the only option. How could you explain that you were upset over her brother? Upset over a boy who you had no romantic connection with. It sounded stupid, even in your own head. Logic and reasoning was normally your strong suit. The hurt you were feeling was not logical. 

“It’s Alec isn’t it?” You couldn’t meet her intense gaze but you nodded none-the-less, there was no point trying to lie to Isabelle. “That idiot! What did he say? If he was mean to you, I swear I will beat him from here to London.”

You started to cry, prompting both girls to wrap their arms around you, both muttering about the unthinkable things they were going to do to Alec.

“No, no. It’s not that.” You managed to splutter out in between sniffs. “If anything, he was nice about it.”

Isabelle and Clary both looked very confused but didn’t say anything. Clary just continued to stroke your hair while Isabelle held your hands. You explained what had happened at the picnic, how you had wanted to make him jealous, how stupid and hurt you felt when he seemed indifferently accepting. As you talked Clary continued braiding your hair and was just tying it up by the time you’d finished rambling. Isabelle just looked thoughtful, nodding every so often to let you know that she was listening. There was a beat of silence while Isabelle decided what to say.

“Alec is my brother, but you are my friend, Y/N. I will not let the fact that he is my brother affect my advice. In all honesty, I always thought there was more than just friendship between you two, I knew you’d both figure it out eventually. Maybe it’s just taking Alec a little longer to figure it out.” There was a look in her eye you couldn’t quite place. “We’ll make him realise what he’s missing out on.”

With a sly little smile, Isabelle got to work.

An hour later and you had been pushed and pulled into a person that you barely recognised. The dress you were wearing was one of your favourites, a white skater dress with cute bell sleeves. Nothing too extreme, the dress gave a gentle angelic vibe that made it seem like you were glowing. The make-up highlighted your eyes, framing them with a thin black line. A soft pink lipstick turned your lips into a perfect little rose. Isabelle and Clary nodded in appreciation, a little self-serving but you couldn’t help but smile at your two best friends. 

“If my idiot brother doesn’t take right there on the dining room table, then I will.” Isabelle threw you a cheeky little wink, which made you and Clary giggle. 

This was it. You were all dressed up and now you had somewhere to go, and it was terrifying. What if Alec didn’t care? You took a deep breath and steadied yourself before walking out to the main living area. 

“Good luck!” A chorus of well-wishes followed you out the door. 

You knew Alec would most likely be sat with the boys so you lifted your head a little, stuck out your chest and swayed from side to side. As you entered the room, you heard the appreciative murmurs from Simon and Jace, you smiled slightly and flicked your hair, enjoying the attention.

“Whatever.” You looked over to see Alec intently staring at the TV. Simon had obviously tried to get his attention, but he wasn’t interested. Like that, your chest deflated and your face dropped. How could he not care? 

“I guess I’ll see you guys later, I guess.” You gave a small wave and turned quickly to make sure they didn’t see the tears in your eyes.

It was only going for a few drinks, you didn’t have to stay for long so you tried to muster a little enthusiasm for the guy standing in front of you. He was relatively attractive, you had to admit he was exactly your type and Simon had made a good choice, but he wasn’t Alec. 

A few drinks in and you felt your face flush, the guy had put his hand on your leg, he had told you his name but you hadn’t cared enough to listen. He took the lack of protest as a sign of encouragement, inching his hand higher to under your skirt. You swayed on your seat and leant towards him, hoping leaning against him would stop the spinning. It didn’t feel like you’d had too many drinks but the room was blurry and you struggled to keep yourself upright. His breath felt too warm and too close for comfort, his hand on your thigh got tighter and suddenly you didn’t feel very safe. 

“I wanna go home.” It took a lot of effort but you managed to get out those few words. “Take me home please.”

You hated how quiet and weak you sounded. He stood, putting his arm around your waist to keep you steady. While you appreciated the support, it made you feel uneasy. The walk back to the institute was slow and filled with not so subtle “accidental” grabs. 

The big doors soon came into focus and they’d never looked so good. The walk home had helped to clear your head slightly, your mouth still felt very dry, but that was probably just the nerves. 

“This is me. Thank you for walking me home.” You stopped and turned to face your date. He took a step closer. You stepped back and were horrified to feel the iron of the door handle press into your back. 

“Aren’t you going to let me inside?” His hands migrated south from your waist. You gasped when he grasped your backside. 

“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.” You heard the stutter is your voice, you didn’t sound very convincing.

“You didn’t say no when I felt you up earlier. Your such a little tease.” One hand uncupped one of your cheeks and moved up to brush your hair from your face. He slowly pushed down one of your sleeves, exposing your bare shoulder. 

