Tainted Soul • Lightwood. [ON HOLD]

E I G H T

If you told Justin Morgenstern that he would travel to the other side of the world one day, he would have slapped you. If you told him he would travel to the other side of the world with his boyfriend, he would have punch you. But if you told Justin Morgenstern he would travel to the other side of the world with his boyfriend, his best friend and his best friend's somewhat boyfriend, let alone by a portal, he would have punch and kick you.

All of that would have happen in the past but right now, at this moment in time, he would cry. And when Magnus gave him the news, Justin started sobbing. He was grateful for the Warlock and everything he's done for him. Justin was glad he could have a break from his crazy life and could spend more quality time with Alec, Magnus and get to know Logan.

With that said, when Magnus portaled the four to Prague, Justin teared up. Of course, it was a couple getaway so when they were in the beautiful country they made arrangements to meet two hours later at the same spot so Magnus could portal them, to Tokyo and then back.

Magnus left with Logan and Alec and Justin went the other way, deciding to explore the city. It was magnificent, to say the least, and Justin was sure he looked dumb with the way he was crying from excitement. But could you blame him? This was his dream, and it just became reality.

They spent the day admiring the scenery and making memories together, and it was perfect for them. For the first time in a long time Justin was happy, relaxed, and Alec noticed that. After everything they've been through, it was nice to relax for a bit.

Their happiness came to an end after Magnus portaled them back to New York. "Magnus," Justin's voice whispered, nudging the Warlock to the end of the room. "I-Thank you, for this whole thing." The Downworlder smiled and hugged his redheaded friend, "there's no need to. I'm just glad you were happy."

The Shadowhunters bid goodbye to Logan and Magnus and crossed the hall to Justin's apartment. "I had fun," Alec said as they took their jackets off and faced each other. "Me too. I still can't believe Magnus did that for all of us."

Justin turned for a second to discard his shoes and when he turns around he's met with a gift bag in front of his eyes. "I got you something." Justin could melt at the gesture and turned to his jacket pocket to retrieve his gift for Alec. "I can't believe you beat me to it."

They exchanged gifts with a laugh and Justin was quick to open his. It was a beautiful black, long necklace with a silver pendant dangling off. It was simple, perfect for him. What he got Alec was something he was sure he will like, a leather bracelet with a braiding pattern.

Justin put the necklace over his head and saw how the silver pendant fell on top of his black shirt, the contrast looking amazing. He lifted his gaze to see Alec smiling down at his arm, the bracelet secured around his wrist.

"Thank you," they said at the same time. They leaned down for a kiss but shuffling and laughing interrupted them. Justin flared his nose just thinking that it has been like this for time Jace has been living with him. Justin almost has gotten no sleep, adding it to the two hours he was usually getting since coming to the Shadow World.

"I seriously need this to stop." Justin rolled his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'll talk to Jace. He can't stay here forever," Alec sighed. As he was walking by, Justin stopped him with his hand. "I know that, but maybe we can handle this with a bit of music and going to the balcony."

Justin turned on the stereo, the giggling and shuffling drown out. Alec smiled and the two went out to the balcony, seating on the bench. There was not much talking involved as they kissed, only to be separated when their phones chimed, an alert coming.

They each fished their phone out of their pockets, opening up to see the Angelic Rune on display, announcing something was going on. "We need to go." Justin smiled as he whipped his lips with his hand. "Let's do out thing. This can continue later on."

Alec rolled his eyes sarcastically and stood up, Justin following suit. "Oh, by the way. You are the one that's going to talk to Jace. Meanwhile, I'll go see if Logan's ready to go." Justin stood on his tiptoes and placed another small kiss on Alec's lips, leaving the raven-haired boy to handle his parabatai.

Justin opened his door, finding a fist close to his nose belonging to Logan Graywood. "By the Angel, don't do that!" Logan chuckled nervously. The older Shadowhunter was still intimidated by Justin Morgenstern. He was Valentine's son, and Magnus' best friend. He wanted his approval, even when he didn't need it.

"We need to wait for Alec. He's in there talking to Jace."

Alec exited a few minutes later, unsuccessful with his mission. No one asked anything, knowing fully well how things went down, even when they weren't present. So, the three just made their way to the Institute.

Justin hated stares. He hated when the attention was on him, every time. So, arriving at the Institute was hell for him. Every Shadowhunter inside had their gaze secured on him for many reasons, one was that he broke down crying not long ago due to his mother's death, and two, he was Valentine's son.

He zoned out and only was pulled back to reality when Isabelle was talking. "Let's see. The Citadel was breached, Magdalena is dead. Cleophas is missing." Justin stared at the monitor and flared his nose. This is my fault. "Valentine?" Clary asked, like the answer was not obvious enough.

"Who else could it be. Aldertree's heading to Idris to meet with the Council," Isabelle informed Alec, ignoring the redhead girl standing there, which Justin found weird since the two were really close. "I'll check with ops."

Justin noticed the tension with the two girls and called after Alec, literally running to his side. "I'll come with you." The raven-haired Shadowhunter smiled down at him and the two walked to the room.

➰

The day was pretty average after that. Alec had to run back to the Institute and Justin decided to go back home and relax a bit. He got around to organize his kitchen, putting away pans, knifes, forks and anything out of place. He, surprisingly, also made his bed, which he has never done in his whole life.

Justin was organizing the living room when a knock on his door made him stop what he was doing. He opened the door and Alec was standing outside. The redhead smiled and stood to the side to allow his boyfriend to come in. "Hey, you done at the Institute?"

Alec nodded as he entered and shrugged off his jacket. "Yeah. Is Jace here?" He asked, almost urgently, which Justin found weird but didn't think much of it. "No, I suppose he left some while ago." There was no other thing said as Alec pulled him in for a kiss. An urgent one to say the least.

Justin chuckled, and pushed his boyfriend away for a second. "You want to continue what we were doing this morning?" A smirk fell on his face as he said the words, and Justin could swear he saw a ghost of a smile lingering in Alec's lips.

"Yeah, and I just thought... you know, I thought we could take the next step."

Justin froze. His eyes widened and he could feel the tension grow immediately. "I-uhh... I'm sorry for suggesting it, I just thought maybe we could d-" Justin interrupted him with a kiss hat lasted close to ten seconds. "Stop talking and let's go to the bedroom before my brother interrupts us again."

This time, it wasn't a ghost of a smile on Alec's face, it was really there. They got back to the kiss in hunger, and Alec guided Justin to the bedroom. And, as the people say nowadays, the rest is history.