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Alec rubs his nose against Magnus' nape, smiling when Magnus shivers and cuddles right into his warm embrace. It's a rare weekend off for him, and Alec is looking forward to spending all of it with Magnus. They've both been busier than expected recently, considering their new positions: him as Inquisitor and Magnus as High Warlock of Alicante. Everything's just been constantly on the go for them. It isn't as if they hadn't expected the adjustment period, but their plans had decidedly not accounted for the possibility of literal Angels interfering in their lives once again.
Magnus especially, Alec notes, has been running himself to the ground trying to find (read: capture) his angelic half. She's taken to visiting him at random intervals and has constantly rebuffed any offer to stay. Alec knows Magnus wants nothing more than to have her back, but he can't help but hope that with any luck, she would stay away for the weekend. It might sound a little harsh, but Alec has missed having Magnus to himself. He's in love with his husband and wants to spend time with him, sue him.
He presses a kiss to Magnus' shoulder, barely stifling a chuckle when Magnus makes a small noise of discontent but ultimately remains sound asleep. Magnus didn't get home until past two in the morning, which means that the warlock is going to be out for the count until at least eleven. It gives Alec enough time to get his day started.
Although he wants to go right back to sleep with his husband, Alec feels the beginnings of his full bladder making itself known. He presses one last kiss to the back of Magnus' head before getting up to relieve himself in the bathroom. By the time he exits their ensuite, he's washed his face and changed into sweatpants for his morning workout. He just manages to resist the impulse to check his phone for work messages, knowing that the moment he looks at them, he's going to get distracted and his plans derailed.
He pads into the kitchen, wanting a cup of coffee before heading to the home gym Magnus had set up for him around the time they'd started living together. It's as he's crossing from the hallway that leads from the master bedroom and into the living area that he notices the presence of an unannounced (but he begrudgingly admits not unwelcome) visitor.
"Good morning." He watches the angel as she looks around the room before turning to him.
Magnolia, Alec remembers Magnus telling him to call her. He wonders if she chose the name or if Magnus gave it to her, knowing how and what Magnus' name meant to him once upon a time. Who gets to name an angel, after all? And wasn't that a surprise: he's gotten so desensitized to the idea of angels appearing that he's wondering more about how one is named than what it could possibly mean that there's one roaming the earth.
In the month since Alec first saw her, he's only ever caught glimpses of her when she's about to leave (privately, Magnus and Alec call it running away) after visiting Magnus, and while he understands that there's probably something more going on than he is actually aware of, he trusts Magnus to tell him if there's anything to be truly concerned about. After everything they've overcome, there is no one he trusts more than his husband.
"Magnus is asleep," he says when she doesn't say anything, and when she blinks, her eyes have switched to familiar golden cat eyes. He looks away and heads for the coffee machine. He has a feeling there's a reason Magnolia's here that goes beyond returning Magnus' true magical reserves. However, for the first time, he thinks it might have something to do with him. "I suppose that's exactly why you came now."
"You're a smart man, Alexander Lightwood-Bane."
Surprised that she actually replied, Alec then wonders the intelligence of not waking Magnus. He scoops ground coffee into the machine as he says, "It would be better if I could use my intelligence to keep you here like Magnus wants."
There's a pause, and Alec thinks perhaps that's all he was going to get from her. He almost starts when she speaks. Her voice is soothing in a way Alec doesn't trust, because it feels a lot like he's being lulled into a false sense of security. "You're smart enough to know when to save Magnus from himself." She doesn't move closer to him, remaining where she stands behind the couch.
Alec frowns at her words. "Is there something to save him from?" The thought of Magnus being in any danger makes his hackles rise. Would they ever know true peace?
Magnolia tilts her head just so, and though her features are softer and more feminine compared to Magnus, Alec can definitely see the resemblance between them. Not for the first time, Alec wonders if she looks like Magnus because they're both from Asmodeus, or if this is an overall glamour that she selected to look similar to Magnus. Angelic beings weren't meant to be perceived by mortal eyes, after all. His time with Magnus has only made him more aware of how a glamour could be thrown on as easily as clothes when a being has grown so accustomed to it. Even Clary and Jace, who've met Ithuriel and Raziel, could admit that they can detect the angels wearing overall glamours that hide their true forms.
