Archive of Our Own

Work Text

The early July sun is warm on the back of his neck as Magnus crosses the street, holding on to the strap of his satchel. He hears laughter as a group of teenagers pass by; bubbly pop music drifts out of a car pulled up at a red light on the road.Magnus checks his watch as he heads down the block from the parking lot: 2:55 pm. He always tries to be exactly on time to these meetings, never wanting to spend any extra unnecessary time with his company.Walking down the familiar streets of the Long Island town his mom lives in makes Magnus feel both numb and full of longing at the same time. The ice cream shop and movie theater he’d just passed are both places he’d frequented with Raphael when they were younger. Seeing all of these places from their childhood is like pressing on a bruise just to make it hurt - a reminder that he lives in a world without Raphael.Magnus snaps out of it once he sees the familiar dark exterior Pandemonium, a club located a few blocks further down the central street of Magnus’ hometown. It’s jarring, standing out from the small white picket fence houses and cute little antique shops that surround it, but Magnus knows plenty of people go there at night. Even the respectable town his mama lives in isn’t free of the drunk miserable people who end up blacking out at Pandemonium after dark.If Magnus didn’t know the man who owned it, maybe he’d have found himself there during some of his worst days of dealing with his grief over Raphael’s death.Learning to live a life without Raphael has been painful and numbing at the same time. Every morning when Magnus wakes up, the memory of Raphael’s death douses him like cold water. Fleetingly, in that moment of suspension between sleep and wakefulness, Raphael is still here, and then it hits Magnus, again and again.He feels the loss like a whole body ache, a permanent wound he carries with him everywhere.Not that he’s been too far. Those first few days after Raphael died, he’d stayed in his apartment in Manhattan, avoiding his neighbours and only venturing out once to buy groceries on Dot’s insistence. He’d just about kept a lid on his emotions - outwardly, at least - until the funeral, until he’d watched Raphael’s family say their final goodbyes, until that walk home and everything that had happened afterwards with -Magnus pushes open the club’s door and walks inside. A bartender is cleaning martini glasses, three bouncers sitting at a table quietly talking among themselves. No one even glances in Magnus’ direction, and that’s the way he prefers it.His phone buzzes in his pocket as he’s walking towards the back of the club and he reaches for it, seeing his mother’s name on the screen. Magnus taps the text and can’t help smiling softly when he sees it’s a message from his mother, Alissa.Coming to his mother’s house after everything had been a no-brainer, the comfort of his childhood home reeling him in. While both he and Raph had grown up there, somehow the nostalgia makes it easier to pretend that Raphael is still in the city, could walk through the door at any moment. It’s more peaceful here, and gives Magnus more time to think.It’s also given him a chance to spend some more time with his mom - proper time, not just a few hours at the weekend. Between cooking meals together, watching movies and, most recently, observing Ramadan together, he feels so much closer to her again - he hadn’t realised how much he missed her. Even though living at home again has taken some adjusting to after living on his own for several years, he’s so grateful to have her around.Magnus walks to the familiar back room of the club and opens the door. The room is lined with extravagant red velvet and there’s a large leather couch along one side, beside it a mini bar. Sitting at the table in the center of the room is a man, his cane resting against the side of the table. He’s looking down at the piece of paper in his hands, his long hair hanging over his face and obscuring it from Magnus’ view.There’s a reason Magnus makes his way to the town’s sleazy club once a week, a reason he enjoys the lack of stares and attention. No one bats an eye at the conversation being had. Conversations between, say, a man and his estranged father.Magnus watches him for a moment before clearing his throat. Asmodeus lifts his head at the sound and a slow smile spreads on his face.“Magnus,” Asmodeus says.Magnus pulls out the chair across from him and sits down, putting his bag on the table.“Asmodeus.”“How are you?” Asmodeus asks, and Magnus makes a point not to look at him. He doesn’t care for small talk with this man, no matter how many times Asmodeus attempts it.“Fine.” Magnus ruffles through his bags, pulling out some papers. “Did you bring the documents?”Asmodeus seems like he was ready for the easy rejection and nods, holding out the papers to let Magnus take a look.He’d not planned on actually getting in touch with Asmodeus. He’d not even told anyone but Ragnor what he’d found out, other than mentioning his father’s investment in Idris Corp to Alec. But then he’d had a call from an old acquaintance, Meliorn, who worked at Fae Folk Inc., asking for a reference for Maia Roberts.Magnus had realised then that he had no idea how any of his interns or coworkers were holding up after everything that had happened at Idris Corp - he hadn’t heard from any of them or checked his work emails at all. He suspected the company would shut down and be sold very quietly - it had been doing the city some good, after all, what with RAZIEL cleaning the air pollution - but he had no idea if he or his colleagues would get any compensatory payout.Was there precedent for cases where your boss turned out to be a wolfish monster hellbent on poisoning the whole city?Obviously Magnus had given a glowing reference to Meliorn for Maia, but it hadn’t ended there. The request sparked something in him and set the wheels in motion for him to help all of his ex-colleagues - or, at least, as many as he could. He was determined that they shouldn’t suffer because of the fact that, together, Magnus and his father had handed Valentine the key to destroy everyone’s lives.He couldn’t help them on his own, though.Dialling his father’s number that first time had felt very much like digging his own grave. His thumb had hovered over the green phone for too long before he’d forced himself to ring the number, and when the receptionist at EDOM had asked who was calling, Magnus just managed to croak his name out past the lump in his throat.   He kept reminding himself that it was for a greater cause - it wasn’t about him anymore.He focuses on that now as he skims the documents in his hand. Helping these other people gives him a purpose, and if this is how he takes control of his life right now, then so be it.“They’re fine,” Magnus says, with a nod at the documents in his hand. “I’d make some minor amendments, but this will do. What did the hiring director say when you called?”“She said they don’t have any vacancies at the moment, but I made her reconsider,” Asmodeus says with a hint of a smile.“Good.”Magnus pulls some files from his own folder and passes them to Asmodeus, telling him about the various past employees and some responses he’d gotten from references. His father reads over them all interestedly, making some astute comments with a businessman’s eye.When Magnus thinks about it, finding the list of investors in Idris all those weeks ago had proved fairly easy. He remembers the moment of shimmering triumph as he opened up the database, a feeling that plummeted like a stone in his stomach when he caught sight of the words Asmodeus Neraka .It couldn’t have been a coincidence that Asmodeus had invested in the company that Magnus worked for. Was his father secretly checking up on him, a twisted parody of parental concern? Worse still, if Asmodeus had got there first, did that mean Magnus had only been hired as a result of his blood? Was everything he’d earned and strived for, poured his heart and soul into, a lie?Was he a revered scientist and Asmodeus’ son, or a revered scientist because he was Asmodeus’ son?The questions had wormed themselves into his brain and made a home there, rearing in any moments of self-doubt. Ever since he’d found out about Asmodeus’ involvement at Idris Corp, it’s like there’s been a shadow over his whole career.Magnus also finds it hard to believe that Asmodeus didn’t know, or at least suspect, what Valentine was up to. Asmodeus’ apathy - or worse, encouragement - had spun Magnus’ world out of control.If Magnus wants to step out from this shadow, he needs answers. Even if he doesn’t like what he finds, even if he has to endure terrible truths, he’ll know where he stands. It’s why he keeps putting himself through these meetings with his father.“Good work on this,” Asmodeus says in approval, sliding one of the various files scattered on the table towards Magnus. “You’re very thorough in your work. I can see now why you’re such a great employee.”Magnus just hums, crossing off a sentence in one of the cover letters Asmodeus has written. He hasn’t fully formed his opinion on Asmodeus. He has some preconceived judgements, sure - he knows deep down that Asmodeus isn’t a good man - but he has been helping Magnus relocate all of the Idris Corp workers, and it makes Magnus wonder if maybe there is some good in him.Or if he’s just doing what Magnus asks until he can step out of his life again when he gets bored.He tries to give as little attention he can to Asmodeus. He wonders if it hurts his father, knowing Magnus is just using him for his resources and his name. Magnus hates that the thought brings him satisfaction, especially since the meetings haven’t been easy for him. But they’re a necessary evil.He’d been doing research for a while, ever since he’d first seen his father’s name in the investor’s database. His initial shock and fury had given way to confusion and simmering mistrust, and once he’d had a drink or two, he’d approached the problem in the way he’d been trained: research.The document Magnus had assembled was pages and pages long, starting with profiles of Asmodeus and his close staff, both those who had recently joined and those who had remained employees for years. Magnus spent a while on Azazel Neraka’s profile when he got to it. He might not remember much about the man, but he’s sure his uncle could be important in what’s going on.Under the profiles, there was a full and detailed history of as many of Asmodeus’ businesses as Magnus could find, whether he owned them outright or was an angel investor, like with Idris Corp. The unsavoury business deals his father had facilitated hadn’t improved Magnus’ opinion of him all that much.“This recommendation for Doug isn’t great,” Magnus says, his eyes skimming over the page his father handed to him. “All you mention is that he’s an experienced researcher. It doesn’t sound like you have anything good to say about him personally.”“That’s because I don’t know him personally, Magnus.”“Pretend, them,” Magnus says, looking from the papers to Asmodeus with a cold gaze. “I’m not here to waste my time. If I could have found every past Idris Corp employee jobs without your help, I would have.”Asmodeus curls his lip and looks away.The tension in the air lingers every time the two of them get together to go over details, and while there’s a part of Magnus - tiny, but there - that wants to reach out to Asmodeus, ask him every question that’s been weighing on his soul ever since the incident, he can’t.The first time they’d met up Magnus had almost slipped up. Almost showed an ounce of weakness in front of Asmodeus. Why did you help Valentine? Do you know what he’s done? Was all of this worth innocent lives - Raphael’s life? Magnus’ hands shake slightly as he sets down the cover letter and skims the rest of the documents. After about half an hour, Magnus and Asmodeus clear up their respective files, their gazes averted from each other.“Call Alicante Industries and give a personal recommendation for Doug. They’re an extremely well-respected company and get thousands of resumes a day. A personal phone call from you will carry more weight,” Magnus says, pulling his satchel over his head and standing up.He’s turning to leave without another word when Asmodeus speaks again.“I’m doing this for you, you know,” Asmodeus says, and Magnus stops in his tracks. He closes his eyes for a moment  and focuses on his breathing.“What?”“If it wasn’t for you and this idea to help everyone, I would have forgotten about Idris Corp and Valentine Morgenstern without losing any sleep.”Magnus stands perfectly still.“All I’m saying is that you could show some more appreciation for what I’m doing for you,” Asmodeus says. “I’m your father, Magnus, whether you like it or not.”Slowly, Magnus turns and puts his hands on the table and leans forward.“You and me will never be more than a business agreement,” Magnus says cooly. “You stopped being my father the day you walked out of our house. Maybe even before then. I’m not a toy in whatever game you think you’re playing.”Magnus is shaking with suppressed anger - he can’t understand the nerve his father has to say something like that to him. Every time Magnus thinks there’s a shred of hope, something salvageable in their relationship, Asmodeus reminds Magnus why he’d hesitated with that first call. Why Magnus needs to keep a distance. Why Asmodeus is dangerous.Asmodeus inhales sharply, his mouth turning downwards into a frown.“Magnus, Alissa -”
“Don’t.”
“- deserves to know we’ve been meeting. That I’m here and I want to reconnect. I want to be part of both of your lives again.”“You don’t get to just change your mind like that,” Magnus says harshly.Asmodeus’ expression is open, yet his eyes are unreadable. Magnus is searching to see some flicker of sympathy in his eyes, but they’re devoid of emotion. What did he expect? Asmodeus had never made a choice that didn’t benefit himself.“The thing about family that you’ve never understood is that even when everything goes to shit, they’re always there,” Magnus says, fighting to keep his voice level. “You don’t get to fucking leave just because you’re angry or scared. Going through tough times together makes a family stronger. Family means - it means everything to me. Chosen or blood. And you - you took a member of my family away from me.”Asmodeus swallows and Magnus straightens up, clearing his throat. He pushes away the fact that he did half of the work in killing Raphael. That the guilt he carries with him feels like it’s wrapping around his heart and squeezing all the life out of him.“Magnus -”He needs to go home right now. He can’t see Asmodeus anymore today. It’s been too much.“Next week. Same time, same place,” Magnus says, not sparing his father a second glance as he walks out of the bar and storms back to his car.He gets into the driver’s seat and slams the door, then whacks his palms on the steering wheel with a harsh curse. It always goes like this. He doesn’t know why he gets his hopes up that Asmodeus could ever change.___A pleasant breeze drifts in through the open window, the sounds of a midsummer evening filtering into the quiet between Magnus and his mom as they sit watching TV. The volume is down low on some quiz show Magnus’ mother loves watching - Magnus always protests, but he loves them too.They chat idly about their days; Magnus asks how things are going on the ward, and Alissa tells him about one of the kids who’s recovering from a heart operation and had a bunch of his friends visit today. Magnus smiles at the story, hearing the fondness in his mom’s voice as she describes the children in her care.“How was your day, Magnus?” Alissa asks, glancing over at him.Magnus shifts where he’s sitting, then tries to play it off as a natural movement. “It was fine,” he says. He keeps his attention on the TV but he can feel his mother’s eyes on him. “I talked to someone at Fae Folk.”He really had - to see if they’d be willing to interview any more of the junior staff from Idris Corp’s renewable energy division. So, it’s not a lie...but it’s not the whole truth, either.Still, when Alissa lifts a brow and asks, “And they put you through to the next stage of interviews, yes?”, he nods, unwilling to shatter her illusions. She hums, sounding thoughtful.It’s nice to be able to spend evenings like this together. It’s the one part of his life that’s slowly starting to feel like normal. And if he needs to take a moment of quiet reflection, overwhelmed by the fact that Raphael’s not coming back, he knows his mom will understand without him needing to say a word.The two of them have taken comfort in grieving with someone who loved Raphael in the same way. Sometimes Magnus catches her staring out the window, fingers distractedly moving the beads on the misbaha wrapped loosely around her hand back and forth. The lines around her eyes seem more pronounced than ever, but her smiles are beacons of light in the fog Magnus has been in for the last couple of months.He sometimes wonders if she felt like this when his father left. Grieving the loss of a relationship, the loss of the life they’d built together and the future they’d never have.Magnus remembers time when he was little and there’d be a crescendo of harsh voices from downstairs, keeping him awake at night. Then his mom’s face would appear at his bedroom door and he’d blink sleepily at her from the gloom, her face cast in shadow from the hallway light behind her. She’d pad softly across the room and he’d budge over in his bed, then snuggle up against her once she was in. She’d stroke his hair till he fell asleep, and he never questioned why she didn’t want to sleep in the room she shared with his father until he was older.Whether Alissa had grieved the relationship’s end, she must have been overwhelmingly relieved it was over. Her newfound - and long-held - happiness at having Asmodeus out of both of their lives for good is why Magnus doesn’t want to tell her anything about the fact that they’re now working together.He hates lying to his mother about what he’s doing, but he doesn’t want to face the disappointment in her eyes when he tells her he’s working with his father. It’s not that he doesn’t think she’s strong enough to face his father - far from it - rather that she put everything into making a new life for the two of them, and Magnus has just disregarded that.Alissa’s voice startles Magnus out of his thoughts.“Magnus, I know the past few weeks have been hard on you. I can see it in your eyes.” She sighs, as if Magnus’ pain is her own. “But I see this spark in you. It's amazing. Whatever you choose to do with it, you'll be great.”Magnus swallows around the lump in his throat. “Thanks, mama.”Alissa smiles at him lovingly and takes his hand. “I raised a boy full of light. Don't lose that - no matter what life throws at you.” With a twinkle in her eye, she adds, “You’re my hero, sayang.”Magnus smiles back at her, but her words trigger thoughts of another hero. At first, the news had been all over the Spiderman story. It made a valiant tale: how the hero of the hour had heroically defeated the latest evil to befoul the city, before disappearing from the top of the tower at Idris Corp and, to all intents and purposes, vanishing into thin air. Newscasters spent hours analysing his last known movements and any security footage they could find, but they couldn’t say for certain whether he was even alive.At least Magnus knew that much.Reliving that night made his chest feel like it was cracking open every time. The fevered way the newscasters revelled in the story made him sick - as if it had all been make-believe, and Valentine hadn’t actually killed people. However, Magnus forced himself through it, because the reports offered a glimpse into what Alec was doing.Asking Alexander to give him space was one of the hardest things Magnus has ever had to do. He refuses to think of it as a break up, but it sure as hell hurt like one. In any case, it wasn’t that he’d stopped having feelings for Alec, or didn’t value what they had together, because he can’t remember the last time he was so happy.It was that he needed the space to start healing, away from a constant reminder of Raphael’s death and the fact that he’d nearly lost Alec himself, too.So while they might not be together at the moment, it doesn’t mean Magnus doesn’t care.His eyes are drawn to an old newspaper he stored safely under the coffee table. There, past the exposé on Valentine, is a second article about Spiderman, published not long after Raphael’s death. It had taken Magnus several days to even be able to pick the paper up, but once he had, he’d read and reread the article almost obsessively every day. By the time he tidied it away, the paper was crinkled and the ink smudged from being held tight in Magnus’ grasp.After a few weeks, the news had moved on to another disaster, another superhero. In turn, Magnus re-focussed his efforts on social media, combing through Twitter for any clue that actually pointed to Alec, rather than the latest copycat vigilante.In moments of desperation, he’d turned to those closest to Alec, but Jace’s Twitter feed had gone silent over the last couple of weeks and currently the only profile Izzy was updating was for job hunting.The leads may all be dead ends, but it doesn’t stop Magnus from checking them at least twice a week. The fact that he’s not seen any mention of Spiderman, not even a whisper, sets him on edge a little. He knows Alec likes to bury his emotions; fighting criminals might not have been the healthiest outlet, but at least it gave him a way to work through the loss of Hodge.Without Spiderman, Magnus is worried about how Alec’s coping with everything that went down at Idris. Even though Alec didn’t know Raphael anywhere near as well as Magnus did, he’d been there right at the end. He’d held Raphael as he died, and he’d need some way to process that.But Magnus has faith in those closest to Alec. He’d grown close to Izzy, first as a mentor, and then as a friend, and even Jace had impressed Magnus with his quiet devotion to Alec and his care for his brother’s safety. He knows Alec has a support network around him and it eases his concern about how Alec is dealing with everything that happened at Idris somewhat.It doesn’t mean he doesn’t worry about Alec in general, though. At first, it had hurt too much to think about him, a reminder that Magnus had lost two of the people he was closest two in such a short amount of time. His mind would drift to Alec, heart shattering at what they could have been, and then the memory of how Alec had stayed with Raphael in his last moments would prompt the agonising reminder of Raphael’s death to follow.Over time, it’s gotten easier. He’s been at his mom’s for just over a month, and the time away from the city, from Alec, has given him some distance. Magnus knows it won’t happen overnight - knows he’ll never fully heal from the loss of his best friend, his brother - but every day, things get a little easier.___Despite the fact that he’s expecting it, the sound of the doorbell makes Magnus jump when it rings just after 7 o’clock that evening. Magnus puts his book down and gets up to answer it, a smile already tugging at his lips.He can see Ragnor’s familiar figure behind the frosted glass panes in the front door, but it looks like there’s someone behind him. It’s not Magnus’ mom - she’s out with her friends for the evening - so he has no clue who it is, but if they’re with Ragnor, he trusts they’ll be good company.“Standing out here in the heat, took you long enough,” Ragnor complains when Magnus opens the door. Magnus rolls his eyes but he’s smiling wider than he has in weeks, the sight of his old friend causing something warm to erupt in his chest.“You’re as delightful as ever,” he says. He turns his attention to the person behind Ragnor, a Black woman wearing a pretty sundress. Her face seems familiar; when he looks more closely at her, he realises who she is. Even though he hasn’t seen her in years , not since high school, he’d know those eyes anywhere.“ Cat?” he half gasps, beaming as he pushes past Ragnor to pull her into a hug. She’s laughing in his ear but gripping him back just as tightly.“Thank you for my welcome hug,” Ragnor grumbles, but Magnus knows there’s no heat behind it. He was the one who bought Catarina with him, after all, and when Magnus pulls back from Cat’s embrace, he sees Ragnor watching them both fondly. “Are we eating on the doorstep, then?”Magnus waves Ragnor away, his other hand clasping Catarina’s. “Come on,” he says to her, still smiling. “We’ve got some catching up to do.”The three of them make their way inside. Magnus sets about creating virgin cocktails for them all, while Catarina tells them about her life over the last few years. In school, she’d always wanted to go into nursing, so Magnus is overjoyed to learn she works as a registered nurse at St Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx.He serves some hors d'oeuvres while she talks, then settles at the table with them. Cat explains where she’s living so she can be close to work and to a good school for her adopted daughter, Madzie. She drops this latter fact into the conversation so unexpectedly that Magnus nearly chokes on the olive he’s eating, but once he’s recovered, he reaches out to take her hand.“I know you’re a wonderful mom,” he says sincerely, smiling at her. “Madzie’s lucky to have you.”Catarina smiles at him, her eyes going soft. “She’s a great kid. She had a rough start, but you should see her now, Magnus! She doesn’t stop once you get her started - all it’s been lately is Spiderman this, Spiderman that.”Magnus sucks in a breath at the mention of Alec’s alter ego, hoping he covers it by taking a hasty gulp of his drink and plastering a smile on his face.“‘Course, I know all the kids think he’s great, but Madzie really looks up to him now. I thought she might retreat back into her shell after what happened, but he helped her be so brave.”Ragnor and Magnus share a glance.“What happened to Madzie, my dear?” Ragnor asks carefully, sipping his mocktail.Catarina’s smile dims slightly. “We were on the Brooklyn Bridge that night.” She glances down, hands intertwined so tightly it looks painful. “You must have seen it on the news - that creature, the one that -” she breaks off, swallowing hard. “We were on the bridge. It threw our car over the side, and Madzie was still in it. I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified in my life.”Static rings in Magnus’ ears as he stares at Catarina with a growing horror and a sheer, irrational panic seeps into his veins. She’d been on the bridge that night with Valentine - she and her daughter, both of them together. They could have been killed . Madzie would have been, if it wasn’t for -“And then, out of nowhere, there’s Spiderman. He got her to climb out the car and the whole thing nearly fell, but he caught her. He saved my baby.”- Alec.Magnus closes his eyes briefly, transported back to that night. It’s seared into his brain: how Alec had stumbled endearingly over his words on the balcony in an attempt to tell Magnus the truth, then kissed him like he was drowning and Magnus was air.It’s the best first kiss Magnus has ever had, something he’d wanted for so long. He’d stared, dazed and delighted, at Alec’s departing figure, watching him swing through the city.He knows Alec saved people’s lives on the bridge that night, but he’d not really appreciated it until now. His chest feels like it’s being wrung out, all of his mixed up feelings about Alec spilling out and overflowing. Alec’s goodness, his kind heart, his inherent desire to keep people safe and protect those that he loves...all of a sudden, Magnus misses him more terribly than he can say.His chair screeches as he pushes it back. He steps away hastily, busying himself with the food.“Magnus?”At Catarina’s gentle voice, Magnus spins on his heel. She’s frowning slightly at him, and Ragnor’s regarding him with the pinched expression that always means he’s getting worried.“Did I say something wrong?” Cat asks.Magnus shakes his head, smiling at her. “Not at all,” he reassures her, turning back to the counter. “I just heard the timer go, that’s all. Please, go on.”Neither of them are impolite enough to mention that it’s been silent apart from Catarina’s voice, but Ragnor was never one to hold his tongue.“Magnus,” he says flatly, “you look like someone just stabbed you in the heart.”“I’m fine,” Magnus stresses, waving a dismissive hand at Ragnor’s comment. Catarina and Ragnor are both wearing expressions of incredulity; Magnus feels a twinge of irritation at the sight. While later he might find it comforting that they’re not letting it drop, at the moment, it’s just annoying.The silence stretches on for a second longer before Magnus relents, huffing. “Someone I used to know was on the bridge that night too,” he forces out, hating how insignificant the phrasing makes Alec sound. Even though it’s not a lie, Magnus can’t meet his friends’ sympathetic gazes - while Alec’s secret isn’t Magnus’ to tell, misleading his friends doesn’t feel great. “Your story reminded me of him, I guess.”“I’m sorry to hear that,” Catarina says. “Was he okay?”Magnus lets out a short laugh. “Yeah,” he says, voice turning wistful. “He was fine.”He catches Ragnor and Catarina sharing a look, and, as if by some unspoken agreement, they move on to another topic of conversation. It makes Magnus’ heart ache for the way things were in high school; four friends who were close they could finish each other’s sentences and have a conversation with just one look.Where did it all go wrong? They should never have let Catarina drift away from them. Magnus crosses the kitchen now to place his hands on her shoulders, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.“I’m glad you’re here,” he says quietly. She lifts her hand to rest on top of one of his, squeezing it comfortingly. “I’ve missed you.”Quiet settles for a moment before Catarina asks Ragnor if he has any summer plans before the start of the next semester. Magnus steps away from his friends, listening to their conversation as he serves the main course. They all tuck in, a comfortable lull coming in conversation as they enjoy their food.“So, how did you two reconnect?” Magnus asks, once plates are empty and the three are relaxed back in their chairs.The shift in atmosphere is tangible; Catarina’s face shutters, and Ragnor briefly looks more lost than he has in months.“I saw the news about Raphael on TV,” Catarina explains, after a haunting pause. Magnus’ stomach swoops with the reminder of Raphael’s death and he closes his eyes against the pain. When he opens them again, Ragnor and Catarina’s expressions mirror his grief, and he’s reminded that he doesn’t have to go through this alone.“I tried to get in touch with both of you,” Catarina continues, “to say how sorry I was. I know we grew apart, but...the four of us were so close in high school. Raphael meant a lot to me.”She shakes her head, glancing down at the table. Ragnor stands up and moves to hug her, and Magnus is moving towards the pair before he knows it. They stand united in their grief, each taking comfort from the other for countless minutes.Eventually, they break apart and retire to the living room.“I met Ragnor a few times for coffee, since he was still in the city,” Cat tells Magnus. “He said you’d moved back out here and I wanted to give you some space.”Magnus nods. “I appreciate that,” he says, and Ragnor inclines his head slightly, “but you don’t have to. I want to have you back in my life, Cat. I -” he breaks off, voice cracking. “I’ve lost too many people lately.”Ragnor catches Magnus’ eye across the room and holds his gaze fiercely. “We’re not going anywhere, Magnus. I promise.”Magnus smiles gratefully at the pair of them. “Good, ‘cause we’ve got a lot of missed time to make up for.” His smile grows, the atmosphere feeling lighter already. “Which means, Cat, that there are years of embarrassing stories you need to tell us about.”Catarina laughs. “What do you think Ragnor and I have been talking about over all those coffees? He’s filled me in on everything you’ve been up to since we last saw each other.”Magnus plays up how offended and betrayed he is, but really he’s just glad to feel like normal for once. Their laughter and teasing soon fills the room, and with every one of their smiles, Magnus feels like he’s healing just a little more.___
Alec’s ready to collapse into bed for five years by the time he drags himself into his apartment building late that afternoon. Volunteering at the law clinic now that he’s finished his degree is incredibly rewarding, but tiring as hell.

He scrubs a hand over his face, just remembering to check the mailbox for his and Jace’s apartment on his way over to the elevator.

“Oh, hi there,” a voice says. Alec barely refrains from rolling his eyes.

Sebastian is his annoyingly chipper neighbour, someone who seems to want to be best friends with Alec without giving any indication of why. He’s always friendly and interested, but there’s something unnerving about him. Alec can’t quite figure out what.

“Hey,” Alec mutters, keeping his back to Sebastian.

“How are you doing?” Sebastian asks.

“Alright, I guess,” Alec answers noncommittally. “Just back from work.”

“That’s the, um, law clinic on West 44th, right?” Sebastian asks.

Alec pauses. He doesn’t remember ever sharing the exact location of where he’s volunteering, but he must have done - how else would Sebastian know? Or - it could have been Jace.

Probably Jace.

“Yeah.” Alec closes the mailbox and then clears his throat. He should make an effort, he supposes. “How about you?”

Alec gets a shock when he turns to look at Sebastian for the first time: he has bruising all down one side of his face, his left eye an alarming shade of purple.

“It looks worse than it is,” Sebastian says, with a self deprecating laugh. “I’m actually doing pretty good, considering. I’m off to karate.”

Alec’s eyebrows lift. “Karate? Is that why you’ve got the...?” He trails off, hand gesturing lamely at Sebastian’s face.

Sebastian shakes his head, looking a little self-conscious. “I almost got mugged the other day,” he admits, shoulders curling inwards. “I managed to fight them off, but I thought I’d better learn how to protect myself properly, you know?”

Alec isn’t too surprised. Maybe he shouldn’t judge by appearances, but Sebastian’s fairly scrawny and looks like he’d probably be an easy target.

Alec sends him a brief smile. “It’s a good idea. My siblings and I used to do karate as kids.” He glances at his watch, then back to Sebastian. “Well, I don’t wanna make you late.”

Sebastian smiles too and makes his way towards the apartment block door.

“It’s a shame Spiderman isn’t still around, isn’t it?” he calls over his shoulder.

Alec freezes. “What?”

“Spiderman,” Sebastian repeats, looking at Alec a bit weirdly. “Tall guy, involved in that fight at Idris Corporation a few weeks ago?”

Pulse starting to race, Alec fights to keep his expression neutral. In all likelihood, Sebastian doesn’t know anything, and he’s just making innocent conversation.

“Yeah, he seems like a bit of an ass,” Alec says.

Sebastian shrugs. “I suppose. I mean, could have done without him taking this long a holiday, that’s for sure. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been attacked.”

He pushes the door open with one arm, waving at Alec with his free hand. “See you later, Alec!”