“Please don’t.” Fear filled your voice. Your legs shook, fear mixed with alcohol was making standing a difficult task. 

“I’m not asking.” His leg pushed between yours. Suddenly, the dress that made you feel so confident earlier made you feel open and exposed. One hand pushed your body into his while the other pulled your mouth forward.

You couldn’t let this happen, your first time wouldn’t be with some creep! Adrenaline filled your body. You turned your head just as his lips connected with yours, smudging your lipstick but you didn’t care. Using all the strength you had left you pushed him away, turned, opened the door and snuck inside before he could realise what had happened. 

You leant against the door, your head was still spinning but the cool wood helped. You kept your eyes closed while you caught your breath. You were glad it was late and everyone was in bed, this was humiliating. 

“He was that good was he?” You spun round to see Simon with a smug grin on his face. 

Alec was stood behind him, a face like thunder. That face was enough to sober you up entirely. You thought about how this probably looked, face flushed, heavy breathing, clothes coming off and lipstick smudged. The thought of what you just escaped hit you and before you could stop it, tears filled your eyes and you collapsed to the floor. 

Two strong arms engulfed you. You knew it was only Alec but you couldn’t help but flinch and push them away. Alec looked hurt and confused as you shuffled further away.

“What happened Y/N?” Simon was stood watching you. Alec tried to reach out to you again. You flinched when his hand touched your arm but you didn’t move it away.

You hiccuped and sobbed your way through the story. Alec’s rough yet gentle thumb gentle brushed your arm.  Even though you were horrified he saw you like this, he was still your best friend and his touch made you feel better. He didn’t say anything while you talked but you could tell he wasn’t happy. The thought that your best friend was angry at you caused the waterworks to double.

“I’m so sorry Alec. I was so stupid. I wanted to make you jealous and I lead that guy on and I’m so sorry. Please don’t be angry at me!” You threw yourself into his chest, not really realising what you just said. 

You turned your head to see Simon slowly edging out of the room. 

“I’ll give you guys some space.” 

It took a second for Simon’s words to make sense. You paled when you realised what you just said, you turned your head and buried it further into Alec’s chest, hoping that his silence meant he hadn’t heard.

“You wanted to make me jealous?” You felt the chuckle in his voice rumble through his chest.

“Don’t laugh!” His laughter hurt and made you angry. You pushed yourself away and turned your back on him.

“I’m such an idiot” He chuckled slightly.

“Hey! I am not!... Wait, what did you just say? Why are you an idiot?” You spun to confront Alec before you fully registered what he said.

“I’m an idiot because I was trying to make you jealous by being distant. I didn’t even think that it might have the opposite effect.” You stared at Alec, waiting for him to tell you he was just messing with you. Expecting him to make a horrible joke about how silly you were for liking him. But it didn’t happen.

You both stared, measuring the reactions of the other. Neither one of you wanted to be the first to break the silence. After what felt an hour you decided to take the plunge.

“So what? Does that mean you like me, like, like like me?” You felt like a child again.

Alec chuckled softly, brushing your cheek gently.

“Yes, I like like you.”

“Now what do we do?”

Alec pulled you towards him, encasing you with his arms and placing his chin on your head.

“Well, I’m going to put you to bed because you need it. Then tomorrow, how about we go get pancakes for breakfast.” That sounded perfect, you nodded against his chest. “This doesn’t have to be a sudden change, we can go on dates, take it nice and slow. We’re best friends and that doesn’t need to change.”

You felt so safe in his arms, you let your eyes close, enjoying the silence. Before you fully fell asleep, you heard Alec softly humming to himself while he rubbed your back. 

[cristinablackthornkingson]

Shadowhunters Short Story #34 part 3.

It is a cool Autumn morning in 2031 and 18 year old Cordelia Carstairs has found herself sitting by her daughter’s crib, for the last hour, just gazing at her in awe and love. It had been 2 months since Sofia was born and she was the best thing ever to happen to Cordelia and Rafael, she is such a sweet, happy baby and is totally adored by everyone and spoiled rotten by all her grandparents. 

Cordelia folds her arms over the top of Sofia’s crib and rests her head on her arms, smiling softly as she watches her daughter sleep peacefully. She had no idea love this strong was possible. She thought the love she felt for Rafe was intense and amazing, but it was nothing compared to the love she feels for her daughter, she would do anything for her. Though Cordelia is a bit disappointed she isn’t off on her travel year with her cousins Stephen and George like she planned to be before she got pregnant, she wouldn’t swap spending time with her daughter for anything. 

As Cordelia watches Sofia sleeping, she hears the door to the nursery creek open and padded footsteps approach. 