The Earthly Plane was never meant to hold an Angel, after all.
"Magnus is often too close to himself to see the problem." Her wings twitch behind her, folded close to her back as they are. It's nice to see them have a reaction outside of the stoicism he associates with her. Alec has come to realize just how much one could glean about someone's thoughts or feelings from the way their wings behave. Granted, he has only Magnus as a point of reference, but he digresses.
"Are angels always this cryptic?" Alec can already hear Magnus' "I'm not being cryptic, I'm being coy," as Magnolia responds:
"I'm not being cryptic," in a near-identical tone. Magnolia doesn't give away whether or not she knows she's echoing her brother's words. "I'm reminding you that your husband has a bad habit of taking too much upon himself."
"And what about you?" Alec counters just as the coffee pot begins to fill. "You and Magnus are connected, aren't you? I don't know how, but you're connected somehow." I wouldn't be surprised if you shared the same bad habit, he doesn't say.
She's amused, though her expression remains blank. Alec can assume what she feels by the way she inclines her head the same way Magnus does when he's trying to hide his own amusement. It's once again reassuring to see such a mundane tell in the body of a supposed divine being. "Asmodeus had a hand in our creation."
Alec's eyes narrow just as he turns around to pour himself coffee. Suspicion makes his stomach churn, but he chooses not to say anything. If she's anything like his husband, then he knows she'll speak when she wants, and that he can wait just as patiently as they can keep quiet.
"It would do you well," she says as she appears by his side without so much as a hint at having moved, "To remember that Magnus has the bad habit of going after those that would only bring him harm."
The image of Magnus standing atop one of the now-disable demon towers enters Alec's mind unbidden. It's only been three days since he'd found Magnus there, looking out into the dark night, brows furrowed and eyes glowing with power he rarely shows. In his hands had been a feather (plucked or fallen, Alec wasn't sure) from Magnolia's wings. When Alec had called out to him, Magnus had looked utterly dejected to find that it hadn't been Magnolia that had come for him.
Despite the initial twinge of hurt from Magnus' reaction, Alec had quickly gotten over it once he'd heard Magnus explain.
"Once upon a time, she and I had been near inseparable." Magnus held up the feather, a small smile on his lips as it let some of the moonlight filter through. "Much like you and Jace, it had been like we were one soul in two bodies. More often than not, we couldn't figure out where one ended and the other began."
Alec had drawn him into his arms, pressing a kiss to his temple to try and soothe him as tears began to fall from his golden eyes.
"I don't know how I had gone centuries with the emptiness of being unable to feel her." Magnus confessed against Alec's shoulder. "Imagine that pain when Jace had—" He breathed in deep then exhaled slowly, knowing how Alec disliked remembering that specific moment (and what had inevitably come after: with the Owl, Magnus' magic, and Edom). "I once told you I'd closed myself off for a century because of Camille, and while no other love could ever compare to that I have for you because you have my very heart in your hands…" Magnus pulled away slowly, twiddling with the feather. "They hold my soul."
"Are you telling me you're going to hurt him?" Alec inhales the scent of coffee as he snaps out of the memory. He takes a slow sip as he looks at Magnolia.
"Is it not pain unintentionally caused that is often much worse?"
The front door swings open before he can reply, and if Alec didn't know Magnus' wards as well as he did, he would have been more concerned. As it is, he knows only a handful of people can get away with barging into his and Magnus' home, especially when Magnus is sound asleep.
One of which, of course, is Magnus' pseudo son, the former vampire Raphael Santiago.
And just like that, Alec finds out what it looks like for an angel to be afraid.
Or at least, be taken aback by a mundane man, of all things.
"Raphael," Magnolia greets, voice carefully light. It strikes Alec then just how much insight he has on Magnolia simply because she acts so similar to his husband. Their tone is calculated, but the small head tilt to appear taller and more confident betrays her feelings. "This is a long way from New York."
"And you are a long way from heaven," Raphael counters without missing a beat. He glances briefly at Alec, who's content to let things unfold if only because this is the longest he's been in Magnolia's presence without Magnus and he's curious where this could possibly lead.
"There is plenty to be done," says Magnolia as she glides away from Alec. Her wings lift, as if she's debating taking flight right in the middle of the penthouse, but she eventually relaxes them as Raphael stops just a few feet from her.
