Archive of Our Own ^beta

Alec watches fondly from the armchair, as Magnus tries to convince Max to eat the little pieces of chicken nugget that he has cut up for him, for his afternoon snack. Max babbles happily, hitting his hands up and down on his plate, and picking up pieces just to throw them on the floor. Magnus just laughs, collecting the scattered chunks and putting them in the bin, then returning to his seat at the table next to the highchair, to continue to encourage the toddler to eat.

Max closes his small, chubby fist around another piece, and makes several attempts to put it in his mouth. Eventually, he manages to land one. Magnus’ resulting claps and whoops make Max giggle, and the piece falls right back out of his mouth.

“Your son is the worst eater ever.” Magnus groans. He gives up on trying to get Max to feed himself and instead starts handing the pieces directly to Max’s mouth.

“Yes, but he makes it up for it by being a really good sleeper.” Alec counters. And it’s true, ever since Max was a baby, he’s been extremely good at not only getting to sleep, but staying asleep – something that Alec was incredibly grateful for, at the time; parenthood is no joke, and single parenthood is not for the faint of heart.

Max became a part of his life when he was 25, after his college friends Lydia and John, died in a car accident,  just weeks after Lydia had given birth. Alec had been named god parent, as neither John nor Lydia were particularly close to their parents, having eloped at a young age. Alec misses them every day, and plans on making sure that Max knows where he came from.

It's not a conversation he particularly looks forward to having with his son, but he’s only 18 months old, so it will be a long time before could even understand. Although, it’s certainly not something he can put off for very long either, as their family is very obviously unique. It won’t be that long until he is faced with questions like ‘Why do I have 2 dads?’ or ‘Why is Rafael a decade older than me?’

Rafael is Magnus’ son, and the reason that Alec and Magnus met in the first place. Despite being just 14 years old, he is very emotionally intelligent, and a very confident young man. No doubt, due to Magnus’ skills as a father, of which Alec is constantly in awe.

11 months ago, Rafael had dragged his father through the corridors of his middle school on parent-teacher conference night, insisting that they meet Rafael’s history teacher, Mr. Lightwood. In the brief conversation they had had, Rafael had made a number of bold statements about Magnus, like how he was single, and ‘totally free this weekend’. He’s not sure how Rafael had managed to get such an accurate read on him, or if he was just saying anything to avoid talking about his admittedly average marks in the class, but nevertheless, it has lead them to now, nearly a year into his relationship, living with his boyfriend, son, and step-son.

One big unconventional and happy family.

One their first date, they had pretty much just talked about their sons, and how they came to be fathers. Alec had explained the situation, being Max’s godparent, and Magnus had held his hand across the table and listened so intently, that Alec knew then and there that Magnus was going to be an important person in his life.

Magnus had explained how when he was 18, his girlfriend at the time had fallen pregnant. They committed to keeping the baby, but Magnus had explained empathetically, that Camille just wasn’t ready to be a full time mom. She still visits, from time to time, but she and Rafael don’t have much in the way of a relationship.

Alec was fortunate enough, when he became Max’s dad, to have an incredibly support system behind him. His siblings and their partners had been on call day or night, to help with childcare when he had to stay at the school for meetings, or to deliver diapers and formula, when he was so overwhelmed he could leave the house. His mom had been round a lot, when Max was very young, explaining how to swaddle, how to feed, and how to support him.

Even with all that on his side, Alec spent many nights crying as he came to terms with his newfound role as a parent, whilst still dealing with the grief of losing his 2 closest friends. Their funeral had been one of the hardest days of his life.

He can’t imagine then, what it must have been like for Magnus, being 18 years old, fresh out of high school, residing in a supported-living facility for young people who had aged out of the care system; completely, and totally alone.

Magnus has never said that any of it got to him. In fact, he had always praised the social worker that had been assigned to him and Rafael, Ragnor, and said it was the reason he had decided to start working in the field himself, after working enough temp jobs to build up his savings enough to support his son.