Alec blinks after him and sighs. He hopes not.
___Magnus pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. His back muscles are tight from being hunched over a computer desk for the last few hours without a break, and that’s without the tension he feels simply from having to be in his father’s office building.He can’t think of anywhere he’d rather be less than EDOM at the minute, but he’d needed to use some of Asmodeus’ files as a reference to send out some cover letters. It’s a tricky line to walk: Magnus has been trying to see as little of his father as possible, while simultaneously using his resources to help his old coworkers, and he doesn’t want to piss Asmodeus off so much that he revokes Magnus’ access. It would be a bad idea for Magnus to shoot himself in the foot now that he’s got so far.However, right now, being in a building his father owns, the walls a pristine and deliberately inoffensive off-white, the glass partitions in the open-plan office giving the illusion of transparency, makes his skin crawl. Magnus knows in his gut that EDOM’s corporate face is hiding something - how could it not be, with Asmodeus at its helm? - and it’s just a matter of time before he finds out what.Magnus saves the last of his work and shuts his computer off, leaning back in the comfortable desk chair to stretch. It’s way past the end of normal working hours, but he figured he’d rather stay late and get everything that he needed to done, rather than having to visit the place again. Sure, being here after hours gives him the chance to search EDOM for clues about what his father’s been up to, but mostly Magnus just wants to get home. He’d promised to prepare dinner for his mama for when she got in from her shift.A sudden wave of guilt hits Magnus at the thought of his mama, and how he’s hiding all of this from her. But he can’t - he can’t tell her. He doesn’t know how she’ll react. After all of the pain his father brought into their lives, she can’t know that Magnus is back in this mess, even if he is looking for a way to create change and do some good.Magnus gets up to pack his things. He’s in the process of filing away some folders when a light above the office door flashes a bright red, illuminating the room scarlet. At the same time, an alarm sounds, wailing five consecutive cries then pausing, before repeating the same pattern.It’s obviously some kind of warning code, but Magnus has no idea what it means - he just needs to get out. The alarm continues blaring the same sequence, and just as Magnus reaches for his bag, all the lights on the floor he’s on go off.The office is bathed in semi-darkness; Magnus can still see from the lights of other office buildings around them, and he pulls out his phone to use as a flashlight as he winds his way through the office. In the time it takes him to reach the reception area, the red light and alarm have come back on, presumably powered by some kind of back-up generator.There’s no one at the front desk, unlike the steady trickle of people that had been milling about when Magnus arrived earlier in the day. Magnus is about to scan himself out using the pass the facilities team had given him when something to the left catches his eye.He knows he shouldn’t snoop. Part of him would rather be blissfully ignorant of his father’s sketchy - and probably illegal - activities, but he’s also curious. What’s behind the scenes of EDOM’s perfectly constructed facade? It’s unlikely he’ll get a better chance to find out.Turning away from reception, Magnus heads down the corridor to his left, entering a part of the company he’s not been in before. Somehow, the red light seems brighter in the hallway, lighting the path to what looks like a laboratory behind a set of double doors.Magnus peers in through the glass window in the door: he can’t see anything immediately suspicious that might have set off the alarms, but if he can check it out, he wants to. Turning the security pass over in his hand, he makes his decision, then waving the pass over the scanner by the door.After a moment of disappointment, the light on the scanner goes green. With a glance behind him, Magnus shoulders the double doors open and steps into the lab.Beside the doors is a series of hooks holding white lab coats. Next to them are a fire blanket, first aid kit and flashlight. Magnus grabs the flashlight to help him inspect the room; it doesn’t turn on at first, but after Magnus hits it twice against his palm, it begins to work.He shines the flashlight around the lab. There are several rows of workbenches kitted with sinks, gas taps and plug sockets at regular intervals, and the back wall of the lab is fitted with cupboards holding an array of chemical equipment that is wildly familiar to Magnus. Around the sides of the lab are a number of doors, all with windows, except one.Magnus can’t see anything out of the ordinary that could have triggered the alarm, but he circles the lab anyway.The single door with no window draws him in, and he finds himself lingering by it longer than the others. The alarm is still ringing and he knows he should really leave, but his curiosity gets the better of him and he grabs the handle to open the door.It leads onto a mucky stairwell, chemical spills and stains decorating the vinyl floor. Wrinkling his nose, Magnus carefully makes his way down the stairs, the flashlight flickering as he goes.His father had hidden Valentine’s experiments from the world before, and due to that Magnus had lost not only a friend, but someone he was close enough to to consider them family. If whatever’s at the bottom of the staircase is causing more potential danger to the world, then Magnus is going to stop his father before anyone else has to die.Magnus carefully descends the staircase, using the flashlight beam to scan the stairwell for any signs, but the walls are blank save for the odd scuff mark.When he reaches the bottom of the stairs there’s another door, metal and heavy-looking. It has a scanner by it too; Magnus isn’t sure whether his pass will work, but he tries it anyway.The light beeps green again - he breathes a sigh of relief and thanks whoever it was in facilities that accidentally gave him free reign of the building - and he yanks hard on the door to pull it open.He’s in some kind of basement: it’s noticeably colder and gloomy despite the alarm light coming from the stairwell. It looks to be another lab - perhaps disused, or out of order.Shining the flashlight around, Magnus catches sight of a lab bench scattered with equipment and a flask of dark green liquid. Something tugs at his brain about the way the equipment has been discarded, but he can’t quite put his finger on it.He moves closer to the bench. It’s covered in a layer of grime and dust; he’s not stupid enough to wipe his finger through it without gloves on, though. A pair of safety goggles are strewn haphazardly across the floor and it’s this last detail that makes it click into place in Magnus’ brain.The lab isn’t disused. It’s abandoned.A shiver goes down Magnus’ spine. After a chilling moment, he starts inspecting the room again, this time on full alert. What could have made these researchers abandon their post so hurriedly?Magnus points his flashlight around the room. When he looks more carefully at the far corner, his heart stops.At least half a dozen of metal containers are stacked on top of each other, lining the walls. The labels have been carelessly ripped off, but on the edge of one of the barrels, Magnus spots the black and yellow circular label he’d recognise anywhere.Whatever is in those barrels is radioactive.Magnus lifts the flashlight and inspects the barrels. They’re rusty and poorly kept, but he’s not expecting to see waste leaking from several of them, spilling on the floor.The light flickers a couple of times as he moves the beam down. The radioactive waste has spread far across the floor, the same material he’d noticed tracked up the stairs. It’s bright and silky and his brain is screaming at him to get the hell out of there before he’s exposed to any more radiation.Taking a breath to calm himself, Magnus starts carefully backing out of the lab, but he’s only made it a few paces when his flashlight stutters out for few seconds.He freezes. Without the light, he can’t walk safely back to the stairs without risking stepping into a radioactive substance.“C’mon,” Magnus whispers, hitting the flashlight against his palm.For one victorious moment, the bulb turns on, before burning out into a blinding flash of iridescent blue light.With a shocked gasp, Magnus instinctively flinches away from the glare and drops the flashlight. It falls almost in slow motion, bouncing once on the floor before the sparks from the electrical explosion send the entire basement up in flames. The wall of heat that hits Magnus is more intense than anything he’s felt before and he raises an arm to shield his face, though it does little to protect him.The entire room is alight. The roar of the flames is deafening, but the blaze lights the room and Magnus can see a clear path back to the door. He turns on shuffling feet, pulse is hammering and panic threatening to choke him.  Magnus forces himself to move, hightailing it out of the lab. He’s five paces, four paces from the door when his foot squelches into a puddle of radioactive waste.The effect is instantaneous: an electric shock shoots through his body, jolting him to his bones. He staggers forward, feeling like a live wire. His fingertips have just brushed the door when he’s thrown forwards through the air as the basement explodes. The door is blasted open from the force of it and Magnus crumples against the wall of the stairwell. The fire is still raging in the lab and his last thought before the world goes dark is I’m going to die.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Okay…” the first nurse clicks her teeth as she scans her eyes down the patient’s chart. Her voice takes on a sing-song quality as she reads. “Magnus Bane. Thirty-two year old Asian male, lives in Downtown Manhattan. In for blunt force trauma and electrocution.” She glances up at him, brows pinched together. “Condition?”“Still serious,” the second nurse says. “Vitals are stable.”The first nurse replaces the medical chart at the end of the bed, pulling her hand away with a gasp when it touches the metal frame.“You okay?” the other nurse asks, raising his eyebrow.The first laughs a little. “Yeah, just an electric shock.”___“Magnus?” The woman’s grasp on his hand is like a vice, but her fingers are gentle when they brush his hair back from his forehead. “Oh, Magnus. Wake up, sayang . Wake up.”___“Right, Mr Bane.”The nurse from before is back. There’s the cold press of a stethoscope against Magnus’ chest; the crackling rip of Velcro pulled apart, and a cuff around his upper arm.“Stable. Let’s stay that way, hm? Your family and friends are all worried about -”Behind Magnus’ eyelids, the lights in the room flicker on and off.A sharp, frustrated exhale. “Not the generator again - ”___“Magnus,” a voice says, stretched tight with worry. “I just got you back. You better not die on me now.”There’s a ragged breath from across the room.“Have you met him, Cat?” A man’s voice, aiming for humour and falling flat. “He’s guaranteed to do whatever you tell him not to.”Cat rests her hand on Magnus’ shoulder. “Not this time,” she says, with conviction. “He’s coming back to us.”___It’s dark when he drifts awake. He almost can’t tell if he’s opened his eyes, but then they begin to adjust to the gloom.Magnus shifts, a groan involuntarily escaping him when pain flares in his chest as he breathes. His throat is scratchy and raw, tongue feeling weighed down like an anchor.Voices pass by outside, growing louder and then receding. He lets his eyes revolve around his surroundings as he’s trying to get his bearings. He’s lying in the middle of the room, pinned from the waist down by scratchy blankets that form a comforting weight. By the bedside, there’s a tacky plastic tub chair; at the foot of the bed a large selection of flowers bloom from vases on a table.The silence in the room is broken by the steady beep of the heart monitor to his right.Magnus holds his shaking palms up to his face, inspecting the hands he knows so well. His left wrist is covered in a plaster cast, but on his right he can make out a red line forking and branching like a vein to the middle of his palm. When he turns his hands over, his nail varnish is chipped and his hands are bare of rings.He looks at his palms again, faintly tracing the life line on his right hand. The sensation of touch tingles on his skin. When he pulls his finger back, he notices the pads of his fingers are almost glittering. With a heavy blink, Magnus refocuses; they’re sparking.Soft specks of light are coming from his fingertips, dissipating in the air. Disbelieving, Magnus stares, and stares, and the sparks don’t stop flowing. He tries to speak, to call for someone to see what’s going on, to prove he’s not imagining this, but the words won’t come out.He chokes on his panic, pain pulling at his ribs. He curls his hands into tight fists to smother the sparks and jams his eyes shut, waiting for the darkness to take him again.___When he next opens his eyes, the room is bathed in sunlight. Magnus screws up his face against the glare; it’s too bright too soon, and it feels like someone’s trampling on his skull.A light laugh floats over him, followed by footsteps and the sound of curtains being drawn.Magnus focuses on his breathing for a moment, then realises that that’s literally the worst idea he’s ever had with the sudden squeezing pain in his chest. His mom is standing beside the window in her scrubs, her face a canvas of relief and worry.She crosses the room to his bed, perching on the bed beside him. Magnus licks his cracked lips, staring at his mother in confusion.“Am I dead?” he tries to ask. Alissa raises her eyebrows and then laughs again, properly.“Here.” She hands him a glass of water and helping him drink. “Don’t ever do that again.”Magnus sips at the water until he’s nearly drunk it all; the effort he expends on this simple task is worrying, to say the least. He sinks gingerly back into the pillows and sighs.“What happened?” he asks. He reaches for Alissa with his good hand and she holds on to him, her grip on him almost painfully tight.“I had a call to say there’d been an accident,” she says, bottom lip quivering as she sucks in a breath. “They said you’d been injured - you were in a critical condition, they weren’t sure if -”Alissa’s face crumples and Magnus is almost certain he physically feels his heart shatter. He pulls his mother closer, as best he can manage, and hugs her tightly.“I’m here,” he murmurs. She presses her face into his shoulder, nodding against him. “I’m okay.”“Magnus, you have three broken ribs, a fractured wrist, electric burns and a concussion. Whatever you are, it’s not okay .”Magnus takes in the way her face is pinched with worry, and the sight makes his stomach clench. He’s put her through this, when the last thing he’s ever wanted is to hurt her. He can’t even imagine how she must have felt hearing the news about Magnus being taken to the hospital in a critical condition on the back of Raphael dying - like a never-ending nightmare.“I’m sorry, mama,” Magnus says, voice cracking. He clutches her tighter. Her arms are comforting and her perfume is so familiar that for a minute he feels cocooned, like nothing will ever go wrong again.Then her pager bleeps and she pulls back. “I have to go,” she says, stroking his hair back from his forehead. She smiles at him, eyes watery. “I’ll be back when my shift is over.”Magnus nods, trying to smile back at her.“Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone,” she adds, teasing, then presses a kiss to his temple.“Me?” Magnus asks. Alissa clicks her tongue, throwing a warning look over her shoulder as she departs.He watches her go, the room feeling colder for her absence. He hopes that she’ll be able to pop back to sit with him, but he knows how overworked the nurses are and doubts she’ll even finish at the time she’s supposed to.Now that she’s gone, he stops trying to hide the pain he’s in. His ribs hurt like hell every time he breathes and the cast is itching on his wrist, but he knows he could be in a far worse condition. His injuries seem to be mostly from the fact that he’d been thrown backwards due to the force of the explosion, rather than the electric fire the light bulb blowing out had caused.He owes whoever pulled him from that basement his life.Magnus isn’t sure how much his mom knows about what happened - whether she knows he was at EDOM and working with Asmodeus, or whether the doctors didn’t happen to share the information about where he came in from with her.In any case, he doubts he’ll be able to escape without questioning for long - it’s not exactly everyday someone gets electrocuted and blasted through the air. If the office basement exploding made it onto the news, it won’t be long before she puts two and two together and realises where he was.It’s probably better for him to tell her himself, rip the band-aid off and get it over with, but for now Magnus just shuffles further down the bed and tries to get comfortable. He might as well make the most of the chance at rest and get some sleep.Magnus pulls at the covers, arranging them as best he can with his good hand. His eyes don’t linger long on the movement, but something tugs at his brain and he finds himself frowning, wondering what he’s forgotten.He holds his hand out, turning it over slowly, and then the memory hits him - his fingertips sparking in the darkness of the room, golden yellow and white light.Logically, he knows that a blast of electricity strong enough to make a human shoot sparks from their hands would kill them. Maybe six months ago, Magnus would have accepted it less readily, but knowing what happened to Alec, he thinks twice before completely disregarding his theory and laughing it away as a painkiller-induced hallucination. Whatever Valentine and Alec’s father were doing to the spiders that bit Alec in the Idris Corp labs, they were doing it with Asmodeus’ money. It stands to reason that Asmodeus’ own company would be involved in some equally shady shit.No matter how absurd it sounds, like something out of a movie, there’s a faint voice in the back of his head whispering that something like that happened to him. Somehow he survived whatever happened in that basement and apparently the side effects are weirder than he ever would have guessed - he just needs some time to figure out what’s really going on.___Asmodeus, Magnus quickly decides, is an incredibly unappealing sight to wake up to. As soon as he realises that he’s not alone in his hospital room, he feigns sleep again, but it just makes Asmodeus chuckle.“You used to do the same thing when you were little,” he says, voice laced with a fondness Magnus wouldn’t have believed could have come from him if he hadn’t seen the man sitting right there. “I brought you back a picture book about wild animals from a business trip once and I don’t know how many times you stayed up late looking at it. Sometimes you’d hear me come up to check on you and pretend to be asleep just like now.”Magnus opens his eyes, mostly so Asmodeus gets to see the full extent of his eye roll. One sweet little story isn’t going to cancel out everything Asmodeus has done.“As if a book could make up for all the time you weren’t there,” he says scathingly, glaring at the door.“Oh, I bought you lots of other presents, too,” Asmodeus says lightly.Magnus scoffs a humourless laugh. Picking at a thread on the blanket with his good hand, he asks, “What do you want?”“You’re my son. You’re in the hospital.” Asmodeus fixes him with a flat look, brushing his long hair out of his face. “I don’t want anything, apart from to make sure you’re alright.”Magnus lifts his eyebrows. “You mean, you want to hear what story I’m going to tell when they ask me what happened at EDOM. Whether I’m going to press charges.”He already knows he won’t do it - he’d have to explain what really happened in that basement lab if he did, and if the charges meant they had to take the case to court, it would mean spending a hell of a lot more time around his father, which he really wants to avoid.But Asmodeus doesn’t need to know he’s safe from that just yet.“Magnus,” Asmodeus says, with a hint of impatience, “why can’t you accept that I care about you?”“Because you only care about yourself,” Magnus fires back immediately. “So, just tell me why you’re really here, and then you can leave.”Asmodeus levels him with a calm look, then sighs. He shakes his head with a rueful smile, lacing his fingers together. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. I’ll play my part as the evil absent father and callous businessman, and you won’t have to think about confronting the fact that people can change, or that you might have been wrong about me.”Magnus looks back at him. “Good. Get on with it.”A fleeting grin splits Asmodeus’ face. For a moment, he seems almost proud , a glint in his eye as he looks at Magnus.“When they ask me what happened at EDOM, it would be very easy for me to tell them you were trespassing in a restricted area.” He gestures openly with his hands. “But I won’t do that. Yes, you shouldn’t have been there - but the pressing fact isn’t that you shouldn’t have had access. It’s that it was dangerous .”“It wouldn’t have been so dangerous if you’d stored the radioactive material properly,” Magnus tells him, unimpressed. “That’s what it was, right? I’m pretty sure even high schoolers know you should keep radioactive waste in barrels that don’t leak.”Asmodeus shifts in his seat. Magnus wouldn’t say his father is capable of looking uncomfortable, but he wrings his hands once and grimaces ever so slightly at Magnus’ words.“Yes. Yes, you’re right.” Asmodeus inclines his head slowly. “The technicians are aware of their fault.”There’s something about the way he says it that gives Magnus pause; he narrows his eyes at Asmodeus as he thinks. “It wasn’t a mistake,” he surmises, shaking his head. “You knew it wasn’t stored safely and you took the risk. You -”“It was a calculated risk,” Asmodeus interrupts calmly. “Sometimes you have to make hard decisions in business. This was one of them.”Magnus stares at Asmodeus, incredulous. He can’t believe his father would gamble on people’s lives like that - though he doesn’t know why he’s surprised, with everything else that Asmodeus has done. Maybe it’s that small part of him hoping Asmodeus has some redeeming feature taking over the sensible part of his brain again.“You might be comfortable with that, but I’m not,” Magnus tells him flatly. “I’ll go to the police. I’m sure there’ll be some rising star there who’d love to throw a criminal negligence charge at you, and I can’t help thinking that investigation would reveal a whole load of skeletons in your closet.”Asmodeus inhales slowly, the muscle in his jaw jumping. Magnus takes petty satisfaction in the fact that he’s getting under Asmodeus’ skin.He’s had enough of egotistical bastards thinking that they can play with other people’s lives - risk their lives - just for their own personal gain. The damage Asmodeus’ willful blindness could have done is unthinkable, and Magnus is glad it happened to him, if it had to happen to anyone.“What do you want from me, Magnus?” Asmodeus asks finally, heavily.Magnus looks at him, seeing for the first time how weighed down Asmodeus appears. His mouth is downturned and Asmodeus hasn’t taken his eyes off him since Magnus woke up, leading Magnus to wonder if he really is concerned about him. It seems like the question actually means something to him; he’s watching Magnus attentively, but wringing his hands again.Asmodeus leans forward, swallowing hard. “Tell me what I can do to prove myself to you. I’m not a monster. I’m just a man, a man who - who can make mistakes.”The way his father’s voice breaks reminds Magnus for the first time in a long time that Asmodeus is human. He regards him a little longer, then sighs. He knows he shouldn’t trust anything Asmodeus does right now, but it almost feels like there’s a connection between them in this moment, and he can’t let go of the sentimental part of him that’s pushing for reconciliation.“I want you to admit what you did wrong,” he says quietly. “I want you to repent and make up for what you’ve done.”Asmodeus dips his head, looking as close to ashamed as Magnus has ever seen him. It’s a fairly mediocre impression of the emotion, but it’s a start.“I’ve already set the clean up in motion,” Asmodeus replies, equally quiet. “I’ll speak to the people involved and we’ll draw up a new set of guidelines - it might take some time to put it into practice, but I’ll fix it. I promise.”Magnus nods once, the words giving him the faintest sliver of hope, then turns his face away. Asmodeus seems to realise that their conversation is over, because a few minutes later he pushes himself up from the chair. Picking up his cane, he turns for one last look at Magnus.“Will you let me know when you get discharged? For my peace of mind, nothing else.”Magnus considers the request, then nods again. “I’ll call you when I’m home.”Asmodeus smiles at him, and for a minute, Magnus is back to being four years old and seeing his father’s fondly exasperated expression when he catches Magnus up too late.“Thank you.”Asmodeus departs with a small wave. Magnus watches him leave, just like always.___
Jonathan tucks his head down, black hoodie pulled over his ginger hair, eyes trained on the ground as he counts his steps. He knows his route like the back of his hand and has taken extra precautions to make sure it’s the quickest and safest one possible.

The route brings him out at the mouth of an alleyway opposite the building, now closed as a crime scene. The grounds outside it are a mockery of their former self from the photos he’s seen online. There’s litter covering the benches out front and weeds growing between cracks in the concrete floor; the front entrance is defaced with graffiti that declares the building’s owner a murder.

Jonathan sneers and looks away. High above the city, RAZIEL still sits on top of the building, though it’s no longer in use. He’s gazed up at it numerous times since moving to New York but he still remembers the first time he saw it - the feeling of anger, betrayal, grief.

Curling his fists in his pockets, he peers out the alleyway to the closed off crime scene. There are two guards from a private security firm standing by the entrance and, if his calculations are correct, the rest of them will have left half an hour ago. The exact personnel rotates, but there are always two covering the entrance and three that patrol the building’s perimeter.

According the his observations, every night there are three private security guards stationed at the building - two by the front door and one who patrols the perimeter. There’s another two black SUVs parked around the block that the skyscraper takes up. On Tuesday nights, Glenn Fitzgerald parks his SUV with the licence plate VFD 9534 out front and keeps watch for an hour or so, before making full use of his 35 years experience in the private security firm Idris Corporation’s investors had recommended to take a long nap. Therefore, now is the perfect time for Jonathan to get access inside and finally see what his father has been hiding from him all of his life.

Jonathan approaches the entrance. Preston Littson is currently absent from his post, because at exactly 10:07 every night he goes to the nearest Starbucks to buy two black coffees with no sugar. Currently, only Lindsay Van Dorn is keeping watch, leaning casually against the side of the building. She’s 5’8, 137 pounds. He knows he can beat her in a fight - he doesn’t think one will happen, but he’s prepared nonetheless.

The arc reactor - his own creation - hanging from the chain necklace he’s wearing radiates warmth as he pushes his hood down and crosses the street.

Lindsay’s just been promoted, too - it’s one of her first nights on the shift. He’s studied her enough to know that she would never want to mess up the opportunity that’s been given to her.

“Excuse me?” Jonathan asks, when he’s close enough for her to hear him. Lindsay looks him over with one eyebrow raised. Her lip is curled downwards, her hand already on the baton hanging from her hip.

“Can I help you, sir?” she asks.

He keeps his posture loose, shoulders sagging, and lets his lip quiver as he takes a step closer to her.

“Yes, please,” he asks, adding a casual voice shake for the effect. She frowns somewhat, but doesn’t release her grip on the baton.

He sniffles wetly and bows his head, deferring to her and giving her all the power.  “My - my name is Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern,” he says tremulously, “but please, call me JC.”
Or Sebastian , he thinks wryly.
Lindsay’s distant demeanour slips. “Oh,” she says, then presses her lips together as if she hadn’t meant to make a sound.

“My father is - was - Valentine Morgenstern, and I - I just -”

Jonathan breaks down in tears, hiding his head in his hands. He hears Lindsay clear her throat.

“Do you have any proof of identity?” She sounds like she’s trying to stay tough but her tone ends up gentle. He lifts his head, then nods frantically.

“My passport and birth certificate,” Jonathan says, slipping his backpack off of his shoulders and digging through it. He pulls them out with shaky hands and passes them over to her. She takes them and then looks at the documents, her eyes wide.

She opens her mouth to speak, but he beats her to it.
“Please, ma’am,” Jonathan says, sniffling again. “I just wanted to see the empire my father created with my own two eyes. You see, he left me when I was young, and I never got a chance to really know him, and now he’s gone .”
“Mr Morgenstern, I understand, but I can’t let you into the crime scene,” Lindsay says with some sympathy, shaking her head and handing him back his documents. “It’s against my orders.”

“I don’t want to do anything bad, I just want to quickly look around - maybe see why he was too busy to ever call, or make it to any of my baseball games,” Jonathan says. He lets his eyes fill with tears and then makes a show of swiping them away. “It would mean a lot to me. I traveled all the way from Oregon.”

“I sympathize with you, I do, but I can’t let you in - not on my authority,” Lindsay says. She shifts her weight from foot to foot as she glances over Jonathan's shoulder, probably looking for any sign of Preston. It’s futile. Preston will be flirting unsuccessfully with the moderately cute barista and will return at 10.40pm.

Knowing he’s wearing her down, he tries one final push.

“I guess I get it. I should come back when someone more senior is around.” He scrubs a hand over his face and makes a show of pulling himself together. “Or - I could call your boss now and get him to give me access? I didn’t want it to come to this, Ms -” he glances at her nametag, “Van Dorn, but I suppose I have to now, don’t I?”

“I don’t think…” she starts, but Jonathan heaves a great sigh and plows on.

“Though I don’t think forcing your boss to do extra paperwork just to get me into the building for a couple of minutes is going to make him happy.”
Lindsay stares at him for a moment, expression growing colder, but she sighs nonetheless. With one last look over Jonathan’s shoulder, she rolls her eyes and groans softly. Bingo.
“Okay, fine, look - just be quick, alright?”

“Absolutely, Ms Van Dorn,” he says, flashing her a grateful smile. “Thank you so much. I owe you.”

She grimaces and leads him over to the main door, unlocking it with the master key attached to her belt. Jonathan makes a mental note that he’ll need to get a copy of the key and follows her inside to the atrium.

They’re plunged into near darkness, the clean white of the atrium walls reflecting the lights from the city outside.  Jonathan tilts his head back, yearning, but the hologram of the night sky isn’t there - just emptiness. He’s seen it on company videos, but he would have liked to see the real thing.

Lindsay clears her throat beside him and Jonathan shakes himself from his longing.

“Thank you, Lindsay,” Jonathan says, grasping her arm.

She shakes her head and yanks her arm out of his grasp. “You can’t stay long - ten minutes, tops. My partner will be back soon.”

“I might need longer than that,” Jonathan says with a wince. “I’ll put in a formal request with your boss. If I tell him I was allowed in once, it should be easy to get approval again, right?”

Lindsay stares at him, looking like a rabbit in the headlights. Jonathan fights a chuckle and tilts his head at her.

“Don’t -“ she starts, before cutting herself off and taking a breath. “Look, take as long as you need. Just - please, don’t tell anyone I let you in. Disobeying orders like that could get me fired.”

“Don’t worry, Lindsay,” Jonathan says, giving her a reassuring smile. “You can trust me.”

Lindsay nods stupidly and backs out of the atrium, returning to her post outside. Jonathan can see her shuffling from foot to foot through the glass door and laughs to himself. People are so easy.