"You've been hiding from me." Raphael looks in the direction of the master bedroom, then to Alec, and then back to Magnolia. "I assume you've been hiding from Magnus as well."
Magnolia turns to Alec, half a smile curving her lips. "Magnus is smart enough to know how to find me, and strong enough to keep me where I cannot run."
"But he would never trap you." Raphael's tone brokers no room for argument. It's as if he knows it for certain, and Alec finds confirmation in Raphael's next words: "Especially not after Ithuriel." Magnolia's chin lifts a smidge more, as if the mention of the other angel is enough to power and chastise her at the same time. "Nor his own recent experiences with imprisonment," Raphael adds, and this time it's Alec's turn to flinch.
"No," Magnolia goes on to agree: "Magnus would not trap me. He is better than that."
"Desine currere et manere." Raphael closes the distance between them in measured steps. "Mane, hoc abs te rogo." He offers her a hand, and Alec can just make out the minute twitch of Magnolia's fingers — as if not taking Raphael's hand requires actual effort. It reminds Alec of early moments in his and Magnus' relationship, when he'd wanted nothing but to reach out, but held himself back from doing so. (Latin: Stop running and stay. Stay, this I ask of you.)
"Raphael, you continue in the service of your namesake."
"I live by the laws of only one God," replies Raphael without missing a beat. "But I would serve at any altar that ensures your continued life and existence. You know this. Why else would you be here? Why else would you call me here, with Magnus in stasis, and his husband as witness? Domum nostram aedificemus de promissionibus saeculorum praeteritorum." (Latin: Let us build our home on the promises of centuries past.)
Alec turns sharply in the direction of their room, where he'd left Magnus asleep. He hadn't even thought anything of his husband continuing to sleep through Magnolia's arrival. Had Magnolia put him in stasis before or after Alec had joined her?
As if summoned by his thoughts, Magnus emerges from the room, looking far from the cuddly and pouty warlock that often greets Alec post workout. Instead, Magnus struts into the living area with his head held high, eyes golden, and dragon wings tucked neatly behind him. A pair of silk pajamas are the only thing preserving his modesty.
The floor beneath Magnolia glows a familiar blue, and Alec can just about make out the different runes and markings that have activated. Around that is another circle, this one glowing an eerie red that Alec associates with Magnus' magic when it's wielded to hurt rather than to protect.
This, Alec notes as Magnus comes to stand behind Magnolia, is the Magnus that earned the Downworld's respect. This is the warlock that everyone turned to when they needed someone both unbelievably strong and yet also refreshingly inventive and kind. This is the man who is almost single-handedly changing the institution that had made the downworld's lives miserable.
This is his husband.
And to behold him is a Blessing in itself.
He finds himself holding his breath as Magnus stands before Magnolia, unsure what's about to happen. And when Magnolia, who looks about every bit an angel from their stories with her flawless skin and ethereal glow, falls to her knees in an undoubtedly submissive and venerating pose, Alec feels like his very heart has beat out of his chest.
Alec doesn't think he's ever related to someone as much as he does with Magnolia at this moment. He's always thought Magnus deserves to be worshiped (and he's more than happy to do so), but to see it validated by an angel feels vindicating in ways he couldn't even begin to express.
"Ut numquam iterum," Magnus says. (Latin: May we never part again.)
Magnolia's response is barely above a whisper. "Aeternum." (Latin: Forever)
And just like that, Alec's heart stops when Magnus falls. He drops his near empty cup before he's vaulting over the island and attempting to catch Magnus. Raphael manages to beat him by just half a second, and mostly because of proximity. The former vampire lets Alec take Magnus from his arms without question, and Alec is struck by an eerie sense of deja vu as he cradles Magnus and turns to Magnolia, who's become ensconced in a pale blue glow.
"Lay him down," orders Raphael as he stands and gathers the multitude of pillows and throws Magnus has in the living room. Alec's intention to protest must have been visible, because Raphael cuts him off with a quick, "I know you want to take him to your room, but I'm telling you that they need to be as close as possible to each other right now."