“Mi amor have you been here all night?” She hears Rafe softly ask. 

“No just for the last hour or so, I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep so I came in to check on Sofia and then I just couldn’t stop looking at her, she’s so perfect Rafe, isn’t she?” Cordelia softly says. 

“Sí, just like mami.” Rafe gently says, slipping an arm around Cordelia’s shoulders. Rafael is absolutely infatuated with his daughter, he loves her so much it hurts and he would do anything for her. Growing up, Rafe had often heard his papa and dad talking about how much they love him and Max and how it is unlike any other love, he had always thought they were just being over dramatic, his papa had a tendency to be dramatic and his dad was an extremely protective, loving person, Rafe had never met anyone like his parents before and until his daughter arrived he simply couldn’t understand how they could say they loved he and his brother more than anyone else. 

“And her papí.” Cordelia quietly says, smiling up at Rafe who grins back and leans down to kiss her. Rafe then reaches into the crib and softly strokes Sofia’s cheek.

“Mí nina bonita, te quiero.” Rafe quietly says. He always speaks to Sofia in Spanish, in the hopes she will pick it up naturally from a young age, she is half Spanish after all and should know the language, that was something both he and Cordelia had agreed on very early on in her pregnancy. 

“You’ll have to help me improve my Spanish before she becomes more fluent than me.” Cordelia says in a light tone. Growing up Cordelia had always had a flare for languages, she mainly spoke English and Mandarin, she has been bi-lingual her whole life, her dad always talked to her in Mandarin as a child and she picked it up very easily, as did Jade and Will. She also speaks French, German and Welsh fluently but isn’t too good at Spanish, Rafe had always tried to teach her when they were growing up, but she could never get the hang of it for some reason. 

“I still don’t understand how you’re fluent in multiple languages including demon languages yet you can’t get a grasp on Spanish.” Rafe says in an amused tone. 

“Me neither but I have to learn it for Sofia, once I finish my studies and my training I can focus on learning Spanish.” Cordelia replies. She has recently slowly started getting back into training, her brother Kit and her cousins Emma and Jace are helping her out mostly, but she also has help from her father and Alec, and not many can say they’re trained by an ex-Silent Brother, a Shadowhunter with Faerie lineage, two of the greatest Shadowhunters of all time and The Consul. 

“How long until you finish?” Rafe asks. 

“Two months, I have 2 written exams in a few weeks and then my final training exam, I’ll have to stay at the Academy for those four days, I’m going to miss you and Sofia so much.” Cordelia quietly says. She is extremely proud of herself and thrilled that she has almost finished all her training and studies just two months after having a baby, but those four days when she will be away from her baby will be awful, it will be the first time she’s left Sofia since she was born.

“We’ll miss you too but we’ll be just fine, we’ll stay the first two nights here and then I’ll take Sofia to New York to stay with my parents for the last two nights, she’ll be spoiled rotten by papa and Max and she already has dad wrapped around her little finger.” Rafe says in an amused tone. While Magnus loves to buy his granddaughter lots of gifts and dress her up in the most stylish outfits, Alec loves to hold her and cuddle her and play with her, often times Rafe has taken her to visit his parents and his dad has dropped everything to spend time with Sofia. 

“I know, it’s just going to be hard for me, especially since I haven’t left her since she was born.” Cordelia says.

“I know mi amor but those 4 days will fly by and at the end of them you will be a fully trained Shadowhunter jut like you always wanted, and Soph and I will be waiting for you with open arms, and of course Kit and Emma are planning a party for you.” Rafe softly says, rubbing Cordelia’s arm comfortingly.

“I love you.” Cordelia softly says, turning to smile up at him. 

“I love you too.” Rafe replies, leaning in to kiss her.

A few hours later, just as it’s coming to the end of Sofia’s afternoon nap, there’s a knock on the front door. Cordelia sets her textbook down and runs to answer it, her heart soaring when she sees who’s at the door.

“Emma!” Cordelia exclaims in a tone of excitement. She hasn’t seen her cousin since she was pregnant, they have both been so busy, Emma and Julian had been on a mission in another country when Sofia was born, and had only recently got back. Cordelia wasn’t expecting to see Emma before her final training session for her final exams, but she is beyond thrilled to see her. 

“Hey Cordy.” Emma softly says, pulling her in for a hug. 

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Cordelia exclaims. “Is Jules with you?” 

“I’m glad I’m here too, no he’s not, I wanted to come spend some one on one time with you, he’ll be around tomorrow.” Emma explains, pulling back from their embrace. “So how are you?” She adds.