From the inside pocket of his jacket, he pulls a security key card, one he’d received from Conrad, Valentine’s chief of security. It’s still dark in the lobby but he can tell the power is working from the various CCTV camera lights around the room, so the electronic security system should still be working. Whistling, Jonathan steps towards the front desk, and starts to plan his personal tour of Idris Corporation.
___By his third day awake in the hospital, Magnus is getting restless. The room is starting to feel like a cage and he finds the fact that he’s started living for the times when he can take a short walk down the corridor outside utterly distressing.The flowers people had brought him have started to wilt; a sad collection of petals has floated down on the end of his bed. His wrist cast is also driving him to despair - it’s so itchy and uncomfortable and everything takes twice as long because he only has one working hand.So, he’s about ready to scream when a familiar face appears at the door to his room. Luke Garroway looks as handsome as ever in a cashmere sweater and dark pants, an easy smile on his face as he says hello.“Can you arrest me just so I can get out of here?” Magnus asks without preamble, and Luke laughs.“Good to see you, too,” he says, crossing the room and taking a seat next to Magnus’ bed. His expression changes from light-hearted to serious in a moment, brow creasing in worry. “How are you doing?”Magnus watches Luke for a moment, then glances away, shaking his head. “I’m fine. I just want to go home.”Luke nods, smiling sympathetically. “What happened? Your voicemail was kinda garbled.”“Yeah, the signal’s shit in this building,” Magnus says, rolling his eyes. He sighs, then looks at Luke imploringly. “I didn’t ask you here as a cop, Luke - I asked you here as my friend. I want to tell you, but I don’t want to put you in a position that compromises your duty to the law.”“I appreciate that,” says Luke, shifting in the chair so he’s more at ease. “But I’m here as your friend. That’s all.”Magnus nods at him, sudden gratitude for Luke’s friendship causing a lump in his throat. He swallows around it and then starts telling Luke about everything that’s happened over the last few months, tentative at first, then becoming more certain when it’s clear that Luke isn’t going to judge him.He explains how and why he started working with Asmodeus - what the man is really like beneath the surface, and how he’d tried to worm his way back into Magnus’ life for real. He talks about his stress and guilt over keeping the work a secret from his mama. That he’d been in the EDOM offices that night and decided to investigate when he heard the alarms. How the company had recklessly disposed of the radioactive waste and that the explosion Magnus’ flashlight caused ended up putting him in the hospital.Magnus hesitates before continuing on, confiding in Luke something he’s not yet told anyone else - about the night with the sparks and how it seemed like they were coming from him. He knows it sounds crazy and he needs someone else to believe him before he can truly believe it himself.Luke digests the entire story in silence, then lets out a low whistle.“I thought you were coming to Long Island for a break,” he says after a minute, and somehow it’s exactly what Magnus needed to hear. Not an accusation that he’s making everything up or being naive; instead, a light admission of the toll everything must be taking on him, and that Luke believes him.Once he’s had a chance to take on board everything Magnus says, Luke starts asking questions. He wonders whether Magnus noticed anything about what was actually being done in the basement at EDOM and how long Asmodeus has been flouting safety codes. Whether anyone else might have noticed and tried to blow the whistle - or whether they were happy to be paid for their silence.He asks about Alissa, too, wondering if she’d actually react as badly to finding out what’s been going on as Magnus is expecting her to. Luke points out that she’s an adult and will be able to see that Magnus is doing something for other people, as a way of repenting for something he - as Luke continually reminds him - doesn’t need to blame himself for.It’s such a relief to finally be able to talk about this stuff with someone who understands; Magnus hadn’t realised just how heavy the weight of keeping it all in had gotten. While he’s able to talk to Cat and Ragnor and his mom about losing Raphael, Luke understands what it’s like to feel responsible for the death of a friend and to need to do something about it.Magnus feels Luke’s gaze land on him, scrutinising, even as Luke casually kicks his feet up onto Magnus’ bed.“Magnus,” he starts, pausing for a brief moment before going on, “have you thought about talking to Alec?”His expression has turned somewhat cautious, and though Magnus can see why, he’s not at all mad. Luke isn’t bringing Alec’s name up to hurt him - it makes a lot of sense.“What you said about the sparks...I don’t know what it is, but we both know Alec has first-hand experience with finding out you can do stuff that no one else can.”Magnus himself had made the connection between him and Alec both having non-human abilities, and even if he has no idea what this sparks thing means, he knows that Alec would help him figure it out.He’s not sure exactly where he and Alec are at, but Alec isn’t callous enough to turn someone he cares about away if they’re in need of help. One thing he’s certain of is that Alec would help him discover what this sparks thing might mean if Magnus asked.The problem is just that - the asking. Whether Magnus can make himself take that first step. He doesn’t think it would be fair for him to appear out of the blue with this request - he and Alec have gone months without speaking, but now that Magnus needs something, he can find time to call?It feels like using Alec, and it leaves a bad taste in Magnus’ mouth.“I haven’t spoken to him since I left the city,” Magnus says, shaking his head. “I can’t suddenly ask him to do this now.”“Why not?” asks Luke. “It doesn’t have to be anything more than it is - someone with powers helping someone else who thinks he might have them.” Luke eyes him knowingly. “Unless that’s not the problem.”Magnus huffs, then regrets it when his ribs yell in protest.“It’s complicated. I can’t pretend that seeing him would be a - a consultation , but if anything is going to happen between us again, shouldn’t that be where we start from? That I want to see him because I want to see him, not because I want something from him?”“I don’t think he’ll see it like that,” Luke points out. “If you reach out to him and tell him you want to talk, he’d clear his whole week’s schedule.”Magnus rolls his eyes, but he can’t help feeling touched and a little pleased at Luke’s words.“Trust me on this,” Luke says. “I’ve seen him a couple times recently - several, actually.” He glances to the side, seeming a little sheepish, but Magnus waves it away. “I’ve started doing research into Valentine and Alec’s been sharing everything he knows with me - all of his parents’ files and everything. At first I thought it would be too difficult, but it’s actually really helped us both.”“Anyway,” Luke continues, “whenever we meet up, he always asks after you.”Magnus purses his lips, ignoring the guilt and longing that rise up in his chest. Then his eyes go wide as he realises that Alec’s likely to do the same again next time he sees Luke.“Please don’t tell him about this,” he says. “I -”“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Luke says gently. “I won’t say anything.” He fixes Magnus with a look. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”Magnus smiles despite himself, rolling his eyes at his friend’s words. “Tell me about this research you’ve been doing.”There’s a pause, while Luke shuffles in the chair and collects himself. His expression grows sad, but his voice doesn’t waver as he tells Magnus the story.“We lose people on the job, I get that,” he says heavily. “But with - with Raphael, it was personal. I knew Valentine. I know I should have stopped him.”“Luke,” Magnus says, reaching out his right hand to take Luke’s, “what happened to Raphael wasn’t your fault. No one could have predicted what Valentine was going to do.”“Maybe not,” Luke allows, inclining his head, “but there were signs. I knew what kind of person he was. I keep playing it over in my head, wondering if I made the right call that night.”“You did,” Magnus says firmly. “You did everything you could. Valentine killed Raphael, Luke.”Luke swallows hard, looking pained. Then he lets out a short chuckle. “I don’t think either of us have fully accepted that,” he says. “But we need to try.”He sighs and continues his story. “And this research is my way of trying, I guess. Even though Valentine’s dead now, I need to make sure no one picks up where he left off. I’m trying to find out as much as possible about him so we can stop it, once and for all.” Luke shakes his head, jaw clenching. “Valentine used to have a thing for Jocelyn. I have to keep my family safe.”Magnus is surprised by the revelation, but tries not to let it show. He nods. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask,” he says. “I can tell you about what it was like at Idris and can decipher Valentine’s work if you can get your hands on it.”“Thank you,” Luke says. “I’ll let you know. But you need to rest up at the moment, right?”Magnus pouts. “It would give me something to do while I’m confined to this bed,” he points out, and Luke chuckles.“I’ll send the files I have to your mom’s for when you’re discharged,” he says. At Magnus’ protests, he holds his hands up. “They’re sensitive files, they need to stay as confidential as possible. People come and go all the time in this place. This might not be a proper investigation, but I’m still a cop.”Magnus can see the sense, even if it’s not what he wants to hear right now.“Okay,” he sighs, nodding. “Thanks, Luke - for everything.”Luke smiles at him. “Take care of yourself.”“You, too,” Magnus says.Luke stands up to leave, brushing down his pants. “Let us know when you’re home,” he says. “We should do dinner one night.”Magnus nods, smiling and Luke makes his way to the door.“Oh - and think about what I said,” Luke adds, turning back to face the room with his hand on the door frame, “about Alec.”Magnus raises an eyebrow. “You’re very invested in this.”Luke shrugs, smiling. “His mom and I were close at Idris, a lifetime ago,” he says. “He’s a good kid. He’s good for you. Anyone who spent time around the two of you could tell you that.”___Queensbridge Park is particularly beautiful at this time of year. Mid August sunlight dapples the ground through the trees, whose leaves are a luscious bright green. There are various groups clustered on the grass - teenagers sprawled across picnic blankets; moms and dads with chubby toddlers; a pair of old women holding hands as they walk through the park.Getting out of the hospital had been good, but getting out into the fresh air has been even better. Magnus hadn’t realised how much he’d shut himself away in his mom’s house until he came out here.He turns to look at the woman sitting beside him on the bench, her wavy dark hair shining in the sun. Isabelle’s smile is wistful as she watches a mom help her daughter ride a bike.Magnus had thought a lot about what Luke said, even if he’d ended up calling a different Lightwood than expected. It’s not as if he objects to seeing Izzy - they’d struck up a warm relationship as colleagues, and he views her as a younger sibling or cousin in much the same way as he does Clary. While he’s planning to ask her how receptive Alec might be to seeing him again, he also wants to know how she’s doing, what she’s been up to.Meeting at the park had been Izzy’s idea. Magnus hadn’t wanted to ask her all the way out to his mom’s house: the journey from Brooklyn was a bit of a trek. In turn, once Izzy had heard that it was only a week since he’d left the hospital with a few broken ribs and a cast on his wrist, she’d adamantly refused Magnus’ offer to come to see her.Instead, she’d suggested they meet somewhere closer to Brooklyn than Magnus’ mom’s, but not so far that Magnus couldn’t get home easily to rest if he needed to.“So, you gave up on the job hunt, then?” Magnus asks, brow furrowed.Izzy’s been telling him about her summer of searching for another internship, and how she’s been struggling to find something that’s right for her after everything that happened at Idris Corp.“In the end, yeah,” she says, nodding. “I had to. Every time I got into an interview I just froze up, staring at the person sitting across from me and thinking, ‘what are you hiding? What’s your terrible secret?’” She shrugs. “It’s okay. College starts again soon, and I wouldn’t even have time to do a placement with all of that.”“It’s not okay,” Magnus argues, though it’s not Izzy he’s angry at. “Isabelle, you’re one of the most bright, intelligent, kind-hearted people I’ve ever come across. You deserve every opportunity to get yourself out there and show the world what you can do.”Izzy’s lips curve upwards, but she still doesn’t seem sure. Magnus’ heart aches for her; when they were working at Idris, he’d been delighted by her drive, her determination and the way she threw herself into everything with enthusiasm. He has no doubt she’d be able to juggle college and a placement, but he knows what it’s like to not be able to see that you’re creating excuses because of a fog of self-blame.“I want that more than anything,” she murmurs, “but I just don’t trust my judgement anymore. I’ve always been the perceptive one - sometimes it feels like I know my brothers better than they know themselves - but I couldn’t see what Valentine was doing right in front of us.”“There’s no shame in that,” Magnus tells her firmly. “With all due respect, Isabelle, you rarely spent time with him, and he duped even those in his closest circles. No one could have expected you to know.”He regards her: the tight set of her jaw and the resolution in her eyes. “Besides,” he continues, “as soon as you found out, you did everything you could to help stop him.”Izzy sighs heavily. “I guess,” she says, kicking a rock on the ground with the toe of her high-heeled boot.The conversation feels incomplete but Izzy looks so glum that Magnus lets it go.“Have you seen anyone else from Idris recently?” he asks. “Maia’s working at Fae Folk, isn’t she?”Izzy’s face brightens. “Yeah, she started just over a month ago. She loves it. She’s always talking about the amazing labs they have.”The admiration and adoration in Izzy’s voice is clear and Magnus has to smile. It’s lovely to see her so happy.“I’m glad Maia’s enjoying it.” His smile grows. “How long have you two been together?”He wouldn’t go as far as to say Izzy’s blushing, but she definitely looks a little bashful, biting her lip to tamp down on a growing grin.“A few weeks.” She lets out a little laugh. “We were working on internship applications together and just - I don’t know. Kept spending time together after that.”Magnus nods, reaching out to squeeze Izzy’s hand with his good hand. “I’m happy for you.”“Thanks. How...um, how about you?”He doesn’t remember hearing her stumble over her words like that before, but he can sympathise. It’s turned slightly awkward; he likes to think that Izzy cares about him, but he also knows that nothing on earth would come between her and her loyalty to Alec.Magnus smiles, though it feels like more of a grimace. “I’m...focussing on myself right now,” he says lightly.“Right, of course,” Izzy says, shaking her head at herself. “Stupid question.”“No, a polite enquiry,” Magnus offers, and Izzy laughs a little.“How are things?” she asks, turning her kind brown eyes on him. “I should’ve - we haven’t seen each other since - well, that night.” Her voice drops away at the end, going hushed. “But I should’ve checked you were okay.”“Oh, I had enough people worrying about me,” he says. “You needed to think about yourself, and about your brothers.” He draws in a slow breath, wincing at the ache of his ribs as he does so. Pushing it aside and aiming for nonchalant, he asks, “How is Alexander?”“He’s good. He’s been volunteering at a law clinic that does legal aid since he graduated.”“Oh,” Magnus says, lifting an eyebrow. “I’m glad to hear he’s keeping busy.”Izzy watches him for a moment, then says, in a rush, “He misses you.” Before the moment can get too heavy, she continues, “We all do. Even Jace.” Magnus snorts rather inelegantly, then regrets it as pain flares dully in his chest. “Well, you can report back that I don’t miss him .”Izzy smiles, but it quickly fades away. “I’m not going to ‘report back’ to Alec, by the way,” she says quietly. “Not unless you want me to.”“I didn’t think you’d want to keep secrets from your brother,” Magnus says, surprised.“I don’t,” Izzy says. “But if you still care about him, what happened to you - with the accident and everything - is something you should tell him yourself.”Magnus feels mildly abashed. “Do you think he’d want to see me?” he asks hesitantly.Izzy nods straight away. “Yeah, I do. Alec...he doesn’t let people in easily. But something was different with the two of you - in a good way.”Magnus sighs, rubbing at his palm with his thumb. He knew it was different with Alec from the start too. He’s closed his heart off for so long but Alec just unlocked something in him.Missing Alec and his life back in the city is like a constant, dull ache. All Magnus wants to do is stop being so good at pushing people away.He turns to look at Izzy during their comfortable silence and regards her for a moment before speaking again.“Isabelle, what happened to me,” Magnus starts, clearing his throat, “I don’t think it was necessarily an accident, per se.”“What do you mean?”“I was, well, investigating.” Magnus sits up straighter. “I’ve secretly been in contact with my father - he’s not a good man, Izzy. He has several labs in his office and I was investigating one of them when the accident happened.”Isabelle studies him with a calculated look in her eye.“So, what actually happened?” she asks, frowning.Magnus sighs. “I’m not sure, exactly. There were barrels of toxic, radioactive waste stored in the room - it was leaking all over the floor. The bulb in my flashlight burned out and the whole place went up in flames.”“God, Magnus,” Izzy says with wide eyes. “You could have died .” She shakes her head. “Radioactive materials aren’t even usually flammable. They must have been mixing a hell of a lot of chemicals in those barrels for it to explode.”“I know,” Magnus replies quietly. “It was so stupid of me to go wandering around a lab without proper precautions, and to step right into substances my father has been storing illegally just makes it worse.”Izzy puts a hand over his and sighs, shaking her head.“I’m sorry. Trust me, I know what it’s like learning that people in your life aren’t who they said they were.”Magnus cracks a small smile.“He’s my father, Isabelle. I just hate that there’s this young boy inside of me clinging onto the idea that he’s capable of good.” Magnus shakes his head, his heart squeezing painfully. It sounds so silly being said out loud, but just before he has time to regret his choice of words, Isabelle links their fingers together and squeezes his hand.“I know,” Izzy says. “But I never want you to think you’re going through this alone. You have people who care about you, whether you’re in Manhattan or Long Island."Magnus smiles at her. “Thanks, Isabelle.” He nudges her arm gently. “Hey, you hungry? I know this awesome Indian place a couple of blocks down.”She nods and stands up, waiting for him to follow, then links her arm through his. “Can’t wait.”___At first, Magnus doesn’t hear the doorbell. He’s out in the backyard, tending to his hydrangeas, enjoying the sunshine and the satisfaction of watching the flowers bloom.The effort required to tend to the plants has been good for him, getting him out of bed on the days when he hadn’t felt like it. That’s why Alissa had suggested the idea of gardening in the first place; to give him a sense of purpose with a tangible goal.Magnus lets the soil filter through his fingers now as he surveys the yard, feeling a keen sense of pride at what he’s managed to accomplish. The past few days he’s had to take it easy - gardening one-handed is about as simple as it sounds - but he’s still able to water the plants and soak up the rejuvenating sun.It’s not until he goes inside to wash his hands that he hears the incessant ringing of the bell. He cleans his hands as hurriedly as he can then goes to the door, opening it with an apologetic smile.“Sorry, I was out in the - oh.” Magnus pulls up short, his smile faltering. “Asmodeus.”“And there I thought you were just ignoring me,” Asmodeus says pleasantly.“That’s odd. You thought I was ignoring you, yet you kept ringing the bell.” Magnus casually leans against the door to block Asmodeus’ way into the house with his body. “What are you doing here?”“I came to see how you were.” Asmodeus makes a show of admiring the front of the house. “Shall we go inside?”Magnus ignores the question. “I don’t remember giving you this address.”Asmodeus seems amused by the response and doesn’t deign to respond. “It’s awfully hot out here in this suit, Magnus.”“Then you should have dressed for summer,” Magnus says flatly. “This is my mom’s house. You aren’t welcome here.”Asmodeus sighs, shaking his head as if Magnus has disappointed him. “I know she’s on a shift right now,” he says. “I deliberately came when I knew she’d be at work, so you wouldn’t have to explain how you’ve been lying to her all this time.”“How kind of you.”“She won’t even know I was here,” Asmodeus continues, as if Magnus hadn’t spoken. “Although...I guess one of your neighbours might happen to mention they saw you having a conversation with a handsome man on the doorstep.”Magnus looks at him, weighing his options. Asmodeus is right; if they stay on the porch for too much longer, the neighbours might realise something’s out of the ordinary. The annoying man across the road with too many dogs always loves sticking his nose in other people’s business.On the other hand, Magnus doesn’t want Asmodeus anywhere near the life he and his mama share, which includes letting him in the house she’d made Magnus’ home. It’s a sanctuary. Letting Asmodeus cross the threshold feels almost blasphemous.“I also have news about EDOM’s response to the accident,” Asmodeus says. “It shouldn’t take too long. I wouldn’t want to linger and give the neighbours the wrong idea.”The way he says it - a fraction too light, a fraction too airy - tells Magnus that he’s more than happy to stay on the doorstep for as long as he needs to. Alissa’s shift will be over soon, and the last thing Magnus wants is for her to come back and find Asmodeus camped outside her house.“Five minutes,” Magnus says, stepping back reluctantly to allow him in. Asmodeus inclines his head as he enters. “No more.”Asmodeus takes his shoes off while Magnus shuts the door, noticing as he does so the picture on the end table by the door of a young Magnus at the beach.“If I could go back,” Asmodeus begins, but Magnus cuts him off with a withering glare.“What did you want to tell me?” he asks, leaning against the bannister.Asmodeus regards him with dark eyes, then smiles slightly. “We’ll be more comfortable if we sit. The lounge is through here, isn’t it?”Magnus doesn’t even have time to ask how Asmodeus knows that before Asmodeus is brushing past him and walking into the living room. He follows him with a sigh and perches on the edge of the couch. Without knowing, Asmodeus has chosen Alissa’s favourite armchair for himself.“You see how pleasant this is?” Asmodeus says, smiling as he looks around the living room. “A sign of things to come, I hope.”“It’s not,” Magnus says immediately. “What did you want to tell me about the accident?”Asmodeus looks at him for a moment, his expression inscrutable. “How much do you remember about your uncle, Azazel?”Magnus is momentarily thrown by the question, not expecting Asmodeus to ask him that at all. It doesn’t take him long to recover; he remembers most of the profile he’d put together of Azazel when he’d been researching EDOM, and knows he’s his father’s right hand man.But he suspects Asmodeus isn’t asking how much Magnus knows about the man now - rather, how much he knows from the few times they met when Magnus was a child.“Not much,” he admits truthfully. “He seemed to be away on business even more than you.”Asmodeus ignores the slight and begins to talk, hands dancing in the air as he does so.“The research wing you were trespassing in at EDOM is headed up by my brother. Before you say anything snide, it’s legitimate - they’re doing good work there.” He sighs. “But, to put it bluntly, it’s not profitable. They’re draining resources from other parts of the company and not turning up results.“The staff in that division have been under a lot of pressure as a result, and we have had to make redundancies. I won’t claim the management of the situation has been perfect - far from it. That’s why Azazel has decided to submit to police questioning over a gross negligence charge.”“What?” asks Magnus.“You were right,” Asmodeus says. His voice is grave when he continues. “The lab wasn’t safe and EDOM let the breach go unchecked for too long. We were at fault, and that’s why we’re going to admit culpability.”Magnus stares at his father, smiling wryly. “Azazel is, you mean.”“It was his research wing,” Asmodeus says. “Ultimately, responsibility rests with him.”Magnus hums. “Right.”Asmodeus’ nostrils flare. He seems faintly irritated for the first time today.“You asked me to admit wrongdoing,” he says. “You asked me to make up for the damage done. Why do you think we’re not fighting these charges? It’s for you, Magnus.”Magnus doesn't know what he was expecting. It’s not like he thought Asmodeus would actually face any real punishment - rich corporate types always got off with a slap on the wrist if that, right? - but he can’t believe people keep falling for his father’s act. He’s like a puppet master jerking people’s strings to cover his tracks - and Magnus refuses to be one of them.“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he says, almost laughing at his father’s outrageousness. “Getting someone to take the fall for you is nowhere near the same - you knew the way you were storing the radioactive material was a liability, so, ultimately, the responsibility rests with you, right?”“You want me to, what, resign?” Asmodeus asks, something mocking and dangerous lacing through his tone. “We’re admitting negligence, yes, but most of the damage was structural, to our own property. We’ll absorb the losses and continue as we were. If the CEO were to resign over something so small, it would raise a lot of questions that don’t need to be asked.”Magnus tuts and looks away, shaking his head bitterly.“Well, it looks like we’re both men who can make mistakes. Mine was trusting you.” His lips curve up into a rueful smile. “I don’t know why I ever thought you’d actually end up facing some consequences for what you’ve done.”Asmodeus’ eyes glint darkly.“No, my son. There are always consequences.” He clenches his jaw and then looks down. “I won’t outstay my welcome any longer.”He rises from the chair, using his cane as a support, and makes his way to the hall. Magnus doesn’t look at him, too full of indignant anger to even speak. A minute or two later comes the sound of the front door opening, and then the latch clicking into place as it closes.Magnus is still sitting stock still on the edge of the couch when his mother’s voice sounds from the hallway.“Magnus?” Alissa’s brow is creased as she appears in the living room doorway, watching him with an air of uncertainty. “Who was that leaving?”Magnus’ heart rate suddenly kicks up at the thought of his mom having to see Asmodeus again, at the thought of her finding out about his betrayal. For a moment, he’s unable to meet her eye. Then he looks right at her and lies, again.“No one, mama. Just a cold caller.”She regards him suspiciously for a moment. “It’s strange, I could have sworn it was -” then she breaks off, shaking her head. “No one important.”It occurs to Magnus then that he might not be the only one trying to keep the person he loves most safe from Asmodeus.Alissa wanders over to him. She kisses his temple and brushes a hand over his shoulder as she passes, then pulls it back with a surprised laugh.“Electric shock,” she says in explanation, shaking her hand. “Anyway, how was your day?”___The next few days blur into one for Magnus. At his last check up, his doctor hadn’t been pleased to hear Magnus had been out and about, and so Magnus had been pretty much forced to take bed rest for the next week or so.He’s never been good at staying still. But, as much as he hates to admit it, his ribs are painful, and he does need some time to heal.Magnus rubs at his eyes, the lack of sleep he’s gotten in the past few days feeling like a heavy weight. It’s like he can never get truly comfortable, the pain from his injuries always flaring up, seemingly worst at night. Magnus is lucky when it fades to an aching numbness and he can finally pass out.To keep himself occupied, he’s been reading the files Luke sent over, trying to get up to speed with what’s been going on with the life he left in the city. Even though he’d needed the time away, maybe the incident in the basement was more than just an accident - a fated wake up call letting Magnus know that he’s ready. Ready to go back and reunite with his friends, pick up his career...and see Alexander again. If he wants to.The idea of calling Alec is nerve-wracking but exciting at the same time. It’s been so long since they spoke and, given the way they left things, Magnus wouldn’t blame him if Alec didn’t want anything to do with him.But, at the same time, he knows Alec is compassionate and mature enough to realise that Magnus breaking up with him wasn’t because of anything he had done - it was for Magnus and his mental health. It gives Magnus hope that, from what Luke and Isabelle were saying, Alec still cares about Magnus. Calling Luke and Izzy was the first step, but Alec is definitely next on the list.Magnus scrolls down the document he’s reading on his tablet, taking in everything Luke has managed to dig up. He’s just about to shift position on his bed for the third time in fifteen minutes in an attempt to try and get comfortable when he hears his mother talking to someone downstairs.When he focuses on the voice, it’s like the breath has been punched out of his lungs.Raphael’s mom, Guadalupe.He hardly seen her over the last two months since he held her while she wept at Raphael’s funeral, crying for the son who had gone too soon, too young. But Alissa has been visiting Guadalupe at least twice a week, and from what she’s told Magnus, Raphael’s mother’s life is still shattered. He’s not surprised, but it hurts to hear about. Magnus wishes more than anything that he could ease her pain.Magnus sits up slowly, ignoring the discomfort caused by his ribs as much as he can. He sets his tablet down and gets up from his bed, edging out of his room as quietly as he can.He makes his way to the kitchen, the voices getting louder as he draws nearer. He stops in the doorway once he sees his mother and Guadalupe sitting at the dinner table, talking. Alissa is covering Guadalupe’s hands with hers; the sight makes Magnus’ throat tight with emotion.The two women look over at him as if sensing an additional presence in the room. Guadalupe’s face brightens infinitesimally when she sees Magnus.“Mijo,” she says, standing up and walking over to him, enveloping him in a hug.“Guadalupe,” Magnus says softly, hugging her back tightly. His ribs don’t appreciate it, but Magnus couldn’t care less.Guadalupe pulls away and cups Magnus face. She’s taller than Alissa but still shorter than Magnus, and she gazes up at him with teary eyes.“I heard about the accident,” she says, her hands shaking despite her firm grip on Magnus’ cheeks. “I prayed every day that you were okay.”“Gracias, tía,” Magnus says, and she removes her hands, cupping his biceps and squeezing before letting them drop. “I’m okay now. Just a few aches.”“Good,” she says. “You made your mama worry. Don’t do it again.”“I know.” Magnus crosses the room and kisses Alissa’s forehead. “I’ll be more careful, I promise.”Guadalupe makes a satisfied sound and moves back to her spot at the table. Alissa pours more tea for them both and a cup for Magnus, who takes a seat across the two women. Guadalupe is watching them with something painful in her expression; she’s lost her eldest son and to see Magnus and Alissa interacting with such familiarity must be an upsetting reminder.Magnus understands somewhat - he feels the same when he looks up and catches Guadalupe making an expression that’s the spitting image of Raphael. He’d not appreciated before how similar they are, and seeing her so lost without Rapha makes him feel like he’s breaking down all over again. A lump lodges itself in Magnus’ throat again and he reaches out to hold Guadalupe’s hand.“How have you been?” he asks gently.“Holding up,” she says, and Magnus squeezes her hand. “Rosa flew in yesterday morning. We’ve been going through Raphael’s things.”Magnus doesn’t miss the way Guadalupe’s voice cracks on Raphael’s name, but he’s glad to hear that Rosa’s been able to get the time off work to fly out and see her mom. Magnus knows the value of having your family around you in times like this, and makes a mental note to text Rosa to see her now that she’s back.He and his mother sit silently as Guadalupe picks up a bag from the floor and places it on the table.“I thought maybe you’d like to see this,” Guadalupe says, pushing the bag towards Magnus gently.Magnus opens the bag with shaky hands, and gasps when he sees the familiar black velvet cloak inside. It’s the very same cloak Raphael had been wearing the day they became friends, when he saved Magnus from bullies on Halloween while dressed as a vampire.He hears a soft sniffle and looks up to see tears in Guadalupe’s eyes. She meets his gaze and smiles softly, but it’s a smile tinged with sadness and loss.Magnus pulls the cloak from the bag and gathers it to his chest, choked up with emotion.“All of his things in his room used to be constant reminders of how he’s gone,” Guadalupe says. “But Rosa’s been helping me go through everything and remember them as signs of a good life. To think of all the memories he made.”The three fall into silence as Magnus pulls more things from the bag: a Christmas card Magnus gave him in the seventh grade, a polaroid of Raphael, Catarina, Ragnor and Magnus on the road trip they’d taken the summer after they graduated high school, a copy of the green Playbill from Wicked’ s tenth anniversary.“He was my little boy,” Guadalupe says, her voice breaking as she starts crying. “How do you go on?” She looks at Alissa. “How do you continue being a mother to a child who isn’t - who’s gone ?”Alissa gathers Guadalupe in her arms and holds her tightly. She tips her head to the side while looking at Magnus, subtly bidding him leave, and Magnus stumbles from the room, finding it hard to breathe. His ribs are screaming in protest as he draws in ragged lungfuls of air, focussing as hard as he can on just making it to his bedroom.He collapses against the door, drawing his knees to his chest, still unable to breathe properly. The pain from his broken bones fades to white noise as he thinks about Raphael - how he’s never coming back, how Magnus is never going to see him or speak to him again. He misses Raphael like a limb and it’s his fault that he’s gone. He couldn’t save him, couldn’t protect him, and he couldn’t stop Valentine.What was it his father had said? There are always consequences. Magnus’ eyes burn with unshed tears and he presses the heels of his hands to his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing as the world goes dark. An unsettling wave of panic and sorrow wraps around his heart; it feels like energy is bubbling inside of him, making Magnus want to just scream .The world is black behind his hands, pops of iridescent colour float in front of his view. At first he thinks he’s just pushing into his eyes too hard, but then, in a flash, everything gets even brighter. Magnus pulls his hands from his eyes and looks at them, jumping when he sees the electrical currents on his palms.The electrical currents race across his skin as if his hands are giant plasma balls, sending electrical waves to the tips of his fingers. Magnus’ heart races as he gazes at his hands in wonder, turning them over. The electrical orbs move with his hands, the currents flowing along his fingers and around his palms.When Magnus turns his hands back over to his palms, the light from them starts to shine and expand. The ball of electricity gets brighter and bigger and - zap !Magnus snaps his eyes shut against the blinding glare, holding his hands as far away from himself as he can. He waits a beat, then slowly opens his eyes. He’s in darkness. His room, which had previously been illuminated by the lamp on his bedside table, is now dark. Only rays of moonlight shine in the gloom.He lets out an aborted breath and scrambles up, rushing to the window. When he looks out, he sees the entire block is in blackness. All the streetlights are off, all of the house lights are off, and every house is dark, not a flicker of light in sight.Further over to the right, Magnus can see that the next block over seems to be fine - he checks the other way, too, and all their lights are on as well.“Magnus? Sweetheart?” Alissa calls from outside of his door, knocking gently. “Are you alright? The power’s gone out.”In shock, Magnus stares at his hands, which are bare again, not glowing or sparking or showing any sign of anything that just happened.“Yeah,” he says, more a rush of breath than a word. He clears his throat. “Everything’s fine, mama.”Magnus can’t stop staring at his hands. Holy shit.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Job hunting is fast becoming the bane of Magnus’ existence.After the events of the other night - the way he’d taken out the power in his whole block completely without meaning to - Magnus had come to the decision to move back to the city. His reasons were twofold: he didn’t want to end up hurting his mama, even by accident, and the lure of the city was undeniable. He could get a job, get back in a lab, do research on his powers to try and better understand what’s happening to him. His support system is there - Ragnor, Cat, Luke.And Alexander.Magnus hastily tries to push any and all thoughts of Alec to the back of his mind and refocuses on the task at hand: job applications.He’d not anticipated having to do this again, not really. He’d worked his ass off to get where he was at Idris, and would likely have gone for a promotion after a few more years. But he enjoyed the work he’d been doing. Idris Corp was a company that had the resources to make real change in the world - to do good, Magnus had thought. It would have taken something special to get him to leave.What Isabelle said about her interviews tugs at him every time he starts another application, but he doesn’t think asking the hiring manager what their terrible secret is makes the best first impression.In any case, he doesn’t need to wonder for the company he’s applying to now.Lorenzo Rey had come up at Idris Corp just a couple of years after Magnus, and they’d come to an uneasy truce for the sake of the work they both loved after several months of butting heads. It was all rather juvenile, now that Magnus thinks about it.There’d been a speight of relative calm, and then a job as principal research scientist had come up. Magnus doesn’t feel at all guilty about the fact that he got the promotion and Lorenzo didn’t - it’s not his fault that he was better qualified, better experienced, better suited to the position - but he is a little ashamed at the way the situation drove a wedge between them. Lorenzo had moved on to another job at another company, and Magnus had heard little about him after that.Then, many months later, he’d bumped into Lorenzo by pure chance on the street one day. Lorenzo told him how he’d branched out and founded his own company, a tiny operation researching genomics, and how leaving Idris had been exactly what he needed - even if he didn’t know it at the time.Magnus is fairly sure he knows every grubby secret of Lorenzo’s - and, likewise, that Lorenzo knows every unsavoury fact about him. Maybe it will work against him in a job application, but he’s hoping Lorenzo will at least give him a fair shot.Stretching widely, Magnus yawns and rests back against the couch cushions. He needs to get out of his mother’s house; he’s not sure if he trusts himself anymore. Magnus couldn’t bear it if something were to happen to his mama because of him.He doesn’t know how to go about telling her either. He knows she likes Spiderman because of the hope he gave kids on her ward, but it’s one thing admiring a superhero from afar and another finding out your own son has powers.How would he get her to believe him, too? He has no control over his powers (he hopes desperately that it’s just for the moment), and he doesn’t want to build up another wave of emotion with her anywhere in the vicinity in case he ends up doing something more harmful than causing a power outage.Luke’s advice comes back to him now, as it has done every time he’s wandered down this path of thought: talk to Alec. Despite both Luke and Isabelle’s reassurances that Alec would want to talk to him, Magnus can’t help thinking that he’s somehow taking advantage of his relationship with Alec if he does talk to him about this. Maybe he’s a fool for not making the most of knowing the city’s favourite superhero personally, but he’s not just Spiderman to Magnus. He’s Alec . There’s nothing in the world that could make it an impersonal, neutral chat, mentor to mentee. There would always be something more between them.Magnus sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. That’s been one bright spot in his job hunting hell - having his wrist cast taken off. He’d felt like skipping home from that hospital appointment; it was only Ragnor’s long-suffering expression as he walked beside Magnus that stopped him from doing so.As the days drift slowly past, it seems like the nightmare of EDOM is getting further and further away from him. Another plus of moving on to a new job is that it means he’ll have less time to spend on meeting up with Asmodeus - not that he’s heard anything much from him about the company’s response or how Azazel is faring with the police.It’s somewhat disconcerting, but also a welcome break.With one last diligent read over his application, Magnus presses submit and settles back more comfortably against the cushions.-----“Magnus, this is like the seventh apartment we’ve seen today,” Ragnor says, leaning against the apartment’s doorway with disinterest. “You claimed to love the first three, and yet we’re still looking.”Magnus hushes him and peers around the living room. He doesn’t want to admit to Ragnor that part of the reason he’s been so indecisive is because nothing could compare to his last apartment next door to Alec. If he’s going to move out now from the comfort of his childhood home, then it has to be somewhere perfect.Instead, he turns to Ragnor with a raised brow.“I promised you tacos after a long day of apartment hunting, alright? So let me find a new home in peace,” Magnus says, walking over to inspect the decorative fireplace. He runs his fingers along it, hearing Madzie and Catarina joke about something in the background.“Maybe it’s not my place to say, but I think this apartment could work for you,” one of its current occupants says - Ezekiel, he’d introduced himself as. He’s standing out of the way, letting Magnus explore the place fully, but the comment isn’t unwelcome.“What are the neighbours like?” Magnus asks.“Mostly keep to themselves, to be honest,” Ezekiel replies. “I think they work in the city. Always friendly when I bump into them and they’ve never had a problem with our - uh, lifestyle .”He says the last with a wry glance at Shawn, his partner, who laughs and reaches out to take his hand. Magnus smiles at both of them: they’re clearly smitten with each other and it’s lovely to see, but it’s accompanied by a sudden, melodramatic pang of longing for him not to be quite so single and lonely.Maybe he shouldn’t have ignored all of Ragnor’s unsubtle hints that it was time for him to call Alec.Magnus pushes it away and nods at them. “That’s a relief.”Catarina wanders over, Madzie in tow. Magnus scoops her up into a hug and she snuggles into his shoulder.“How come you’re moving out?” Cat asks.Shawn grins at Ezekiel. “It’s a great place, like Zeke said, but we’re starting a family and there’s not really enough space.”Cat smiles at the pair of them. “Congratulations.”“Thanks,” Ezekiel says, with a last glance at Shawn. “Hey, Magnus, come with me - I’ll show you the rest of the apartment.”Magnus sets Madzie down to play with Ragnor and follows Ezekiel through the rest of the apartment. Shawn was right - there’s not much space, but it would do for Magnus right now. Who knows? Maybe the apartment’s occupants are fated to be lucky in love, or something.“So, how come you’re moving, if you don’t mind me asking?”Magnus waves it away, not minding the question, but decides the simplest version of the truth would be the most appropriate. “Not at all. I got a new job, so.”“Nice, man,” Ezekiel says. “What do you do?”“I’m a scientist,” Magnus says, poking his head into the bathroom. “I start at the new company in a couple weeks.”“Are you nervous?” Ezekiel asks.Magnus turns to face him and shakes his head. “No, I’ve actually known the owner a while,” he says.He looks outside: the view from the bedroom over Prospect Park is beautiful, especially as they’re hitting fall and the leaves are starting to turn crisp red and warm orange.“And besides,” Magnus continues, smiling as he glances back into the living room where Catarina and Ragnor are playing with Madzie, “I think I’ve found where I belong.”-----
He stands up straight, the mechanics of his suit whirring as he puts away the power blaster extending from his palm. Blood seeps slowly across the concrete floor of the alley. He peers down at the body, inspecting it more closely.