Although his initial reaction is to question how Raphael knows what to do, Alec bites his tongue. It's apparent to him that Raphael is more familiar with the dynamics between Magnus and Magnolia. This is just another one of those things Alec needs to get to know about Magnus. He places Magnus by the edge of the blue circle that's supposedly keeping Magnolia contained, unsure if it's safe for either of them to be inside. As soon as he lets Magnus' head settle on one of the pillows Raphael hands him, he realizes he should flip Magnus over because his wings are manifesting back into existence.
Carefully, he does just that, and as soon as Magnus is stomach down on the floor, his wings appear. They hover as if ready to fly away with an unconscious Magnus, which makes Alec tighten his grip. Golden scales that shimmer under the light stretch out, and Alec makes sure he's placed as comfortably as he can be despite his hesitance as to how exactly to position him.
Raphael doesn't seem to have his concerns about the circle though, stepping right into the seal and maneuvering an unconscious Magnolia so that she's lying face down parallel to Magnus, though her feet are by Magnus' head. Her wings flicker in and out of existence, but as soon as she's in position, it returns to its corporeal form.
Alec watches as the pair's wings move; the closest to the other stretching out, as if of their own accord, until it's blanketing the other person's legs. He's barely able to pull himself away as soon as he feels the buzz of magic reminiscent of Magnus' active wards. Only, instead of surrounding the loft or an item, it's within the small circle.
The silence that follows is deafening. Alec can't help the worry that threatens to consume him at the sight of Magnus passing out. The last time they'd been in such a situation, Magnus was convulsing with the rejection of Lorenzo's magic. This time, he's just eerily still. If Alec wasn't as in tune with Magnus' magic as he is, he doubts he would have even realized the seal is active.
"Breathe, shadowhunter," Raphael says as he stands. "Their bond is just resettling." He inhales deeply, and an unreadable expression crosses his face as he regards the pair on the floor. When he turns back to Alec though, he's back to that mask of calm indifference Alec's used to seeing on him. "If my understanding of these things are correct, then Magnus would no longer be prohibited from speaking to you about," he sends them a meaningful glance, "everything."
Alec frowns.
"They're…" Raphael pockets his hands. There's a quirk in his brow and tension in his jaw that tells Alec Magnus isn't the only one magic-bound not to reveal things. Not for the first time, he feels frustrated by such vague overarching protections. Would he ever live a life without angelic intervention? "You'll be the best person to understand Magnus," Raphael says instead.
"I just want to make sure he's okay," Alec admits. "If they're going to be like that for a while, why don't we have breakfast? I can't conjure something fancy the way Magnus does—"
"Toast is fine, Alec." Raphael shakes his head. "And some coffee too," he adds on. "Magnus and Ragnor would be appalled, but Catarina has definitely gotten me addicted to coffee more than tea."
"I don't blame you. The stuff she has is great." Alec motions to the stools by the island for Raphael to sit while he prepares their food. There's no way he'd be able to get through his morning workout while his mind is abuzz with worry.
It takes a long time for either Magnus or Magnolia to show signs of waking up. Alec and Raphael go about their morning, though both know the other has an ear and an eye on the unconscious pair.
A little after breakfast, as Raphael's putting away the dishes and after they've caught the other up on what they've been up to since they last saw each other, Raphael addresses an insecurity Alec hasn't even admitted to himself, let alone told Magnus. He feels a little caught off guard that Raphael manages to call him out on it, but Alec has a feeling that it has to do more with Raphael knowing Magnus than actually knowing Alec.
“When you look at them," Raphael begins as he sips on his second cup of coffee for the day, "think of Jace and how much he means to you.” They relocate to the living area as he seems to choose his next words, taking care not to disturb the unconscious children of Asmodeus. He stands by the balcony doors, closed and frosted as they were as a result of Magnus' privacy wards whenever Magnolia is in the room, standing in the warm glow of the sun that managed to shine through. It's one of the things Alec noticed about Raphael since his return to being a mundane; he always stands where the sun is. “That’s the closest I can get to explaining what they mean to Magnus.”
Alec tries not to be too judgmental despite himself. Parabatai. What did Raphael know of the value of bonds and parabatai to be able to say that what Magnus and Magnolia have are comparable to that? And yet, Alec can't help but think to himself, what did Alec himself know of the bonds that could exist between an Angel and — her brother? He crosses his arms and looks back at Magnus and Magnolia, suddenly unsure what exactly he has to offer.