“I’m great, I feel great, Sofia is absolutely amazing and perfect, I couldn’t love her more.” Cordelia says in a tone of affection, her heart swelling with love just at the thought of her precious baby girl. 

“Can I meet her? The baby?” Emma asks. 

“Yeah of course, she should be just waking up from her nap now, I’ll go get her.” Cordelia says, ushering Emma in before she rushes upstairs and into Sofia’s nursery. 

When she walks into the nursery she stops in her steps when she sees a tall man dressed in old fashioned clothes with curly black hair, leaning over Sofia’s crib, murmuring to her in Welsh and stroking her cheek. Instantly Cordelia knows who it is. 

“Uncle Will?” Cordelia asks in a tone of excitement. She adores her Uncle Will and loves when he comes to visit.  

Will turns from the crib and grins widely at Cordelia.

“Not in the flesh exactly, but I suppose you could say I’m here in spirit!” Will exclaims. Cordelia giggles and rushes to hug her Uncle, if he is able to touch Sofia then surely Cordelia will be able to touch him. 

“I missed you Uncle Will.” Cordelia quietly says. 

“I missed you too Cariad, I can’t believe your’re a mother now, and I’m a grandfather again!” Will exclaims. He loves Cordelia and her siblings as his own, just as Jem loved James and Lucie as his own and loved their children as his own grandchildren, etc. Will loves little Sofia as much as his other grandchildren and considers himself her grandpa.

“Are you mad I’m dating a Lightworm?” Cordelia asks in a teasing tone. Will chuckles and says

“Well he’s not all Lightworm now is he?” 

“No not exactly, he’s wonderful, I’m so glad he’s Sophie’s dad.” Cordelia says in a loving tone. 

“I’m happy for you sweetheart, you are such a wonderful mother, just like your mum, I am very proud of you.” Will softly says. 

“You have to go soon don’t you?” Cordelia asks in a solemn tone. 

“I’m afraid so Cariad, but you know I’m always here and watching out for you and your daughter.” Will brushes Cordelia’s hair back form her face, before turning back to to the crib and smiling softly at Sofia. “Goodbye beautiful girl, I’ll see you soon, you too my beautiful Cordelia, I love you.” And just like that, he is gone. 

Cordelia softly sighs and lifts Sofia up, her mood instantly lifting when she holds her beautiful baby against her.

When Cordelia arrives back downstairs with Sofia, Emma instantly feels her heart melt for the sweet little girl.

“Oh Cordy, she’s so beautiful.” Emma says in a tone of awe, smiling widely at the baby. 

“I know, I can’t believe I made her.” Cordelia softly says.

“I can, I always knew you would be amazing Cordy, look at you, 18, in a stable healthy relationship, you have a beautiful baby and you’ve almost completed your training, I am so proud of you.” Emma says, squeezing her cousin’s hand gently. 

“Thanks Em, I couldn’t have done it without you, you and Julian were my inspiration for being a young parent, I knew that if you two could basically raise 4 kids from when you were 12, I could raise one baby at eighteen with help from all my family.” Cordelia softly says.

“Well I just hope Sofia has a better life than we all did.” Emma quietly says. She knows Cordelia will continue to be an amazing mother, she just hopes Sofia never has to live through a war or anything awful like that.

“Me too, do you want to hold her?” Cordelia offers. 

“I’d love to! So are you all ready for your final exams?” Emma asks, taking little Sofia into her arms and smiling broadly at the baby. 

“Yeah Kit and Ty are helping me study for my final written exams and dad and Alec have been helping me with my training, Rafe and Jace too.” Cordelia says. 

“Are you going to go join the boys on your travel year when you finish?” Emma asks, lightly bouncing Sofia. Currently Clary and Jace’s eldest son Stephen (who is a year younger than Cordelia) and Isabelle and Simon’s eldest son George (who is 2 months younger than Cordelia) are currently off on their travel year. They left shortly before Sofia was born and Cordelia misses them terribly, she was meant to go with them before she got pregnant and sometimes does wish she were off in France with them, though really she wouldn’t swap a moment with Sofia for anything. 

“No I couldn’t leave Sofia for that long and it would be so difficult to travel around with a little baby and my parents or Rafe’s wouldn’t get to see her again till she’s almost one, I’ll see the boys when they come home and I’ve got Max, Jade, Will, Jessie and Lucy to keep me company.” Cordelia replies. Jessie is Simon and Isabelle’s daughter, who’s a year younger than Jade who’s 16. Lucy is Clary and Jace’s daughter who’s just a year younger than her brother Stephen. Jessie is named after Jessamine Lovelace and Lucy is named after Cordelia’s older sister, and her grandfather, Lucian. 

