Chapter Text
"The high warlock of Rome is what?" Magnus arched a brow, running the tip of his index finger over the pad of his thumb as he flung a book into the air and caught it with much poise. "And how come I've never heard of this Romeo all downworlders have been speaking of these days?"
Max sighed heavily through the phone. "Dad, is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" he smirked, making Magnus chuckle softly.
"Come on, blueberry, I've always flaunted my charm wherever I went, and now that there's a new warlock in– hold on, is he pretty?"
Max laughed out loud, a sound that never failed to draw a smile on Magnus' face.
"I haven't seen him yet, but as far as I've heard, he's fucking gorgeous"
"Fuckin- Max! Since when do you use this foul language?" Magnus barked, rebuking his son using a voice laden with feigned anger.
"Since last century" Max retorted smartly, a grin obvious in his tone. "So, will you be there?"
"I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule" Magnus sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes.
Max stayed silent for a few seconds. "Don't let your jealousy get the best of you, father dearest. Aunt Catarina and Tessa will be there, it's a downworld party and I'm sure you have plenty of time to reconnect."
"I've always been the one to throw the best parties" Magnus muttered in interjection.
"I rather enjoy this envious side of you" Max chortled fondly, "be there. I miss you."
Magnus bowed his head at that, dropping his jokes as a small smile upturned the corners of his lips. "I miss you too, blueberry."
Max never had anything against his father calling him blueberry, regardless the fact he's a little over two centuries old and often gets teased about it by his closest friends.
"I'll be there" Magnus said after a few seconds, making sure his tone sounded exasperated and vexed. In reality, Magnus was more than intrigued to meet this high warlock of Rome.
…
"Magnus"
Magnus turned on his heel elegantly, grinning as he caught sight of the familiar brown hair and grey eyes. "My dearest Tessa" his eyes softened as he brought her into his arms, embracing her. "I missed you"
"Oh, really now?" Tessa mocked, arching a brow, but hugging him back nonetheless. "Yet you couldn’t spare a second or two to call me and ask me how I was doing?"
Magnus parted his lips to object, already conjuring up a full lie that would explain why he hadn’t contacted Tessa in the past decade.
"Not saying this out of courtesy" Tessa whispered, "but nothing can ever overthrow your parties. This sucks" She pulled back, putting on a fake jovial smile as she looked around, then she settled her eyes on magnus and winked.
Magnus laughed breathily. "Trust me, dear" he answered, "I know."
Rolling her eyes, Tessa brushed her hair off her shoulder. "Still as stuck-up as I last saw you, I presume" she joked, making Magnus shrug and snap his fingers, summoning a drink from the bar.
"And lazy" Tessa added, shaking her head affectionately at her friend. Magnus shrugged once more. "What can I say? Magic spoils us"
"Spoils us" came a snort from over Magnus' shoulder, then Catarina's hand was patting his stomach "one day, the abs will disappear, Magnus"
Magnus rolled his eyes. "I'd be lying if I said I don’t miss you" he heaved out, "but I wasn’t quite anticipating your arrival either"
Catarina smirked. "Sure you weren’t"
"Dad!"
Magnus shoved his drink into Catarina's hand, who gladly sipped at it and frowned approvingly at the glass, and he met Max halfway, hugging him tightly.
"Lilith, I missed you" Max whispered, shutting his eyes, and Magnus wholeheartedly returned the sentiment, squeezing Max tighter.
"See?" Max pulled back and straightened Magnus' blazer out, "the party isn't so bad now, is it?"
Magnus blinked blandly. "Remember who you're talking to, Maxi" he answered, "I own the Pandemonium, The Pandemonium, I can glance at the bar right there, pick out twenty nine flaws, and name them in succession"
Max snorted. "You're so trivial" he patted his father's bicep with a doting smirk.
"Trivial? Me? Please" Magnus waved a hand dismissively, "triviality and having a sharp eye are two absolutely different things"
Max nodded, "right" he said, deciding to just agree to whatever his father has to say.
"So" Magnus slowly looked around, "where is this striking charmer who, might I add, has a terrible taste in drinks?"
"Who's asking?"
Magnus, in spite of the hundreds of years he'd spent embarrassing himself under differing situations, winced at being caught.
The voice sounded familiar. The intonation, the softness threaded into his potent timbre, it was all too familiar, there, engraved in Magnus' mind. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it and detect the angelic cadence.
He turned around, opening his mouth to speak, but once his eyes landed on the man, no words passed his throat.
His lips parted, breath knocked out of his lungs as he blinked. Was he dreaming? Hallucinating? Maybe this was sangria. Too strong sangria.