“You must have wondered why Magnus never really felt jealous of Jace." Raphael inclines his head to look right up and out the doors. "He never held the strength of your devotion and loyalty to a man you were infatuated with against you. And with Magnus' history with love…" Raphael shakes his head. "Even the most understanding person would be pushed to their limits when confronted with never being able to have the love of their life to themselves.”
“I never thought there needed to be too deep a reason to be so—" Alec pauses, unsure how to continue as he feels how his own shoulders have tensed. In an attempt not to get too wound up, he exhales slowly. "I thought that was just the way Magnus was. He’s always been more than willing to offer chances and understand.”
“And he is,” agrees Raphael. “But he’s also been hurt and learned to build walls as well as hone his own charisma and persona like a weapon. There's no part of Magnus that hasn't been influenced by all the hurt he's experienced as one of us.”
One soul in two bodies.
That’s what Magnus had said, wasn’t it? And it wasn’t the first time Magnus had used the term, odd as it were. Only, the last time Magnus had been talking about Alec and Jace. He’d likened the parabatai bond to having one soul in two bodies, and while the bond did grant parabatai insight into each other’s feelings and overall psyche, it wasn’t so intimate as to literally have one soul. Alec, for all that he loves Jace and knows that Jace loves him just as much, is pretty sure he has a soul entirely separate from him. Perhaps they have a sliver of the other's soul with theirs, but certainly aren't one in the same. Mostly, Alec refused to believe that there was any aspect of himself that would ever be attracted to Clary.
Alec's eyes locked on to the way Magnus and Magnolia's fingers fluttered, laid out near each other as they are. It looks as if they want to reach out to each other.
So what had Magnus meant, exactly?
Magnus knows the moment he wakes up that Magnolia is in his home. There has been something keeping him from fully waking the past ten minutes, and so he hovered just below consciousness until he's able to break through. His eyes open as soon as the wards welcome Raphael.
It seems his problem of being unable to keep Magnolia in one place is about to be solved. After all, if there's anyone other than Magnus that could keep her to one place, it would be his son.
He inhales deeply, letting his magic wash over him and activating the seals he'd placed in the loft. He's under no illusion that he's bested Magnolia somehow, because she's not thrashing against the bindings she can definitely feel activating and he can feel how calm she is through their bond, weak as it is.
His eyes meet Raphael's as he reaches the living room. From the corner of his eye, he can make out Alec's figure off to the side. He'll greet his husband later (and perhaps lament the tragedy of waking without his arms around Magnus), but for now, his focus remains on Magnolia. The runic circle has activated, and the protective barrier emanates heat that would have deterred plenty from even attempting to go near Magnolia.
"It's time to stop running," Magnus says, walking around the circle so that he's between Raphael and Magnolia. He stands to his full height, though his stance softens when he spots Magnolia's small smile.
She falls to her knees gracefully, wings stretched and exposed in supplication.
Magnus' heart stutters at the blatant disregard for propriety and their supposed stations. Who would have ever thought they would see an angel bow to a Downworlder — the son of a Prince of Hell, even? Behind him, he can hear Raphael's breath hitch. Not for the first time, Magnus wonders what Alec truly thinks of all of this. Raphael has had a little over a century over Alec when it comes to knowing about Magnolia, after all. He's a little more used to her popping into his life.
For a brief period in time, Magnus was even sure Magnolia was communicating with Raphael instead of him. The angels hadn't seen fit to meddle in the connection between them the same way they had with Magnus and Magnolia.
His link to Magnolia throbs like a fresh wound in the wake of her surrender. She might have returned his power reserves a month ago, but she had withheld from initiating any means of reconnecting with him. He knew almost as soon as she'd given him his wings back that she hadn't been upfront with him. Magnus might have gotten angry if he didn't know her as well as he did.
He knows her as well as (maybe even better than) he knows himself.
How can he not when they used to be one and the same?
Magnus closes his eyes and reaches out to their bond. Newly unchained and reflecting Magnus and Magnolia's own emotions, their bond throbs between them like an open wound. He doesn't know how he survived without this connection to such an integral part of himself for as long as he had, but he's glad he doesn't have to anymore.
"Ut numquam iterum."
"Aeternum."
