Rafael and Max grinned at each other on the other side of the study door. Everything was right once again. All they needed to do now was get back to their own time and let things run its course. However, to do that they needed a spell. Rafael knocked on the door to warn the recently reunited couple of their presence. They were happy for their parents but they didn't want to hang around and hear them kissing and being all lovey-dovey.
Magnus cleared his throat. "Y-yes, come in." He announced, straightening out his lapels and rubbing his thumb over his lips. He could still taste his Shadowhunter. He smirked slightly at the dirty thoughts that threatened to surface. Any other time Magnus would be happy to voice them just to get a rise and blush out of Alec but maybe they weren't appropriate for his future children who had just entered the room. Throughout the exchange, Alec had not once let go of Magnus - as if afraid to now that he had him back. His hand rested loosely on Magnus' waist. The Warlock felt a warmth at his side and a softness take over his smile. He had Alec back.
"Sorry to interrupt." Max grinned cheekily and marched in. He hoisted himself up on the desk, whilst his brother took a more reserved approach. He stood up straight, hand clasped behind his back in the centre of the room. The likeness to Alec was painfully apparent.
"It's no bother, I assume we're used to this in the future with troublemakers such as yourselves roaming about." Magnus smirked, his own fingers seeking out his Shadowhunter as he giddily referenced their future together.
Max humphed. "Sometime it doesn't stop you." He muttered and Magnus chuckled as Alec blushed.
"How are you doing? I can't imagine all of this is easy to take in." Rafael asked, straight to the point. Like father, like son.
Alec thought for a moment and took Magnus' hand, "We're ... processing." was all he could come up with. "Not sure 'my kids came back from the future' can ever be fully normalised." He admitted. His bewilderment had just taken a back seat to fixing his relationship with Magnus.
Max giggled at the look on his father's face. "It's a good story though." He shrugged, more relaxed than he had been the whole time he'd been there.
"Despite the ... absurdity." Alec started, taking in his boys. "I'd be happy to know my future has you both in it. Thank you for all your help." Alec smiled and separated from Magnus to pull Rafael, who was closest, in a hug. The boy froze up for a moment before wrapping his arms round his father, smile widening. Max let out a noise and hopped down from the desk. He buried into Alec's other side. Alec accommodated him and hugged his kids tight. Magnus swore he felt his heart melt at the sight.
"It's been hard ... the past few days." Max admitted, hair ruffled as he pulled back from the embrace. "Seeing our family ... keeping quiet." Max sighed and Rafael put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "There was so much we wanted to tell you ... to warn you about - Sebastian in particular." He pointed out bitterly, scowling at the memory of the bastard hiding in plain sight.
"It was better that you didn't." Magnus comforted.
"We don't know what will affect our future or not. We were so conflicted about telling you guys and now that you know, we're relieved but ... I'm a little anxious to know how this affects Max and I directly." Rafael admitted. "Things could be totally different when we get back - butterfly effect and all that."
The family shared contemplative looks. Magnus let out a sigh - there was a definite way to make sure nothing was affected. "Then it's settled. To protect you boys and our future, all memories of this experience will need to be erased."
"What?!" Max exclaimed in surprise. Alec also looked reluctant.
"I agree." Rafael nodded, lips turned down.
"You mean ... every trace of us?" Max asked sadly.
"I'm afraid so." Magnus confirmed and locked eyes with Alec. He got the sudden sinking feeling as another realisation crossed his mind. "And ... I'm afraid we'll have to erase the last couple of hours as well - we were all congregated here because of you boys and the situation with the hell-hounds. They will need to be erased as well or there'll be holes in our memories."
Alec's eyes went wide. "The last few hours? But ... but th-then ... we ..." Alec trailed off in distress. Magnus cupped Alec's face in his hands.
"I know darling, I know ... I don't like it but we need to let things run their course ... we need to find another way back to each other. You told me we always do remember?" Magnus smiled hopefully, thumb brushing over Alec's cheekbones.
Alec's eyes closed as he savoured his boyfriend's touch. He felt an ache at losing his Warlock once again. He knew he wouldn't remember but he'd be going back to the emptiness without Magnus' warmth filling the void. "Isn't there anything you can leave behind?" Alec whispered, turning to kiss Magnus' palm.
"Do you really want to take that chance? Risk their lives?" Magnus asked softly and turned Alec's gaze to his sons who were awkwardly trying not to intrude on their personal moment. Alec breathed in deeply and considered it. If everything went back to normal then their future was likely to stay the same - which meant he would definitely get Magnus back eventually as well as their kids. If he made efforts to get just Magnus back, it could risk his future of having Max and Rafael. There really was only one choice.
"No, you're right." Alec swallowed, meeting Magnus' eyes. His heart sped up as he once again had the privilege of staring into golden cat eyes. "Just promise me I'll get you back." Alec pleaded.