The man smirked, hazels boring into Magnus' as he moved forward and balanced him by the arms. "Apologies, I didn’t mean to frighten you"
Max stood, rooted in place, as well as Catarina and Tessa, both of them scrutinising the man as if he were a work of art.
Then Max sidled up to his father, jaw flexed as he silently offered comfort. The man briefly glanced at the younger warlock, then at the father, who still stood frozen in place, eyes glazed over and lustrous with unshed, memory-laden tears.
"Alexander?" was the only thing that contrived to escape Magnus' lips, foolish and quite rash, but he wasn't in charge of his vocal chords anymore, and as soon as the name fell from his lips, the man smiled, lopsided and easy. It made Magnus' heart jump in his chest.
This couldn't be happening.
"I hate to say this, but you're mistaken. People tend to assume my given name is Alexander, it takes a whole lot of effort to get them to believe that it’s just Alek, Alek Vargas" he extended his hand politely, and Magnus swallowed, dampening his throat, shutting his eyes momentarily to ground himself.
Magnus flexed his jaw, hands clenching to fists before he spread his fingers out and lifted his hand to hold Alek's. Then he instantly pulled back, hating how foreign it felt.
In contrast with Alec's rough and calloused hands, this clone's hands were silky, warm, and once Magnus touched him he could feel the man's magic ripple through his body.
Alexander – Alek – gave a wary look and stepped away. "Do you need a drink? Water?" snapping his fingers, he conjured up a glass of water, but Magnus' eyes remained on Alek's hand.
Magic? Who was this man? And why was he a spitting image of his late husband?
"Who are you?" Magnus said aloud, unable to contain his perplexed thoughts any longer as he searched for any runes on the man's uncovered skin.
Alek's brows rose. "Alek. I thought I just introduced myself. The high warlock of Rome. The host of this party who, might I recite, has a terrible taste in drinks" chuckling lightly, he pressed the glass of water into Magnus' hand, "and you are?"
"Magnus" Magnus breathed out, still bewildered by the similarity between Alek and, well.. Alec. "Magnus Bane"
"Ah!" Alek's hazel eyes crinkled at the sides as he gave a blinding smile, "the high warlock of Brooklyn? You're just as beautiful as described"
"Y-Yeah" Magnus blinked, "thanks, I uh, I know" he was still trying to be his usual, cocky self, but failing miserably.
Max was still standing, eyes on Alek. Catarina and Tessa on the other hand, didn't want to be rude, so they stepped forward and exchanged greetings with the warlock.
Alek stepped back, head bowed and hands clasped behind his back. Everything about him screamed Alexander. Except the smooth, coquettish way he spoke. "Welcome to my humble party, and feel free to come to me next time you have complaints about the drinks" winking at the shorter man, Alek turned around, and intermingled with the rest of the downworlders.
Magnus let himself breathe, eyes shutting to bring himself back to earth.
"Gods" he breathed out, "tell me it wasn't just me who realised how much he looks—"
"Like dad" Max cut in, "he's a replica."
Magnus blinked away his tears hurriedly, feeling Max's words tug at his heart.
…
Magnus couldn't focus on anything. His eyes were only on one man.
"Dad" Max finally said, "dad, are you okay?"
Magnus blinked himself out of his haze and turned to look at his son with a smile. "I'm going to have a drink"
"But I thought you detested the drin—" Max had no chance to continue his sentence, because his father was already reaching for a glass of champagne and walking towards the balcony.
Once there, he leant forward against the railing, looking up at the sky and finally allowing his lungs to take the air they've been beseeching.
He stared ahead, descrying the blue waters of the Ostio Lido beach, the reflection of the moon undulating in soft waves.
Then his eyes shut.
"Alexander! No!"
Alec laughed and took ahold of both Magnus' hands, walking backwards towards the water. "Are you scared to get a little wet, Magnus?" He asked, teasing obvious in his tone, then he stopped, taking a step closer and holding the side of Magnus' face, "or are you aquaphobic?" He asked, this time his voice devoid of any ridicule as he lifted Magnus' face to look him in the eyes.
Magnus laughed softly, shaking his head. "No, darling" he answered, "I just haven't found time to perfect my diving skills" he continued, a little sheepish.
Alec gaped, then a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "So you're telling me that the great Magnus Bane, the high warlock of Brooklyn, can't swim?" He leant down, lips inches away from Magnus'. Magnus lifted both hands and cradled Alec's face, giving a single nod before he brought their lips together.
"Will you let me teach you?"
Magnus was brought back to reality when he felt a presence beside him, and he inhaled deeply, wanting and needing to stand his ground.