When he comes to, it's a little past sunset. Alec is looking through something on his tablet while Raphael's busy in the kitchen. The wards in his loft tell him that all is well, and that his connection to Magnolia is restored once again. His husband is immediately at his side, reaching out and inquiring about Magnus' wellbeing.
"I'm alright," Magnolia replies in Magnus' stead, and Magnus is struck by the realization that they would once again have to figure out how to be one soul in two bodies. And this time, he would have someone other than Ragnor at his side. It's not a bother though. He will always choose to relearn what it means to be One than return to the emptiness that had been his existence without them.
Alec sends them an odd look, though Raphael joins the group before Magnus can even begin to explain.
"I think I need to continue laying down," Magnus says, though it's Magnolia that stands.
"You both need to take it easy." Alec helps Magnus up, though he barely needs it as his natural fluidity associated with being a Divine Being has returned.
"I'm sure we have no other choice but to take it easy," Magnolia says as Magnus rolls his eyes. He sends Alec a sheepish smile, knowing this must be as confusing to his husband as it had been for Raphael when he had first encountered Magnus and Magnolia.
Back then, you could barely tell where one ended and the other began.
This time, however, with centuries between them, Magnus knows it would take a while before he and Magnolia truly find balance once again.
"I'll take them to their room," Raphael tells the Lightwood-Banes.
"You've always taken such great care of me," Magnus replies, though it's Magnolia that reaches up to caress Raphael's chin.
He closes his eyes as the pair walk away, and he turns in Alec's embrace to press his forehead against Alec's clavicle. All his senses have been heightened, and there's an awareness about himself and the world at large that makes him feel as if every breath will send him hurtling through space and time the same way Asmodeus must still be falling in limbo.
The thought of Asmodeus makes Magnus tense. That will be another bridge to cross when they get to it.
For now, he focuses on his Alexander, whose arms remain secure around his figure. Magnus' wings have cocooned them once more, crossing Alec's back as if to shield him. His husband's concern and anxiety are palpable even without words being exchanged, but he knows that at the root of it all is the love and care that Magnus has always dreamed of experiencing. He basks in it now, knowing that with that love comes the light of Alec's affection and the passion with which he expresses it.
Magnus pulls away just enough to be able to look up and into Alec's eyes, and neither waste any time as they lean back in for a kiss.
It's soft and chaste, and Magnus feels like it's a means of reassuring each other that they are indeed real and still in each other's arms.
"Aku cinta kamu, my Alexander," he murmurs as he pulls away.
"As I love you, Magnus," is Alec's sincere reply.
There's a spike of magic within the loft that triggers his wards, but it evens back out just as quickly that Alec probably doesn't even notice it. Without even searching, Magnus knows it's Raphael stepping back into his role as Magnolia's Chosen.
"Why don't we turn in early too?" Magnus offers. "I know you have plenty of questions, but I'm still feeling a little off-kilter." He presses another quick kiss to Alec's lips, though he can't help himself from dipping in for more when Alec responds so sweetly to him. "I promise I'll answer all of them tomorrow."
He can feel the way Alec has to reign himself in from outright interrogating him, and he's all the more grateful for Alec's empathy. "Alright," Alec says with a nod. "Let's go to bed."
In the early hours of the following day — hours before the sun will even rise — Magnus and Alec stand in the balcony of their bedroom. Magnus breathes in deeply, reaching out with his magic to make sure that his wards hold true and none can see the truth of what is happening in their home. For all that Alicante sees, the loft's balcony is rarely used, and if it is, it's usually by guests of the Lightwood-Banes'.
“Do you know why parabatai bonds are sacred?” Magnus stands at Alec's side, all of his warlock marks on display. His draconic wings are tucked securely behind him, but there's a shimmer to them that Alec doesn't think has been there before.
“They’re a blessing from the angels," is Alec's immediate reply, "that we may fight better together to rid the world of demons.” He frowns at the odd question, but he trusts that Magnus has his reason for it.
“How very...textbook.” Magnus' amusement is palpable, and while a part of Alec is ready to defend himself, he melts as soon as Magnus reaches up to cup his cheek. It's Magnus that smiles up at him, but it sounds like it's Magnolia that replies, “No need to be offended, Alexander Lightwood, it isn’t as if you knew better.”
Alec huffs. “Lightwood-Bane.”