Now, Alec get’s to watch Magnus’ determination pay off, as Max finally clears his plate of all remaining chicken nugget pieces. Alec puts down the book he was reading, and clears away the plate and the unused plastic utensils, whilst Magnus moves to get Max cleaned up from the ketchup stains on his face and bib.

“Can I go out and meet friends?”  Rafael calls out as he comes into the kitchen, flicking his hair in a decidedly teenage fashion, his backpack already slung around his shoulder, likely only asking permission to leave out of respect, than necessity.

“It’s already 3 Rafael, it’s going to get dark by 6 this time of year. Where are you planning on going?” Magnus interrogates his son, handing Max off to Alec so that he can be present for the conversation.

“I’m going to Kit’s, to play his Xbox.”

Magnus studies his son for a moment, before clarifying his rules for letting Rafael loose on the streets of new York.

“You’ll be home before dark? You’ll walk straight there no deviations? You’ll use the cross walks? You’ll text me when you get there, and when you set off back here?”

Each question was met with a sigh and a Yes, Bapak, and then bookended with an almighty eyeroll at Magnus’ concern over is safety. Alec kisses Max’s head, and thanks God that his son can’t get more than 5 words out in a row, and the only time his eyes roll back is when he’s falling asleep.

“Drop the attitude please, I’m just being fatherly.” Magnus chides gently.

“You know,” Rafael starts, a mischievous glint in his eye that all parents recognise as their child about to ask for something, “I wouldn’t need to go out at all if I had an Xbox. Then Kit could come over here, and it could be his parents lecturing him on road safety.”

Magnus’ tenure as a parent has taught him not to engage in requests like that, and he rolls his eyes in a very similar fashion to his son – not that Alec would ever tell either of them that.

“I love you, be safe please.”

Rafael smiles and echoes the sentiment, waving goodbye to Alec and Max, before disappearing round the corned to the front door to get his shoes, and slamming the door as he leaves. Alec hasn’t yet earned affirmations of love or concern from Rafael. Despite being the one to introduce them, it must have been incredibly weird for the him, to have one of his teachers become his dad’s boyfriend, and now live in step-father. It easier now that Rafael has moved up a year and is no longer in his class, but he still sees him around the campus.

“Teenagers.” Alec gives a knowing sigh as Magnus turns his attention back to Alec and Max. Alec’s not really all that exasperated by Rafael’s behaviour, and he doubts Magnus is either, both of them well aware that Rafael is incredibly polite and smart for his age, and that there are others out there who have a far worse experience with their children.

“I don’t care how much he asks I’m not getting him an Xbox,” Magnus says, as grabs a seat next to Alec on the kitchen island bar stools, “I am not having him living in my basement when he’s 30.”

“I’m not sure it’s a direct videogame-to-unemployed-loser pipeline.” Alec laughs. Max begins to squirm and make frustrated noises, and he tries to break free from Alec’s arms. Magnus takes him into his own, and he appears to settle again. He coos at the toddler on his lap, making faces and eliciting giggles from Max. Magnus hugs him close to his chest, and breathes in his smell.

“You’re going to stay with me, right Max? You’ll let me hug you, yes, yes, yes.”

If it were anyone else, Alec would chastise them for squeezing Max so tight, but he can see how much Magnus needs it, so he lets him hold on for a little longer. Max doesn’t get the memo however, and begins fussing and reaching out again, this time, back toward Alec. Magnus hands him back, whilst muttering a quiet traitor.

They both look up as they hear the front door open again. He watches Magnus’ eyebrows furrow.

“Rafe? Did you forget something?”

Alec hears the familiar thud of Rafael’s backpack being dumped on the floor net to the door, regardless of how many times both he and Magnus had told him to hang it up on the coat pegs, or take it to his room. This time, however, he can here something else. A quiet click, click, click of high heels on the hardwood.

“Guess who’s here!?” Rafael calls out, but based on the way Magnus’ eye brows have shot up into his hairline, and his whole body had gone rigid, he already knows, although Alec is yet to be clued in.