Killing wasn’t the plan to start with, but when people don’t cooperate, well. He gets a little impatient.

Jonathan presses his pointer finger to his palm, making his visor retract into his helmet in a series of whirs.

The suit is perfect: titanium plates carved around his body, fitted with an onboard weapons system and various sensors. The crowning glory is the set of metal wings extending from between the shoulderblades of his armor. It’s more brilliant than he could have imagined. The blurry photos that the press have - of a dark suit and eyes glowing from the helmet - don’t do it justice, but he’s not averse to the name they’ve coined for him: The Demon.

Jonathan checks his watch and hums. Almost time for the next interrogation.

Lazily, he takes off, gigantic wings helping him blast into the sky. The visor mask extends again to protect him and he soars away, flying north towards the Bronx. It’s late enough that the bodega he’s going to will be closing up, but he isn’t worried about getting in.

Jonathan lands in front of it with ease, wings folding away as he does so. He rolls his shoulders back and lifts his chin before swaggering into the bodega with his usual heavy footsteps.

“We’re closed,” the bodega owner says, not bothering to look up from where he’s wiping the counter down.

Jonathan doesn’t answer. Instead, he picks up a magazine and inspects it with mild disinterest.
The owner tuts. “I said we’re closed.” On the last word, he finally looks up at his customer, and draws in a sharp breath when he sees The Demon standing imposingly in front of him .
“Hello, Mr Lundy,” Jonathan says pleasantly, though the effect is somewhat ruined by the deeper, mechanical edge to his voice caused by the suit. He advances on the man one step at a time.

Lundy gulps, inching backwards. His eyes dart frantically around the store. “What do you want from me?”

“Information.”

Jonathan grabs the flip down counter beside the till with both hands and rips it off its hinges before throwing it across the bodega. It crashes into some shelves from the sound of tins scattering on the floor; Lundy’s face pales, eyes wide as he scans the store, clearly looking for an exit.

Closing in, Jonathan grabs Lundy by the shirt collar and hoists him up until he’s a foot in the air, pressing him against the wall. Lundy pants with fear, murmuring prayers under his breath with his eyes shut.

“Spiderman saved your wife from a fire here five months ago,” he begins conversationally. “Half his mask burned off, but no one seems to have a clear photo of it. Tell me what you saw.”

“I didn’t see anything!” Lundy cries. Jonathan sighs and shoves his forearm into the man’s windpipe. Lundy scrabbles at his arm, coughing. “He had - had -”

Jonathan eases the pressure slightly, allowing the man to talk. That’s what he came for, after all.

“He had green eyes, maybe? Dark hair.” Lundy is sweating profusely as he kicks his feet, helplessly trying to escape Jonathan’s grasp. “I don’t know, I promise. Please.”

“I need you to do better, Mr Lundy.” Jonathan presses his arm harder against Lundy’s throat again, commending himself on how patient he’s being. “Did he mention anything about getting home, where he lived? Did the paramedics say anything to him?”

“I don’t know, I swear,” Lundy forces out, gasping for air. “I was just so happy to see my wife, I didn’t pay attention to him. I’m sorry. Please, I don’t know.”

Jonathan snarls, dropping Lundy to the ground with a thud. Why are people so useless? At this rate, he’ll have to find every person Spiderman has ever saved in the city.

“If you see him again, tell him I’m looking for him,” Jonathan says to Lundy, stepping over him.

Lundy coughs violently from the ground, spitting at Jonathan’s feet. “He’ll stop you. You’re nothing compared to Spiderman.”

Jonathan almost coos at the man’s misplaced devotion. He looks at his palm, turning it over and watching the blaster come to life as he presses his finger to his palm again.

“Hm. I guess you won’t be able to tell him after all,” Jonathan says, shrugging. “Did you check your insurance after the last fire?”

Without waiting for Lundy’s answer, Jonathan laughs and shoots his blaster around the bodega. The explosions ring out below as he soars into the air, and despite his disappointing night’s work, he’s sure he’ll be seeing Spiderman very soon.
-----
Are we still on for tomorrow?