Emma and Cordelia sit talking and fussing over Sofia for another hour before Emma has to head back and Rafe arrives back from visiting his parents in NY.

Right now Cordelia and Rafe are upstairs in Cordelia’s room playing with Sofia who seems fascinated by her reflection. 

As Rafe sits watching his girlfriend and baby daughter, his heart swells with love and he makes a sudden decision. 

“Cordy, can I ask you something?” Rafe calmly asks, hiding the nervous tremor in his voice. 

“Of course.” Cordelia says, laying Sofia down on her stomach on a blanket and spreading out a few toys in front of her. 

Rafe takes a deep breath and reaches into his jacket pocket before getting down on one knee in front of Cordelia. 

“Rafe, what are you doing?” Cordelia asks in a breathless tone of disbelief. 

“Cordelia I know we have only been dating for a little over a year but we have known each other since we were children, we’ve always been closes and cared so much about each other, I always felt especially close to you and felt that we had a special bond, when you agreed to be my girlfriend, it was one of the best days of my life, and then you told me you were pregnant and I was so, so happy and then Sofia was born and I don’t think I have ever been so happy, you have given me everything Cordy, you made my dreams come true by having my baby, our beautiful baby girl, I could not love you both more and I never want to spend a single day without you, will you marry me?” Tears well in Cordelia’s eyes, she can hardly believe this is happening.

“Yes... yes of course!” Cordelia exclaims in a tight tone, flinging her arms around Rafael. “I love you so much.” She adds. 

“I love you too, more than you could possibly know.” Rafe says, smoothing his hand over her thick dark hair.  When Cordelia pulls back, Rafe slips the ring onto her finger before grinning broadly at Sofia and scooping her up.

“Did you hear that Sof? Mama said yes! She said yes!” He exclaims, kissing her cheek causing her to giggle loudly. 

“Your papa is going to be so thrilled, you know he’s been planning our wedding since we were kids.” Cordelia says, remembering how her Uncle Magnus always talked about how wonderful it would be if Max or Rafe married Cordelia (Jade and Will were and are a lot younger than the boys) so that he and Tessa would officially be family. Even now, at every chance he gets, he tells everyone that he and Tessa share a grandchild, he loves that the Ligthwood-Banes and The Carstairs have now officially become family through Sofia. 

“Oh I know, we aren’t going to have to do any planning at all, all we have to do is choose our suggenes, I think I’m going to ask Max, do you have any idea who you’d like to ask?” Rafe asks. Technically only another Shadowhunter could be a suggenes but Rafe knows his dad will happily let he and his brother break that rule. 

“I think I’ll ask Kit, he’s been one of my biggest supporters since I got pregnant and he’s always been amazing to me, he’s my big brother, my best friend, he’s the ideal person to ask.” Cordelia softly.

“Were you his?” Rafe asks. He hadn’t been able to attend Kit and Ty’s wedding 10 years ago, because he was visiting his home country of Argentina with his Uncle Ragnor, and Kit and Ty’s wedding had been very spur of the moment. 

“No,I was only 8 when he and Ty got married, dad was Kit’s suggenes and Dru was Ty’s.” Cordelia explains. 

“I hope we’ll always be as happy as they are, and as your mom and dad and my dad and papa.” Rafe says. 

“We will be, I know it.” Cordelia firmly says, squeezing his hand before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

Rafe and Cordelia decide to wait until after she has finished her training and studies to announce their engagement. 

Before Cordelia knows it it’s time for her to take her final exams, and though she has had excellent tutoring and training all her life, she is still very nervous, mostly about leaving Sofia, even though she will be happy as can be with Rafe and will get to see all four of her grandparents and all her aunts and uncles over the next four days. 

It comes as no shock to anyone when Cordelia passes all her exams with flying colors, scoring some of the highest marks in her year. Everyone is extremely proud of her and Cordelia is extremely proud of herself. So many of her classmates from The Academy said she would never be able to accomplish anything when she got pregnant, but now here she is  just under a year later, engaged, mother to a gorgeous healthy baby girl and one of the top graduates Shadowhunter Academy has ever seen.

Right now Cordelia is sitting in the ballroom of the LA Institute where Kit and Emma have organised for her party to take place. Normally Cordelia would be making her way around the room, stopping to talk to everyone but instead she’s sitting at a small table with just Rafe beside her and Sofia in her lap. She is so glad to be back with her daughter and Rafe, she missed them so much while at The Academy and never wants to be apart from them again.

 A few days ago Rafael and Cordelia agreed that they would announce their engagement at the party, Cordelia is nervous as to how everyone will react, but also very excited to finally be able to share the news with everyone.

