Kissed : The Beginning (Chapter 27)

Chapter 27 : Behind It All

 

Alec was standing tall atop the roofs of Idris, he was looking down at the nightmare unfolding beneath his feet, fire, demons, shadowhunters fighting for their capital, bodies agonizing and the awful stenching smell that he’d never thought would fill the luminous streets of his youth. His heart was racing and his eyes could barely absorb all of the apocalyptic view but somehow each memories were burn deep down in his brain; the purple corpse, the great demons lurking in the shadows of Alicante, the blood smeared on the cobblestones, the demon towers dimmed and broken of all their glory... Alec felt his stomach churning with horror, selfishly happy to be here on his own, to have forbid his sister to come along after he’d tucked her safely in the Penhallow’s mansion while he was looking for Aline, his little brother shaking at the bottom of the stairs; he’d done his best to keep them away. He had a lingering thought for his parabatai but his rune told him he was still alive and for now, that’s all Alec could hope for.

 

Without any further lingering, Alec turn to the close neighbor roof and started running and jumping from one house top to another, coming closer and closer to the Accord Hall he saw in the distance. He could only hope that Aline hadn’t been shaken enough to forget all cautiousness and that she’d went to the shadowhunters meeting place. As he ran, he looked below once in a while and soon, he came across an odd gathering in Cistern Square. What got his heart beating a million miles per hour, without having his doubts confirmed, was the blue glow and sparks that filled the usually beautiful place. Sparks he knew and that belonged to a warlock that shouldn’t be here, a cat-eyed man that was supposed to be away from this hell-hole and that Alec had been happy at the moment wasn’t in the best terms with the blue-eyed shadowhunter... that had meant it was one person less to worry about. But as he ran as fast as he could toward the lights, his stomach dropped and cold sweats filled him when his eyes met the dramatic situation unfolding below, as he stood almost dangling off the side of the shingled roof looking down the square.

 

Magnus was backing up against the walls of the shop Alec was perched upon, a large row of Iblis demons coming down on him as he desperately strike them down in blue fire spears, fighting for his life with the confident and stubborn stance Alec had grown fond of. Although, what made the shadowhunter sweat with fear was the tense set of the warlock’s shoulders, the slight disarray of the usually ordered black locks of hair and the sideways glances his ex-lover shot from side to side, letting Alec know he was in a rather precarious situation. Alec felt his heart beating with different emotions; the painful longing as his body recognized the man he’d learned to love so deeply, a slow burning anger that was coiling deep in his stomach at the sight of said warlock who’d dismissed him so bluntly and a sick horror when he realized one of the Iblis had been brilliant enough to go around Magnus and was about to strike his love down without the warlock knowledge, busy as he was to kill many demons at once with one fearsome spear of magic.

 

Alec didn’t need any further coaxing and all thought went out the window as he jumped down, catching the edge of the roof to swing his body enough to grab the metal pole that was used to hold the dangling sign of the shop he’d used as an observartory point and slid down the glistening metal until he was close enough to the ground to swing his body up and fall down silently on the cobblestones, body crouch in a fighting stance. His body uncoiled at the same time his hand found a seraph blade, naming it as the demon turned around, startled by the presence behind him. Before he had time to blink or found a cunning sentence, he had stab the demon deep down in his chest, killing him efficiently and cleanly as only him could do. If Alec was anything, it was efficient and proper.

 

The ichor and ash splattered over Alec’s body while he watched the demon disappear shireking to his own dimension. He had barely enough time to take note of the situation around him, realizing that the beautiful warlock had dispatched the remaining Iblis demons, before a silky voice, that created deep tremors within him, was speaking with disbelief coloring his tone.

 

    -        « Alec ? » Magnus called, staring at him with wide eyes, sparkles lingering on his fingertips. « Did you just — did you just save my life ? »

 

The shadowhunter could have come up with a lot of sarcastic or swoon-worthy answers but then, Alec being who he is, was suddenly swallowed by the burning anger he’d gathered these last few days and spluttered what had been on his mind, haunting him, while he released the frustration that had been struggling him.

 

    -        « You never called me back. » He said petulantly, his ears wincing at the whining in his voice. « I called you so many times and you never called me back. » He finished, anger seeping through his tone.

 

Magnus looked at him as if he was crazy and Alec thought he was... crazy in love, as cheezy as it sounded. And at the moment, nothing else was more important than knowing why the man of his dreams had dropped him so carelessly when the blue-eyed boy had been so determined to give him his all. It seemed like the answer wasn’t so easily gained because Magnus avoided answering him.