The both stand, Alec hitching Max onto his hip, in the way his mother had shown him, and head to the front door to meet their unexpected guest. Magnus gets there first, and the situation becomes crystal clear to Alec, as Magnus spits out one disbelieving utterance.

“Camille!?”

This is the first time Alec has met this elusive figure, in the whole time he and Magnus have been together. Even now, living together, he has yet to even see a text from Rafael’s mother. Magnus says that’s not her style anyways, ‘more like she just shows up one day, wreaks havoc, then disappears’, Magnus had explained one evening, after a few glasses of wine. He is beginning to realise just how accurate that sentiment was, as the atmosphere had shifted dramatically in the last 5 minutes since her arrival.

He does try to get Magnus to talk more about growing up, but he is particularly cagey on the subject. The most he has gotten to date, is that Magnus’ parents died when he was young, he and Camille were in the same group home, they started dating when Magnus was 13, and she left when he was 18. Whilst Magnus has a close network of friends, including a not-uncle whom Rafael is named for, as far as Alec knows, there is no family to speak of.

Rafael however, has no such boundaries, and often talks about the adventures his mom takes him on, pulling him out of school randomly to go to theme parks, bringing him gifts from all the countries she’s travelled. As a child of divorce, Alec knows the skewed ways children view their parents, based on which one they perceive as more fun. Alec’s dad was a ton of fun growing up, always buying them pizza and taking them to arcades and bowling alleys. His mom made them eat vegetables and do their homework.

But his mom was also at every single one of Alec’s Lacrosse games, and she always helped him with his long division, and she had held him so tightly when he had told her he was gay, and said over and over how much she loved him, and how it didn’t change anything. His father gave him no such assurances. And he knows now, that there is certainly nothing fun about cheating on your wife of 20 years, with a woman half your age.

He takes in Camille’s appearance, and though he teaches his students, and will try to teach Max not to judge others on their looks, he has already made several swift indictments. She’s tall, matching Magnus’ height due to the excessive height of her heels. They look like something he’s seen models wear on runways, he never though shoes like that were designed for everyday use. Her dress is form fitting, with a considerable amount of cleavage, her makeup bold and precise, lips cherry red, the same shade as her acrylic nails. She would be overdressed for a fashion show, let alone picking up her son on a Saturday afternoon.

What really grabs him about her appearance though, is that she’s old.

Judging by the look of her, she’s at least 15 years Magnus’ senior. Alec replays the tid-bits of information Magnus had given him about her in his head, and reimagines the scenarios, with a much older Camille. It’s unsettling, to say the least, and that feeling seems to negate any anger over the fact that Magnus had obfuscated her age.

“Magnus! So good to see you!” She hands her coat – fur – to Rafael (who diligently hangs it up on the hooks by the door) and strides across the room to embrace Magnus. Her voice is grating. He’s not being particularly fair, he knows, and he may have to foster a relationship with this woman should he want to continue to be a part of Magnus and Rafael’s lives, but based on the way she has just treated her son like a doorman, and ignored Alec entirely thus far, he doesn’t have a lot of confidence in his ability to stay civil.

“Hi.” Magnus says, returning her hug very minutely. When she lets him go, after far too long in Alec’s opinion, Magnus asks the million dollar question. “What are you doing here?”

“Like I need an excuse to visit my favourite guy!” She turns to aim her exclamation at Rafael, who lights up at the compliment like he’s just been told he has superpowers.

“Of course, I just meant, why now?” Magnus tries lamely. It’s a difficult line to walk, trying to be polite, whilst being righteously annoyed. A good co-parent would have called ahead, planned their trip in accordance with the other's schedule; a good co-parent would be here more than once a year. But if Magnus were to say any of this, to dismiss her, he would be the mean parent, who sent away Rafael’s mom, and stopped them from having a relationship.

“Well, I was passing through town of course,” She says nonchalantly, like her passing through hasn’t had the same effect as a grenade, “And I thought Rafael might want to come with me to Casino Pier?”