Yeah. See you there at 3.30
Magnus isn’t sure why he keeps reading his most recent text exchange with Alec, because it hasn’t changed any of the eleven times he’s read it in the last ten minutes, and is unlikely to change in the time between now and when Alec arrives.He can’t help it, though. It’s either that or pretending to be really invested in the blackboard menu outside the coffee shop to take his mind off the fact that Alec is coming to meet him - not that it’s something horrible that he doesn’t want to think about, but...well, he doesn’t really know how best to explain his feelings about it.It’s impossible to untangle the complicated knot of emotions in his chest whenever he thinks about Alec. Guilt over the way he left things between them; regret that circumstance forced it to come to that. Embarrassment over the fact that he wasn’t stronger, that he hurt Alec in the process of trying to protect himself. Worry that Alec will hate him for what he did - actually, more like sickening anxiety, even if he knows rationally that it’s not the case. And, still, relief. Relief that Alec survived everything Valentine put him through.Mostly, there’s an overwhelming sadness that their relationship was cut short before it could even really begin, all tied up with a longing that permeates his bones and hits him most strongly in those quiet moments where he wants to be able to just turn to someone and say, I’m glad you’re here with me. He misses Alec so much it’s almost a palpable thing.It had taken him multiple attempts to craft the first text to Alec. He’d wanted to share it with someone and get a second opinion, but the only people who knew the whole truth about their situation were Luke, who Magnus was sure had more important things to do than help him work out whether he sounded too needy in the first draft, and Izzy, who Magnus couldn’t quite bring himself to ask for help, given that it was her brother who was causing the dilemma in the first place.Magnus needn’t have worried. Alec had replied fairly soon after his text with some suggestions for days and times when he was free, and Magnus would be lying if he hadn’t let himself - for just a moment - giddily pretend they were arranging a date like any other normal couple.Now, waiting outside the coffee shop, he’s not fidgeting, exactly, but he is buzzing with nervous energy. His hands aren’t quite sure what to do with themselves, alternating between fiddling with his shirt cuffs and playing with his rings, and he’s thought he’s caught sight of Alec three times already before realising it wasn’t actually him.The clock on his phone ticks over to 3.29. Magnus tries not to look too obvious craning his head to search the people bustling about on the sidewalk in front of him.“Magnus! Hey.”The call comes from behind him and he spins on his heel. Alec is right there next to him, really there , and Magnus is unprepared for how devastatingly good he looks. He’s only wearing black jeans, a simple white t-shirt and a denim jacket, but the autumn sun catches in his tousled hair and his smile is brilliant and bright.“Hey,” he says again, softer this time. He suddenly looks a little unsure and glances away from Magnus, busying himself with taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into the v of his t-shirt in one smooth move. Magnus wants to hug him but doesn’t think it would be appreciated; it’s been three months since he last saw Alec and everything’s different between them now.Magnus manages to pull himself together and smiles back at Alexander, even if it is a bit strained. He’s not used to feeling this off-kilter around him.“Hello, Alec,” he says. It sounds so formal. “How are you?”“Okay, yeah,” Alec says, still smiling. He ducks his head, cheeks growing rosy. “It’s really good to see you.” There’s a beat, and then he moves towards the coffee shop door, holding it open for Magnus. “How about you?”Magnus gives a vaguely positive response as they make their way to the baristas’ counter, then they fall silent while they inspect the menu.“The hot chocolate is amazing here,” Magnus offers, both to fill the quiet and lay down the first brick of the bridge he needs to build.Alec glances at him, then back at the menu, then nods. “Is that what you’re having?”Magnus scans the menu without really reading it, then nods too. He orders two hot chocolates from the barista, and he’s pulling out his wallet to get his card when Alec’s hand lands lightly on his arm.“I’ll pay,” Alec volunteers, with a gentle smile.“Wow, your student days are really over, huh?” Magnus says. At the teasing tone, Alec’s eyes light up, and Magnus can’t help smiling. For a moment, it feels like nothing’s changed between them.Alec looks like he’s about to say something and then changes his mind, squinting as he pays for their drinks.Small talk stops and starts as they wait for the drinks to be made, a series of faltering steps like they’re dancing to slightly different beats. The clumsiness of it all makes Magnus’ heart squeeze: it’s never been like this with Alec before, even when they first met. In fact, the easiness between them, right from those very first moments, is one of the things he loved most about their relationship.The coffee shop isn’t too busy, so it isn’t long before they’re settling at a table by the window, nicely warmed from the sun.“So, what did you want to talk about?” Alec asks as he stirs his hot chocolate. He glances up at Magnus almost furtively, an encouraging smile curving his lips.It takes Magnus a minute to get the words together, because he knows it sounds ridiculous. In the end, he decides simplicity is probably best.“Well,” he says slowly. He twists one of his rings before he forces himself to stop and lay his palms flat on the table, and lowers his voice as if he’s telling Alec a secret. “I think I have...powers.” Alec stares at him for a moment. “Superpowers.”In any other life, Alec would laugh in his face, and Magnus feels weird for even saying the word ‘superpowers’ in a serious setting. Then again, Alec can shoot webbing out of his wrists, so who knows what even counts as normal anymore?“Oh.”It’s so quiet Magnus almost doesn’t hear it, and, for his part, Alec looks like he hadn’t meant to say anything at all. It’s not the kind of reaction Magnus was expecting, and he has no clue what it means.“Alec?” Magnus asks gently.Alec swallows. He looks up and shrugs in an overly nonchalant manner that Magnus sees right through, but isn’t rude enough to comment on.“It’s - I just. I thought you  -“ he breaks off again, looking flustered, and almost...embarrassed? “It doesn’t matter.” Oh. All at once, the terrible realisation hits Magnus like a swift kick to the stomach. Alec had thought that Magnus wanted to talk about them. About the way they left things. About whether there was a chance they would find their way back to each other.The thought makes Magnus as miserable as it does hopeful, because he’s inadvertently hurt Alec - again - with the misunderstanding. One look at Alec’s expression is enough to confirm it.But it’s gone in a blink, carefully schooled into something more neutral, more distant.Magnus hates it.“Sorry, it’s my fault, I shouldn’t’ve assumed anything,” Alec says briskly, hands moving as if to brush it aside before Magnus has a chance to respond. He takes a hasty sip of his drink and then licks his lips. “What kind of powers do you mean?”He’s powered on to this new topic of conversation with all of his usual determination. Magnus can see clear as day that Alec is uncomfortable at having brought up what happened between them, but he isn’t going to let the fact that Alec thought they were going to talk about them go so easily. Magnus can’t bear the idea of Alec thinking that, because he, Magnus, hadn’t planned to bring up their relationship over this coffee, that it’s a sign of things to come and he doesn’t see any future for them at all.“We can talk about us if you want to,” Magnus says softly.Alec squints down at his drink, lips pressed into an unhappy line.“Do you want to?” he asks after a pause, looking up to meet Magnus’ eye. “You said you needed space. I’m not gonna force you into it if you’re not ready.”“I know,” Magnus says, inclining his head. “But I offered. I wouldn’t have said so if I wasn’t happy to do it.”Alec looks at him for a long moment, then shakes his head. “Another time. Tell me about your powers.”Magnus watches him, then relents.“It’s some kind of electricity. At first, it was just sparks, tiny ones, from my fingertips, and then -“ he clears his throat. “I took out the power for my whole block.” When Alec’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead, Magnus hastily clarifies, “accidentally.”“Woah, okay.” Alec glances around the coffee shop, eyes narrowed in thought. “And - and how did you get your powers?”“I got bitten by a radioactive flashlight,” says Magnus, and it’s a moment before Alec realises he’s being teased and he lets out a surprised laugh. Magnus had forgotten how beautiful Alec is - at all times, but particularly when his face is alight with happiness, eyes crinkled in delight.“It’s actually not too far from the truth,” Magnus allows after a moment. “There was...an accident with a light bulb and some radioactive waste. I haven’t quite worked out all the science, it’s still a bit unclear in my head - though that could be because of the concussion, of course…” he trails off, aware he’s babbling.All traces of laughter have vanished from Alec’s face.“Concussion?” he repeats, expression full of concern. “Jesus, Magnus, are you okay?”“I’m fine,” Magnus says hurriedly. “I’m fine now, I promise. I was in the hospital for a few days with some burns and broken bones but it was weeks ago.”“Oh my God,” Alec says faintly.“I’m fine,” Magnus says again for good measure, because Alec looks like he’s two seconds away from seriously freaking out.“Would you even tell me if you weren’t?” Alec asks. “Because you only just got around to telling me you were in hospital because of, what, an explosion?”The bitter edge to his voice stings, but it doesn’t make Magnus feel as bad as the obvious hurt in his expression.“Alec, I -”Alec looks down, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That wasn’t fair,” he continues immediately. “You don’t have to tell me anything that’s going on in your life, we’re not - we’re not together. I’m sorry.”“Don’t apologise,” Magnus says, voice rough. He reaches out to take Alec’s hand, then self-doubt strikes and he pats Alec’s arm instead. “You’re right. If you’d been injured, I would have wanted to know.”Magnus swallows, uncertain of how to best reassure Alec, not wanting to make the situation worse.“I was embarrassed,” Magnus says hesitantly. Alec’s eyes flit to his. “I’ve been working with my father. That’s how I got hurt - by sneaking around at his company.”It’s a weight off to say it, to admit it to someone else who knows the truth about Asmodeus and Valentine. There’s no judgement on Alec’s face, just lingering concern, and he reaches out to cover the hand Magnus has on his arm with his own.“I guess we’re even, then,” Alec says finally, with a small smile. “Remember that time I snuck around at Idris and ended up getting clawed by Valentine?”“ That’s what we’re fondly reminiscing over?” Magnus asks, spluttering a laugh before he can help himself. “That was one of the worst nights of my life.”“Oh, thanks,” Alec says, jokingly offended, and Magnus swats him, still grinning.“Shut it, bug boy.”When did his voice turn so flirty , dear God? Magnus’ eyes go wide and clears his throat, desperately trying not to think of how last time he’d uttered those words Alec had been kissing him senseless.From the pink flush sitting high on Alec’s cheeks, his mind has gone to exactly the same place, and he seems unable to look directly at Magnus, eyes darting around the coffee shop.  “Sorry,” Magnus says abruptly. “I didn’t mean to make things weird.”“You didn’t,” Alec says, waving it away, though he still won’t look Magnus in the eye. “It was bound to happen at some point.”Magnus huffs a laugh. “Well, anyway,” he says, brushing past the awkwardness, “I was hoping that you might help me.”A silence drifts by in which Alec finally looks at him, his eyebrows raised slightly, and Magnus shifts on his seat. He fiddles with the rings on his left hand. “I - I don’t know anything about having powers, and...you do.”Alec thinks about this for a moment, then nods slowly. “I guess. But your thing sounds...different. Like, you took out the power in your whole block. ”There’s a trace of something in Alec’s voice - not worried or disgusted, but amazed. Magnus blinks at Alec, feeling unexpectedly pleased.“I mean, I’m happy to try. More than,” Alec adds, with soft smile. “But I don’t know how much use I’ll be.”“Thank you, Alec,” Magnus says. “That means a lot to me.”Alec shrugs, but he smiles all the same. “There’s a warehouse I used to go to near one of the Manhattan piers. It’s been abandoned for months so it’s probably a good place for us to test out your powers.”He’s already speaking so easily, so casually, about the two of them as an us that it Magnus’ heart skip, even though it’s not meant in that way. He can’t help staring at Alec for a little too long, realising he’s been caught when Alec says his name again with a little question inflection at the end.“That sounds great,” Magnus says. “It’s not too far from my new place.”“Oh, you’re back in the city?” Alec asks. His impression of casual interest is terrible, but Magnus doesn’t call him on it.Magnus smiles, glancing down at where Alec’s hand is still covering his own. “I needed the time away,” he says, “but I’m ready to come back now. Turns out there’s a lot I miss about my old life.”He says this last looking directly at Alec, who looks right back at him. A smile curves his lips after a second, and he squeezes Magnus’ hand.-----Magnus’ frustrated shout echoes through the open warehouse and he kicks at the ground, arms swinging uselessly at his sides.“It’s okay,” Alec says immediately, carefully. Magnus scowls at him.“I can’t do it,” he grits out. He holds his palms up in front of him, frustration and disappointment surging through him.Alec steps forward, his hazel eyes serious as he regards Magnus. “You can do it. We’re just still trying to figure out how.”Magnus rolls his eyes and moves away, wandering aimlessly in a large circle as he tries to call his powers to his fingertips. His hands are shaking with the effort, every muscle in his arms tense, but nothing happens.They’ve been at it for a good hour already. At first, they’d just been talking about Magnus’ powers some more, and then he’d tried making sparks. He’s been getting progressively more irritated at both himself and the situation, and Alec’s calm, steady presence isn’t making him feel any better.If anything, he wishes Alec wasn’t being so nice . Maybe then that would trigger him into being able to use his powers.“Hey,” Alec calls out, dragging a couple of chairs over into the middle of the warehouse floor. “Sit with me.”Magnus sighs heavily and flings himself down in one of the chairs, rubbing at his eyes with his fingers.“I haven’t told you this story before,” Alec starts, “but the first morning after I got bitten, when I got on the subway, I ripped a pole out of the train because I couldn’t unstick my hands from it. I had no clue what was happening. Then, later, when I actually tried to do it again, it didn’t work at first.”Grudgingly, Magnus asks, “How did you get it to work?”Alec shifts on his chair, glancing from side to side. “I was climbing on the bars,” he says, gesturing to the metal bars lining the warehouse walls. The next part comes out in a rush. “I kinda slipped and shot a web out on instinct to stop myself breaking my neck, y’know?”Magnus blinks heavily at Alec. “Great. So I should get into a life-threatening situation and hope my powers appear to save me?”“No, of course not,” Alec says at once. He rubs at the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. “I just - I dunno. I wanted you to know that I get it. It takes time to be able to control what you can do.”Magnus makes a non-committal noise and scuffs at the ground with his shoe.“Maybe it’s about not thinking too hard,” Alec continues. When Magnus looks at him, he shrugs. “Until now, your powers have responded to your emotions, right? So, maybe it’s about feelings, not thoughts.”Magnus has to admit that that does make sense. But he’s feeling plenty annoyed right now and that isn’t helping him, so there’s probably no chance it would even work .No, that’s not fair. He shouldn’t write it off like that - if he hasn’t even tried getting proof of whether it works, how will he ever be sure? He looks at Alec, whose expression is full of both encouragement and determination, and grits his teeth. It’s worth a shot.Magnus nods and closes his eyes, focusing on his breathing. In. Out. He tries to quieten his thoughts as much as possible, pushing everything away and just letting himself feel the moment.He holds his hands up in front of him but keeps his eyes closed, still drawing in deep breaths. Magnus lets the emotion of everything that’s happened in the past few months wash over him, lapping at his consciousness, and tries to channel it into his powers.It doesn’t feel like anything’s happening and he’s almost ready to give up when he hears it: a barely perceptible whisper from Alec of, “Holy shit.”Cracking his eyes open, Magnus realises he’s bathed in blue light from the electric orb hovering in his hands. It’s like it’s almost alive, showing some resistance as he wiggles his fingers back and forth, and he can’t help the delighted, disbelieving laugh that escapes him.When he glances up, Alec’s looking at him like he’s never seen him before, his expression filled with wonder. Slowly, he starts smiling.“Magnus, you’re -” Alec beams at him. He glances away, then back to Magnus, and he seems almost shy when he adds, “can I touch it?”Magnus’ brows lift, the light in his hand sputtering and burning down low to a small ball.“What if it hurts you?” he asks, frowning down at the tiny orb in his hands. It had responded to his reluctance without him even trying, a realisation that gives him a small burst of triumph.Alec inches his chair closer. “It’s not hurting you.”Magnus glances up at him. “But your webs don’t stick to you, do they?” he points out.Alec pulls his gaze away from the power Magnus holds in his hands for the first time. His smile is bashful, but there’s something else in it too - anticipatory, like he’d been waiting for Magnus’ challenge.“They do sometimes.” There’s a beat. His eyes meet Magnus’. “If I’m distracted.”Magnus’ lips curve into a smile he can’t help. “Do you always have an answer for everything?”Alec shrugs easily. “Someone’s got to keep you on your toes.”The casual confidence in his voice and the way he licks his lips as he looks at Magnus makes heat burn in Magnus’ gut for a moment. He’s not sure whether he should be embarrassed when the orb in his hands flares brighter blue at the sensation.  He forces himself to look away, hears Alec clear his throat.“I mean, you’re right, though,” Alec concedes. “But I know the risks, if you want to call them that. Besides, I heal quicker than most people, anyway.”“Reassuring,” Magnus says drily, and Alec grins at him.Magnus relents and holds his hands up. The warmth in Alec’s gaze makes his chest fizz pleasantly and he tries to push the feeling into the energy flowing around his hands. The orb ripples at the sides and grows slowly; Magnus waits until it’s about the size of a basketball and then holds back on making it any bigger.Alec reaches out tentatively, eyebrows scrunched together in an unspoken question as he looks at Magnus for confirmation. Even the small display Magnus has just managed has given him the self-belief that he could shut off his powers quickly if he needs too, so he nods.“Go on.”Alec prods gently at the ball of light, wonder taking over his expression.“Woah,” he breathes softly.Magnus regards him. “Did it give you a shock?”Alec shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the electric orb. “S’just warm. Tingly. It’s nice.”He draws his hand back at the admission and clears his throat, but Magnus can’t help smiling at what he said.“So,” Alec continues, “what did you want to try?”Magnus glances around the warehouse. It’s a mostly metal structure, but there’s an expanse of space around them and plenty of spare parts they can put together into pieces to help him train.“I want to see what I can do with it,” Magnus says, letting the orb flicker out. “Can I transfer it to someone else? Can I throw it? What kind of damage does it do?” At the last, he hastily clarifies, “just so I know what I’m up against. Not to do any damage.”Alec nods. “That makes sense. Should we start with how you move with it?”Magnus’ chair scrapes noisily across the floor as he pushes it back to stand. It’s less restrictive standing; he rolls his shoulders a couple of times and shakes his hands. He’s feeling rejuvenated now he’s actually managed to conjure his powers, ready to push himself as far as he can go.With one last look at Alec, Magnus closes his eyes and draws in another breath, trying to find that sense of calm presence he’d had earlier on. When he opens his eyes, there’s another orb in his hands, much quicker than last time, giving him a confidence boost.Slowly, he starts moving his hands, testing out how the electricity flows. When he wiggles his fingers, they pass through the electricity as easily as they would through smoke. The blue haze follows as he moves his hands, wisps dancing across his skin. It feels almost like magic.The orb grows without resistance to a certain point, then just as it’s becoming unwieldy, it splits into two - one in each hand. Magnus pushes them backward and forward, tries to blend them into one again, just getting a feel for the way they react.He glances over at Alec, who’s watching him with a soft smile.“Keep going,” he says, nodding.Magnus returns to his practice, feeling more confident with each new movement he grasps. But being able to throw a ball of energy takes more of his concentration than he’d realised it would, and he’s out of breath by his fifth failed attempt. Considering he’s mostly standing still, it’s taking a surprising amount out of him to be playing with his powers like this.His earlier frustration returns. Logically he knows he’s made tons of progress, but this stumbling block has him feeling like he’s not got anywhere at all. The next time he tries to conjure electricity, all he can manage is a shower of sparks that drift pitifully to the concrete floor of the warehouse.“Should we call it a day?” Alec asks, a little hesitant.“We?” Magnus asks irritably, but it’s not aimed at Alec. He bites away the feeling and turns to him, apologetic. “Yes, I think so. I’m more tired than I realised.”Alec nods. He picks up their two chairs and returns them to where he found them, then grabs his bag and hoists it over his shoulder. Magnus retrieves his stuff, too, muscles aching as he walks back over to Alec, and the two of them leave the warehouse.“Same time Thursday?” Alec asks, once they reach the main street.Magnus stops him with a hand on his arm. “If you can make it, I’d like you to be there,” he says truthfully. “It probably wasn’t very exciting for you, but you really helped me. Thank you.”Alec shrugs, smiling. “It’s -” he breaks off, then takes a breath and continues with whatever he was going to say. “It’s just cool, what you can do. I had fun watching you.” Then a mortified look crosses his face, bringing an amused smile to Magnus’ lips. “Not in a weird way. I just mean - oh my God.”Magnus laughs lightly, squeezing Alec’s arm. “I know what you mean, don’t worry.” His laughter dies but his smile remains, growing softer as he looks at Alec. “See you soon, Alec.”Alec nods and starts backing away, smiling as well. “I can’t wait.”-----When Alec steps into the warehouse the following week, Magnus has already been there for a couple of hours, heading over straight after work like every other day.“Hey,” Alec says, lifting his hand in greeting. Magnus waves too, letting a dusting of sparks fall from his fingertips as he does so. Maybe he’s trying to show off a little. So what?Alec’s eyes widen briefly and he chuckles.“I brought snacks,” he says tossing his bag down on the floor.Magnus perks up and heads over to him with a smile. “Thank you, Alec.” He can’t help marvelling at the care Alec takes of his friends and family. “Good day?”Alec sighs. “Yeah, I guess. I feel like I’m making a difference to people’s lives, but some of the things they’re going through, it’s just - horrible.”Magnus nods. “I’m sorry to hear that.”Alec sends him a small smile and then crouches down to peer into his bag. He’s reeling off a list of the food he brought but Magnus is only half paying attention, distracted by the red material he can see in the backpack.“Your suit?” he asks, kneeling beside Alec. Alec pauses, then nods. “You’re going back to it?”“Yeah, I - yeah.” He squints at Magnus. “How do you know I stopped?”Magnus glances away, fiddling with the rings on his left hand. He doesn’t know how to say I checked up on you without it sounding creepy.“I kept an eye on the news and stuff while I was with my mom,” he says eventually. “I wanted - to make sure you were okay.”It’s a small thing to say, but Magnus feels bared by the admission. Alec blinks at him, then purses his lips as if he’s stopping whatever he’s about to say from coming out.“Well, you’re right,” he says instead. Alec runs his fingers over the material of the suit. “I guess being here with you over the last couple of weeks, it reminded me why Spiderman became something bigger than just me, you know? We have powers . What’s the point if we don’t use them to help people?”  Magnus nods, the words resonating with him in a way that they might not have before. Alec’s hands linger on the suit, sparking an idea in the back of Magnus’ mind - him with his own suit, a symbol of the fact that what they’re doing is bigger than the two of them. Maybe Jace might make him one if he asked nicely.“I think Izzy knew I’d come back to it at some point,” Alec continues with a half smile. “It feels like she knows me better than I know myself sometimes. She’s been experimenting with this comms tech over the summer - wireless headsets and stuff, you know? She said wants to be there with me somehow.”Magnus smiles wistfully. “I don’t know if I’ve ever known anyone as protective of each other as you Lightwoods,” he says, but his mind is on Raphael.Alec shrugs and laughs softly. “I guess.” He clears his throat. “Anyway. What have you been working on?”Magnus stands up, brushing his hands down on his sweatpants. He walks away a couple of paces to give himself some space as Alec straightens up too, then closes his eyes and centres himself. With a graceful wave of his arms, he passes an orb of electricity from one hand to the other, shifting the energy easily.Alec seems impressed as he regards Magnus, which makes warmth glow in Magnus’ chest. With a concentrated effort to clear his mind and focus on the feeling Alec inspires, Magnus visualises the orb flying through the air as best he can.He pulls his arm back to throw the ball of energy in his hand, still keeping his mind free of distractions, and lets the electric orb soar through the air. It dissipates above them in a shower of sparks.“Wow,” Alec says, smiling.Magnus grins at him and tries again. Another couple of attempts end in failure, but with practice, he starts to get the hang of it. After the fifth ball of electricity he’s thrown in a row, Alec clears his throat.“Do you wanna try throwing it at some targets?”Magnus nods. “That’s a good idea.”“You could throw it at me,” Alec suggests, stepping forward.Magnus gives him a sideways look, half concerned that Alec seems to have so little disregard for his own wellbeing. But Alec doesn’t seem nervous at the prospect; he actually looks excited.“Maybe another time,” Magnus says firmly. Alec shrugs.Between them, they lift into place some spare pieces of wood that are lying around, propping them against a wall of the warehouse. Alec grabs a discarded can of red spray paint and draws a couple of bullseyes on them. Magnus stops him before he can do a third and takes the can of paint, spraying the Idris Corp logo on the wood. The red paint drips like blood and it seems rather fitting.He lifts his chin defiantly before turning to face Alec, ready to defend against any challenge that might be thrown at him. Not that Alec would side with Valentine Morgenstern under any circumstances, but he might chastise Magnus for being insensitive. When Magnus looks at him, though, Alec just seems furtive.There’s a moment’s pause.“We never talked about - uh, everything that happened,” he forces out. “I know why we didn’t, of course, I’m just saying - maybe we should. At some point.”Magnus nods slowly. It’s not going to be an easy conversation, but if they want to move on, Alec’s right - they need to talk about it.It’s the kind of conversation he wants to have somewhere safe, private, just him and Alec. Like old times flits into his mind before he can stop it and he pictures himself and Alec cooking together as they talk. It seems fitting that they should talk about their loss as they work together to create something new.“Yeah,” Magnus says, then gestures around the warehouse. “Not here though. Another time.”Alec glances around. “Yeah.”Magnus takes a breath. If he doesn’t ask, he’ll never know.  “Maybe over dinner at my place one evening?” he asks, heart tripping over in his chest. Alec looks at him without saying anything, so Magnus endeavours to fill the silence. “I can’t promise it will be up to our usual standards - my new kitchen is much smaller than the old one, the whole apartment is, in fact, but I’m sure we wouldn’t fare too badly -”“Magnus,” Alec interrupts, smiling, “I’d love that.”-----Magnus wipes the sweat from his forehead and opens his water bottle, gulping down half of it. They’ve been training for a few weeks now, and Magnus has started to notice how quickly he’s getting the hang of it. His powers feel natural, like an extension of him, and Alec has been incredible in guiding him through figuring out that bond with his abilities.Alec, who’s standing in a burgundy T-shirt that clings to his arms and smiling at Magnus.“What?” Magnus asks lightly, quirking his lips up in a half smile.They’ve been at the warehouse for most of the afternoon. Magnus has been practicing hitting targets, alternating the size of his electric orbs, and even seeing how long it takes to recharge from a power source when he’s used up different amounts of energy. As he practices more and more, he can feel himself getting stronger - but he can also tell that this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more he can do with his powers.It’s not like that’s easy to figure out, though. No one has written a book called Superpowers For Dummies .“Nothing,” Alec says, shrugging. “You’re doing a great job. I just - well, it’s different, you know? Hitting a still target and hitting a moving target.”Magnus tilts his head, intrigued.“All I’m saying is that the offer still stands if you wanted to practice throwing stuff at me.” Alec folds his arms across his chest and Magnus inhales. When Alec had offered days ago, Magnus still hadn’t felt fully in control, but now he’s more confident in his abilities - and he sees what Alec is getting at. Moving targets are harder to work with. And Alec can take care of himself.Magnus eyes Alec up and down slowly. From the trace of a smirk on Alec’s face, the provocation is clear to see for anyone who knows Alec as well as Magnus does. It’s like Alec is daring him to refuse.Shit.“Okay,” Magnus says. “I love a challenge.”Alec smiles brightly and moves over to one side of the warehouse as Magnus moves to the other. Alec stands perfectly still, his hands tucked behind his back as he waits for Magnus’ first blow. Magnus wiggles his fingers, feeling the crackling electricity between them activate, and in a flash, he creates an orb of electricity and throws it towards Alec.Alec shifts out of the way Matrix-style, as if he knew all along where Magnus was going to aim.Magnus takes a deep breath, walking to the right slowly as Alec follows suit. They circle the warehouse, both focussed intently on the other. Igniting another orb, Magnus quickly sends two flying at Alec, and while Alec dodges one easily, he barely gets out of the way for the other. Still, he’s grinning as he beckons his fingers towards Magnus, as if to say, come on then. Magnus feels himself smiling, too. It’s hot in the warehouse, and whatever this game between them is, it’s electrifying. There’s a tension in the air that’s not unwelcome but definitely a little inconvenient, since they haven’t had time to talk about their relationship yet.  Before Magnus even has time to throw another ball of energy towards Alec, a web is shot towards him; Magnus dodges it, surprised. Alec lifts his eyebrows, clearly impressed.Okay. Two can play at that game.They begin shooting electric currents and webs back and forth at each other, dodging and attacking. There’s no aggression in it, but there doesn’t need to be for him to relish in it - this is what Magnus was looking forward to with his training. Using his powers actively like this makes him feel strong and in control. It’s like flexing a new muscle.Somehow, as they’ve been circling each other, they’ve ended up drawing closer and closer together. Magnus dodges a quick attack to his right and sends an electric ball towards Alec, which he shifts away from. Then Alec sends two webs Magnus’ way, one that Magnus darts away from, and a second that he doesn’t notice.It sticks just above his right hip and as soon as it makes contact, Alec tugs. Magnus is pulled forward as Alec moves towards him, catching Magnus in his arms.They both pause.It feels all too familiar, reminding Magnus of the night they shared on his old balcony. A night where Alec had whispered a confession against Magnus’ lips and entrusted him with keeping his secret. Being back in Alec’s arms makes Magnus’ heart thump loudly. His hands come up to rest on Alec’s biceps as Alec holds on to Magnus’ hips.Magnus can feel the electricity still crackling in between his fingertips. He wonders if Alec can feel it too.Slowly, Magnus tilts his head up and meets Alec’s eyes. Adrenaline is still pumping through his veins from their earlier sparring. Alec is watching him as if he’s the most wonderful thing he’s ever seen. They’re close, so close Magnus could just lean in and kiss him. He wonders whether he’d feel the same butterflies in his stomach that he did the first time that they kissed.Magnus can say without hesitation that he’s never felt anything like what he feels towards Alec. It’s beautiful and safe and thrilling all in one.They’re two magnets being drawn together. Magnus squeezes Alec’s biceps as he closes his eyes, leaning forward, and -Alec’s ringtone blares through the warehouse, snapping them both out of the moment.Alec’s breath hitches and he pulls away. “Um,” he says softly, more a breath than a word.Magnus reluctantly opens his eyes. “You should get that,” he says.Alec visibly hesitates, opening his mouth to say something, before nodding. He steps away from Magnus and Magnus instantly misses the warmth from their embrace as Alec jogs to his phone.Magnus wills his heart to stop beating so fast while he watches Alec’s animated conversation with his brother. Curse Alexander Lightwood and the effect he has on him.For a distraction, Magnus walks over to his water bottle and takes a sip, sitting down on a nearby chair. Alec joins him once he hangs up the phone and he smiles sheepishly.“Sorry about that,” Alec says. “Jace wants me to pick up some groceries on the way home.”Magnus hums softly. “Don’t worry about it.”He doesn’t mention what was happening just a couple of seconds ago, and Alec doesn’t bring it up either. Instead, he tells Magnus about how he’s still trying to mend his relationship with his siblings by making sure he’s there for them as much as he can be. There’s guilt in his voice, and Magnus wants to reassure Alec that he is a good brother and a good person, but it somehow feels out of place.Alec shakes his head, turning the focus of the conversation back to Magnus.“Hey, how’d your mom take your move back to the city?”“She took it well. I think for her it shows that I’m healing,” Magnus says, shrugging a shoulder. “It was hard to leave her again, but she likes my new apartment and I’ll visit her soon.”Alec grins. “That’s good.” They lock eyes for a moment and Alec jerks his head towards the centre of the warehouse. “Back to it?”“Absolutely.”-----The party is in full swing by the time the Lightwoods arrive, many of Magnus’ guests having been at his for over an hour already. His tiny apartment is pretty packed, jubilant sounds of laughter and chatter and music spilling out as he opens the front door to greet them.Isabelle is at the front, raising her arms immediately for a hug when she spots Magnus. “Happy Hallo-house warming!” she cries, smiling and wrapping her arms around him. The movement makes the plastic bag over the arm of her Princess Peach costume sway, and Magnus isn’t surprised to see some of the bottles clinking within it are already only half full.“Hello, Isabelle,” he says, laughing as he returns her hug. Behind her, Maia - dressed as Princess Daisy - is watching fondly.She catches Magnus eye. “We might have started early,” she says, lips quirking wryly.Magnus lifts a brow. “Couldn’t tell,” he says. “Come on in.”Maia catches Isabelle’s hand in hers and the two make their way into the apartment, Jace filing behind them. Magnus can’t help snorting at Jace’s Spiderman costume, and Jace grins widely, clearly pleased at the reaction.“Call me biased, but I much prefer your brother in that suit,” Magnus says as he passes. Jace just claps him on the back and asks if he’s seen Simon yet, but wanders off before Magnus has a chance to reply.That leaves Alec as the last one at the door, shaking his head and smiling at his siblings as they disappear into Magnus’ apartment. Magnus takes advantage of Alec’s momentary distraction to force his brain to function again, because Alec’s dressed as a fireman, showing off his well-defined arms and long legs in a white tank top tucked into dark blue pants with a pair of honest to God suspenders over the top. Magnus really doesn’t know when it got so hot in the room.“Hey,” Alec says, meeting Magnus’ gaze, still smiling that crooked smile. Magnus blinks a couple of times, trying to summon an ounce of his usual verve. When was the last time someone affected him like this? Back in the warehouse when he and Alec nearly kissed , his brain unhelpfully supplies.“Hi,” Magnus says, and it’s more breathless than he’d like. “I like your costume, Alexander.”Alec huffs a laugh, glancing down at himself, and then back at Magnus. “Thanks. I like yours too.” He narrows one eye, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. “Um. Who are you?”Magnus pretends to be offended.“Danny Zuko, obviously,” he says, gesturing from his quiff to the T-bird leather jacket with a broad sweep of his hand. He wiggles his eyebrows at Alec. “Like greased lightning .”Alec covers his face with one hand, laughing reluctantly. Magnus feels giddy from both hearing the sound and knowing he caused it, even if the joke was rather terrible.Alec’s still chuckling as he hands Magnus a small present wrapped in gold paper. “I got you something.”“Me?” Magnus asks, feeling touched as he takes the gift from Alec’s outstretched hand.“Yes, you.” Alec shrugs. “Housewarming present. You don’t have to open it now.”Magnus watches him for a moment, then carefully slips a finger under the sellotape that’s neatly holding the wrapping paper in place. He can feel Alec’s eyes on him as he unwraps the present: a simple, yet elegant ebony photo frame that holds a picture of the view out over the water from Battery Park. The thoughtfulness of the gesture takes Magnus’ breath away; it’s not callous or cruel, just a gentle reminder of a place that means a lot to both of them.“Thank you,” Magnus says, sending Alec a warm smile. Alec ducks his head, smiling back at him.“I hope you like it.”Magnus nods, cradling the photo frame against his chest. “I do.” Alec is gazing at him with such tenderness that he has to look away, feeling unworthy. Magnus clears his throat. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”He reaches out for Alec’s hand, tugging him inside the apartment, trying to ignore the tingles he gets from feeling Alec’s hand in his. It’s probably just his sparks acting up.“Oh,” Alec says, gently pulling Magnus to a stop, “wait.” He sounds serious all of a sudden, and Magnus turns to him with wide eyes, listening intently. “I forgot to say earlier - the power you’re supplying? It’s electrifying.”The line is so unexpected that it takes Magnus a second to react, and then his chest feels like it’s bubbling over with joy and delight and he can’t help the loud laugh that stutters out of him.“You never cease to amaze me, Alec,” Magnus says.Alec seems immensely pleased at his reaction, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he smiles at Magnus. It takes Magnus a moment to realise how close they’ve gotten: if he shuffled even half a step forward, their chests would brush. The lowlights of the party set Alec’s face in a glow that makes him look more beautiful than Magnus can ever remember.They’re still holding hands, something Magnus is made acutely aware of when Alec’s fingers delicately trace the skin of his wrist, the touch blazing like fire.“Magnus…” he starts, looking at him with those big hazel eyes. “These last couple of weeks, I -”He’s about to say something when someone stumbles into Magnus from behind, pushing him forward. Alec’s hands dart up to steady him, though Magnus quickly rights himself, and Magnus’ assailant starts babbling an apology.“Oh, man, that was like, the worst timing, I’m so sorry,” Simon says, eyes wide. The plastic fangs in his mouth muffle the words and make the situation seem ridiculous.Despite his annoyance at Simon ruining the moment, Magnus dredges up a smile from the place the boy has held in his heart ever since they’d first met at Luke’s years ago.“It’s fine,” Magnus fibs, waving him away. “No harm done.”Simon eyes him suspiciously like he doesn’t quite accept what Magnus is saying, but he presses his lips shut anyway. There’s a slightly awkward pause, and then Alec clears his throat impatiently.“Did you want something, Simon?”Simon’s eyes swivel to Alec.“Right, you were in the middle of something,” he says, shaking his head at himself. “But, uh - yeah. The others are looking for you.”“The others?” Alec asks, brow raised.Simon gestures, flustered, looking between Magnus and Alec. “Isabelle. She said something about you promising to do tequila?”Magnus can’t help laughing as Alec groans sheepishly, scrubbing a hand over his face.“We should -” he starts, looking at Magnus apologetically.“Right,” Magnus says, nodding. “Let’s join the party.”He’s pleased to note that Alec doesn’t let go of his hand as they weave their way through the crowd of people once Magnus has tucked Alec’s gift safely into a cupboard. As they approach their group, the first one to spot them is Luke, who sends Magnus a knowing look when he sees they’re holding hands.Magnus rolls his eyes, but he can’t help smiling. Alec heads over to his siblings, Maia, Simon, and Clary, and Magnus walks towards Luke, who’s sitting with Jocelyn, Dot, Catarina, and Ragnor.“Having fun?” Luke asks, grinning wolfishly. It’s rather appropriate, given the werewolf costume he’s sporting. Jocelyn’s wearing pirate get up, Dot’s dressed as a faerie, Catarina a witch and Ragnor is, apparently, a fawn - though Magnus had politely inquired why he was dressed as a horned toad when he greeted him at the door.“Plenty,” Magnus says airily. He helps himself to wine from the bottle on their table and clinks his glass against Dot’s when she holds it out to him. It’s such a relief to see her so strong again; passing her in the street, you wouldn’t know anything of the ordeal Valentine put her through. Neither she nor Magnus will ever forget, though, and he’ll never forgive himself for not checking on her sooner.He’ll do everything he can to help her now.“Who was that?” Catarina asks, nodding sideways at Alec.Magnus catches sight of Alec laughing at something Maia just said; he looks particularly gorgeous in that moment. He bites his lip to hide his smile, and before he can answer, Ragnor jumps in, nudging Cat’s arm conspiratorially.“That’s Alec.” “Oh.” The way Cat says it makes Ragnor and Luke laugh and Magnus more than a little nervous. Catarina grins. “I’ve heard about your not-date dates.”“Yes, well, Ragnor’s always been a terrible gossip, hasn’t he?” Magnus says blithely, sipping his wine. “Alexander and I are just friends.”“At the moment,” Luke chips in. The rest of them laugh as Magnus scowls good-naturedly, but in truth, he really doesn’t mind the teasing. It’s nice to know other people see the spark between them and that it’s not just in his head, and it makes him wonder whether maybe he should take that leap and talk to Alec about the two of them.Magnus departs the group with a pointed quip about finding some people to talk to that he actually likes , making the rounds of the people at the party and talking to all of his guests. At some point, someone turns the music up and they all start dancing to terrible Halloween tunes.Everyone’s having fun, shouting exuberantly and laughing. Then Magnus turns with the crowd and, out the corner of his eye, he catches a flash of elegantly combed dark hair. When he looks again, whoever it is has gone, but the person’s passing resemblance to Raphael has him stumbling.How could he have forgotten? Halloween was one of their favourite holidays: they’d celebrated it almost every year together since they became friends, the only exceptions being when Raphael was on duty. Seeing everyone here together without Raphael makes the pain of losing him roar back to life, a phantom ache Magnus had managed to push aside temporarily.Magnus excuses himself from the jubilant crowd and forces his way outside to the stairwell outside his apartment. He draws in lungfuls of air, fighting to keep his breathing as measured as he can.It’s not a bad thing, he reminds himself. It doesn’t mean he’s forgetting Raphael. It just means he’s moving on.Guilt rushes through him at the thought and sparks flicker at his fingertips, pinpricks of light in the dingy stairwell. No. It’s not moving on. He’ll never move on, not truly. But he’s slowly healing.He spends several more minutes outside in the relative calm, getting both his breathing and his powers under control before heading back in. While everyone’s distracted by the dance battle Luke and Simon are having, Alec winds through the crowd to find him.“Hey, you disappeared. You okay?” he asks. Alec turns to smile at him as he says it, clearly just a little bit tipsy.Magnus nods, though he still feels a little shaken. His eyes find Catarina set apart from the crowd, standing in the kitchen talking. Trying to push Raphael’s ghost to the back of his mind and summon some of his usual verve, he takes Alec’s hand.“Come on. There’s someone I think you’ll want to meet.”Alec follows him to the apartment’s tiny kitchen, where Catarina is chatting to one of Magnus’ new colleagues.“Cat,” Magnus calls, when their conversation seems to have come to a natural pause. She turns around and smiles at the pair of them; as she crosses the short distance towards them, Magnus feels Alec go still beside him.“Wait, is that -” Alec breathes, and Magnus squeezes his hand in answer.“Hi,” Cat says, holding her hand out to Alec. “I’m Catarina.”Alec introduces himself and shakes her hand, looking a little dazed as he does so. Catarina sends Magnus an amused look, clearly believing Alec to be nervous about meeting her.“Don’t worry, I’ve only heard good things,” Cat says, though she winks at Magnus.“Good, that’s great,” Alec says, an undertone of something running through his voice that makes Magnus stop and re-evaluate. He can’t be nervous about seeing Catarina again, surely, because there’s no way she’d recognise him outside of the Spiderman suit. So he must be nervous about meeting her because she’s one of Magnus’ best friends, and that means -“So, how’s the volunteering going?” Catarina asks Alec, taking a swig of her beer.Alec glances at Magnus for a second, eyes wide, then he starts telling Catarina about his work at the law clinic. Magnus would be embarrassed at the implication that he’s told Cat everything about Alec if it hadn’t made such a pleased smile bloom on Alec’s face.“How’s your daughter?” Alec asks Cat, after he’s finished his story.Catarina’s expression turns from friendly to bemused in a blink. “What?” she asks.There’s a moment’s pause in which Magnus marvels at Alec’s ability to put his foot in his mouth, and then Alec’s talking again.“Magnus, uh - Magnus mentioned you have a daughter,” he says hastily. The excuse is plausible, at least, and seems to placate Catarina, who tells them with fondness about Madzie’s first couple of months in third grade.Magnus watches the pair of them interact and smiles; it warms his heart to see them getting on. He feels so lucky to have been able to reconnect with them both, even though their respective relationships ended in very different ways. Even though losing Raphael shattered everything he knew, he’s still got people he loves around him, and he’s going to keep them as close as he can.That means no more lying, no more secrets. It’s time he told Ragnor and Cat the truth about what happened at Idris - and he wants to tell everyone else about his powers, too.“Magnus?”He shakes out of his thoughts at Catarina’s voice and her hand waving in front of his face.“Sorry,” he says. “I was miles away.”Alec nods towards the living room. “We’re gonna join the others. Coming?”Magnus nods, taking Catarina’s arms and following his friends into the party.“Yeah,” he says. “Let’s go.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The morning after the party drifts in lazily. The sunshine filtering through the blinds is washed out and wintery, but Magnus is cosy from his spot on the floor, wedged between Catarina and the couch. Keeping the blankets tucked around him, he first checks on Cat to see if she’s still sleeping, then peers around the room at the various guests that had stayed over.Dot is curled in Magnus’ favourite armchair in the corner of the room. At the foot of the armchair, Luke and Jocelyn are snoozing on the floor beside Catarina. Ragnor had commandeered Magnus’ bed for himself, but Catarina and Magnus, having slept over at each other’s houses dozens of times as teenagers, weren’t strangers to their current sleeping arrangements.Jace is sprawled across three adjacent dining chairs in a manner that Magnus assumes is wholly uncomfortable, but he seems to be sleeping soundly. Looking at Jace’s makeshift bed, Magnus is actually glad that Maia had to leave so she could get to her internship in the morning, as had Simon and Clary, who both had early college classes. They’d all shared a lift home, and that was probably preferable to sharing their personal space - which is what they’d have been doing if they had ended up staying in his apartment.On Magnus’ other side, Alec and Isabelle are snuggled on the couch. At first, Alec had insisted Magnus sleep on the couch instead of him, but in the end Izzy falling asleep on him and his reluctance to wake her had rather dampened his willingness to move. All Magnus can see of the pair is Alec’s long fingers and the graceful curve of his wrist where it lays over the edge of the couch; he has a vague, alcohol-blurred memory of them falling asleep holding hands. But he can picture the two dark-haired siblings, and is suddenly hit with a vivid image of them as children, as fierce protectors of each other as you’d ever see.Catarina mumbles something sleepily from beside him. Magnus turns to look at her, tucking his head into his palm, but whatever she’s about to say next gets disrupted by a yawn.“Morning,” she says, through the tail end of the yawn. “Sleep okay?”Magnus nods, smiling fondly at her. “You?”She shrugs. As she moves closer, Magnus puts his arm around her, and she rests her head on his shoulder.“I should get back to Madzie soon.”Magnus hums. “Stay for breakfast,” he says. “Your mom has her till twelve, right?”He feels, rather than sees, Cat nod. Satisfied, he extricates himself from their blanket cocoon and stands, slightly more unsteadily than he would have liked. Cat burrows back into the covers, making Magnus smile again as he heads to the bathroom to freshen up.After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he checks on Ragnor - snoring loudly - and then treads carefully through to the kitchen, minding the sleeping bodies on the living room floor.He’s in the middle of pulling together breakfast for everyone when there’s a light rap on the kitchen door. He looks up to see Isabelle standing there, wrapping a cardigan around herself.“Need any help?” she asks, walking towards him. Magnus hands her the spatula and she takes over watching the pancakes he has cooking while he lifts down plates from a cupboard. She seems perky despite the previous night’s drinking, chatting away to him about her college classes as she expertly flips the pancakes.Magnus is glad to see her energised about her love of science again, rather than feeling guilty about being taken in by Valentine’s act. She reminds him of himself when he was younger. They trade ideas back and forth as they cook, and at one point Magnus is so wrapped up in telling her about one paper he read that he doesn’t notice they have an audience.Luke is smiling at them both, then gestures to the food on the counter. “Should I wake the others up?”After a few minutes, everyone is happily crowding into the kitchen, serving up breakfast. Jace loudly declares that Magnus is his new favourite person and even Ragnor offers his compliments to the chef; Izzy takes full credit for the pancakes, which Magnus is only mildly miffed about.With almost all of his loved ones gathered in one place, Magnus can’t help thinking about his promise to himself the night before. He tastes the words in his mouth, testing the weight of them on his tongue, but a burst of feeling stops him every time they’re close to being voiced. Nervousness, doubt - anticipation, maybe.He glances round at them all. There’s so many people he’s close to here, yet two whose reactions he cares about more than any others. Ragnor and Catarina are his oldest friends and closest confidants - yet they don’t know a secret about him that Alec and Luke do. If they take it badly, he doesn’t know what he’ll do.But he won’t know until he tries.Magnus decides that’s where he wants to start. While it might only be two people, Cat and Ragnor mean everything to him. He wants to take the time to do this properly. The next time they’re together as a trio, he’s going to tell them everything. The rest can come later.The loud laughter of Jace and Luke brings him back to himself, and he finds the rest of his guests smiling at a joke he evidently missed as they finish up their food.Magnus catches Alec’s eye over the rim of the coffee cup he’s nursing and smiles at him. Alec mouths thank you at him and smiles so sweetly it makes Magnus’ heart do a little flip in his chest. In the end he has to put his mug down and busy himself with clearing away the plates to stop feeling so flustered.Eventually, his guests start dispersing. Catarina leaves first to pick up Madzie, followed by Dot and Isabelle, who’ve struck up an unlikely - though unsurprising - friendship after what happened at Idris Corp. Ragnor bids them goodbye in the early afternoon, and Luke and Jocelyn leave a little while later, to be home in time for cooking supper with Clary and Simon.Jace and Alec are the last ones there. To Magnus’ surprise, the two of them tidy his apartment without being asked, neither seeming particularly keen on leaving too soon. He understands why Alec is lingering, but Jace’s motivation is somewhat more of a mystery.Something in his expression must give him away as he looks at Jace, because Alec snorts and says to him, “He’s a hard ass who doesn’t want to pay for an Uber on his own, if you’re wondering why he’s still here.”Magnus lets out a noise of understanding from where he’s perched on the arm of the couch and smiles while Jace protests.