“Do you want to tell them now?” Rafe quietly asks Cordelia, absentmindedly stroking her arm. Cordelia nods and says

“Yeah, no time like the present.” Rafe jumps up from his seat and in a loud voice he calls for everyone’s attention. It takes a few attempts but eventually silence falls over the room and everyone has turned to look at Rafe and Cordelia, Kit has come over from his spot by the window and is standing behind Cordelia, one hand placed protectively on her shoulder.

“You’re not pregnant again are you Cordy?” Kit teases in a quiet voice, sensing his sister’s nerves. Cordelia laughs lightly and says

“No way, if I got pregnant again now I’d die.” 

“Yeah because mum and dad would kill you.” Kit says in a teasing tone. Tessa and Jem were extremely understanding about the fact Cordelia and Rafe messed up and didn’t use birth control, they understood that mistakes happen, but Cordelia knew that if it happened a second time they wouldn’t be so understanding, and she wouldn’t blame them.

“Everyone! Cordelia and I need to tell you something.” Rafe announces, reaching down to grasp Cordelia’s hand in his. 

“Really? I thought you just wanted all our attention for no reason.” Ragnor says in a sarcastic tone, grinning at his nephew who has the same dry sense of humor as him. 

“Very funny Uncle Ragnor, just for that we may uninvite you from the wedding.” Rafe jokingly says.

“Wedding?” Catarina asks in a tone of shock. Rafe blushes as he realizes what he just said.

“Yes Aunty Cat, I proposed to Cordelia just before she left for The Academy to take her final exams, and she said yes. Papa, in a few months you and Tessa will officially be family.” Rafe says in a proud tone. He and Cordelia agreed that they wanted to be married sooner rather than later and are hoping to be married before Sofia turns 1. 

“Took you long enough young man!” Magnus teases, linking his hand with Alec’s, hardly able to believe their own engagement had been so long ago, when Max was just a tiny little baby, and now he and his brother were amazing, wonderful young men.

“Cordy I am so happy for you.” Kit softly says, coming around from behind Cordelia and embracing her tightly. 

“Kit I want you to be my suggenes.” Cordelia quietly says, as chatter begins to fill the room once again. Kit pulls back from their embrace and looks at his sister, wide-eyed in disbelief. 

“Really?” He softly asks. He never thought anyone would want him to be their  suggenes, if Dru ever gets married he’s always thought she will ask Ty or Mark or Julian to be her suggenes, and he had never thought about any of his siblings getting married, they were still babies to him, especially Jade and Will who are only 16 and 14.

“Yeah, you’re my best friend Kitty, and the best big brother I could ever have asked for, you’ve always been there for me. When I was scared about getting my first rune, you calmed me down and held my hand when they gave me the mark, every time I fell or stumbled in training, you were right there to pick me up and help me try again. When I found out I was pregnant with Sofia I was so scared, I had no idea what to do, but then you came and sat with me, you held my hand and talked to me and listened to me and made me feel so much better, you have always been beyond amazing to me Kitty, there’s no one else I’d rather be my suggenes.” By the time Cordelia finishes her explanation, tears of joy have welled up in Kit’s eyes and are threatening to spill over.

“Oh Delia, I love you so much, of course I’ll be your suggenes, it would be my honor.” Kit softly says, kissing Cordelia on the forehead, softly.

Over the next few hours, Cordelia and Rafe are bombard with hugs, congratulations and stories of how their aunts and uncles always knew they’d end up together. Tessa and Jem hug their daughter tightly, smoother her in kisses and tell her how proud of her they are and how much they love her. Rafe’s parents do the same to him and tell Cordelia over and over about how they cannot wait to welcome her into the family. Rafe tells Alec about wanting Max to be his suggenes and asks if he’ll be allowed to seeing as he’s a warlock. Alec simply tells him not to worry about it and that he will sort it out. Magnus, Ragnor, Catarina and Lily immediately start planning the wedding, Lily insists they have a night time wedding so she can attended. 

For the last half hour or so Rafe and Cordelia have been left pretty much alone, though that was clearly about to end as Cordelia has just spotted Emma walking toward them.

“Cordy, I have something for you, a graduation gift so to speak.” Emma softly tells her cousin, kneeling down beside her.

“What is it?” Cordelia curiously asks, passing a fussy Sofia to Rafe. Emma takes Cortana from the scabbard at her side and holds it flat across her hands. 

