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Though Magnus wasn’t generally one to start a fight, that didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to throw himself whole-heartedly into one.
He’d done it less than twenty years ago when Valentine Morgenstern and his followers had decided to bring their nonsense to New York. Into Magnus’ city. He’d been there in Vietnam, joining Catarina as they healed soldiers. And all across Europe two times before that. His entire life, Magnus has been willing to fight against those who would seek to control others and this was no different.
And yet, at the same time, Magnus had never fought in a battle like this.
The wars he’d fought in, the battles; they had always been mundane ones. Ones were magic and abilities that were possessed because one wasn’t completely human were hidden and concealed. Magnus wasn’t dumb enough to believe that none of the men, and woman, he’d ever fought alongside had never suspected him of being able to do things that simply weren’t possible by mundane standards; but not one had ever said anything. The bonds created in such situations were enough that Magnus had been trusted, even when he did do things that just shouldn’t be possible.
Magnus had always believed that, should the precarious balance of the Shadow World ever tip too far in any direction, that any battle or war would be fought against the Nephilim. It was true, their opponents were Shadowhunters; Valentine Morgenstern and the son he’d brainwashed and tortured in subservience, along with all the other born and made Shadowhunters that also believed in Valentine’s angel-blooded superiority evangelism. But for as many Shadowhunters Magnus stood against in this battle, he stood with well over a hundredfold more.
Even standing –metaphorically– waist deep in the battle, a part of Magnus didn’t quite believe what was happening. For the first time, the entire Shadow World –all the various Down World factions and the Nephilim– were united. Not just in spirit and in allegiance, but on a level that went far deeper, all the way down to blood and soul.
With Biscuit’s nifty little rune, Down Worlders of all kind wielded adamas weapons as they fought side by side with Shadowhunters against the army of demons that Valentine had called down on the Nephilim’s sacred city. But it was more than just the ability to wield weapons that would normally burn with nothing more than a touch. Before the sun had set, Vampires had walked freely in her rays, and Warlocks found themselves stronger and faster from the runes their partners had activated. They all benefited from the iratzes and other, more powerful, healing runes.
In turn, the Shadowhunters were able to tap into their partner’s powers. Those bonded to Werewolves and Vampires becoming stronger and faster beyond what their runes could offer. While those bonded to Warlocks and the Fair Folk were now able to wield magic.
For his part, Magnus had a short sword of adamas secured to his person in a thigh holster, both borrowed from his darling boyfriend. And though he could use it, both in that he had the skills to wield it and that it would no longer harm him because of his blood, he had only used it for the first few minutes of the battle. Killing only a small handful of demons with it before returning it to the holster in favour of using his magic.
Even in the midst of one of the bloodiest battles he had ever found himself in, Magnus couldn’t help the giddy grin his lips kept curling up into.
It was turning into an entire day of unbelievable events.
The Clave had finally –finally– admitted that Valentine was a threat to them all and that he needed to be stopped was the highest priority. Which while terrible and already known, it was nice that the Clave had finally admitted to even just one of their shortfalls.
On a far better note, Alexander had approached him only a few short hours ago, once the Clave had decided to use Clary’s Alliance rune, and had been the one to ask Magnus if he would partner with him for the coming battle. Magnus had known, from the first moment of knowing what that rune could do that the only Shadowhunter he would want to use it with, be bonded to , was his boyfriend. But Magnus would also never have approached Alec about it. Not in the heart of the Clave, and not surrounded by people who didn’t know that Alec was gay. In fact, Magnus would have ben perfectly content to spend their entire relationship behind closed walls and in privacy if that was what Alec wanted. Did he think that Alec could benefit from telling his parents and other people about it? Yes. Absolutely. But if and when he ever came out would be Alec’s decision alone to make. One Magnus would never push him towards.
But then in a move that spoke of Alec’s bravery and heart, he’d skipped right past gently coming out to his friends and family and gone right for making a statement that couldn’t be retracted in the form of boldly kissing Magnus the second they’d drawn the Alliance rune on each other. Magnus had been beyond stunned, and helpless to do anything but respond in kind when Alec had told Magnus he loved him.
Alec, who wielded magic like he was born with it, had chosen Magnus so bravely and unapologetically. He had chosen Magnus in a way no lover of his had done so before.
Seeing a demon creeping, as much as a demon could creep, up behind Alec, Magnus sent a blast of magic that not just killed it, but two more demons further behind it. Wordlessly, Alec stepped into the gap created just a little bit further away from Magnus as he made up for the absence left by an Unseelie who had needed to retreat.
They were both on the south wall, standing not too far from the base of the newly inert Demon Tower. While Magnus could fight close combat, both armed and unarmed, he was far better at fighting long range with his magic. Similarly, while Alec was a fair match for his siblings in close combat, he far excelled with his bow and arrows. So much so, that Alec had already gained himself the reputation of one of the most proficient archers the Nephilim had produced in generations. Only getting many times deadlier with magic added into the mix.