 

    -        « Your city is under attack, » Magnus said sarcastically. « The wards have broken, and the streets are full of demons. And you want to know why I haven’t called you? » The warlock continued, a mix of frustration and awe filling his voice.

 

    -        « I want to know why you haven’t called me back. » Alec answered stubbornly, jaw set, unyielding in his dire need of a straight answer. He hadn’t expected the one he got...

 

***

 

Magnus’s pov

 

Magnus felt the exhaustion running deep down in his bones. He looked around and realized he was completely cornered by Iblis demons as he backed into the wall behind him. He’d been able to run out of the alleyway to find a more suitable position to defend but it hadn’t help much. He knew from the start that this moment would be his last but he still felt a faint regret at dying now after 800 years of survival, for ungrateful shadowhunters that would never know of his sacrifice. Most of all, he couldn’t share his last moment with the only person that had worm his way to his heart so deeply that he’d come to mean more than any other lovers he could have crossed paths with in his long years. He shot blue flames again killing few demons at the same time, stretching the small remnants of his strength. He was near to give up as he was being trapped by way too many Iblis when the unbelievable happened…

 

Ichor showered him as the demon that had sneaked him exploded from a well-placed blow. Disbelief filling his mind, Magnus raised his head a notch and blue eyes entered his confused vision just as if Fate had heard his last wish… Was he dead already? It seemed like not because growls and hiss were still filling his ears. Turning back around to the gathering demons, he found the energy he’d lacked minutes ago and summoned a large ball of glowing blue energy that expended until he released it on the cowering demons, letting it explode and swiftly get him rid of the remaining nuisance. As the view was clear, he glanced back to his lover, his heart aching at the sight of him so strong and fearless. He could barely register that the shadowhunter had saved his life what with his own convincing of the insignificance of his presence in Alec’s life these last days. His mouth spoke up before he even caught up with it.

 

    -        « Alec ? » The warlock uttered, staring with wide eyes as his mind was still stuck on the unbelievable situation, sparkles lingering on his fingertips as anxiety was building up inside him. « Did you just — did you just save my life ? »

 

 Magnus was expecting so much from this answer. His stupidly romantic mind was hoping for a tearful love declaration, how his shadowhunter would tell him he couldn’t let him die because he was so important for him, how he knew now that he was the only one he loved... yes, all this stupid crap he stopped himself from thinking about and was glad he’d done so when Alec send him crashing down with the next words.

 

    -        « You never called me back. » Alec said, as straightforward as ever. How Magnus could have expected more than that? But then... he felt somehow reassured by the whining and hurt tone in his lover’s voice. He wasn’t completely replaceable after all. « I called you so many times and you never called me back. » Alec finished, anger clear on his features. By then Magnus felt exasperation and impatience creep inside of him too. Was it so hard for Alec to admit that he’d been hurt of Magnus’ dismissal? He couldn’t contain his sarcastic answer.

 

    -        « Your city is under attack, » He said, pointing out the obvious flaw in Alec’s logic. Shouldn’t he be considering this as a life or death situation like any normal being and move straight to what was important? « The wards have broken, and the streets are full of demons. And you want to know why I haven’t called you? » He kept on, frustration filling his voice but some of his need and love for the shadowhunter seeping through his tone, leaving it sounding awed and tender.

 

    -        « I want to know why you haven’t called me back. » His blue-eyed love insisted, stubborn as always, leaving Magnus no choice as to who would gave in, in the end. He hated when Alec pulled the inflexible card, it always left him putty. As if to fight his weakening heart, Magnus threw up his hands in the air in total exasperation, sparkles flying around a tell-tale sign of his dismayed emotions.

 

    -        « You’re an idiot. » The warlock said first, reluctant to fall for the attraction of these three words that begged to be released. No, his emotions were too mixed at the moments, whirling around in confusion for him to state bluntly what this was all about.

 

    -        « Is that why you didn’t call me? Because I’m an idiot? » Alec said, his blue eyes meddling with hurt as if he couldn’t believe Magnus would drop him for something so petty but unable to come up with another excuse by himself. Magnus almost sighed in defeat; count on Alexander to look adorable and vulnerable enough to extract all the dark secrets he hadn’t wish to unfold...

 

    -        « No. » Magnus said, his heart beating a million miles per hour as he strode toward the confused Nephilim, barely able to contain himself from kissing him senseless. « I didn’t call you because I’m tired of you only wanting me around when you need something. I’m tired of watching you be in love with someone else — someone, incidentally, who will never love you back. Not the way I do. » There it was, the words he’d been so scared to say out loud but that now had flew so easily... He watched anxiously for Alec’s reaction who for now seemed dumbfounded, in a complete state of shock. Hmm, so much for love declaration...

