The Malec Chronicles

Back Together

Alec went back to New York before Magnus did.

"I'll come see you as soon as I can," Magnus said, using that voice that he only uses when it's just Alec, the only tone that shows how tired he gets sometimes. Alec pulls him in for a hug, lets Magnus rest his entire weight on Alec, leaning on him for support. There's been council meeting after council meeting to start the new peace that comes in the wake of Sebastian's reign of terror, and even though the Cold Peace is in place and most of the Shadowhunters are going to be returning home, the downworlders holding seats on the council must stay for just a few more days. "The minute I get back home, we're having a lazy day."

Alec smiles, but since Magnus is still pressing his face into Alec's shoulder, he doesn't see it. Lazy days used to be their favorite thing, a day full o the normal, boring moments uninterrupted by demon hunting or summoning or civil wars breaking out. Other couples try to break out of the normal routine but Alec used to live for it- lazing around in their sweatpants, eating pizza straight from the box, watching a whole season of some show that Magnus forces him to watch in the name of pop culture education. "I'll be looking forward to it."

The two of them hear footsteps and break apart, a left over reaction from the days where Alec didn't want anyone to know that he was gay or who he was dating. Stupid times. Stupid reasons. A much younger Alec. But it was only Jace coming to look for him, who raised an eyebrow and smiled in a way that somehow doubled as a smirk, so the two stopped paying attention to him. "I could stay, you know." Alec had offered before, and knew what the answer would be, but he could not help himself. He liked the idea of living in a house seperate from all the memories of the loft back home in New York, one that holds only promise and not shadows. But Magnus didn't like the idea of Alec staying, didn't want to feel that decisions were being made and respect given only because he was dating a war hero.

(Because that's what Alec was now. A hero. Strange that it doesn't feel as good as he thought it would.)

"You know I want you to," Magnus said, and he had sad eyes, the kind of sadness that seems to burst through without being able to stop it. Alec sometimes wonders if it's just shown for him, or if its always there and he's just the only one paying attention. "But you also know that I can't have that."

"I know." He steps away, his hand slipping out of Magnus' and stepping away. "But you'll call as soon as you're home, right?"

"As soon as." Magnus promises, and the sparkle is back, and Alec breathes a little easier. He doesn't like being away from him now, doesn't like being turned away, even if it is temporary. "I won't wait a moment."

Alec tries to keep himself busy.

Honestly, it shouldn't be hard. Not with the whole family uproar over his father staying back Idris and their mother finally starting to working towards divorcing him. Not when they have to work to scrub down every inch of the Institute under their mother's watchful eye, seeing as sh wanted it to be spotless for guests that never come, and he keeps getting roped into helping make arrangements for Luke and Jocelyn's wedding. Not when he trains with Jace so the two of them can work out their nightmares, and goes demon hunting on his own when the quiet gets to intense, and spends hours shut up in his room to write to Magnus.

"Do you think things are ever going to go back to normal?"

Izzy asks it quietly, and Jace and Alec both look over at her. They are in Max's room, the first time the three of them have been in here at the same time, the only time that the three of them came together to grieve and acknowledge their loss since the funeral. It almost feels like saying good bye all over again, only this time its bittersweet mixed with the nostalgic, not the rush of crushing, blistering pain that came the first time.