“Lightwood-Bane,” agrees Magnus with a grin, as in love with Alec as ever. His wings twitch, as if they want to wrap around Alec once more, but he manages to keep them away for now. There is a history lesson long overdue between them, and Magnus knows they'll only get distracted if he holds Alec in his wings. “Parabatai bonds are sacred because it’s a choice. As humans, you are granted intellect and free will. You get the chance to choose how to live your life. What choices to make…" Magnus trails his hand from Alec's face to his neck, and follows the line of his Deflect Rune with his forefinger. "To regret.” Alec returns Magnus' intense gaze without flinching. “Parabatai bonds are a product of that free will combined with the angels’ blessing — however indirect it may be. But do you know the origins of the bond? From before even Jonathan and David?”
He doesn't. Of course, he doesn't. There is so much about his people, especially their history, that Alec's realizing has been altered to fit the self-importance that shadowhunters have. Magnus pities him for it, but only because he's left his anger in the past, when he'd had to face Alec's people time and again. There exists a chasm between his and Alec's history that would take lifetimes to bridge, but Magnus knows better than to think shadowhunters incapable of change entirely.
“The Angels had parabatai of sorts as well." Magnus hums, golden eyes darkening to amber. "That is…beings that were the epitome of balance and harmony to ensure Their Will be Done.”
Once, there had been no Magnus and Magnolia.
There had only been Zephon, embodiment of Asmodeus' Divine Grace and Love and Ithuriel's Loyalty and Guiding Light. Zephon had been Called, just as Raziel had. And so when the daughter of Asmodeus summoned Raziel at Jonathan Shadowhunter's demand, They sent Zephon to ensure that those with blood of the Fallen — no matter how diluted — would always find Salvation.
Raziel had been Sent to give Jonathan Shadowhutner just enough means to rid the world of demons. Zephon had been Sent to protect what would come to be known as the Downworlders. Together, they had been supposed to keep the balance in the realm. Raziel and Zephon had been in agreement that all of Their creations needed help and protection. And while they knew of and have seen the truth of a mortal's greed and selfishness, neither of them had thought they would be made subject to it.
Neither saw what They did (for They knew all, did They not). Neither understood the need for such pain and suffering. Neither envisioned how drastically things would change.
And yet, things would also stay the same.
Zephon had watched, unable to interfere, as Raziel was bound and kept among the people that would claim to be his Chosen.
Zephon had asked Them for guidance, short of pleading with Them to let them save Raziel.
After all, they had been Called together.
Zephon and Raziel were supposed to keep the balance of the Their beloved realm — to protect Their Favored Creation.
When no Answer came after countless nights of Prayer, Zephon felt their worldview shift and change. If They would not answer their call, then perhaps they would have to save Raziel themself.
It started with a thought. How could one angel rescue another without being caught themself?
And so Zephon met with Asmodeus.
Ithuriel was as duty- and heaven-bound as any Warrior of Heaven. Even after having unwittingly created Zephon, Ithuriel remained Their Faithful Servant. Asmodeus, on the other hand, had no qualms about doing as he pleased. Loathe as the Zephon might be to admit, there was a freedom to Falling. Zephon couldn't truly understand the weight of blasphemy in their mind at even just thinking it, but Asmodeus' ability to act out of Their control seemed entirely appealing to an angel who'd just watched their partner be taken by mortals.
The string of Fate that connected Zephon and Raziel as Their Called protectors would tense and unravel with every demand Jonathan Shadowhunter made of Raziel. Zephon would have fallen to their knees if they weren't so set on coming up with a plan to save Raziel. As it turned out, however, to interfere with Their Plan is to risk Falling.
It was no longer just those that call themselves angel-blooded that Zephon needed to worry about.
Asmodeus was calm and upfront about their options. There was nothing stopping Asmodeus from interfering. There was no love lost between them and Them, nor was there any particular connection between Raziel's captors and Asmodeus. As far as Zephon's creator was concerned, this was a task he was considering only because Zephon was their last connection to Ithuriel.
While it was Asmodeus that hatched the plan to rescue Raziel (they would use the shadows and travel the in-between that existed across the realms), it was Zephon that reached out to grab Raziel's hand just as they were about to Bless the bond between Shadowhunter and a man who would come to be known as David the Silent (and limited the holy blessing that Raziel had been about to give). Instead of the same profound bond that connected the angels to each other, Jonathan and David would share only that which would aid them in battle. Their bond would be of little use elsewhere. There would be enhanced senses when their runes are active, and they would always work well together, filling in the gaps left by the other.