"Quite beautiful, isn't it?"
The words stole a few beats of Magnus' heart.
"Indeed" he replied breathlessly, hazarding a quick glance at Alek.
Alek smiled, looking straight ahead with a dreamy look in his eyes. "That beach" he finally exhaled, "there's something about it."
Magnus gulped, then gave a nod. "What is it?" He finally decided to ask, only to obtain a shrug in return.
"I don't know" Alek tapped his fingernails on the railing, brows furrowed, "I don't know, it's like a.. a puzzle piece, missing. I.." He stopped before he got too enthralled in his own mind, "I don't know" he settled on saying.
Magnus felt hope blossom in his chest. And for a moment, he just wanted to portal back to Brooklyn and do his research about reincarnation. Reincarnation, yes. There was something about this Alek Vargas. And it wasn't only his looks. It was the way he spoke. The way he moved. He was too much like Alec. Too much. Magnus had encountered several reincarnations of people he knew. But it always felt like he was meeting a new person, getting to know someone in the body of a long gone loved one. But this. This Alek. It was definitely not a coincidence that he had the same name as Alec, and had that perplexed look on his face when he looked at that beach. The beach Magnus and Alexander had spent their honeymoon on, laughing and kissing and loving.
Once Magnus made it out of his thoughts, he realised that Alek was looking at him, a small smile on his lips and eyes gleaming with reverence and… intrigue. Magnus smiled back, hating how hopeless he felt around him.
Eyes moving to Magnus' hand, Alek's brows furrowed, and he tilted his head to the side. "Oh, you're married" the mild disappointment was obvious in his words as he stared at the ring.
Magnus chuckled lightly, setting his glass down as he began to twirl the ring around his finger. "How strange of you to distinguish a wedding ring from the rest" he said quietly. Alek smiled.
"Hard to miss" he answered, "your other rings are quite.. ostentatious"
Magnus laughed out loud, throwing his head back with a light shake of his head. "Ostentatious? My rings have never been described as ostentatious" his chortle subsided to a smile that made his brown-golden eyes gleam and crinkle at the sides.
Alek seemed proud of himself to have gotten such a friendly reaction from the high warlock of Brooklyn.
"How long?" He asked
Magnus turned his head to look at the taller man. "Hm?"
"Married, I mean" Alek nodded at Magnus' hand, and Magnus parted his lips to speak, then closed his mouth, lowering his gaze slowly.
"One hundred and seventy two years, three months, and sixty seven days" he smirked, mostly to himself.
Alek's brows rose. "That's.." He trailed off, "wow, that's..whew, that's commitment"
Magnus nodded slowly, his throat burning painfully.
"You're both lucky to have each other, please deliver my regards to your lady on my behalf" Alek spoke with less enthusiasm, and Magnus would have to be deaf to not notice the loss of vigour in his friendly tone.
Magnus arched a brow, and Alek's lips parted. "Apologies" he hurried to say, shaking his head at his blunder "my sincerest apologies. I didn't— I was.. I was quick to judge. I'm—"
"Deep breath" Magnus cut in, a fond smile playing on his lips, "it's fine. People tend to make these types of mistakes all the time."
Alek looked down, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood straight. "Then please deliver my regards to your gentleman on my behalf."
Magnus blinked as he looked up at the warlock. Alek must've thought it was the drink that made his eyes shine with unreleased tears, so he kept his smile on.
"He passed away in two thousand and seventy six" he stated, his voice breaking mid-sentence.
Alek halted, his jaw flexing momentarily before he exhaled from his lips. "I'm..I'm sorry for your loss" he said, his voice mirroring the sheer pain evident in Magnus' eyes as he spoke, "and I'm sorry if I evoked— I.. Uh, I shouldn't have—"
Magnus shook his head lightly. "Don't worry about it, my dear. It was quite a long time ago" he nodded in reassurance, ignoring the pain that spread through his chest.
Alek bowed his head. "Well, your first impression of me must revolve around how inquisitive and rude I am. That really wasn't how I expected things to play out."
Magnus smiled, ducking his head while crooking his knees to catch Alek's gaze. "Hey now" he lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder, "it wasn't that bad, now was it?" He cooed, "but I do believe you need to consult me next time you're throwing a party. The drinks are intolerable."
Alek laughed, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Sorry"
Magnus stood straight. "I'm starting to get a little tipsy" he said, "so I'll have to excuse myself. Need to get home before Church decides that I'm no longer a suitable companion" he waved a hand elegantly and looked around with a smile. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Alek Vargas."
"The pleasure's all mine, Magnus Bane."