It’s a nasty move. Of course Rafael wants to go to an amusement park and his repeated begging of Can I dad? Please please please can I go? Is an incredibly difficult thing for a parent to say no to. And of course, had she called ahead, and said ‘Hi Magnus, are you guys busy this weekend? I’m in town and I want to take Rafael to the pier’, being the reasonable person that he is, Alec is sure that Magnus would have said yes. But she didn’t. Instead, she shows up out of the blue and gives Magnus an ultimatum: Let me take Rafael, or he’ll think you’re the worst.

Unsurprisingly, Magnus relents.

“Yes, of course, as long as you’re not back too late tomorrow night. You have a science test on Monday.”

“Boring!” Camille sing-songs, undermining Magnus in one fell swoop, “Go pack an overnight bag, we’ve got to hit the road!”

Rafael grabs his backpack from the floor and runs down the corridor to unpack and then repack it, Magnus calling after him to remind him to text his friend that he’s no longer coming. Another victim of this visit.

With Rafael out of site, and hopefully out of earshot, Alec introduces himself, and Max, as Magnus’ boyfriend. The smile drops from her face instantly, and she regards him as a lioness may regard an antelope. After dragging her eyes up and down Alec’s frame, she turns back to Magnus.

“Another one of your dalliances?”

Ouch.

“Camille, can we not do this please?” Magnus all but begs, “Alexander is my boyfriend, he lives here, and we co-parent our sons together. Don’t make this out to be something it’s not.”

Camille kisses her teeth, and Alec has the urge to shield Max from whatever vitriol is about to come out of her mouth, despite the fact that he can’t understand it.

“And how is it that I was not informed that some stranger is looking after my son?”

Magnus lets out a dry laugh, unimpressed with how she is framing the situation. “Maybe if you saw your son more than once a year!” He hisses.

Camille steps forward and opens her mouth to argue, but their spat is interrupted by Rafael returning with his bag. The tension in the room dissipates slightly, as Magnus takes Rafael through a short checklist – toothbrush, pyjamas, epi-pen.

“Please remember his allergy to peanuts. He’s pretty good about it, and it’s not severe, but please check before you buy him any food.” Magnus reminds her, pleading again, and it’s almost sad to watch.

“Stop being such a helicopter parent.” She rebukes.

“Actually,” Alec interrupts, “I think it’s just called being a parent.”

Camille practically snarls at him, opens the door for Rafael, and ushers him out, slamming It shut behind her.

*****

“So, that was Camille.”

Alec and Magnus stare blankly at the door, the loft still reverberating from the force of it slamming shut. Magnus’ meagre explanation of the hurricane that just passed through their living room is not well received by Alec. Or Max, who was startled by the raised voices and is now starting to tear up.

“I’m going to put Max down for a nap, and then we’ll talk, okay?” Alec says, more to himself than to Magnus, who is still staring resolutely at the doorway, like if he waits long enough, he will summon Rafael back to the living room.  

It usually takes Alec about 15 minutes to get Max changed and get him settled for a nap, but he’s being particularly clingy, no doubt picking up on the tense atmosphere, and although Alec tries to radiate calm for him, it still takes him half an hour to go to sleep.

When he exits the nursery, Magnus is thankfully no longer standing at the door. He can hear him pottering about the kitchen, and Alec finds him opening a bottle of wine, and pouring it into two glasses. Magnus declines his invitation to move to the living room, and instead leans against the kitchen counter, whilst Alec settles on the bar stool once more.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks. Alec’s position is that Magnus should be the one to explain, but Magnus stays silent and doesn’t appear like he’s going to speak up any time soon, instead staring off into space, his mind elsewhere.

Alec gives up waiting and gives him a prompt instead.

“That’s not how I imagined her.” He states honestly, trying to let Magnus pick up on context clues, that Alec is miffed about his white lies.

“How did you imagine her?”

Okay, maybe not then. Alec shakes his head, further annoyed that Magnus won’t just cut to the chase.