“Hold your hands out.” Emma gently says. Cordelia’s eyes widen, she has always admired Cortana and hoped it would choose her some day, but she tried not to get her hopes up, knowing it could choose Jade or Will either. She shakily holds her hands out in front of her and Emma carefully lowers the sword into her out stretched hands. The moment Cordelia touches the sword, she feels as though it’s singing, she can almost swear she feel it humming and vibrating. 

“I... Emma what’s going on?” Cordelia quietly asks, looking up from the sword to see Emma smiling proudly at her.

“It’s chosen you, it’s yours now for the next eighteen years, then perhaps it will choose Sofia, but for now it has chosen you. It was meant to be your dad’s when he turned 18, but he was a Silent Brother by then, so it got passed to his cousin Cordelia- Who you’re named after-  and so on down the line until it came to my dad and then me.” Emma softly explains. She is so proud of her cousin, she truly deserves to be chosen by Cotrana and Emma knows she will do wonderful things with the sword. 

“I-I don’t know what to say.” Cordelia quietly says. Emma brushes her cousin’s hair back and gently squeezes her hand. 

“You don’t have to say anything, I’m proud of you Cordy and I love you so much.” Emma quietly says. Cordelia smiles weakly and hugs her tightly. 

“I love you too.”

Over the next few weeks with the help of all their friends and family (mainly Magnus) Cordelia and Rafe begin to plan their wedding. They decide that they will get married early in the new year and since they cannot be married in The Hall Of Accords since Idris has been in exile since before Cordelia was born, they settle on getting married in the New York Institute which has a lot of meaning to both their families, Magnus and Alec spent a lot of their early days of their relationship their, and Cordelia’s mother was born in New York before she moved to England when she was 16.

The next few months fly by for Cordelia and Rafael, they are both so busy with wedding planning, being sent on missions and raising Sofia, that before they know it it’s the day of their wedding. Rafael had stayed with his parents the night before the wedding and Cordelia and her family stayed in The Institute. Sofia stayed with Cordelia over night because she’s still nursing, Rafe hated spending the night apart from his daughter but he understands why Cordelia wants to exclusively nurse her.

Currently there is only about half an hour until the wedding, and Cordelia has just finished getting ready with the help of her mother. She chose to wear a traditional golden gown which was ankle length with a long sleeves and a skirt that flowed out at the bottom. Isabelle had helped her with her hair and makeup, twisting her long, thick black hair into a bun and then braiding it along the side. 

“Oh Cordy, you look so beautiful.” Tessa softly says, gazing at her daughter in disbelief. How is her baby almost 19? How is she a mother herself, and how is it her wedding day already? To Tessa it feels like Cordelia was born just yesterday. 

“You look just like your mother.” Jem quietly says, lifting little Sofia and making his way over to his daughter and wife. “With your hair up like that and in that dress you remind me so much of your mother when I first met her.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous Jem, she’s your twin, Jade looks me and Will looks more and more like you everyday.” Tessa lightly says.

“Well either way, you look amazing Delia.” Jem says in a loving tone. 

“Thanks, though I think my Sofia is the most beautiful one here.” Cordelia says in a tone of joy, taking Sofia into her arms and smothering her with kisses. Sofia is dressed in a beautiful yellow dress with white leggings and socks underneath, though no doubt by the end of the day the dress will be covered in slobber because of Sofia’s obsession with chewing on her hands. She won’t take any actual teething rings or toys or anything like that, she just wants to chew on her hands and cause a mess. 

Just then Jace appears in the doorway and smiles at his family.

“Delia, come here I have something for you.” He says, gesturing for her to follow him out into the hallway. Passing Sofia to her mother, Cordelia slips on her shoes and follows her cousin out into the hallway, stopping dead in her tracks when she sees who is standing before her. Side by side in the middle of the hall stand two tall young men, one lean with golden hair and green eyes, the other skinny and lanky with messy black hair and deep black eyes. Cordelia would recognize them anywhere in the world, her cousins. 

“Stevie! Georgie!” She exclaims in delight, running to hug her cousins. They told her they wouldn’t be able to attend her wedding, they said they had been sent on a mission that was set to last at least a few weeks, she had been disappointed that two of her best friends would not be there to see her get married, but she understood. Now she suspects it was all a ruse. 

“Cordy you look amazing.” Stephen softly says, hugging her tightly. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t come.” Cordelia asks in a breathy tone, pulling back from the hug and wiping tears of joy from her eyes.

“We wanted to surprise you so we made up a story about being on a long mission, we portaled in from Thailand last night and stayed with Uncle Magnus and Uncle Alec so you wouldn’t know we’re here until now.” George explains. 

“How long are you staying?” Cordelia asks, hopeful that she will get to spend some more time with her cousins. 