It was amazing to watch Alec use his magic.
From what Magnus could tell most of the Shadowhunters who were partnered with Warlocks had very limited control over the magic they now had access to. But Alec, if he didn’t have his runes and if Magnus didn’t know him, then even would have believed him to be a Warlock himself.
Alec, by turns, used Magnus’ magic as its own weapon or used it in combination with his bow. Using magic to extend his range or enhance his arrows and then return them to his quiver. Like many of the other Seelie and Nephilim archers, Alec kept his focus mainly on the airborne demons, though that didn’t mean he had been stopping himself from temporarily drawing a blade or using his bow as a staff to deal with those on the ground.
But despite all the advantages they had the demons kept coming, mindless as they swept over the Brocelind Plain and into Alicante.
And then the worst sound Magnus had ever heard drowned out the noise of the battle raging out in every direction.
Heart in his throat, because he knew, Magnus turned in time to see Alec, standing with his arms slack at his side despite being in the middle of a battle, fall to his knees as he continued to scream.
In the time it took for Magnus to close the gap between them, Alec’s bow clattered to the stone and Alec had curled in on himself so much that his head brushed against the cobblestones that made up the walls that lined the city of glass.
Though his focus was firmly on Alec, Magnus couldn’t help but notice those around them looking their way, their attention stolen away from the demons by Alec’s agonised cry.
Most of them, some of them even Shadowhunters, looked confused a part of Magnus noted. But one, a Shadowhunter, like Magnus, understood. And they turned away, back to the battle, offering Alec some modicum of privacy in his grief.
Magnus had known some pairs in the past, and even some that had survived after their parabatai had died. The most recent being Will and Jem, whose bond had broken, not though death, but when Jem had made the choice to become a Silent Brother in the hopes that it would save his life.
But even though Magnus has never actually witnessed a parabatai bond being broken, he knew it from the heartbreak in Alec’s voice as his scream of agony turned into Jace’s name ringing out over the battlefield.
And if that wasn’t enough then the waves of uncontrolled wild magic are.
Wave upon wave of magic as blue as his eyes pour from Alec as he screams his brother’s name, flowing out in every direction over Alicante and the Brocelind Plain. Destroying every demon in sight for miles around as they light up the battle ground.
A reprieve for them all that Magnus would take back without hesitation if it meant healing his love’s soul.
Uncaring of the magic pouring of him, Magnus wraped his arms around Alec, gently tugging until his boyfriend is cradled against him. Tears falling from his own eyes as Alec sobs Jace’s name into his shoulder.
It should be awkward; holding Alec in such a way that means he’s all but in Magnus’ lap as Magnus kneels on the ground, but it isn’t. Though Alec is shorter than him, its not by much. He’s also bulkier than Magnus, who, while he keeps fit, doesn’t have a lifetime’s worth of training like Alec does.
Holding Alec is all Magnus can do and he doesn’t care that it means they’re left defenceless if and when the demons return.
Magnus can’t count the number of times their long talks about anything and everything have contained stories of Alec’s siblings and their endless escapades of varying hilarity, but even with all that Alec has told him, Magnus knows its just the first few drops in the ocean of what Alec and Jace are to each other. Alec had once described Jace as being able to breathe after drowning when they had the bond wide open to each other and that when it wasn’t, Jace was like an extra beat to his heart; a steady presence that was always there for him.
More than that, Magnus has heard the horror stories of Shadowhunters who don’t survive losing their parabatai.
Those that burn themselves out or who shut down completely. Those that go out on a mission or patrol without any intention of coming back.
Selfishly, Magnus just hopes Alec is strong enough to live through this and then on without Jace. Because even though their relationship is mere months old, Magnus knows he’s found something rare in Alec that he’s never had before. The potential he feels in what they could have together warms his calcifying heart in ways that nothing has in centuries.
Magnus tightens his hold on Alec, as if by sheer will he can hold together his breaking love.
This man of his who is so innocent in so many ways and yet ancient in others, who is far too young to lose another brother so soon after losing the first.
But as much as he hopes, Magnus wouldn’t blame Alec if this turns out to be the battle he loses.
After what feels like hours, Alec sags in his arms and Magnus knows he’s fallen unconscious from the way his magic dies away with Alec. The darkness of night returning in its wake along with the screeching of new demons re-emerging from whichever of the hell plains they’ve been summoned from.
Kneeling on the filthy and bloodying cobblestones, Magnus presses a kiss to Alec’s hair as he draws his unconscious boyfriend closer into his embrace. Silent tears still slipping down his cheeks as Alec continues to weeps despite having passed out.