It was a battle bond, through and through — a poor copy of the connection that existed between angels.
Angels, while appearing as individuals and bearing their own thoughts, were so intimately connected as to essentially be one being through Their Will in multiple bodies. Raziel has been willing to grant them a similar bond, ever the faithful believer in the potential of humans the same way They were.
Zephon knew better though. These men, who'd trapped the very angel whose duty it was to protect and guide them, would never learn if they were granted such capabilities. Zephon met Asmodeus' gaze as the trio resurfaced in a different plane, Raziel's hand securely in Zephon's. They hadn't just limited Raziel's gift. Zephon had the eerie feeling that Asmodeus knew exactly what they had done. A curse now lingered in the depths of every parabatai bond. After all, angels were parts of a whole. They were never meant to turn to each other and want. To do so would be the antithesis of what it meant to be an angel.
"You have my gratitude," Raziel said with a nod to Asmodeus, "Brother."
"Gratitude does not make a good trade, brother," replied Asmodeus calmly. "But my business is not with you."
Despite the curse he'd left (or perhaps because of it), Zephon was still very much Their Angel, and the people that had taken Raziel's blood have become their people. And because of this — because of Zephon's attachment to Raziel and the understanding that they would always choose Their Mission no matter the cost to themselves — Zephon built in the cure for the curse as well. Bond and allegiances were such fragile yet valuable things.
Individual iterations of the curse could be cured by an act of selfless love between parabatai.
The curse as a whole, however, may be cured by a true act of selfless love between their and Raziel's people.
"You cannot stay," Raziel said as soon as Asmodeus left. "Our place is in heaven. There is no place for us here."
"Not in this form," agreed Zephon, "but I—"
Raziel's face shuttered, and in the blink of an eye they both returned to their true angelic forms. Two eldritch beings stood in the in-between, an entire conversation passing between them without words or actions.
"I will see you again," Zephon said as he felt the beginnings of his choice make itself known. Zephon's angelhood would remain, tethered to Ithuriel's light and Raziel's truth. The darkness that followed was broken by the wail of a child.
"Never shall we truly part, Zephon," swore Raziel, before retreating with that piece of Zephon that would always be Holy.
The next time Zephon awakened, they had the blood of the Fallen in their veins and they were in the subconscious of a little boy with golden eyes.
Magnus sinks into the warmth of Alexander's embrace, still caught between being in his arms and existing in Magnolia's psyche. "You know most of the rest, of course. A young boy kills his mother with grief and her husband with fire, before walking right into the arms of a father who saw only an opportunity for control and power. There's more—"
"I'm sure there is," cuts Alec off, arms tightening around Magnus. "And I will be more than happy to listen to the rest another time." He cups Magnus' cheek, and there's a look in his eyes that Magnus thinks means Alec's truly seeing the entirety of who and what he is for the first time. It is one thing, after all, to love a warlock — no matter their parentage. It is entirely different to love a warlock that had once been an angel (and who was still connected to said angelic half). And yet…
For all that changed, there was a consistent warmth in Alec's eyes that Magnus found solace in.
"I love you," he couldn't help but say, unsure of how else to express the depth of his feelings for the man currently wrapped up in his wings. "I love you," Magnus repeats, willing Alec to understand that when Magnus says they love Alec, they mean it with every part of him: mind, body, and divinity.
A sharp pain in his back has him nearly falling to the ground, saved only by Alec's strength and reflexes.
"Magnus—"
Massive wings the mirror image of Magnolia's unfurl from Magnus' back, swooping low and filling in what space there was underneath his own golden scaled wings. How ironic that he would regain such an angelic-seeming trait when he feels least connected to his angelic heritage. He stretches his wings, needing to shift his stance so that Alec's back is to the cityscape that is Alicante with Magnus effectively crowding him into the railings.
Magnus places one hand on Alec's chest, feeling every beat of his heart against his palm. He smiles as his wings wrap around Alec and his hand trails up to cup Alec's cheek. He Chooses Alec. In any and every meaning of the word. He Chooses his Alexander.
They share another kiss, and Magnus feels his soul sing.