“2 weeks, we want to meet your baby and get to know her, can I be godfather?” Stephen asks. 

“Come on Cordy don’t trust him with your baby, you know what he’s like.” George says in a teasing tone. Cordelia laughs lightly and says

“Sorry boys but she’s already got a godfather, Max.” Stephen and George nod approvingly. 

“Okay but I call cool favorite uncle, like Uncle Alec.” Stephen says. He has always idolized and adored his Uncle Alec, he always thought he was the most amazing person in the whole world and wanted to be just like him, once he finishes his travel year he plans to spend a while studying The Law so he has a chance of becoming Consul too one day. 

“In a few years when Sofia’s a teenager, we’re doing a repeat of our travel year and you’re coming with us this time.” George says, putting an arm around his cousin’s shoulder.

“Yeah so if you and Rafe plan on having another baby do it before or after that, though I still think you should’ve come with us even though you were pregnant, we would’ve taken good care of you!” Stephen exclaims. 

“I did think about it but Brother Enoch said it would be dangerous for the baby to portal so much and I felt like crap when I was pregnant.” Cordelia explains. She had been 7 months pregnant with Sofia when Stephen and George left and couldn’t even bring herself to regret not going with them, because she was so sore and tired and sick. 

“Come on, we better get you to your wedding, Kit’s waiting for you in the chapel.” George says, linking one arm through Cordelia’s while Stephen does the same.

The ceremony is a blur for Cordelia, she can hardly believe it is happening, she stumbles through her vows and cries through Rafael’s, barely even feeling the sting of the stele when Rafe applies the runes. Before she knows it it is all over and she and Rafael are standing alone in a spare bedroom of The Institute, grabbing a few minutes to themselves before the reception begins. 

“I love you Cordelia Lightwood-Bane.” Rafe softly says, resting his forehead against Cordelia’s forehead. Her heart skips about a million beats and swells with love and joy at the sound of her new name. 

“I love you too Rafael Lightwood-Bane.” She quietly says, before Rafael tips his head down and kisses her for the first time as her husband. 

[t4tozier]

okay expanding on this ask, zara bending jace over the bed, tracing her flogger over his ass and back. she uses it to demonstrate where porter can and can't hit, and jace is already shivering before he's even been smacked once. the rub of her hands over his ass is his only warning before she's spanking him, hard. he yelps, and zara clicks her tongue at him. "ah, ah," she says, and he can hear her teasing smile, "toys do not make noise, do they? raise your hand if you need me to stop."

jace shakes his head and presses his lips together, trying to only let out the tiniest whimpers if he has to make a noise at all. it's so hard, especially when she switches from her hands--the warmup, she tells porter--to actually using the flogger on him. then, she starts hitting him, just light little smacks at first, then harder, until his thighs are shaking and his head is going fuzzier with each hit. all the while, she's talking to porter about what to do, how to tell if jace is enjoying it or needs her to slow back down, and then she does lean down next to him, brushing the hair away from his eyes, and murmurs, "how are you doing, darling?" and jace shies away, because toys don't make noise, and she laughs lightly. "you may speak," she permits.

"good, good, so good, zara, i can take it, can take it harder," jace begs, the floodgates opening, and zara nods before tapping his lips twice.

"that's enough now, my sweet. you are doing very well for us," she praises, standing back up next to porter. jace can hear her murmuring low about the importance of checking in on each other during a scene, and he squirms, wanting to be hit again. zara does, smacking him directly across the center of both cheeks, and jace howls. zara knees his legs apart so that she can bring the flogger down over his hole. jace can feel his cock twitching where it's pressed up against the mattress, but he doesn't dare move to touch it.

it only takes another few expert hits for jace to be floating somewhere above himself, smiling dazedly. he hears zara's voice, but can't make out the words, something about notice how he stops reacting to the hits in the same way. he pushes his hips up, wanting more, wanting to show zara that he can be a good boy. she obliges him for another few hits before rubbing his back, rubbing the welts from his ass and thighs the best she can, and telling him, "let's take a little break, shall we?" jace knows that's zara's Tone, where she's not asking, but telling. he nods, and zara easily tugs him up into her lap. she strokes his hair and coos that he did such a good job, she's so proud of him, he took everything so well, what a good boy, and jace just melts even further at it.

meanwhile, porter's stunned how zara can have jace purring in her lap thirty seconds after watching an already-purpling bruise form on his ass. zara just smirks and says, "because i am very good at what i do. you'll need some more lessons, i think, before you can do this. but that is okay, because jace will be happy to be our aid, won't you, darling?" and jace just smiles and nods and maybe falls asleep in zara's arms because he's so comfortable.