“I’m helping out a friend,” he says, waving the beer can filled trash bag he’s holding for emphasis.“Right, because you and Magnus are such good friends,” Alec says, at the same time as Magnus says, “We’re a step up from acquaintances, at best.”Alec puts his hand up for a high five with Magnus as Jace actually pouts.“Fine. I know when I’m not wanted,” he says good-naturedly, heading towards the apartment door and picking up trash bags on the way.Magnus watches him go, eyes dropping to the couch when Jace has left. He traces a groove in the threads of the couch with his thumbnail, mind drifting to his promise to himself to tell Catarina and Ragnor about his powers.Alec crosses the room to sit next to him on the couch.“You okay?” he asks. “Looks like there’s something on your mind.”Magnus hums absently. “Did you find it easy, telling your siblings? About your powers, I mean.”Alec’s lips quirk in a half-smile, then he shrugs. “I didn’t actually tell them - any of them. They found out before I had a chance to.”“Oh,” Magnus says.“But then we talked about it,” Alec goes on, clearly sensing that wasn’t the answer Magnus had been hoping for. “They were all worried, but they understood.”“Do you wish you’d told them sooner?”Alec kind of nods. “I guess. It wasn’t just the powers thing for me, though - it’s the fact that I was using them. Living a double life was stressful, and I don’t think I could have kept it up much longer.”Magnus glances down, still tracing the fabric of the couch with his thumb.“Cat and Ragnor. What if they -” he starts, but finds himself struggling with words he can’t bear to say. What if they’re scared of me? What if they hate me? “React badly?” Alec fills in, though the soft tone of his voice suggests he knows what Magnus was really thinking. “I don’t think they will. They’re your friends, they love you. Plus you’re, like, the most intelligent man I know. You choose your friends wisely.”Magnus laughs a little. Alec smiles at him.“Catarina helped me, you know,” Alec adds. “Not me - Spiderman. The night of the fight at Idris.” He leaves Magnus to take from this what he will and shrugs. “It’s your choice. You have to do what’s right for you.”Magnus nods. “Thank you, Alexander.”Jace chooses that moment to make his reappearance, blowing his hair out of his face as he shuts the front door. Alec nods towards Jace and says to Magnus in a low voice, “Why don’t you do a practice run on him?”Magnus glances to the side, where Jace is now washing his hands at the kitchen sink.“I know you want to tell Ragnor and Catarina first,” Alec continues, “but you could try it out on Jace. His reaction doesn’t matter so much if you’re just a step up from acquaintances .” He says the last teasingly, prompting a smile from Magnus.When Jace wanders back into the living room, both Magnus and Alec are looking at him. He eyes them a little warily, then shrugs.“You ready to go, Alec?”Magnus holds up a finger. “Wait just a moment, would you?”“Sure,” Jace says easily, sitting down in the armchair. “What’s up?”Magnus clears his throat, surprised at how nervous he feels. Alec gives him a reassuring nod.“You know I was in hospital several weeks ago?” he starts.Jace sits up straighter, his disposition turning serious. “Right. Izzy told me you were in an accident.”Magnus ignores Alec’s frown at what Jace said, instead wringing his hands as he works out what to say next.“Of sorts. I was in a lab where some radioactive material was being stored incorrectly and the place exploded.”“Holy shit,” Jace mumbles, eyes wide.Magnus half smiles. “Afterwards, I realised I could...” he trails off. “It might be easier if I show you.”He draws in a breath to settle his nerves and cups his hands together. When he pulls them apart, there’s a blue ball of energy glowing in his hands.“You have superpowers, like Alec,” Jace surmises, smiling. “That’s amazing. How does it work?”“I don’t know,” Magnus admits. “It doesn’t make much sense to me.”“It’s cool, though.” Jace chuckles. “You know what this means, right?” He looks between Magnus and Alec excitedly. “You’re a team of superheroes! Dude, Simon would freak.”Jace’s reaction lifts a weight off Magnus’ shoulders and he feels himself relax, but beside him, Alec shuffles uncomfortably on the couch.“We’re not Batman and Robin, Jace.”“Nah, you’re more like the Avengers. Bunch of hot dudes running around in weird - skin tight, in Alec’s case - costumes.”Magnus can’t help the laugh that escapes him. Alec is glaring at his brother. Jace looks pleased, but his expression soon turns thoughtful.“Do you have a suit, Magnus?”Magnus shakes his head. Without looking at Alec, he says, “No.” Then, carefully, “I was wondering if you’d consider making me one.”“Wait, what?” Alec says immediately, brows shooting up. He glances between Magnus and Jace, who’s nodding. “You never told me you were thinking about that.”Magnus waves an airy hand as he stands up. “I’ve not - it’s not something I’ve thought about fully. It’s just an idea that won’t let me go.”Alec purses his lips and looks like he’s about to say something more. Magnus can’t help but read the pinched look on Alec's face as annoyance and feels his guard go up.“I don’t have to tell you everything, Alec,” Magnus says pointedly. “Like I said, just an idea. A naïve dream from when I was a kid.”“It won’t be like that,” Alec says, with some heat in his tone. “A dream? It’s - it’s not - using your powers is amazing, sure, but it’s dangerous .”“You think I don’t know that?” Magnus asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “I said it was naïve. Don’t patronise me.”Alec glares out the window for a moment. “I just thought we’d talked about this. You didn’t mention anything about wanting to become a superhero.”Having it said so plainly in the stark light of day makes the words sound embarrassing, but Magnus refuses to give in to the feeling. Alec can shoot spider webs from his wrists - this is the world they live in now. Where’s the sense in finding it embarrassing?“So what if I do?” Magnus says, then cuts himself off with a harsh exhale. “I want to help people.”“It’s - that’s not - you don’t get it,” Alec says frustratedly, making Magnus bristle. He gets up from the couch too, obviously agitated.“You said it yourself,” Magnus reminds him. “What’s the point of us having powers if we don’t use them for good?”Alec opens his mouth and then snaps it shut. He’s fiddling with the cuff of the borrowed sweatshirt he’s wearing - one of Magnus’, which decidedly does not help in this situation - but his scowl makes it clear an argument is still brewing.“Okay,” Alec says, “so, we’re gonna be - what, a crime fighting duo , now?” His voice is heavy with sarcasm.Magnus tries unsuccessfully to tamp down on the flare of anger that burns in his chest at Alec’s words.“No one said anything about an us , Alec.”He can see the moment the words find their mark because Alec’s face shutters and he looks away.“ Okay ,” Jace says, holding his hands up and looking between them with something like exasperation, “let’s all take a breather.”Alec rolls his eyes.“Obviously this is a personal issue for both of you, but Magnus is smart and won’t make his decision lightly,” Jace says, aiming the last rather pointedly at Alec. “That said, Alec, you’re the only other person we know with powers. You know better than anyone what it’s like.”Alec looks at Jace, then Magnus, then shrugs lopsidedly.“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says flatly. “But do whatever the hell you want. It’s not like how I feel has ever stopped you before.”Magnus has to admit that Alec aims at and hits a target with frightening efficiency; it’s just unfortunate that here he’s piercing through Magnus’ ribcage, straight to his heart. This reaction is exactly what he was afraid of and the words feel like a physical blow. Magnus tries not to let it show on his face, schooling his features into something detached.“That’s not the same thing at all, and you know it,” he says sharply. Alec scoffs. “I had to leave the city to start healing. This is you trying to tell me what to do because you think you know best.”“But I do,” Alec says, with no small amount of frustration. “I’m sorry, Magnus, but I’ve been through this and you haven’t. I know what it’s like. You don’t.”Magnus rolls his eyes, turning away from Alec and crossing his arms. “It’s not your call, Alec,” he says with finality. “They’re my powers. I decide.”Alec shakes his head but he doesn’t say anything more, visibly affected by their argument. There’s a sense of incompleteness, but Magnus knows they’re both too headstrong to continue this now without it descending into something they might not be able to come back from.“We should probably go,” Jace says with faux lightness. “Thanks for the party, Magnus.”Magnus just lifts his eyebrows, not saying anything.“Great. Good.” Jace stands and shuffles, looking more awkward than Magnus has ever seen him before, then claps Alec on the shoulder and half-shoves him towards the door.Alec leaves first, and when he looks back his expression is a swirl of frustration, helplessness and hurt. Magnus watches him go, trying to keep his expression neutral and unaffected.Jace lingers in the doorway, turning to Magnus. “He’s our big brother,” he says, after a moment’s pause. “He’s always been overprotective.”Magnus sighs. “Thanks for coming, Jace,” he says, a clear dismissal, and Jace mock-salutes him on his way out.___Magnus mostly manages to push his fight with Alec out of his mind while he’s at work, and when he gets home in the evenings he distracts himself by decorating his apartment, going for dinner with Luke or attending a screening of a Korean new wave movie with Dot. A couple of nights he works late and crashes in bed as soon as he’s home.He’d hoped keeping busy meant he didn’t have time to think about Alec and his dismissiveness, but it seems he can’t do anything without thinking of Alec, and he can still feel the weight of the thing in his chest. It’s like a knot that pulls tighter every time he thinks about it, and it just gets more tangled the more he buries it away. By the time Catarina and Ragnor arrive on Friday evening for their newly instated monthly dinners, Magnus doesn’t know where to begin with unravelling everything he feels.But no matter what went down between him and Alec, Magnus made a promise to himself, and it’s a promise that he’s going to keep. Tonight, he’s going to tell his best friends about his powers.“Did you hear any more from your dad?” Catarina asks as he comes into the living room carrying three glasses of wine. She’s wearing a long-sleeved silk dress and tucks her feet - cosily housed in a pair of comfortable slippers she said Madzie had gotten her for Christmas - up on the armchair as she speaks.Magnus shakes his head, handing the glasses out to his friends.“Well, no more surprise visits, anyway,” he says, taking a seat on the couch himself, “but he did send me links to some of the news coverage of my uncle’s trial.”“How touching,” Ragnor intones from the other end of the couch, prompting a snort from Magnus.“It seemed very civilised from what I read,” Magnus continues. He takes a sip of his wine, trying to tamp down on the bitterness he’s feeling. “He was acquitted of all charges and that was it - EDOM is forgiven.”“So, that’s it?” Catarina asks. “They put people’s lives at risk and he just gets to walk free?”Magnus smiles humourlessly. “Yes and no. He was acquitted for the criminal negligence charges, but then some evidence turned up about other crimes Azazel was involved in - extortion or something - so he’s in jail at the moment.”“That’s convenient,” Catarina says, arching an eyebrow. Magnus hums in response.“Do you think it was your father setting him up?” Ragnor asks.“Probably,” Magnus says, shrugging. “Some twisted way to win my approval. But even if Azazel knew about the faulty storage - and I don’t doubt he did - my father knew, too. And he’s the one getting away with it.”“Could you press charges?” Ragnor says after a pause. “After what they did to you, it only seems fair.”Magnus shifts minutely in his seat. It’s as good a opening as any to tell his friends the truth about that night, but he suddenly feels a spike of nervousness that cuts off his words. He drinks more of his wine to delay the conversation, but he can’t put it off forever. And he doesn’t want to.Steeling himself, Magnus carefully sets his drink down on the end table beside the couch. He takes a breath and, heart hammering in his chest, says, “There’s something I need to tell you about what happened to me.”How he manages to inject such lightness into his voice he’ll never know; he’s clearly a better actor than he realised.“What do you mean?” Catarina asks. There’s a trace of a smile on her face, like she’s not entirely sure if Magnus is about to launch into another of his ridiculous stories.“It’s true that there was an explosion, and you already know I got hurt in it,” Magnus starts. His hand reaches up to dance around the cuff on the shell of his ear as he talks. “But I - it also.” He clears his throat. “Something happened in that room that gave me the ability to control electricity.”There’s a moment of silence.“You mean you learnt how to use a switch?” Ragnor asks, looking a little perplexed. “Because most people can do that.”Magnus blinks at him for a moment and then laughs; he can’t help it.“No,” he says, still chuckling. “I mean, me. I can control it at my will.” Magnus glances down at his hands, turning his palms over. The words are out now and he can’t take them back, but with it comes a sense of relief. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s -”“A superpower,” Cat finishes, a real smile on her face as she looks at him this time.Magnus shrugs, feeling uncharacteristically bashful. “Yeah.”“Can we see?” she asks. “Only if you want to.”Magnus nods, smiling, and conjures up a small glowing ball of energy in his palm. Even Ragnor looks impressed and Catarina hops off the armchair, coming towards him immediately.“Does it hurt you?” she asks, wide eyed with curiosity.Magnus shakes his head. “It’s hard to explain. I can feel it on my skin, but it’s just like a part of me, I guess.” He holds his hand out to her. “You can touch, if you want.”Cat does, face lit up with excitement in the electric blue glow of the power in his palm. They try transferring the ball to Cat’s outstretched hands but it sputters into a shower of sparks that, nonetheless, makes them both smile. Magnus shows them some more tricks - he conjures another ball and tosses it from hand to hand, sets a sprinkle of spark-confetti raining over Ragnor - and they have a hundred and one fascinated questions about everything from how he first discovered it to what other cool stuff he can do.“So, you’re the new Spiderman, then?” Ragnor asks, perched on the edge of his seat. His eyes are alight as he looks at Magnus, who lets the energy between his hands fizzle out easily.He can’t help huffing a laugh at Ragnor unknowingly hitting on such a sore subject.“Oh my God, yes!” Catarina has returned to her spot in the armchair, but she leans forward to join the conversation. “You need a name. Electric Man?”“Ion Man,” Ragnor suggests gleefully. “Like in the whatsitcalled - comics thing.”“No, no, wait, I’ve got it - Battery Operated!”The two of them dissolve into laughter and Magnus finally realises they’re teasing him, but he’s not put out. Their reaction is more than he could have hoped for and their easy acceptance means everything to him.“Neither of you are funny,” Magnus says, shooting them the driest look he can muster.“No, but seriously,” Catarina says, once she’s finished wiping the tears from her eyes, “you’d make a good superhero.”Magnus hums noncommittally, looking to Ragnor for reassurance; he just lifts his eyebrows in a way that plainly says, well, she’s right .“Remember that time in eighth grade when those dicks on the football team were bullying Chloe Yang and you stepped up right in front of them and got them to shut the fuck up?” Catarina says. “Definitely superhero material.”Struggling to hide his smile, Magnus says, “Well, I guess it’s something I thought about a bit.”“‘A bit’,” Ragnor chuckles. “You should get in touch with Spiderman.”Magnus badly stifles a laugh at the irony of the statement. “And how am I meant to do that?”Catarina comes back immediately with, “Look him up on the web. ”Magnus ignores the comment while she laughs.“Put out a request on social media or something,” Ragnor suggests, shrugging. “Isn’t that how we do everything these days?”Sighing, Magnus admits, “I don’t know if I’m ready for anyone else to know about what I can do yet. I don’t want to put it out there publicly.”“That’s fair enough,” Ragnor agrees. “So, you haven’t told anyone apart from us, then?”Magnus plays with the stem of his wine glass, avoiding answering. His easy, jovial mood deflates at the memory of how things had gone last time he told someone - how quickly the situation with Alec had spiralled.“Thank you for trusting us with this secret,” Catarina says, in a quieter voice, once it’s clear Magnus isn’t going to say anything.“Of course,” Magnus says, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He looks up, meets Catarina’s gaze, then shakes his head and looks away.“Magnus?”He sighs. Alec’s secret isn’t his to tell, so he decides being economical with the truth in this situation would benefit them all - and it means he doesn’t have to explain to Ragnor and Catarina why he had told his ex-boyfriend’s brother about his powers before he told them.“I told Alec,” he says. “I told Alec and everything just - got away from us, I guess. One minute it was fine and the next moment we were having this massive argument.”“Was he afraid of your powers?” Catarina asks, frowning.“No, not at all. He just doesn’t want me to use them. He said it’s ‘too dangerous’ and then he started acting like he knows better than me about what I should do with my powers, just because he -” Magnus breaks off, realising he’s about to reveal more than he should. “Just because he watched the news about Spiderman,” he finishes lamely.“Screw him, then,” Ragnor says flatly.Catarina snorts. “Ragnor’s right. You’re Magnus Bane . You’ve never let anyone tell you what to do, least of all a dumb white boy - so don’t start now.”“I know,” Magnus says, rubbing at his temples, “but it just made me so angry. Like I couldn’t handle it and he had to protect me from myself.”He makes a frustrated noise and drops his head back on the couch cushions. Clearly, leaving his annoyance to simmer away all week hadn’t been the best way to deal with it. The fact that he’d known that without needing the benefit of hindsight just made everything worse.“Okay,” Ragnor says, standing up and wandering over to Magnus’ liquor cart. “What’s the strongest alcohol you’ve got?Three hours and countless drinks later, Ragnor and Catarina are dancing round his apartment, stumbling and giggling, but Magnus still feels mostly like shit and the alcohol is just amplifying the feeling. There’s a hollowness in his chest every time he breathes and he feels empty inside, having lost Alec just after he’d got him back.He swirls the whiskey in his glass, ice cubes clinking against the sides. Watching Cat and Ragnor, he doesn’t want to put a downer on their mood; they deserve to have a good night. While they’re preoccupied with changing the music that’s blaring through his speakers, Magnus slips into his bedroom, deciding to call the one person he knows will always listen to him. Raphael always had time for Magnus when he needed to spill his heart, and he always knew how to fix Magnus’ problems.Magnus sits on the side of his bed, smoothing the covers with one hand as he unlocks his phone with the other. Opening his contacts app, he taps onto ‘Favourites’ and finds Raphael’s number easily. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows it’s not a good idea, but the drunken, heartsick part of him easily takes over. Magnus hits the call button.Bringing the phone up to his ear, he can’t hear a dialling tone; instead, there’s a woman saying something to him on the other end of the line - this number is not in service . He holds the phone up in front of him to check he’s got the right number.“Raphael?” he says into the phone. This number is not in service. The weight of it sits on his chest, guilt and grief clawing their way into his throat and cutting off his air. He sucks in a painful breath.“Oh, God, oh God .”He grips the phone more tightly in his hand, knuckles going pale with the effort.“Raph,” Magnus forces out, feeling tears prick behind his eyes that he swipes away with his other hand. “I miss you. I need to talk to you.”His breath comes in short, sharp bursts now, each inhale a jab. The phone slips from his grasp. His vision blurs as tears fall and he jams his palms into his eyes until iridescent colours play in front of his vision.“I need you.” It doesn’t sound like his voice. “I need your help. I need to talk to you.”A bitterly ironic thought hits him then: that Raphael would probably say Magnus shouldn’t use his powers either, because he might get hurt. Of course that would be the only thing Raphael and Alec would agree on.The sound he lets out is raw and broken.“I can do it,” Magnus says, as much to himself as anything. “Everyone wants to protect me but I can do it , Raph. I -”A sob works its way out of his throat and he slides off the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them tightly, as if to stop anything from hurting him again.___Throwing himself back into work for the next few days, Magnus is pretty tired by the time he’s leaving the office on Thursday. It’s been interesting, sure, but the long hours he’s been putting in are taking their toll.He’s barely stifling a yawn as he steps out of the elevator. As he walks through reception, bidding goodnight to the woman at the desk, he just happens to glance at TV screen behind her playing a news channel, and he stops dead.A banner is scrolling across the bottom of the screen. BREAKING NEWS: SPIDERMAN CAUGHT IN AMBUSH BY DEMON, FOUR ONLOOKERS SERIOUSLY INJURED. The footage playing shows Spiderman swinging over a busy intersection while being chased by -Magnus moves closer, eyes flickering over the screen as he takes everything in. It looks like some kind of winged creature but, up close, he can see it’s a human in a suit of armour with wings attached to the back. He has a vague recollection from when he was checking the news for any information about Alec that the press christened this character ‘Demon’, and he’s inclined to agree from the way it’s shooting gleefully at Alec with no regard for the collateral it’s hitting along the way.Magnus swears under his breath and races out the office. As he runs to the subway station he wrestles his phone out of his pocket and dials Isabelle’s number.“Hello?”Magnus is momentarily thrown by the male voice on the other end of the line. “Jace?”“No, it’s Max,” the person says. “Izzy’s other brother.”“Right. Hi,” Magnus adds needlessly. “It’s Magnus. I’m Alec’s -”“I know who you are,” Max says easily. Magnus is glad, because he has no idea how he was going to finish that sentence. Then, sounding distracted, Max says, “Motherfucking Demon -”“O-kay,” Magnus says haltingly, pulling up to a stop. He catches his breath. “Look, Max, I’ve just seen the news. What can I do to help?”There’s a frantic, garbled conversation from the other end of the line and someone - it sounds like Isabelle - swears loudly.“We’re at Alec and Jace’s place,” Max says. “You can - shut up, Jace, I’m on the phone - come over if you want.”“I’m on my way.”Magnus gets to his old apartment block about half an hour later. The journey didn’t take too long, but the stress caused by reading about the fight and constantly refreshing his social media feed for updates makes him feel like he’s aged about ten years.It’s strange, being back in the old building. Even though it’s just over a year since he moved in, so much is different now - so much changed in such a short space of time.Magnus ends up outside his old apartment on auto pilot and it’s only when he’s reaching in his pocket to pull out his keys that he remembers what he’s actually doing here. One of the last times he’d been in this corridor, he’d -Shoving the memory of Alec’s heartbroken expression out of his mind, he spins on his heel to face the apartment opposite and raps smartly on the front door. After a moment, it swings open, revealing a worried-looking Jace.“Hey, man,” he says, stepping back to let Magnus in. “Come in.”Magnus thanks him and takes off his shoes and coat in the hallway, then follows Jace through to the living area. Isabelle is sitting cross-legged on the couch with her laptop in front of her, giving urgent commands into the headset mic she’s wearing. She flashes Magnus a brief, stressed smile and then returns to what she’s doing. Beside her, a dark-haired teenage boy who Magnus presumes is Max is sitting, scrolling through various social media pages about the fight on the tablet and phones in front of him.Jace gestures to one of the chairs.“Make yourself at home,” he says. A frown passes over his face as Izzy’s volume rises, urgently telling Alec, Magnus realises, where to run.“That’s the comms system she’s been working on?” Magnus asks, careful to keep his voice quiet and not create too much background noise.Jace nods. With a ghost of a smile: “Iz always needs a summer project.”Magnus goes to take a seat on the couch, turning his attention to the TV. The volume’s low but the visual is enough - whoever this Demon is, they’re causing carnage in Lower Manhattan. Emergency response units are at the scene by now, but it looks like all the Demon’s energy is still focussed on Spiderman, as everywhere Alec goes the Demon follows.Jace wanders in and out of the room, stockpiling what seems to the contents of a first aid kit on the coffee table. Magnus’ breath catches, remembering the time he’d patched Alec up on his couch after his encounter with Valentine.“Is it always like this?” he asks when Jace sits down.Jace shakes his head. “Alec and Izzy have been trying out the system over the last couple weeks, testing their range, but never with anything as serious as this.”Magnus nods. Jace doesn’t say anything more and they both turn to watch the TV just as Alec gets blasted by the Demon, causing the web he’s swinging from to snap. The news helicopter captures him in freefall for a moment before he manages to shoot a web at rooftop and arc up to it, but the Demon’s mechanical wings mean it can easily follow.Alec jump downs onto a fire escape on the next building over and races down while Izzy continues hurriedly giving him instructions. “Stay on Pearl Street, alright?”It doesn’t help that they can all hear the commotion outside the apartment, the sound of helicopters audible without the sound on the TV. Just knowing how close Alec is without being able to help him - the uselessness Magnus feels makes him itch to do something.The comms system crackles. “Right?” comes Alec’s voice, and in the confusion he makes a right turn onto Peck Slip.“No, Alec, turn back -”“Iz -” There’s more garbled sound. “- hear you -”“Alec!” Isabelle swaps a wild, concerned look with Max. “Alec, can you hear me?”He’s still pelting straight down Peck Slip towards the elevated freeway and, beyond it, the East River. As he runs, the news helicopter following him shows him tapping the comms link in his ear, but no one in the living room can hear anything. “Fuck,” Izzy swears, “I’ve lost him.” She fiddles with some of the controls. “I can’t get it back.”There’s a flurry of movement on screen and Alec’s sent sprawling forwards as the Demon swoops in and knocks him off his feet. Alec quickly scrambles up and shoots three webs in quick succession, arcing up to the rooftop of one of the buildings to his left. He runs diagonally across the rooftop, sure-footed even though it looks precarious as hell to Magnus, then shoots webs to swing out over the traffic-packed freeway and soar up to the Brooklyn Bridge.He lands with a thud atop one of the bridge’s towers, dropping to his knee from the impact. Alec slowly lifts his head as the Demon leisurely descends, lightly touching down at the opposite end of the tower. Below them, emergency vehicles line the bridge, sirens blaring, and journalists swarm around the news vans that have pulled up, too.Magnus can see Alec is shouting something to the Demon, gesturing desperately at the people below. The Demon pauses for the first time, cocking its head at Alec. Then it opens fire with each of the blasters in its suit, firing randomly at the response crews and people on the bridge.Alec takes off and launches himself at the Demon; the two of them dive off the tower. The Demon’s wings falter under the extra weight and they both fall jerkily through the air, tumbling down onto the elevated freeway running alongside the river.The TV news helicopter sweeps after them. Alec somehow managed to shoot enough webs as he fell to cushion some of the impact and he drags himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the freeway barrier, panting. Magnus is in pain just looking at him. Across the freeway, the Demon has crash-landed on top of a minivan, denting the roof quite spectacularly.Alec watches him for a moment, unmoving aside from his heavy breathing.Magnus should be there. He should be there helping Alec, not sitting at home biting his nails as he watches on from the sidelines. The Lightwoods and Magnus are glued to the TV, the apartment eerily silent apart from the background sirens coming from outside. Magnus feels so hopeless watching Alec fight someone who so clearly has the upper hand. He could have helped stop these people from getting hurt; he could have helped take down the Demon. Feelings of guilt and helplessness wash over him.He should be there.With a roar, the Demon shoots upwards from the minivan, obliterating it with a targeted hit from his blaster.
“Spiderman.”
The Demon’s voice is chillingly low and distorted, sending a shiver down Magnus’ spine. Alec doesn’t even pause before he vaults over the freeway barrier, landing on a corrugated metal roof just below it. He uses that as a support to swing to the ground and, once he’s down, weaves quickly through the cars parked under the freeway.The Demon flies down from the freeway and lands on South Street, his heavy boots causing cracks to appear in the road’s tarmac. He advances on Alec, lifting his blasters and shooting them several times in the air, at the bridge holding the freeway above, at cars parked around them.Alec appears from his hiding spot behind one of the cars and shoots several webs in quick succession at the Demon’s weapons, blocking them from use. The Demon throws its head back and laughs raspingly.“You really think you can stop me?” it sneers. It cleans the webs from each blaster in turn with an easy swipe of its hand. “You’re nothing. Just a little - itsy - bitsy - spider.” It punctuates each word with a pulse of energy from its blasters that hits everything in its path - including Alec. He flies through the air and lands heavily on the ground.In the living room, there’s a sharp whine of sound, and the comms system springs back to life. Alec’s pained groan sounds even louder in the near silence of the room, all three Lightwoods and Magnus unable to look away from the TV screen.“Iz -”“Alec!” Isabelle cries. She’s leaning forward on the edge of her seat, wide eyed as she watches her brother lie on the floor between the parked cars. “Alec, you need to get up.”Magnus doesn’t think he’s imagining the trace of dry humour in Alec’s voice when they all hear, “M’trying.”The picture momentarily blurs as the news helicopter flies up and over to the other side of the freeway, hovering over the river for a clear view of the action. From this side, it’s clear to see that the pillars supporting the freeway are starting to buckle. Alec inches forward, crawling along the ground, and Magnus silently urges him on, praying he makes it out before the pillars give way.
He should be there.
Every movement Alec makes looks like it’s costing him, but the Demon is still coming - it looks like it’s taking its time, enjoying its pursuit of Alec with sick delight. It stamps the ground wherever it goes, cackling, and its huge metallic wings flick and curve through the air, knocking the cars aside with little effort. Dust and rubble drop haphazardly from above as it moves.Alec has nearly dragged himself from under the freeway and out the other side when he turns - seemingly with great effort - to face the Demon. The Demon is lit up from behind with the blue glare of police lights; the colour glints off its suit of armour and bathe it in light.“Last words?” the Demon asks.“S’gonna collapse,” Alec slurs.Just as the Demon raises a hand to its ear mockingly, the part of the freeway directly above it gives a shuddering crack and caves in, releasing a plume of dust and dirt and brick as the cars on the road above crash down. The news helicopter turns tail to avoid getting caught in it; the picture on the screen swings wildly as the camera moves and it doesn’t show Alec at all.Jace shoots off the couch yelling his brother’s name and Magnus grips the edge of the couch cushions so hard his knuckles go pale.“Alec,” Isabelle says harshly, fear bleeding into her tone, “Alec. Are you okay?”Max climbs over and takes the headset from her, trying to reach Alec too.Magnus feels sick with anxiety and his heart is racing wildly but he forces himself to stay calm. He leans over and takes one of the phones from in front of Max that’s open on a Twitter hashtag for Spiderman.Waiting for the page to reload seems to take a lifetime and his worry doubles, trebles, but then he catches sight of the latest comments about Spiderman escaping. There’s even a blurry photo of Alec shooting a web at one of the benches looking out at the river, just managing to pull himself out the way in time. The relief Magnus feels is a physical thing, shoulders slumping and his breath escaping on a sharp exhale.“He’s okay,” Magnus says, then repeats it more loudly when the other three turn to look at him. “Look - he made it out.”They crowd round the phone as he holds it up, watching with identical expressions of concern until a cough sounds from the comms system. Isabelle grabs her headset.“Alec?”“I’m okay,” comes the quiet reply. “I’m on Spruce Street and Frankfort Street. What’s the quickest way home?”Jace moves towards Izzy, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. He leans in towards the mic. “Stay there, Alec. I’m coming to get you.”___Alec is leaning heavily on Jace when they get back to the apartment ten minutes later. He’s got one arm draped around Jace’s shoulders and clutches his mask in his other hand; his jaw is clenched as he keeps his breathing steady. The Spidey suit is covered in dirt and Magnus can see numerous rips and tears in it.Alec rests his head against the doorframe, looking out over the room. He sends an exhausted, pained smile in Izzy and Max’s direction, always the big brother, but his eyes go wide then immediately dart away when he spots Magnus.He glances down the hallway to where his bedroom. “I’m gonna get changed,” he says gruffly, not looking at Magnus.“Alright, buddy.” Jace squeezes his shoulder lightly as Alec limps towards his room, running a hand raggedly through his hair. After a few moments, they hear the shower start running.“He looks like shit,” Max says unceremoniously. Izzy chokes on a laugh and swats her youngest brother’s arm. “Max,” Jace chides, but Max just shrugs. “You’d probably look like shit if you’d taken a dive off the Brooklyn Bridge.”Max quirks a smile. The tension in the room has eased considerably since they’d set eyes on Alec, alive and - not well , exactly, but whole - and it’s clear from the way the Lightwoods are bickering light-heartedly that they’re feeling relieved, but there’s still an agitation simmering under the surface for Magnus.He can’t believe how close they came to losing Alec - again - and he knows he could have helped, could have distracted the Demon so that Alec had time to get away, could have -“I’ll make some tea,” he says, shooting up from the couch so he has something productive to do with the nervous energy buzzing through his hands.While he busies himself in the kitchen he can hear the TV playing, newscasters dissecting the Demon’s attack and its aftermath. Isabelle and Jace are in discussion over the report, but Max wanders into the kitchen to stand with Magnus.“You okay?” Max asks, brow creased. He looks so much like Alec that Magnus has to smile.“I’m fine,” he says reassuringly. “It’s not the first time I’ve been through this.”Max nods, watching Magnus pensively. “It is for me,” he admits. He hops up on the counter and leans his head back against the wall units. “Jace made me watch the fight at Idris Corp, but I didn’t know Alec was Spiderman until he came home.”Magnus lets out a noise of sympathy, even though the reminder of that night caught him off guard. It’s as if Max realises this too, because he sits up straight and fixes Magnus with a regretful look.“Your friend,” he starts, “he - I shouldn’t’ve brought it up like that. I’m sorry.”“It’s okay,” Magnus says, because he knows Max didn’t bring it up to be callous.He pours the teas, then hands one to Max, who takes it with thanks.“Hey, um,” Max starts, then breaks off, frowning down at his tea. “I’m glad I finally met you. I wish it was in different circumstances, but you mean a lot to Alec, so.”Magnus forces a smile, setting the rest of the mugs out on a tray. “I’m not sure he feels like that just now.”Max hums. “He said you two had a fight. Was he being an ass, as usual?”Magnus’ smile is infinitely more genuine this time. “Yes,” he agrees, “though neither of us behaved particularly kindly.”With a shrug that seems to say, that’s life , Max hops down from the counter.“Thanks, Max,” Magnus says, as he picks up the tray of mugs and follows Max into the living room. “I’m glad we’ve met, too.”Alec’s slumped across the couch when they return, hair shower-damp and curled over his forehead. Izzy’s sitting on the arm of the couch beside him, dabbing the cuts on his arm and chest with a cotton pad. The sharp tang of antiseptic is strong in the air.Max plops down on the other couch so the only available seat for Magnus is next to Alec. Max gives Magnus a pointed look as he sets the tea tray down and Magnus glowers in response. Maybe his budding relationship with Max is over, after all.“How are you feeling?” Magnus asks Alec, because whether or not they’re talking to each other right now, he does care, and he can see how beat up Alec is looking.“Been better,” is all Alec says, and, okay - he’s clearly still pissed.Magnus sighs, not missing the look Isabelle shoots Alec, and turns his attention to the TV. They’re spared any further antagonistic conversation by the door buzzer going.“I’ll get it,” Jace volunteers, putting his needle, thread and Alec’s suit carefully down on the coffee table before standing up.Magnus can’t see the doorway from where he’s sitting, but he recognises the familiar voice exchanging pleasantries with Jace, which is why he isn’t surprised when Luke steps into the living room, still dressed in his Chief’s uniform.  “Hey, I came as soon as I could,” he says, greeting them all and sending a warm smile in Magnus’ direction. “How are you holding up, Alec?”“Just cuts and scrapes, nothing major,” he says, shaking his head. Magnus holds back a snort. “What about the people on the freeway?”Luke scrubs a hand over his face and takes a seat on the couch beside Jace. “There were a couple of fatalities,” he says, voice brimming with barely suppressed anger, “but mostly injuries, thank God.”“And the - the Demon?” Isabelle asks.Luke pulls a face. “No sign. They searched through the rubble at the collapse but it wasn’t there. It’s like it vanished into thin air.” With a heavy sigh, he adds, “No one’s caught anything on the police radio yet, either.”“How can it just disappear?” Max asks. “It must have been caught on camera or something.”“I know.” Luke sounds just as confused as Max. “I’ll keep you posted if we hear anything.”Max nods, but he doesn’t look happy. “I just don’t get it,” he says, sounding agitated. “Why was it going after Spidey? If it wanted to cause the most damage to - I don’t know, make a statement, or something - Washington Square Park was just fifteen minutes away.”Before anyone can respond, Max continues, “ And , Alec, what the hell? Why didn’t you wait for the cops to back you up?”“Max, he was shooting at people,” Alec exclaims, looking at his brother incredulously, moving away from where Izzy’s still tending to his cuts. “What was I supposed to do?”“Not get hurt, that’s what you were supposed to do,” Max snaps, but his bottom lip quivers ever so slightly as he says it. In that moment, Magnus is reminded of how young Max is, and how much he’s lost. “You tackled him off the bridge. What were you thinking?”Alec exhales harshly. “I had to stop him. He was attacking innocent people.”Max shakes his head, clearly not accepting Alec’s argument. Magnus has to agree with him.“It happened this close to your apartment, Alec! What if it knows where you live? That means you and Jace are both in danger and -”He cuts himself off and pushes up from the couch, storming down the hallway to Jace’s room and slamming the door.“Well done,” Jace says to Alec, rolling his eyes.“Lay off him, Jace,” Isabelle shoots back as Alec gives Jace the finger. “Max just needs to calm down.”“I think Max has a point,” Magnus says gently. Alec’s eyes snap to his. “You don’t have to do it all on your own, Alec.”Alec’s expression falls somewhere between belligerent and betrayed. “What did you expect me to do?”Magnus stares at him. “You could have asked me for help .”Isabelle’s interjection of, “Wait, why?” goes ignored.“It wasn’t like I planned it,” Alec shoots back. “And - anyway, no, I couldn’t have. I’m not gonna put you in danger like that.”Magnus rolls his eyes. “But it’s fine for you to put yourself in danger, is that right?”“That’s not -” Alec starts, then cuts himself off with a groan. “Magnus, I don’t want you to get hurt!”“Why the hell do you think I feel any differently about you?” Magnus asks. “Can’t you see that’s the point Max was making? Why do I need permission to throw myself recklessly into any situation when you just go ahead and do it without thinking about how the people who care about you will suffer if you die?”“I’m not - it’s not reckless ,” Alec says petulantly. “I was trying to save people’s lives.”“I know, it’s always for the greater good,” Magnus says derisively. “It doesn’t matter. Tonight you went and did exactly what you tried to stop me from doing the other day. You’re such a hypocrite.”Magnus hates that they’re fighting again. He’s tired of the constant disagreements, and he’s still hurt that Alec has been so defensive with him. He just wants to help .“Hold on,” Isabelle says firmly, hands raised placatingly, “what the hell are you two talking about?”“The accident in my father’s lab gave me superpowers, Isabelle,” Magnus says tiredly. Izzy’s eyes go wide but she doesn’t say anything. “Alec doesn’t want me to use them because it’s dangerous , but then he’ll go and throw himself off a bridge because he can -”“It is dangerous,” Alec snaps, raising his voice. “I watched Hodge and Raphael bleed out in front of me, Magnus.” His voice cracks and he looks away, shaking his head. “I - fuck .”Isabelle rubs a hand comfortingly over Alec’s arm, but she’s watching Magnus with a thoughtful gaze.“I know,” Magnus says, sighing. “I know. But if we fight together, we can keep each other safe.” His volume drops and he looks straight at Alec, knowing the truth of his heart is written all over his face. “Anything’s better than sitting on the sidelines, watching you get hurt.”Alec looks back at him, something raw in his gaze. They don’t take their eyes off each other until Luke speaks.“You’ve been training together, right? You can build each other up. The two of you would stand a better chance against him,” he points out. “Strength in numbers and all that.”“We can fix the comms system so it works for you two in the field and us here,” Jace adds. “I think I know someone who could help us with it.”Alec shoots his brother a look. “Sure. Why don’t we invite the whole block along?”Jace rolls his eyes. “Get your head out of your ass, Alec. I’m just trying to help.”“Alec’s right,” Isabelle says. “This should be on a need-to-know basis, especially until we know why the Demon was going after Alec.”“We can trust Si,” Jace says firmly.“Simon?” Luke asks, then he nods, a smile beginning to appear on his face. “He’d be a good addition to the team.”“Seconded,” Magnus chips in. He’s known Simon forever and the idea of having him around is a pleasant one, even if Simon does talk Magnus’ ear off, from time to time.Alec shakes his head, looking frustrated. “There is no team. The minute Valentine knew who I was, everyone in my life was in danger. So there's no team.” He sends a guilty look Izzy’s way. “Izzy’s just helping me out for a bit.”“Hey, that’s not fair,” Jace says, glaring at his brother. “We’re all here, Alec. Let us help you.”Luke looks at Alec imploringly. “Simon will be able to help you with comms so that, when you’re out there, you and Magnus can talk to each other - and us. That means you can keep in touch, watch each other’s backs. Most important bit of being partners.”Magnus sends Luke a grateful look. It means a lot to him to know Luke is on his side, fighting in his corner. It’s also clear from the way Alec hasn’t said anything in response - is just scowling down at his lap - that Alec isn’t going to challenge Luke so readily as he would his siblings, or even Magnus. Whether it’s a result of Luke’s closeness to Alec’s mom, his experience as a cop or simply his kind heart - or a combination of the three - Alec seems inclined to listen to him most, at the moment.“That was the point of the comms system, Alec,” Izzy says reluctantly. “So I can help you when you’re out there. If Simon fixes it, that’s a good thing, right?”Alec waves a hand. “Yeah, fine,” he says, a little impatiently. “It’s not Simon that’s the problem.”He doesn’t even look at Magnus as he says it but Magnus knows it’s directed at him. His frustration and anger, which had simmered down, spike back up and in a blink he’s seconds from telling Alec where to stick his self righteous bullshit.“We’ve had a long night,” Luke says, holding up his hands. “Let’s talk about it when we’ve had some sleep.”“Magnus, Luke, will you be alright getting home?” asks Jace.Magnus nods, suddenly struck with a strange nostalgia for the times when he slept over at Alec’s and only had to step across the hallway to be back at his own apartment the morning after.“Thanks, Jace. Say goodbye to Max from me,” Magnus says, inflection turning upwards at the end. Jace sends him a brief smile.Magnus and Luke stand up to show themselves out, and after strained goodbyes, they head out into the New York night.___“Hey, guys,” Simon says, waving as he appears in Magnus’ line of vision. “Sorry I’m late - my lecture ran over. It was on principles of taxation. I literally didn’t know there was so much to say about alternative tax bases.”Luke and Magnus both laugh as Luke scoots over in their booth to let Simon sit down.“Why did you choose accounting, again?” Magnus teases.Simon looks pained. “My mom. But I regret everything that led me to this moment.” He dumps his bag down beside him and rifles through it for his wallet. “Actually, I’m gonna get a drink. Do you want anything?”They both wave him away, having gotten their own coffees when they arrived at the little café on the corner about half an hour ago. They return to their conversation from before Simon arrived - the latest crime thriller they’ve both been reading - while they wait for him to come back with his coffee.“So,” Simon says, placing down a coffee topped with cream and caramel as he slides into the booth, “what did you wanna talk about? Jace said it was something cool.”Magnus and Luke share an amused glance.“Well, he’s not wrong,” Luke says, smiling. “Look, Simon, what we’re about to tell you - stays between us, alright?”Simon nods, miming zipping his lips. “I can’t believe you’re ‘if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you’-ing me.”“We wouldn’t kill you,” Magnus says, shrugging. “Your baby pictures may end up in Jace’s possession, though.”Unfortunately, the threat doesn’t quite have the desired effect. Simon just grins and says, “But I was such a cute baby!”Magnus hums. “High school photos, then?” he enquires innocently, and Simon pales.“Leave him alone,” Luke laughs. “But, Simon, I mean it. Between us.”Simon turns serious, nodding. “Got it.”“Magnus,” says Luke, gesturing openly to him, “it’s your story. Do you want to do the honours?”And so, over several cups of coffee, Magnus fills Simon in on everything that’s happened over the last few months: Alec being bitten and getting his powers, becoming Spiderman, how Valentine Morgenstern of Idris Corp had been the monster terrorising the city. How Alec and Raphael fought him the night Raphael died.If he thought Simon was excited when he found out about Spidey, it’s fair to say he utterly geeks out when Magnus reveals that he has superpowers too. He ends by explaining about Alec’s fight with the Demon a few nights ago, mentioning the issues Isabelle and Alec had with the comms system.Simon stares, wide eyed, at the table in silence as he digests everything Magnus just said.“Woah,” he mumbles quietly. “You have powers. That’s fucking awesome! And - and - Idris Corp ! We used to go there on school trips, what the fuck? Luke, d’you remember when Clary and I went in middle school and we both got glow in the dark stars to stick on our ceiling like the projection thingy in the lobby?”Simon shakes his head, not waiting for Luke to answer. “Man, I don’t even know what to say. Thanks for telling me - for trusting me with it.”Magnus inclines his head. “Of course.”“So, what can I do?” Simon asks. “Do you need my help?”Luke nods. “Accounting major by day, music technician by night,” he says, grinning. “We were hoping you’d be able to help Izzy out with the comms system.”Simon’s eyes go wide behind his glasses. “Yeah, sure. I can do that.” He grins impishly at Magnus. “Does this mean I’m on the team? Do we have a name?” He gasps excitedly. “Do we have a group chat? ”“No, it’s not that kind of -” Magnus starts, but Simon waves him away.“Never mind, I’m making one.” Simon chatters away excitedly as he talks through different name options, and Magnus and Luke share a look that’s both exasperated and fond. “Hey, Magnus, do you have Alec’s number? He never gave it to me for some reason.”“I wonder why,” Magnus says drily. Even if he’s mad at Alec right now, he can appreciate the humour in the situation.Once Simon’s finished with his phone, he looks up at Magnus and Luke, still seeming disbelieving.“I’m just -” he lets out a short laugh. “Like - man, this is blowing my mind. You have powers!” His voice dips hushed on the word and he glances around furtively. “Alec has powers! I’m never gonna be over this.”Magnus nods. “It takes some getting used to.”Simon blows out a breath and slumps in his seat. “I have a question.”Magnus makes a sort of go ahead gesture with his hands.“When you were explaining it just now, I dunno. I actually watched Spidey’s fight with the Demon the other day. Don’t you think it’s kinda weird how it was just going after him?”Luke and Magnus swap a look. “We did notice that,” Luke says, nodding. “Max picked up on it.”Simon nods. “Right. But like, what if it’s to do with Idris Corp? It looked like the Demon had some kind of vendetta or something, you know? From what you just said, Magnus, maybe it had something to do with that. Someone getting revenge on behalf of Idris - you must have seen all the idiot news pundits saying Spiderman murdered Valentine Morgenstern in cold blood.” He sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe that shit only happens in movies.”He sounds rather glum as he finishes his thought, making Magnus snort, but Luke’s staring into the near distance, clearly thinking hard.“That’s not a bad idea,” he says slowly.Magnus’ eyes flick sharply to his.“But Valentine’s dead,” Magnus says, a shiver going down his spine. “He didn’t have any family and there’s no way anyone on the Board would become the Demon for him.”As he says it, something flickers through his mind, a ghost of a thought: Asmodeus. But Magnus shakes it away as ridiculous. Whatever his father has done, even though he’d invested in the company, he wouldn’t waste his time on getting revenge for someone like Valentine Morgenstern. And Asmodeus’ gait and stature are distinctive - Magnus likes to think he would have recognised his father, even over the TV screen.Besides, his father’s enough of a demon already without literally becoming one.“That’s true,” Luke says. Then he shrugs. “It’s a lead, anyway. Gotta start somewhere.” He sends Magnus a pointed look. “If it’s attacking Alec, we all want to know more about it - and how to stop it, right?”Magnus frowns at his coffee - of course he’s going to want to stop it, especially if it’s going after Alec, and Luke knows there’s no way for him to refute the statement. He’s just more than a little disconcerted by the fact that what happened at Idris Corp - or worse - could be starting again. He thought they’d managed to leave it all behind, dead and buried in the past, but it’s clearer than ever that things are just getting started.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