“Well, your age for one. Magnus, she’s like 45! You told me you both had Max at 18!”

Magnus is still staring off into the distance, and he doesn’t seem to notice Alec’s increasing volume or exasperation with him. That, or he doesn’t care.

“I never said she was 18. I said I was 18, and she was my girlfriend. You just assumed that meant she was a teenager too,” Magnus takes a long slow drink of his wine, swirling it in his mouth a little, before he continues, “Besides, she’s not 45, she just spends a lot of time in hot countries and doesn’t wear sunscreen. She’d rip your head off if you said that to her.” Magnus exhales a little laugh.

“So how old is she then?”

“38. She’s 7 years older than me.” Magnus says causally, like what he says isn’t both an incredible bombshell, and a crushing insight into his teenage years.

“Magnus, are you trying to tell me, that when she was 20, she started dating a 13 year-old, you?”

Magnus looks up then, finally pulled from his daydream. He tilts his head, and looks at Alec, confused.

“Yes,” he drags the word out, “is that a problem?”

Alec feels like tearing his hair out. He’s not sure if Magnus is just trying to get a rise out of him, or he genuinely doesn’t understand why Alec could find such a problem with this revelation.

“Of course it’s a problem Magnus!” Alec exclaims, then remembering his infant son asleep in the next room, he lowers his volume significantly. “You know that it’s wrong.”

“Wrong?” Magnus balks, “Age gaps aren’t uncommon in relationships Alec, I’m 5 years older than you! How is that any different?” He points out, his tone like his has demolished Alec’s argument with a simple comparison, but Alec doesn’t let him away with it.

“The difference, Magnus, is that I entered this relationship as a consenting adult.”

Magnus just shakes his head, unwilling to accept the rationale that Alec has put forth.

“She loved me.”

Alec doesn’t think he’s heard 3 words so sad in his life. Despite Magnus’ and Camille’s obviously turbulent relationship, he still seems convinced that she at any point had his best interests at heart. Alec has spent 5 minutes in a room with her, and he already knows the kind of person she is, based on the overwhelming evidence against her character. How can Magnus not see it?

“Okay, how about this,” Alec knows his next argument may be pushing Magnus too far, but he feels it’s important that Magnus see sense, “Rafael is fourteen, what would you do, if he came home and said he had a girlfriend and she was 20.”

“That’s different.”

“So you do understand that it’s wrong?” Alec feels almost victorious, until Magnus starts shaking his head again, then downing the rest of his wine.

“It wasn’t like that. She loved me.” Magnus insists, and now Alec knows he’s just trying to get a rise out of him, but he takes the bait anyway.

“Magnus we cannot let this woman into our house!” Alec pleads his case, his volume rising again, but now Magnus’ increases to match.

“You don’t get to make that decision Alec. Rafael deserves to have a relationship with his mother.”

“What relationship,” Alec stands now, unable to contain his vexation. “The whole time I’ve known you and Rafael this is the first time she’s seen him. By your own admission she only visits once a year.”

“It’s more than some people get.” Magnus asserts.

“Magnus she’s a predator.”

“Don’t you fucking say that word. That is not what she is.” Magnus shouts. He’s breathing heavily, tears brimming in his eyes.

“She loved me.” He repeats, quieter.

“How old were you when she first had sex with you?” Alec asks, though unsure he wants to hear the answer. He knows if Magnus confirms his age, sex wouldn’t be the right word to use.

It doesn’t matter anyway, as Magnus refuses to answer him, instead storming past him and out to the balcony.

Alec doesn’t follow at first. They’re both incredibly worked up, and he’s surprised that their shouting hasn’t woken up Max. Probably because Magnus had given him great tips like to avoid tip toeing around when Max was sleeping, that way he will be less sensitive to noises, and less likely to wake up. Alec goes to check on him regardless, and creeks the door open every so slightly, and see’s him fast asleep.

