A Malec Story

Chapter 90: Lipstick

Magnus
"Max Michael! No! No!" Magnus yelled, but it was already too late. Max had grabbed Chairman Meow's tail and pulled hard. The Chairman yowled and jumped away. He went running through the room and climbed on the highest shelf of the bookcase. Out of Max's reach.

Magnus picked his son up from the floor and waved his finger at him. "Don't pull the Chairman's tail, Max!"

Max looked at him with big blue eyes and giggled. It was the sweetest little sound which melted Magnus's heart. He could never stay mad at him for long.

It was only a week ago that they returned home from Idris. They were supposed to stay there for about six weeks, but because of Max's unexpected arrival they went back to New York two weeks earlier.

Max was part of their lives for five weeks now, and Magnus couldn't imagine a life without him anymore. He was about nine months old, crawling all over the place, pulling the Chairman's tail, and he was getting his first tooth.

Alec and he had decided on Max's middle name. Michael. Since his first name was a Shadowhunter name, his middle name might as well be one too. And it pleased Robert. "Are you okay with Michael?" Alec had asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Magnus had replied.

"Because these are all Shadowhunter names and he's a warlock," Alec had said.

"Michael is the name of an Angel. So I think it's fitting," Magnus had given Alec a big smile and Alec had nodded, his eyes shining with happiness. So, Michael it was.

Isabelle had made good on her promise of baby-proofing the apartment. She also painted one of the spare rooms blue, with pictures of sea animals on the walls. A dolphin, a seal, a penguin. There was a soft blue crib and a matching changing table. Magnus had to admit that she'd done a stellar job with it.

Now life was going back to its normal rhythm. Except that everything had changed. Alec wasn't going to the Institute every day anymore. He went every other day instead, and Magnus planned his appointments with clients on the days Alec was home. He cut back his workload too. He wanted to be around as much as possible. He didn't want to spend time making money, which he had enough of anyways, if he could also spend that time with his fiancé and his son.

Alec was supposed to come home any moment now. Magnus went to sit on the couch, Max on his lap, and bounced him softly. "Daddy is coming home soon," he said softly. "Can you say daddy? Say daddy? Shall we surprise him with a nice dinner? I won't tell him you pulled the Chairman's tail again. But you have to promise me to stop doing that."

Max just stared at him, his mouth open, drooling on his onesie. Because of his first tooth he was drooling all the time and crying all the time too. Babies were extremely tiring, Magnus had found out. But his child was worth it, worth every sleepless night. He'd crawled his way into Magnus's heart. He belonged to him now, his son. He wouldn't want it any other way.

The only thing he regretted was his own lack of fabulousness. Clothes with drool on them was the newest fashion in the Lightwood-Bane mansion. Magnus had even put on one of Alec's faded sweaters one day. How low can a man sink?

"You know what?" he said to Max. "We're going to dress up. Put on some nice clothes. Style our hair. Put on some makeup and cologne. What do you think? Good idea?"

He brought his son with him to the master bedroom and changed into maroon leather pants and a nice Armani dress shirt. "Now you can't drool on me anymore, okay?" he warned Max. They went to the nursery next, where he dressed his son in a nice pair of yellow jeans and a red sweater.

Next stop, the bathroom. With Max on his hip, Magnus rummaged through the glitter and the gel. He hadn't used this stuff for weeks, it was high time! He took a blue lipstick and regarded it closely. Wasn't this the lipstick he wore on the day he met Alec? He was pretty sure it was the same lipstick. It matched Alec's eyes. Alec should wear it, it would look so good on him.