With Simon’s suggestion that the Demon might be related to everything that happened at Idris Corp weighing heavily on his mind, Magnus throws himself back into training his powers. He heads down to the warehouse Alec showed him most nights after work, slowly feeling more and more confident in his abilities as he tests out the different things he can will his powers to do.

He has been testing how he can use electricity defensively, as well as offensively. If he turns his powers inwards, he’s been able to create a short-lived forcefield that forms a protective shield around his body - at the moment, he can only hold it for a couple of seconds before it dissipates into a burst of sparks, but it’s a work in progress.

Having stopped at his local Polish place he’s on his way back home when his phone starts ringing, the name

Jace Lightwood

flashing up on the screen. Seeing the name brings with it a twinge of annoyance, an unwelcome reminder of the way Alec had treated him - but Magnus remembers the way Jace had tried to tell Alec he was being an ass. He sighs as he picks up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Magnus,” Jace says in his ear. “Are you free right now?”

Magnus checks the time on his watch. “I’m just heading back to my apartment. Why?”

After a moment’s pause, Jace says, “I, uh - I have something for you. Can I come over?”

Magnus frowns. Jace is as good with subtlety as Alec is and he’s never known him to be this secretive before. “Sure. I’ll see you in an hour.”

Jace confirms and then says goodbye, leaving Magnus to wonder what the hell is going on as he heads the rest of the way home. He hopes to God it’s not some awful intervention to make him and Alec talk to each other again, but he can’t quite see Jace pulling a stunt like that. He’s over enthusiastic at times, but well-meaning, not cruel.

Magnus changes out of his training gear and heats up the takeout while he waits for Jace to arrive. With mindless TV on in the background to distract him, he sits and eats his pierogies while he ponders what could have brought Alec’s brother over.

It’s not long before the door buzzer goes. Magnus clears the table and then goes to answer the door, noting the leather portfolio Jace is carrying in one hand.

“Thanks for seeing me,” Jace says with a smile.

“No problem,” Magnus says, honestly a little bemused. He eyes the portfolio. “You need help with an art project?”

Jace’s smile widens. “Something like that. Can I come in?”

Magnus steps back wordlessly to let Jace into the apartment. He settles on the couch and then unzips the portfolio, but doesn’t share what’s inside.

“I thought a lot about what happened with you and Alec,” Jace starts, a little haltingly. “For what it’s worth, I think he’s wrong. You’re your own person and you can make your own decisions. He should respect that, even if he doesn’t agree with what you choose to do.”

“Thank you,” Magnus says, inclining his head and coming to sit on the armchair near Jace.

“So, you should know that I support you, and uh, that’s one motivation behind all this.” Jace rubs his jaw, looking a little guilty. Things aren’t any clearer to Magnus. “I’ll be honest, though, that I’m also really relieved he’ll have someone out there watching his back.”

“Jace,” Magnus says, “what are you talking about?”

Jace exhales, then starts pulling papers from the portfolio and gently laying them on the table. “They’re for you. If you decide to use your powers to fight, like Alec does.”

Magnus stands up and steps forward, inspecting the papers Jace has just laid out. They’re clothing designs -

supersuit designs

, he realises, looking closer. The drawings are stylised, but it’s clearly Magnus in them, wearing a range of different supersuits. Some of them are proper bodysuits, skin tight; others are bulkier, with heavy duty protection around the torso and joints. And the colours - rich indigo, wine red, deep violet. The masks designs are different, with some that cover his head completely and others that leave his mouth or eyes exposed.

There’s a lump in Magnus’ throat as he looks at them, a mix of emotions fluttering inside him - excitement, delight, a hint of nervousness. Somehow this makes it real, more real than it’s felt so far, but he can’t wait to try it out.

He’s lost for words, feeling rather touched that Jace went to all this effort for him. Then, he notices a signature in the bottom right hand corner of the drawings and traces the pencil delicately with his fingers.

“Clary drew these?” he asks. Jace nods. “Wait - did you tell her about my powers?”

Jace holds up his hands. “No, dude - that’s your secret to tell. I said you’d volunteered to model costume designs for the characters in Simon’s graphic novel.”

The mix of tender emotions Magnus was feeling vanish in a blink and he stares at Jace, aghast. “And she believed that?”

Jace grins easily. “Mhm.”

“That I

volunteered

?”

Jace shrugs. “She knows you’d do anything for a friend, I guess,” he says.

Magnus sends him a look, then returns to looking at the designs. “They’re beautiful.” He glances back at Jace. “And you’d - you’d make a suit for me?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jace says, frowning. “I want you to be safe when you’re out there. You know, maybe we’re not -

friends

, or whatever, but...I wanna help you.”

Magnus swallows, feeling unexpectedly emotional. He’s not entirely sure how he’d categorise his relationship with Jace either, but he’s moved by what Jace said.

“Thanks,” he says. “I really appreciate it. Let me know what I owe you.”

“No problem,” Jace says. He eyes Magnus shrewdly, then shifts on his seat and gestures in an overly casual manner. “Have you spoken to Alec since the, uh, the other day?”

Magnus rolls his eyes. “No. I wouldn’t want to cause him any more

problems

.”

Jace winces. Magnus crosses the room back to his armchair and sits down.

“Why?” he asks. “Have you come to convince me I should?”

“I came to show you the suits,” Jace says, shaking his head, “but he’s my brother. I couldn’t not mention it.”

Magnus watches him for a moment, then looks away on a sigh. “I don’t want to talk to him. I’m still pissed off about how he acted.”

“I get it,” Jace says, “he was being an asshole. But...his heart is in the right place. Did he mess up? Sure. But he’s just trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need him to protect me,” Magnus says frustratedly. “I need him to support me.”

“You might not need him to, but he’s going to do it anyway. That’s just what Alec does when he cares about someone.”

Magnus doesn’t let himself analyse that too deeply. Instead, he shakes his head and says, “It still doesn’t make the way he’s acting right.”

“I know,” Jace says quietly. “Honestly, he knows that too.”

Magnus glances away, looking down at the rings on his fingers. Absently he twists the one on the fourth finger of his left hand.

“He’s taken your fights pretty hard,” Jace says. “I don’t remember seeing him like this before.” He sighs, sitting forward on the couch. “You’re both too stubborn to make the first move, but come

on

, Magnus. He knows he fucked up. He’s gonna apologise to you if you give him a chance and hear him out.”

Magnus rolls his eyes, half wanting to ask Jace why he has to be the bigger person. But he knows that would make him sound like a petulant child - and, as Alec’s senior, he probably shouldn’t be feeling this way.

It’s not like he doesn’t want to salvage what he has with Alec. Their relationship is the best thing that’s happened to him in a long time. And couples fight. Not that they’re actually a

couple

, his brain helpfully reminds him - though leading up to Halloween, he felt like they’d been getting pretty close.

And, at the heart of it, isn’t that why they’ve got in this mess in the first place? Because they care so much about each other that they don’t want the other to get hurt? Yes, Alec has been a condescending ass, but he wants to keep Magnus safe. How many people does Magnus know who would face hell and high water to do that?

“I’ll think about it,” Magnus says eventually, trying not to pout. His petty side doesn’t want to give Jace the satisfaction of being right.

Jace sends him a fondly exasperated look, then shakes himself and taps the drawings in front of him.

“Let me get your measurements, then.”

-----

It takes him a few days to properly come around to the idea, but eventually Magnus wills himself to take the first step and text Alec to find a time when they can talk. They agree to meet up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and so on the Sunday, Magnus treks through the pouring rain to Alec and Jace’s apartment.

His hands are dancing with restless energy so he folds down his wet umbrella for something to do, then lifts his hand to knock on the door. Magnus drops it straight away, drawing in a ragged breath. Deciding he’s being ridiculous, he raises his hand again and, before he can second guess anything, knocks loudly three times.

Alec answers the door immediately. He’s dressed casually in an oversized sweater and dark jeans, and his eyes dart over Magnus’ face when he sees him.

“Hey,” he says gently.

Magnus offers the barest hint of a smile. Maybe their week apart has done them good; the first thing he feels on seeing Alec is no longer a flare of anger, but longing for how soft he looks when he’s dressed down and hanging out at home.

“Hi,” Magnus says. “Can I come in?”

Alec nods and steps aside. He shuts the door while Magnus takes off his shoes, raincoat and scarf, then offers him a hot drink. Magnus follows him through to the kitchen, noting the empty apartment as he does so.

“Jace not here?” he asks.

Alec adds coffee to a French press with practised ease, then he pulls two mugs from a cupboard. “He’s staying with Simon.” He sends Magnus a vaguely guilty look. “I told him you were coming over.”

“I guess subjecting him to a third argument might have been impolite,” Magnus says idly, and he’s pleased when Alec snorts in amusement. It’s a temporary reprieve, but it’s nice to know that things aren’t totally hostile between them.

An awkward silence fills the air. Magnus stares at a spot on the wooden floor; he can hear Alec swallow.

“How was your Thanksgiving?” Alec asks, clearly trying to sound casual.

Magnus feels like he could cut the uncomfortable tension in the air with a knife, but he replies anyway.

“Good. I went back to my mama’s house for the night. Guadalupe and Rosa - Raphael’s mom and sister - came too. It was nice. Quiet.”

Alec nods. Magnus notices a small scar on his collarbone where his sweater hangs a little low.

“How are you healing?” he asks.

Alec rubs a finger over the cut on instinct and shrugs, meeting Magnus’ eyes. “Other than some mild bruising, I’ll be fine.”

Silence falls over them again as they wait for the coffee to brew. Once or twice Alec looks like he’s about to say something but stops himself, and eventually he gusts a heavy sigh.

“Magnus,” he says abruptly, almost like he can’t contain it anymore, “I’m sorry.”

The full weight of his gaze bears into Magnus, his large hazel eyes doleful as they regard him. His thumb rubs repeatedly against his finger where his hand rests on the tabletop.
“I’m sorry,” he says again, quieter this time, finally looking away. “I shouldn’t have tried to stop you from using your powers. I shouldn’t have doubted you. I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do, I just - it’s - I wasn’t. But I know it came across like that, no matter how I intended it, and I don’t have any right to do that.”
Magnus blinks at him, feeling like the ground beneath them has shifted. He’d not expected Alec to come straight out and apologise...but then, why hadn’t he expected it? He knows Alec is honest to a fault, and he’s not the type to make excuses or shy away when he’s done something wrong. He stands up for what he knows is right and he does whatever he can to make amends when something is wrong, whether it’s his own fault or not.

He’s cut right to the heart of the matter and accepted his faults - bared them, plainly, for Magnus to see, in case Magnus hadn’t already been aware of them. God, Alec doesn’t do anything by halves, does he?

Magnus is spared from needing to respond straight away as Alec busies himself with pouring their coffees, which is a minor relief because Magnus is uncharacteristically unsure what to say. He prides himself on always being able to find the right words, but Alec has an uncanny ability to knock Magnus’ world off its axis and set it spinning in an entirely new direction.

Alec hands him a mug, meeting his gaze again. Magnus takes it wordlessly.

“I made a mistake,” Alec says, voice gravelly, “and I’m sorry.”

Magnus has to look away from the solemnity of Alec’s gaze, glancing down at his coffee. He could hold onto the indignation, the upset, but he realises he doesn’t want to. Alec has accepted his wrongdoing and apologised - and Magnus wants for them to move on. He wants Alec in his life, and he’s not going to let this get in the way of the two of them.

Magnus swallows hard. “You’re forgiven,” he says first, because it seems the most important thing to say. Alec’s relief is visible: his frown disappears and his lips lift into a small smile. “I won’t pretend that I wasn’t hurt, or angry, but I also said things I regret. For my part, I’m sorry too.”

Alec shakes his head. “Magnus -”

“

Alec

.”

They look at each other for a long moment, then Alec nods once in acceptance. It seems like the hardest part might be over; the weight on Magnus’ chest has eased considerably, and he can tell from the looser set of Alec’s shoulders that he’s not the only one feeling more relaxed.

Alec takes a hesitant sip of his coffee, then says, “Is it awful if I say it was more about me than you?”

Magnus raises an eyebrow. “Depends what you follow that up with.”

Alec huffs a short laugh, one side of his mouth quirking up. “I mean, it

was

about you. I know I don’t need to protect you, but I want to, because I didn’t want to lose you. Apparently I’m just shit at expressing that and my protectiveness bit me in the ass.”

“Hey,” Magnus says, letting his voice go soft, “you’re not going to lose me.”

The way Alec looks at him then is so full of sadness and longing that Magnus can almost

hear

exactly what Alec is thinking: that he already did.

“I promised you that once before, remember?” Magnus adds. He nudges Alec’s hand with his own. “You and me, we’re always going to find our way back to each other.”

Alec watches him for a moment longer, a smile slowly dawning on his face, then he slips his hand into Magnus’ own.

“You know it’s the same for me, right?” Magnus continues. “I don’t want to lose you either. Knowing you were going up against Valentine again and again - the worry nearly killed me.”

It’s still pouring with rain outside, fat drops of water hitting the windows, punctuating the stillness between them.

Alec’s voice is quiet when he says, “I know. I’m sorry.”

Magnus squeezes his hand. “Anyway. Two against one sounds like better odds to me.”

Alec’s lips tip back up into a smile. “Yeah. We’ll stand a better chance against the Demon if we work together. And you were pretty awesome in training.”

Magnus lets out a disbelieving laugh. “Someone’s changed their tune.”

Alec rolls his eyes, looking faintly embarrassed. “I can’t stop you from doing it,” he says, as if it’s obvious. “It just took me a while to get my head out my ass and realise that.”

Magnus smiles at him. “I’m glad you did.” His smile dims a little, but he forces his tone to stay light. “I can’t say I’m a fan of arguing with you.”

“Me either.” Alec shakes his head. “These last weeks, I’ve not - I couldn’t think straight.”

The admission shakes Magnus and he grips Alec’s hand tighter, a point of reassurance for them both that neither of them is going anywhere. The way Alec bared his heart makes Magnus feel just about brave enough to do the same.

“I couldn’t do anything without thinking of you,” Magnus admits, feeling painfully vulnerable. The shift in Alec’s expression makes it worth it.

Alec’s fingers twitch in his, and then he pulls his chair closer. His eyes sweep over Magnus’ face.

“Can I give you a hug?”

Whatever Magnus was expecting him to say, it wasn’t that, but he’s not going to refuse. He huffs a little laugh and nods, at which Alec scoots all the way forward and wraps his arms around Magnus, holding onto him tightly.

Magnus hugs him back, reassured by Alec’s warmth under his palms. Alec smells just the same as he remembers and the way Alec’s breath flutters against his neck, tickling his skin, is sweetly familiar.

They part reluctantly several long moments later. Magnus smiles at Alec and sees the warmth in his own gaze reflected there. While there’s still a residual ache of hurt, things now feel more settled between them than they have since Halloween.

Magnus traces his thumb idly over Alec’s palm. “Did you know Jace and Clary made me a suit?” he asks, eyes flickering to Alec’s. He’s not sure how Alec will react, given their previous discussions on the subject, but Alec really does seem to have taken his mistakes to heart.

“Really?” he asks, face lighting up. “But we

live

together. How did he manage to keep that a secret?”

“You managed to keep the fact that you’re Spidey from him,” Magnus points out, and Alec tips his head in a way that Magnus takes to mean

fair enough

.

“Is the suit ready now?” he asks.

Magnus nods. “Jace said they finished it yesterday.”

“Did you try it on yet?”

Magnus shakes his head. “I’m…” he laughs a little, mostly at himself. “I’m nervous. I don’t know why.”

“No, I get it,” Alec says. “It’s - it’s weirdly powerful. It means more than just some fabric stitched together.” He turns his head, looking in the direction of Jace’s room. “I can get it for you,” he adds, watching Magnus carefully, “if you want.”

Magnus

is

a little apprehensive, but if there’s anyone else he’d want to share this moment with, it’d be Alec. Plus, he knows Alec would give him the privacy to try the suit on if he needs it, wouldn’t push to see it if Magnus wasn’t ready.

No matter what’s happened between them recently, Magnus realises an indisputable truth: he trusts Alec implicitly.

“I’d like that,” he says quietly, and Alec sends him a soft smile.

While Alec ventures off into Jace’s room to find the suit, Magnus wanders through into the hallway, pausing just outside Alec’s bedroom. He feels like he’s intruding by walking in, even though he’s fairly sure Alec wouldn’t mind.

Sure enough, Alec smiles and nods towards the door when he returns and sees Magnus waiting there.

“You can go in.”

There are a few new photographs in Alec’s collection on his corkboard and law files pile precariously on the desk, replacing the school notes that had been there previously, but other than that it’s just the same as Magnus remembers.

“Here,” Alec says, following him into the room and holding the suit out.

Magnus takes it reverently, relishing the feel of the material over his fingers and Clary’s beautiful design that Jace has brought to life.

“I told you I always wanted to be a superhero when I was a kid, didn’t I?” Magnus says, making it a question even though he knows he told Alec in exactly this spot. Alec just hums instead of replying, his hand brushing Magnus’ shoulder as he passes to switch his bedside light on.

“I’ll leave you to get changed,” Alec says, eyes dipping down Magnus’ body, however briefly. Magnus’ pulse spikes thinking about where Alec’s mind has gone, and he sends Alec a coy smile.

“You can stay if you want to, Alexander.”

Magnus lets the offer hang there as the temperature in the room kicks up a notch and turns away to drape the suit over the bed, but not before he sees the dip of Alec’s throat as he visibly swallows.

“Okay.” Alec’s voice is unusually breathy when he says it and Magnus can’t deny that he’s pleased at Alec’s reaction.

Alec perches on the end of his bed with his back to Magnus, which Magnus takes as his cue to get changed. He starts unbuttoning his vest - rich plum, one of his favourites - and lays it on the bed beside the suit. After that he takes off his shirt and pants, the sound of the zipper and every rustle of fabric magnified in the otherwise silent room, just the rain pelting down outside.

He can’t help glancing over at Alec, who’s still staring at the wall in front of him. The tips of his ears have gone pink and Magnus feels a rush of pleasure at the reaction.

He quickly pulls his socks off, then glances down. Should he...? He doesn’t exactly know what superhero protocol is regarding wearing underwear and the thought of asking Alec is oddly mortifying.

Magnus clears his throat and decides to keep them on; it’s not like it matters, really, because he’s just trying the suit on. He steps forward and lifts the suit off the bed, turning it over with gentle fingers to find the opening at the back.

It’s surprisingly easy to get on and fits comfortably. The suit has a pitch black outer shell that protects his chest, hips and forearms, and underneath that there’s a lightweight layer of something like kevlar in a deep, rich purple. A stylised lightning bolt starts at each shoulder and their points meet just in the middle of his abs.

Magnus can’t take his eyes off his reflection, smiling disbelievingly. The suit is incredible - he

looks

amazing - and he trusts that it will keep him safe when he actually gets out in the world to do something good with his powers. It’s like nothing he’s ever felt before.

“Can I look?” Alec asks.

Magnus swallows, throat still thick with emotion, then manages a short verbal affirmation. Alec waits a moment longer then turns around, eyes going wide as he drinks Magnus in.

“Wow,” he says, more a breath than anything, and then he bites his lip as if he hadn’t meant to let that escape. Magnus grins at him and spins slowly, mostly still looking in the mirror but also for Alec’s benefit.

“What do you think?” he asks, allowing his tone to veer towards flirtatious to hide the nervousness he’s really feeling.

Alec’s smile turns soft. “You look incredible. You’re - yeah.”

“I’m what?” Magnus asks, as Alec changes direction mid sentence. Alec groans and huffs a laugh.

“Nothing. I was gonna make a bad joke.”

Magnus moves closer to him, smiling widely. “Now you have to tell me.”

Alec smothers his face with his hands. “Fine.” The words come out muffled. “I was gonna say you don’t need powers to knock people out because you’re drop dead gorgeous.”

Magnus tips his head back and laughs loudly, truly delighted by Alec.

“Alexander,” Magnus says fondly. He steps even closer, between Alec’s legs, and gently pries Alec’s hands away from his face, holding them in his own.

Alec’s pupils are blown wide as he looks at Magnus and his tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip. It’s still pouring outside and Magnus is thrown back to another rainy night where one of them was wearing a supersuit and the other was hopelessly enchanted.

Magnus cups Alec’s jaw with one hand, gazing into his eyes.

“D’you remember our first kiss?” he asks.

Alec’s lips curve upwards.

“On your balcony?” he asks. When Magnus shakes his head, he says, “or when you kissed Spidey?”

“Someone had to,” Magnus says loftily, “for the good of the city. Just doing my civic duty.”

“Magnus,” Alec laughs. “You don’t need an excuse. I wasn’t complaining.”

Magnus hums and strokes his thumb over Alec’s lip, the little shiver it elicits from Alec sending a rush of heat down Magnus’ spine.

“I don’t think I can hang upside down,” Magnus says.

Alec’s voice is so deliciously low when he murmurs, “I think you could do anything you put your mind to.”

Magnus shouldn’t be surprised by Alec saying these things by now, but he can’t help the way his heart skips a beat at the admission. Alec has barely even done anything and Magnus knows he’s too far gone for him already, but he doesn’t care.

He slowly leans in, bringing his other hand up to cup Alec’s face too. Alec’s eyes flutter shut and he tilts his head to meet Magnus halfway; when he finally kisses Magnus, everything goes quiet and then roars back into life with an explosion of colour.

It feels like,

finally

. It’s been so long that Magnus had almost forgotten how it feels to be kissed by Alexander Lightwood, and held like he’s a precious thing. The last time they’d done this - God, it was

months

ago, and that means that they have lost time to make up for.

Magnus lets himself be taken under by the warmth of Alec’s hands on his hips, the indulgent slide of Alec’s lips over his own, the tickling touch of Alec’s breath on his face.

Alec tugs Magnus towards him, wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him onto the bed too. Knees on either side of Alec’s hips, Magnus steadies himself with a hand on Alec’s shoulder, and then tilts Alec’s chin with his other hand so he can kiss him again.

Magnus loses himself in it, giving in to everything he’s feeling for Alec, and that’s when it happens. A sharp jolt of electricity zings through him, making the room go dark, and he jerks his hands away from Alec as if he’d been burnt.

“What -?” Alec asks, blinking heavily as Magnus scrambles away from him. He looks most put out that he’s no longer being kissed.

“Did I hurt you?” Magnus asks shakily, staring down at his palms. His powers feel like they’ve gone haywire, energy skating across his skin and dissipating in a burst of sparks. The lightning bolts on his chest are glowing in the darkness.

“I - what?” Alec asks again. “No. What do you mean?”

“The light, I -”

Alec turns owlishly in the gloom of the room to look at his bedside light.

“Bulb must have blown,” he says, reaching across Magnus to turn the switch on and off.

“I think it was me,” Magnus says quietly.

Alec raises his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Magnus shakes his head, crossing his arms across his chest to hide the sparks. “I lost control of my powers.”

Alec doesn’t say anything for a terrible moment, and when Magnus looks at him, expecting the worst, Alec is looking at him in fond disbelief.

“Because we were making out?” he asks. There’s something in his tone Magnus can’t quite identify.

Magnus glances away, shame prickling at the back of his neck. “You said it yourself. It’s not about thinking. It’s about feeling.”

“Magnus, hey,” Alec says, cradling Magnus’ head in one of his hands and turning his face towards him, “what’s wrong?”

Magnus draws in a breath and glances down. He’d thought he’d got his powers under control, but the amount that Alec makes him feel can be overwhelming at times. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to keep Alec safe, especially if the danger was posed by Magnus’ own powers. Just thinking about him makes him shudder.

“Maybe we should...slow down,” he says hesitantly.

Alec looks briefly surprised before his expression shifts into one of resolution. “Okay, whatever you need.” He shifts slightly, brow furrowing. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Magnus says immediately. “No, far from it. I’m just…” He sighs and shakes his head again. Alec waits for him to speak, fingers idly playing with Magnus’ hair.  “I’m scared I might hurt you.”