Alec knows he pushed Magnus too far, just then. But it’s not like Magnus is ever forthcoming with information. Every thing he knows about Magnus now has come from Alec needling him for clues about his life. He supposes growing up in care has made him guarded, but in order for their relationship to work, Alec needs more from him. He needs to know who he lies in bed next to every night. Who he lets into Max’s life.

It's not fair to suggest that Magnus would let any harm come to Max or Rafael because of his distorted view of his own childhood. But he’ll be damned if he lets Camille anywhere near his son, and whilst he commends Magnus for allowing Rafael to have a relationship with her, he can’t understand why Magnus does it. Why he lets her disappear off for days at a time with him, at such short notice. Camille has no legal rights when it comes to her son; she signed them away when she walked out 14 years ago. Magnus would be within his rights to tell her to go to hell the next time she knocks on the door.

But he doesn’t. He always lets her in.

Alec rubs his hands over his face. They were having such a nice Saturday.

Accepting that enough time has passed that Magnus may be more open to a constructive conversation.

He finds Magnus on one of the loungers, wrapped in a blanket. The wind chill this year has been particularly biting, as the winter months approach. Magnus look to Alec as he hears the door slide open. Without words, Magnus scoots forward in his seat, so that Alec can slot in behind him, like they do so many evenings spent on the balcony, drinking wine and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Alec accepts the invitation, and settle himself on the lounger, and pulls Magnus back to rest against his chest, tucking his hands under the pre-warmed blanket.

They lapse into silence again, just watching big grey clouds move along the rapidly darkening horizon.

Once again, Alec is the first to speak.

“I’m sorry for getting upset with you like that.”

Magnus hums, and wraps Alec’s arms tighter around himself. He doesn’t say anything again, but Alec can hear his little gasps of breath as he attempts to speak, and the words get caught in his throat. Not wanting to rush him, Alec lies back and waits until Magnus feels he is ready to speak.

“I’m going to tell you a story, and you might feel that you need to interrupt me at points, but please don’t. I don’t think I’ll be able to get it all out if I don’t keep going.”

Alec accepts the rules of Magnus’ explanation, and allows for him to continue, unimpeded.

“I first met Camille when I was 13, and she was 20,” Magnus’ voice is already wavering, and Alec already feels the urge to tell him that it’s okay, he doesn’t have to tell him now, but he chooses to honour Magnus’ wishes. “I was in foster care, in a group home, and she was from the same town, and she used to live in the same home.”

“I would see her around town. The family that ran the home always said hello to her, when we went out, so we got to know each other a bit. After a while she invited me to a party, she and her friends were having.

“I asked permission to go and everything, and they said it was fine so long as I was back by curfew.” It breaks Alec’s heart that Magnus feels the need to clarify that he had permission from adults to meet her, and that he wasn’t breaking any rules. That it wasn’t his fault. He understands now why Magnus would suggest that Alec may interrupt him, as all he wants to do, is tell Magnus that nothing could ever make him think that he was at fault.

“It was fun. There was music. We danced. She offered to walk me back to the home an hour before I had to be back. She was very responsible. But on the way back –“

Magnus pauses again, trying to steady his breath, but it’s still rapid and shaky. Magnus squeezes his hand tighter, and Alec allows him the time to settle himself for a few minutes, before he continues with his story.

“One the way back, she told me that we were alike. That she knew what had happened to me.” Magnus takes one final deep, stabilising breath, “In the end, the foundation of our relationship was built on the fact that we both bonded over being sexually abused by our fathers.”

Alec can’t help the sharp gasp he lets out, at Magnus’ sudden revelation. Of all the things he had expected Magnus to say, this hadn’t been one of them.

“Magnus I-“

“Shh no interrupting,” Magnus scolds, “I’m not finished.”

Alec mentally slaps himself for breaking Magnus’ one rule, and hopes that Magnus still feels he is able to continue.

“I don’t know how she knew that about me. But as time went on, she was always able to read me incredibly well.”  