 

    -        «  You love me? »  Alec complete shock and disbelief spurred a strange reaction within Magnus. He’d had waited so long to say those words, had worry over them so often, had struggled constantly with his feelings for the shadowhunter because of his mortality and the blue-eyed boy wouldn’t even believe him? Hadn’t he been obvious enough? For Angel’s sake, everybody knew except for this... this idiot!

 

    -        « You stupid Nephilim, » Magnus said evenly, tenderness and patience filling his voice against his willing anger. « Why else would I have spent the last few weeks patching up all your moronic friends every time they got hurt? And getting you out of every rididulous situation you found yourself in? Not to mention helping you win a battle against Valentine. And all completely free of charge! » The warlock exclaimed, hoping this would get his point across.

 

    -        « I hadn’t looked at it that way, » Alec said, sheepishly and deepening the warlock anger toward him. Was that all he had to say?

 

    -        « Of course not. You never looked at it in any way. » Magnus said, his hurt and frustration reflecting on his shining orbs, as dread started to fill him, afraid that his admission wouldn’t get him anything and he’d be back at square one. « I’m seven hundred years old, Alexander. I know when something isn’t going to work. You won’t even admit I exist to your parents. » Magnus knew that was a bit unfair as he’d promised Alec to wait for him to be ready but his patience had ran dry with the passing weeks of humiliation and the warlock was near to cut off all remaining links between him and Alec if the shadowhunter wouldn’t soon snap out of his shock to give him something to build on. He had said he love him, wasn’t that enough?

 

    -         « I thought you were three hundred ! You’re seven hundred years old? » Alec said, staring in disbelief, another reaction he hadn’t expected or wished for... just as he hadn’t planned on mentioned his real age.

 

    -        « Well, » he said, some discomfort seeping through his tone, « eight hundred. But I don’t look it. Anyway, you’re missing the point. The point is — » Magnus tried to salvage the conversation and bring it back to the fact that Alec hadn’t mentioned yet what he felt and where they should go, just as he realized the shadowhunter wasn’t listening to him anymore. He was about to snap at Alec when he saw what was coming for them.

 

    -        « Damn it. » Alec uttered silently and Magnus glanced at him haughtily after he noticed the Iblis demons surrounding them again.

 

    -        « Way to change the subject, Lightwood. » The warlock uttered, feeling very childish but none of this conversation had gone the way he wanted, thanks to Alec, and he still was in dire need of reassurance, something he didn’t get at all... leaving him wondering if he should just drop the whole thing for real this time. But then Alec smiled up at him and his heart stuttered...

 

    -         « Tell you what, » His lover said as he reached for a second seraph blade while Magnus awaited eagerly for his words. « We live through this, and I promise I’ll introduce you to my whole family. » The blue-eyed shadowhunter said with finality, lauching Magnus’ heart in a fiery dance of happiness. The warlock set ablaze his fingers individually, turning completely toward his lover as he gave him a fierce smile.

 

    -        « It’s a deal. »

 

The cat eyes shone with burning passion as they lingered in the blue depths and after Alec gave him a last shy smile, they threw themselves in the fight.

 

***

Alec’s pov

 

As they fought back to back, the focus Alec needed to fight made his stumble down his dazed shock. He couldn’t say that he was completely recovered (it was still absurd to him that Magnus could love him) but it was enough for him to know that he wished to do more for the warlock than to give him  those three wonderful words if they weren’t back up by actions he felt now ready to accomplish. He had proposed to his boyfriend (how elated he was to still be able to say those words) to meet his family and he’d be more than happy to let the warlock know he returned his feelings afterwards. Although as his vision was clouded by the ashes of the last Iblis demon, there was one thing Alec could do at the moment that he’d been fantasizing about these last few days.

 

As if they were attached on a same string, both Alec and Magnus turned to face each other at the same time, blue and green catching and holding. Before they knew it, they were falling into one another’s arms, holding and grasping with despair as their mouths found the other, melting together in pure bliss. They ravished each other with delight, the kiss deepening and the hands fumbling with the clothes to touch some skin but quickly, they were interrupted again...

 

Alec chuckled sheepishly and looked at Magnus with a bright blush on his cheek. They expedited the few demons and the shadowhunter motioned to the warlock to moved toward the Accord Hall. Magnus nodded in acknowledgement and soon Alec was reassured to feel the tall presence behind his back, following him as a shadow and acting as his back-up, something Alec had rarely lived what with him being the protector usually. His body and heart buzzed with glee, basking in Magnus’ declaration, eager to live the moment where these words would leave his lips also... impatient to see the look on his lover’s face. He hoped it would come soon enough...