Alec blinks at him. “You won’t,” he says resolutely. “I trust you.” Then, softer, he adds, “Nothing you could do would make me scared of you.”

Magnus looks at him, sees the sincerity reflected in his gaze, and it makes him relax enough to shuffle closer to Alec so they’re sitting together side by side.

He leans his head on Alec’s shoulder with a smile and Alec takes Magnus’ hands in his own.

“Also, uh, it didn’t

scare

me,” Alec adds, and Magnus hears, rather than sees, the smile in his voice.

Magnus frowns lightly. He can’t quite see the point Alec is making.

When Magnus doesn’t say anything, Alec continues, “The power you have, it’s…”

Oh. Magnus gets the same rush he did when he told Alec about taking out the power for his block all those weeks ago; it’s a heady thing, knowing Alec is in awe of him.

“...it’s so hot.”

Magnus blinks.

“Wait, it

turned you on

?” he asks, scandalised in the best way possible.

Alec squirms momentarily. “Well, yeah.” Said like it’s obvious.

Magnus can’t help laughing, finding it cathartic after his earlier display of vulnerability. When he lifts his head, Alec is watching him with a tender smile.

“You okay?” he murmurs. Magnus nods, squeezing his hand. “Good.”

“Are you? Magnus asks.

Alec smiles and kisses his temple.

“Yeah.” He slips an arm around Magnus’ shoulder and rests his head against Magnus’ own. There’s a pause, and then he asks, “So, d’you wanna order takeout?”

The sudden change of direction throws Magnus and turns to frown at Alec. “For later, you mean?” he asks.

“No, for now,” Alec says, brow crinkling. “You said we should slow down.”

“Right.” Magnus nods. “I did say that.”

He’s not sure what changed, exactly, because he still isn’t sure he can keep control of his powers when he’s pressed up against Alec and being kissed breathless, but it’s a relief to know that it didn’t hurt Alec or scare him away. If anything, it did the opposite. Knowing that now, Magnus is more than happy to return to their earlier activities.

He meets Alec’s eye and a spark of heat flies between them; Alec gets on board remarkably quickly.

“Or you could kiss me again,” he says, tilting his chin ever so slightly, and Magnus grins at him.

“How could I say no to that?”

Magnus leans in and kisses Alec slowly, like they have all the time in the world. He can feel it all the way down to his toes and, when Alec lets out a quiet moan, he wonders how he went so long without doing this.

Alec slides his hands over Magnus’ chest, kissing him more insistently, nipping at his lip. Magnus reclines back on the bed and takes Alec with him, running his hands over Alec’s back under his sweater and mapping out the firm muscles there. It’s ridiculous, really, that Alec is still wearing his sweater, so together they pull it over his head and it gets tossed somewhere on the floor.

Magnus takes the opportunity to shamelessly check Alec out. Alec’s chest is peppered with different scars from his heroic Spiderman acts - some bruises are still healing around his ribs, most likely from the recent fight with the Demon, and as Magnus leans in to place a gentle kiss on a smaller bruise on Alec’s shoulder, he can’t help but think how lucky he is that Alec survived that fight.

Alec is alive and here in his arms and Magnus is so grateful he gets to be with this gorgeous man.

He leans up and catches Alec’s lips again, kissing him slow and deep. When he pulls away, he cups Alec’s face between his hands.

“You are so beautiful, Alexander,” Magnus says, and the way Alec blushes makes Magnus’ tummy flip in happiness.

As they get comfortable again their noses bump and they both giggle, pulling back only to smile at each other. Then Alec is kissing him again and it feels so good that Magnus might burst.

“Magnus,” Alec whispers against his jaw.

Magnus opens his eyes, feeling a little dazed. Alec is beaming down at him.

“Your sparks.”

He’s right - a small shower of sparks is dancing around his hands, landing on Alec’s skin. Alec stops Magnus before he can yank his hands away.

“Doesn’t hurt. Feels good.” He punctuates each word with a kiss trailed down Magnus’ neck.

Emboldened by Alec’s words, Magnus sweeps his hands over the planes of Alec’s back, letting sparks fall gently from his fingertips. Alec shivers at the touch and presses closer to him, clever hands slipping beneath his back to help Magnus get out of his super suit.

Once the top half of Magnus’ suit is off, Magnus pulls Alec back down into a deep and loving kiss, losing himself in Alec’s warmth and care.

-----

The next morning, Magnus has his arms around Alec’s waist, distracting him from the rather mundane task of locking the apartment door by pressing sweet kisses to Alec’s cheek, the corner of his mouth, the underside of his jaw, when they’re joined by another.

The red-headed newcomer steps out of Magnus’ old apartment, and for a moment it’s like Magnus has been kicked in the stomach, because why was someone in his apartment?

But then he remembers that he hasn’t lived there in months, and that it’s maybe changed hands several times since he left - this is New York, after all.

“Oh,” the man says, pulling up short. He eyes Magnus for a moment too long. With a slightly erratic laugh: “Sorry to interrupt. Morning, Alec.”

“Hi Sebastian,” Alec says, turning around and sending Magnus an apologetic look as he does so.

Sebastian doesn’t look like he’s making any moves to leave; instead, he launches into a story about his week. Magnus notices his movements seem a little hindered when he gesticulates, but he doesn’t know Sebastian well enough to know if he’s usually like this.

“Anyway, enough about me,” Sebastian says. “How are you?”

Alec shares a glance with Magnus. “Uh, good thanks,” he says, polite if a little gruff. When Sebastian smiles eagerly at him and nods to Magnus, Alec startles. He gestures to Magnus. “Right, this is my...we were - uh, it’s -”

“I’m his boyfriend,” Magnus cuts in fondly, holding up a hand to ease Alec’s adorable floundering. He’s immensely pleased when Alec smiles broadly at Magnus’ words and takes his hand.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Alec says softly, eyes on Magnus.

“Oh, it’s Magnus, isn’t it?” Sebastian asks, his tone friendly. Alec’s eyes swivel to Sebastian and his brow furrows. At Alec’s look, Sebastian adds, “Sorry, I just assumed from all the times you’ve mentioned Magnus before that...” he trails off. “Did I say something wrong?”

Magnus watches Alec carefully for a moment then shakes his head. “No, not at all. My name

is

Magnus. Nice to meet you, Sebastian.”

“You too,” he says. With a look to the side, he suddenly switches gear. “Well, I should get to work. Have a good day!”

He heads off down the corridor, hand raised in a wave. Alec is watching him go, eyes narrowed, something clearly on his mind.

“He’s...interesting,” Magnus says, giving Alec the opening if he wants to talk about whatever’s brewing.

“One word for it,” Alec says with a snort. He sighs, still frowning. “I’ve never mentioned you to him by name.”

“Does he know we were together when I lived here? Maybe he got some of my mail or something.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Alec says, chewing his lip. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking. I just think it’s strange he knew your name, that’s all.”

They set off down the corridor towards the stairs, but before they’ve got halfway Alec is tugging him urgently to a stop.

His eyes are wide when he looks at Magnus.

“I don’t mean it’s strange because I’m ashamed of you or anything. It’s not like that, not at all.” He shakes his head. “Just - I don’t even know him, not really. He’s just my weird ass neighbour.”

Magnus smiles, his heart feeling like it’s tripping. The admission is sweet and reassuring - unnecessarily, and he tells Alec so.

“It’s alright, Alexander,” he says, reaching a hand up to smooth it over Alec’s chest. “I know what you meant, and I know you’re a private person.”

“Okay, good,” Alec says, his expression serious as he regards Magnus. He seems determined as he continues, “Because I could never be ashamed of you. The

opposite

. You know that, right? I know we literally just got back together but I wanna swing up to the tallest building in the city and shout out to everyone that you’re my boyfriend.”

His cheeks glow rosy pink in the watery morning sunlight as he finishes his sentence. Magnus adores him.

“Alexander...” he starts, then finds there’s a lump in his throat and he can’t finish whatever he was about to say.

He gives up and kisses Alec instead, pressing him back against the wall and crowding hungrily into his space, relishing the feel of Alec’s hands as they splay across his lower back, keeping him grounded.

Alec kisses him back, insistent, wanting. He’s breathing heavier than normal when they pull back, hazel eyes bright. Magnus smooths his thumb along Alec’s cheek, a small action that hides the enormity of everything he feels for Alexander.

“You’ll be late,” Alec says reluctantly, dropping another kiss to Magnus’ lips, then another, as if he just can’t help himself.

Magnus sighs. “Do I really need to go to work?”

Alec laughs. “Come on. I’ll walk you. It’s romantic.”

At that, Magnus laughs too; Alec’s bluntness will be the end of him, one day. Until then, he’s quite content to lace his fingers with Alec’s and stroll to work with him, soaking up the pleasure of the little things.

“Did Sebastian move in recently?” Magnus asks, as they cross the street outside the apartment block. “He seemed a bit awkward around you.”

Alec shakes his head. “He moved in straight after you, uh - after you left.”

Magnus accepts this with a nod, but he doesn’t miss the way Alec’s tone shifts as he stumbles over his words: the barely hidden flash of pain, well-hidden under a layer of feigned nonchalance.

“We never really talked about...that,” Magnus says gently.

“What’s there to say?” Alec asks immediately. “I get why you had to leave.”

“I probably could have dealt with it better,” Magnus admits after a pause, the words excruciating to force out.

“You were grieving,” Alec points out.

Magnus pulls him to a stop, ignoring the squawks of put out New Yorkers around them.

“I should have said goodbye. It must have hurt you - I know it would have hurt me, if the situation was reversed.”

Alec gives a little shrug and starts to disagree, but Magnus holds up a hand.

“I wanted to say something to you then. I tried to leave a note, but every time I tried to write it down I’d just stare at the blank page and get so frustrated with myself that I felt even worse.”

“It’s fine,” Alec says firmly, taking the hand Magnus is holding up in his own. He presses a kiss to Magnus’ knuckles, expression turning apologetic at the edges. “It - it did hurt, you’re right. But I get it. I’m not gonna hold it against you.”

Magnus smiles at him, though it’s tinged with sadness. His good mood has deflated somewhat and he feels like there’s more to say, but he can’t voice the words.

“Besides,” Alec adds, smiling properly, “you’re here now.”

Magnus tilts his head to kiss Alec softly, just a whisper. “And that’s just where I want to stay,” he murmurs, when they part.

Alec is biting back a grin when Magnus opens his eyes. “What, on this sidewalk?”

Magnus nudges him with his elbow and rolls his eyes. “No, with you, Alexander,” he says, playing up his exasperation.

Alec ducks his head, a pleased look blooming on his face that has Magnus’ earlier happiness returning, and he kisses Magnus again chastely.

“All these romantic declarations really will make you late for work, y’know,” Alec says.

Magnus huffs a laugh and tugs Alec along. “Come on then.”

They walk to Magnus’ work together, conversation drifting easily from topic to topic. Magnus hadn’t realised quite how much he’d missed this: before he and Alec were together, they were friends - good friends - and now the hole he carved in his life by leaving Alec behind is starting to heal.

At Alec’s insistence they stop for coffee and pastries on the way. Alec heads into the shop to order and Magnus is about to follow him when he spots an old lady at the side of the road, struggling to carry all her shopping bags and keep hold of her walking stick. Magnus helps her across the street and sees her into a cab, then jogs back to the shop to meet Alec, who’s watching him with a fond smile.

“See?” Alec says, raising a brow. “You don’t need powers to be a hero.”

Magnus shoves him playfully and then takes the coffee Alec bought him. “Sweet talker.”

They’re nearly at Magnus’ office when Alec clears his throat, opens his mouth to say something, then closes it again. Magnus smiles at the sight and takes a patient sip of his coffee, knowing Alec will plow on until he finds the words, regardless.

“Have you, uh - heard anything from your father?” Alec asks eventually, with a glance to the side.

“No,” Magnus says with a sigh. “I want to keep my distance, but there’s something in the back of my mind telling me that he might know something about the Demon. He was involved in Idris Corp, after all.”

Alec nods slowly. “In my experience, the truth has always come out. Jace said something to me once - ‘secrets have a cost’. That was true for Valentine, it was true for my parents.”

“And my uncle. You think it will be true for my father?” Magnus asks, chewing on his lip.

“I don’t know,” Alec says, with a shrug. “Maybe. He’s avoided getting hurt so far, but I don’t wanna see you pay his price. You need to do what’s best for you.”

They keep walking. Magnus doesn’t pay much attention to the journey, deep in thought, until Alec puts a hand on his elbow and tugs softly. As he glances around, Magnus realises they’re outside his new office.

“I lost you for a second there,” Alec says, but there’s a gentle smile on his face. Magnus can’t help but want to kiss him.

You can do that now

, a little voice in his head tells him, and he leans forward slowly, watching Alec’s eyes shut in anticipation for the kiss. It makes a different kind of electricity run through Magnus’ veins as he closes the gap between them, kissing Alec honey-sweet.

When Magnus pulls away, Alec’s eyes flutter open, the smile still on his face.

“What was that for?” he asks, and Magnus shrugs.

“Do I really need an excuse to kiss my boyfriend?” Magnus replies, and the way Alec’s smile widens at the casual use of the word ‘boyfriend’ makes Magnus’ heart do a little flip.

“You never need an excuse to kiss me,” Alec says, leaning in again. He presses his lips to Magnus’, sliding his hand around Magnus’ waist, and Magnus almost forgets they’re on the sidewalk outside his office until someone clears their throat rather pointedly beside them.

He breaks away from Alec regretfully and turns to face whoever interrupted them. Standing there with one eyebrow arched, his long hair pulled back in a ponytail, is Lorenzo Rey.

“Ah, Lorenzo,” Magnus says pleasantly, biting back a smile, “good morning. This is my boyfriend, Alec. Alec - this is Lorenzo, my boss.”

Alec’s eyes go wide as he looks at Magnus, and then he’s grinning while he shakes Lorenzo’s hand.

“Good to meet you, Mr Rey,” he says. His lips twitch as he says it and Magnus can just tell Alec’s remembering all the dumb stories Magnus has told him about Lorenzo and their rivalry at Idris Corp.

Lorenzo surveys Alec, then turns to Magnus. “We start at 9.30, Mr Bane,” he says, disapproval clear in his expression. “It’s 9.37.”

Alec holds up the bag of croissants, ready to explain, but Magnus just smiles at Lorenzo.

“Of course. My apologies for being late, Lorenzo. What kept

you

this morning?”

Lorenzo clenches his jaw and heads into the building with a shake of his head while Alec stifles a laugh beside Magnus.

“You know you’re gonna get fired,” Alec teases, even as he pulls Magnus close once more.

Magnus curls his lip. “No, I’m not,” he says, with a dismissive air, “because how else would he be able to pass off my work as his own?”

Alec rolls his eyes good-naturedly, leaning down to kiss Magnus’ cheek. His lips brush Magnus’ ear, sending tingles down his spine, when he says, “You know, I kinda like the fact that my boyfriend is always the smartest person in the room.”

“I know you do,” Magnus says smugly. Alec’s hands link across his lower back, keeping them pressed close together.

They stand there for a moment longer, each gravitating towards the other, when Magnus finally finds the strength to pull away from Alec.

“Go, go! Or I really will be late.” He shoos Alec away and then turns to head into his office, but not without a backwards glance. Alec blows him a kiss, and the way he smiles at Magnus just then has Magnus walking on air for the rest of the day.

-----

Azazel releases a barely audible sigh of relief when he steps into the courtroom from the side door and sees Asmodeus sitting amongst the sparse crowd in the gallery. He’s a row back from the bar with no one in front of him, giving him a clear view over the judge’s bench. He’s surveying it passively, but turns ever so slightly to incline his head at Azazel when he spots him.

More dignified than wrestling with the guard as he unlocks Azazel’s handcuffs, Azazel greets his lawyer and then unbuttons his suit jacket before sitting down at the defendant’s table. He doesn’t look back at Asmodeus - such a show of weakness, neediness, wouldn’t do - but he can feel the weight of his brother’s gaze on him and it gives him strength. Azazel isn’t worried, exactly. He’s already been acquitted once on the gross negligence charge that he took the fall for on behalf of EDOM, but spending all this time in court is more than a minor inconvenience.

The judge begins the session, inviting opening statements from Azazel’s counsel and the district attorney. The charges are against him, Azazel, this time - some bullshit about a protection racket he’s been running, as if he’d resort to such clichéd methods to get what he wants. Extortion is barely a crime, anyway. He clearly needs to have a chat with some of his acquaintances: they probably heard of his first arrest and thought getting out from under him would be easy with him distracted. No such luck.

The judge presiding over this case oversaw the last, too, and Azazel can’t help the smirk he doesn’t bother hiding as he watches the court session play out. The Nerakas’ connections in the upper echelons of New York society are unbridled. Azazel and Asmodeus both had known the judge through his roommate in college, and Asmodeus had made a point of catching up with the judge over a private dinner in an exclusive club the night before Azazel’s first trial.

As the trial continues, Azazel surveys each member of the jury. People are so easy to manipulate. Even when that manipulation falls through, it’s not hard to bend the system to your will if you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty. Asmodeus is careful, but he’d done that for Azazel. Neither man has a clear conscience, but there is little Azazel wouldn’t do to protect his brother.

He knows Asmodeus would do the same for him.

He makes eye contact with one of the jury members who’s staring right at him. An Asian man who looks to be in his thirties; looking at him, Azazel is reminded of his nephew. With no other heirs in the Neraka family, he knows it pained Asmodeus to lose his son to the boy’s mother. Together, they could have accomplished great things, taught Magnus everything they know - but Alissa had laughed in their face and told them that would happen over her dead body.

Azazel had raised a contemplative eyebrow at that, but there was something thunderous in Asmodeus’ answering expression, and he knew that Alissa and Magnus would be forever out of his reach for as long as Asmodeus lived.  His brother was a fool, letting his love for them weaken him like that, but Azazel respected the order anyway.

Court adjourns for the jury deliberations and then returns to session; Azazel is bored of going through the motions by now. He catches a shared glance between the judge and Asmodeus as the judge takes his seat ready to hear the verdict, and smiles, secure in the knowledge of what’s to come.

The presiding juror stands to announce the jury’s verdict. Azazel pays them little attention, lightly tapping out a rhythm on the underside of the defendant’s table.

“We, the jury, find the defendant to be guilty.”

The word rings in Azazel’s ears as he sits up straight, on edge for the first time since his trial began. It’s not over yet - it could go to retrial, or he could be acquitted again - but this is a deviation from the script that he wasn’t expecting.

He glances at the judge and sees a barely imperceptible nod of his head at someone in the gallery. An insistent, repeated sound breaks through Azazel’s alarm and confusion: the continuous tap of a cane on a wooden floor. Azazel shifts round in his seat, mouth open.

Asmodeus’ composed figure walks out of the courtroom, entirely unaffected.

-----

A week or so later, Magnus gets a text from Luke asking to meet up - he has a new development in his research that he’d like to share. Always happy to see his old friend, Magnus agrees to meet him at the Jade Wolf, a divey Chinese restaurant that Luke loves.

The air has an icy bite to it as Magnus walks up the pathway to the restaurant and he shivers, burrowing further inside his scarf and rubbing his gloved hands together. It’s just tipped into December and with the chill things have started to get festive; he can’t deny that he’s looking forward to being able to spend the holiday season with Alec as a couple and sharing the joy with all their friends and family.

Reminders of Raphael will be there at every turn, from walking the holiday markets to volunteering at the soup kitchen with him, but it’s also a time for Magnus to make new traditions.

Magnus has just reached the door of the Jade Wolf when he hears his name being called. Alec is jogging up to the restaurant, a woolen beanie perched adorably over his hair, and Magnus’ heart melts at the sight despite the chilly weather.

“Hey,” Alec says, smiling as he reaches him. He gives Magnus a quick kiss in greeting, a gesture so casual and domestic that Magnus can’t help grinning, and then holds the door open for Magnus.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Magnus says as they step through into the restaurant. Luke lifts a hand in greeting when he spots them and they start winding their way over to him.

“Yeah, Luke called,” Alec says. “It’s - uh. I don’t know. I guess I can help him explain it.”

Magnus pauses. “You know what he’s going to tell me?”

Alec nods, but doesn’t have time to answer before they reach Luke. After a round of friendly hellos and some small talk whilst they check out the menus and order, Luke clears his throat.

“Thanks for coming out, both of you,” he says.

“No problem,” Magnus says. With a short glance around them at the other diners, he adds, “You said you wanted to talk about your research?”

Luke turns to Magnus with a serious gaze. “Yeah. I know you weren’t a fan of Simon’s suggestion that the Demon might be linked to Valentine in some way, but it gave me something new to explore. I think I know how they’re connected.”

Magnus raises his eyebrows and nods for Luke to continue.

“At the start I focussed on Idris Corp and Valentine’s professional life,” Luke says. “I knew him personally, and I thought that was enough. Like you said, Magnus, he didn’t have any family.”

A chill runs down Magnus’ spine that has nothing to do with the cold weather. The thought of there being another Valentine enrages and terrifies him in equal measure.

“What did you find?” Magnus asks, dread squeezing tightly in his tummy. Alec takes his hand under the table, a move that would reassure him if he didn’t know Alec already knew what Luke was about to say.

“A birth certificate,” Luke says. “Valentine had a son that none of us knew about.”

“Holy shit,” Magnus breathes. He’d thought one of Valentine was monstrous enough for one lifetime, and now there’s someone else they might have to face. He glances down, gripping the table with his free hand. “Has he been in New York this whole time?”

Luke sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s hard to say - so much of what I can find is redacted - but I don’t think so. As far as I can tell, the son was raised in England and went to some kind of military boarding school.”

“Sounds like just the kind of loving childhood I’d expect someone like Valentine to provide,” Magnus says, and Alec snorts beside him. “Is that all we know about him? How old is he? What’s his name?”

Alec and Luke share an uncomfortable glance that sets Magnus even more on edge.

“His name is Jonathan Christopher,” Alec starts, “same as Jace.”

“What?” Magnus asks, shocked.

“Yeah,” Alec says, more a huff of breath than anything. “He’s a couple of years younger than Jace, but it’s - it was too much of a coincidence not to mean something. Not when Valentine was involved.”

Magnus nods slowly, a thought having occurred to him. “You told me Valentine thought you only had one brother. I thought that meant he didn’t know Jace exists.”

“I did too, at first.” Alec glances at Luke. “But now we think there’s more to it. You see, the thing is, Mom and Dad never talked about why Jace came to live with us - just that his mom had died and his dad couldn’t look after him anymore. I always assumed that, I dunno, he suffered with depression after her death or something.”

There’s a momentary pause while their drinks arrive and then Luke picks up the story.

“Alec and I couldn’t work out how it all fitted together until I realised Jace was seven when the Lightwoods adopted him,” he says. “Years back there was a medical negligence case Valentine and Alec’s mom were involved in - Celine and Stephen Herondale. Celine got sick and agreed to participate in human trials at Idris Corp.”

With a sickening feeling, Magnus can tell where this story is going before Luke tells him the rest.

“She died during the trials, and Stephen sued Idris Corp. But the company’s lawyers overturned the case and accused him of using the trials to arrange the murder of his wife.” Luke glances furtively at Alec, then carries on. “It seems like they framed him. He ended up with a life sentence.”

“I didn’t realise when I was reading through all the documents,” Alec says bitterly. “I didn’t know what Jace’s parents were called, and the case filed never mentioned the Herondales’ son by name to protect him because he was a minor. All it said was that Celine was survived by her husband and seven year old son.”

“So...Valentine

did

know about Jace?” Magnus asks.

“He knew him as Celine and Stephen’s son,” Alec says, nodding. “But when my parents left Idris Corp and adopted Jace, it was all very sudden. I think they must have kept a secret - looking back now, it seems like we were almost living in hiding. That’s why Valentine didn’t know I had two brothers when he invited us all to dinner.” His expression grows hard. “I don’t know what he thought happened to the seven year old who just lost both his parents. He probably didn’t give a shit.”

“Does Jace know about this?” Magnus asks, his chest growing tight at the thought of Jace discovering the tragedy of his family history.

“Luke came round a couple of days ago to tell us,” Alec says heavily. “He’s pretty shaken up, but he’s doing okay.”

“Is Stephen still alive?” Magnus asks. “Can Jace get in touch with him?”

Luke grimaces. “Years ago he was scheduled to have a parole hearing. He was stabbed the day before during a prison fight and died from his injuries.” He scrubs a hand over his face. “That was the only incident of violence he was ever involved in.”

Magnus hears the unspoken and the sick feeling returns. “Valentine ordered a hit on him.”

Luke nods gravely. An unsettled silence falls over the three until their food arrives, but Magnus has mostly lost his appetite.

“I thought I knew Valentine Morgenstern was a piece of shit but…” Alec trails off, jaw clenched. “He keeps finding ways to fuck with our lives, even now he’s dead.”

They fall quiet again as they slowly start eating. The food is good but Magnus doesn’t pay too much attention, distracted by the concern and confusion gnawing at him.

“So, what about Valentine’s son, Jonathan? How does he fit in with our Jace? They’re not...related, or anything, are they?”

Luke shakes his head. “Not by blood, anyway,” he says. He sets his knife and fork down. “Even after Celine, Valentine wasn’t done with human trials - I mean, you know what happened to Dot. Alec noticed another case he was involved in where a young mom predeceased her son, and it seems he adopted the kid. The paper trail was buried but I’m pretty sure the child was Jonathan.”

“And his name?” Magnus asks, almost dreading the answer.

Alec’s jaw clenches. “Valentine changed the boy’s name to Jonathan Christopher weeks after the adoption went through.”

“Holy shit.” Magnus digests this in stunned silence.

“We don’t know much about Jonathan,” Luke says eventually. “I mean, it’s an informed guess that Valentine even adopted him, and we don’t know for sure that he’s the Demon.”

“I think the second part is a reasonable assumption based on the evidence,” Magnus says flatly. “Spiderman was there the night Valentine died. This new Demon has a vendetta against Spiderman, right?”

Luke nods. “I checked out all the police reports for any incidents where the damage reported matched the damage we know the Demon caused on the freeway. All the victims had some kind of connection to Spiderman, so I think the Demon must have been after information - though whether he got it, I don’t know. Alec, have you noticed anything strange going on recently?” At Alec’s raised eyebrow, he corrects, with a small smile, “anything

stranger

than you would have expected?”

“Not aside from Magnus and his powers,” Alec says, shaking his head.

“Okay, good. You should keep your guard up, anyway - it might be dangerous to operate under the assumption that Jonathan doesn’t know you’re Spiderman.”

Alec nods. “I’ll be careful.”

Magnus shoots him a look that Alec misses, but Luke doesn’t, judging by the way he snorts a laugh into his noodles.

“Our definitions of careful are probably quite different,” Luke says to Alec a moment later, a stern edge to his voice, and Magnus stifles a grin as Alec rolls his eyes.

They go back to their food, a contemplative, companionable silence falling over them as they eat. Magnus tries to relax into the moment and enjoy spending time with two of his friends, pushing the looming threat of the Demon to the back of his mind just for one night.

-----

Magnus watches as Izzy studies the lane, swaying from foot to foot before bowling an easy strike. Maia cheers for her loudly from her seat, shouting “That’s my baby!”, making Magnus laugh. He lets go of Alec’s hand so he can go and take his turn.

They needed this, Magnus reminds himself, watching Alec walk up to the lane. After hearing the unsettling truth about Jace and Valentine, Magnus and Alec had decided to do something more mundane - like going on a double date with Isabelle and Maia. Magnus realizes now more than ever that when leading a double life as a superhero, holding on to any semblance of normality is what will keep them sane.

Going to do something as casual as bowling also gives Magnus the chance to spend some time with Alec outside of the house where they can just be themselves. The silly flirting all night and gentle touches and sweet cheek kisses make Magnus feel like a young teenager who’s smitten with their first crush, but that’s just what Alec brings out in him.

When Alec bowls a spare, Magnus whoops, giving him a kiss as he comes back to sit at their table. They’re winning, but barely.

Izzy picks up a few pieces of popcorn as Maia goes to take her turn.

“You two complement each other well,” Alec says with a smile and Izzy grins back, looking grateful.

“Thank you,” she says. “I’m glad you guys got your shit together.”

Magnus flushes, but smiles, and Alec gives Izzy a look. She laughs softly and tosses a piece of popcorn at Alec’s face, which he catches with his mouth easily.

“All I need is one strike, just to prove to my younger self that I

can

bowl,” Maia said, sighing as she sits down.

Leaning over, Izzy kisses her cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you on the next turn.”

Magnus can’t see under that side of the table, but he’s pretty sure they’re holding hands. They’re sweet, the two of them, and Magnus can’t help but be happy for Izzy - be happy for himself too, for finding his way back to Alexander.

Magnus looks to Alec with a small grin. “Kiss for good luck?”

“As if you need it, Mister I’m-Good-At-Everything-I-Do,” Alec says, rolling his eyes with a playful smile on his face, but he kisses Magnus anyway.

Magnus walks away to grab a bowling ball from the ball machine. He chooses a dark navy one and takes a deep breath as he looks down the lane. With one quick step, he bowls the ball and earns himself a strike. Magnus smiles, pleased with himself as he heads back to the table.

“That was awesome,” Maia says with a chuckle, and Magnus send her a smile in gratitude, interlacing his fingers with Alexander’s.

“I’m so glad we’re getting to do this,” Izzy says, gazing across the table at Magnus and Alec. “I know it’s been - well, our schedules have been crazy, but I’m glad we could find some time to just hang out.”

“Agreed,” Alec says and Magnus nods. They chit chat for a little while about their respective jobs and exchange stories of one another. Magnus laughs particularly hard as Izzy tells them about baby Alec’s fear of the Easter bunny.

An hour or so later, they make their way to the train, lingering as they walk.

“We should do this again sometime,” Izzy says after hugging both Magnus and Alec.

“Yes, absolutely,” Magnus replies. “Maybe you can all come over my apartment and we can cook dinner.”

“That sounds awesome,” Maia says. “Get home safe, okay?!”

They all wave goodbye as Maia and Isabelle disappear into the subway station. Magnus takes Alec’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

They start slowly walking towards the bus they’re supposed to take when Magnus speaks up.

“How would you feel about grabbing some dessert before coming over? There’s this divine ice cream place I found with Dot a couple blocks down and -”

Magnus’ words are cut off as Alec kisses him, pushing him up against a random car on the street.

“Alec -” Magnus says, unable to keep the smile off his face as Alec cups his cheeks, kissing him deeper. Magnus pulls away a little, brushing his nose against Alec’s. “This is some stranger’s car.”

“Don’t care,” Alec says breathlessly, kissing Magnus again, slower this time and so intimate Magnus swears his heart starts beating faster.

They pull apart after a moment but remain close, their breaths mingling together.

“Do you have any idea how happy you make me?” Alec asks. His bluntness makes Magnus let out a shaky breath and he smiles.

“Alexander,” he says softly, putting his hands on Alec’s wrists and looking up to meet his eyes. There’s something brewing in his chest, a feeling of awe and adoration. A feeling Magnus hasn’t felt in so long, and yet
- “You mean the world to me.”

Alec beams at him, dropping another kiss to Magnus’ lips.

“C’mon,” Alec says, grabbing Magnus’ hands and tugging him off the curb and down the path they were walking before. “You mentioned something about ice cream.”

“I did,” Magnus allows, hooking his arm through Alec’s, “but I think you’re sweet enough already.”

Alec’s bright laughter warms Magnus all the way home.