Being able to spot the signs of abuse is mandatory training for Alec in his role as an educator, so he knows a fair bit about the way victims of abuse can present themselves. Being able to read people, as Magnus had described, is not uncommon, often born out of necessity for self-preservation. In this case, it appears Camille had used it to find others like her, and it had led her to Magnus.

“We had sex for the first time when I was 13. It was nice. She didn’t force me into anything I didn’t want to do. Didn’t make me feel bad about my inexperience.

“It wasn’t like she was this monster, who sought me out so that she could hurt me. She wasn’t him. I think I was the first person who really understood what she had gone through. And she was that for me as well.”

Magnus pauses again, his eyes beginning to overflow with the tears he had managed to hold back up to this point. Alec doesn’t want to get up to get him a tissue, so instead uses the end of his sleeve to wipe Magnus’ tears, earning a wet laugh. Magnus sniffs and dries his own eyes where Alec couldn’t, but the tears start anew as he finishes his tale.

“I know it was wrong. That I was too young. But I can’t – won’t accept that she was some sinister character that set out to hurt me. She can’t just be another person who was supposed to love me, but used me instead.”

Alec hugs Magnus tighter still, and drops his head to Magnus’ shoulder, his own tears soaking his shirt. They rock back and forth together, for a few minutes, until Magnus stems the flow of tears for long enough to continue.

“When she got pregnant it really threw her through a loop. I would have supported her no matter what she had decided, but she wanted to go forward with the pregnancy. She was excited. Initially, but when he came along, I think it all just hit her then, what being a parent meant. I know her mother was abusive as well, I think she was worried about repeating cycles.

“As for Rafael’s relationship with Camille, it’s uh-“ Magnus clears his throat, “it’s complicated. My mom killed herself when I was just a kid, and I know what it’s like to grow up without one, and I don’t want Rafael to go without just because she’s not a parent in the most conventional sense. She loves him, and as easy as it would be to villainise her, I can’t, because I know what it’s like; the fear of becoming like your parents is all consuming. She just could never believe that she was capable of being better, despite proving it all the time.

“She loves him,” he reiterates, “and if I had any inkling that she was dating outside her age range, I would be the first to confront her. But I know for a fact that she has had a string of age-appropriate boyfriends. We have a difficult relationship, yes, and I wish she was here more, because her flitting in and out of Rafe’s life isn’t what’s best for him, but I’ll be damned if I sever what little relationship they have.”

He's managed to stop crying now, resorting to little sniffles to stop his nose from running onto Magnus’ clothes.

A strong breeze blows across the balcony, and it makes them both shiver.

“You, uh, can talk now, if you want.”

Alec doesn’t know what to say. What can he say?  ‘I’m sorry that happened to you’ seems like such a cliché, and he doesn’t think it will bring much comfort to Magnus at all. He’s has years to deal with the impacts of this, Magnus is only telling him now to explain current events, not because he needs Alec’s guidance on the subject. 

Camille is a predator, regardless of Magnus' internal justifications, and it makes Alec's skin crawl to think about her near Max and Rafael, but tonight is not the night to convince Magnus of that. 

“I love you. Thank you for telling me.”

Magnus hums again, instead of giving a verbal response, and they settle back into a comfortable silence, this time without the cloud hanging over them. They stay out on the patio, until the evening chill becomes oppressive, and they escape back indoors. As they enter, and Magnus throws the blanket back over the couch, the sound of Max’s small cries begin to echo through the baby monitor on the coffee table.

Before Alec can make a move, Magnus is already assuring him that he’ll handle this one. Alec settle on the couch, and uses the remote to turn on the electric fire place.

He listens to Magnus through the baby monitor, cooing at Max, trying to calm him. Alec takes out his phone and orders online from their favourite takeaway, doubtful that either of them will have the motivation to cook, especially as Rafael is away.

Magnus comes back through with a freshly changed Max on his hip, and he informs him of their dinner plans. Magnus settles beside him, and kisses him softly, before doing the same to Max.

Alec thinks they must make quite a picture.

One big unconventional and happy family.