"I love you Alexander." Magnus beamed.
"I love you too." Alec smiled and kissed his Warlock again, savouring it while he could. Rafael and Max smiled at each other. Although they were disheartened that their family wouldn't remember their time together, they had a time to get back to that held so many more memories.
"Right." Magnus breathed, once he and Alec had finished consoling each other. "Let's get this show on the road."
~
"WHAT? FORGET?!" Jace exclaimed. Max winced at the volume. "After all that?" He huffed in frustration.
"It's the only way to make sure their future is certain. Things will follow the natural course of time this way." Magnus explained calmly.
"But you and Alec ..." Isabelle pointed out sadly. The couple shared a reassuring smile.
"We'll work it out." Alec assured. No way was he letting Magnus go again.
"I will be performing the memory spell. I'll take everything related to Max and Rafael." Magnus explained. He opened his spell book and flicked through the pages to find the right one.
"Aw man, I have to forget time travel exists? That sucks." Simon grumbled.
"Priorities Mundane." Alec sighed, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not a Mundane! I'm a vampire." Simon huffed and Isabelle chuckled as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Magnus, ignoring the drama, continued, "Naturally this will be a big spell and take a lot of magic as I also have to take memories from those in the institute undetected to tie up any loose ends about the boys' whereabouts." Magnus then turned to the blue Warlock. "Since I cannot do it myself, you will then need to take my memories Max. I will show you how to do it." Magnus smiled. Max nodded anxiously. He did not want to be responsible for that going wrong.
"We'll miss you guys." Isabelle grinned and pulled Max and Rafael in for a bear hug. "It's been a blast but I suppose I'll see you in a couple years?" She teased and the boys smiled in return. Goodbyes were given throughout the group with a grumbled apology from Jace which had clearly been prompted by Clary's stern look.
Magnus finally had everything in place for the spell and held tightly to Alec's hand, giving it one last kiss. Alec smiled softly at his lover - they'd be ok. They always found their way back to each other. Magnus spoke a few words in Latin and summoned a flurry of blue from his fingertips which reached out to the others in the room bar Max and Rafael. With his other hand clasped in Alec's, he drew a little strength from the Shadowhunter to make sure things went smoothly.
Once the transaction was completed, Magnus put the others to sleep and portal-ed them back to the institute where they'd wake up in their own beds, hopefully without questions.
"Right troublemakers. To the institute." Magnus smirked.
~
Max eyed the burial ground with trepidation. What if it didn't work? He looked over his shoulder to see his Papa weaving a spell together with the shards - likely inputting the calculation.
"How is he still going, shouldn't he be drained of magic by now?" Rafael murmured within Max's earshot. Max grinned - their father was all levels of powerful. He was still competent enough to do two massive memory and time-travel spells after a major magic depletion. It was starting to show though - his frame was weary.
"That's gonna be three steaks and a bottle." Max teased and Rafael snorted. Finally the spell was done, the last of the latin words leaving Magnus' mouth and making the demonic runes flash.
"Right." Magnus heaved a sigh and handed it to Max who swallowed anxiously. "Show-time young warlock." Magnus smiled fondly and ruffled his blue curls. Max swatted his hand and took a breath - he would get him and his brother home. "Now remember, be gentle when sifting through my memories but be thorough, I can't have a single clue or I'll begin to question and possibly remember. If not something else could fill the gaps and confuse me. I don't doubt I'm clever enough to recover my own memories if I'm suspicious enough." Magnus smirked and Max laughed.
"Got it." Max nodded nervously.
"You'll be fine Max, we have faith in your skill. You defeated both those hounds remember?" Rafael grinned.
"Just repeat the words 'suscipe me in domum suam' when you create the portal and think of the last place you portal-ed from - i.e. this cemetery in the future." Magnus instructed.
Max nodded in determination and leaned up to place his palms on his father's temple. He gazed into tired cat eyes and smiled at the trust behind them. He was so lucky to have the family he did. "I'll do my best."
Magnus smirked and watched as Max's white magic gently sunk into his mind and trickled through his memories of the last three days, plucking and placing, nicking and picking. After ten minutes of careful work, the young warlock pulled back and caught his father's heavy frame as he fell unconscious.
"You alright?" Rafael asked - hopefully he had enough juice to get them home.
"I'm his son aren't I?" Max smirked and portal-ed Magnus back to the loft. Rafael rolled his eyes but couldn't help the fondness that crept up within him.
"Come on, time to go. We don't know how long we've been missing." Rafael hooked his arm round his brother's shoulder and guided them to the scorched remains of the first portal that started this whole mess. Max's gaze lingered on the burnt symbols in the ground for a moment, before inhaling and opening the portal. It made a jerky movement from the shards - not as smooth as a regular portal. Max only hoped it was because of the strain of travelling through time.
"Suscipe me in domum suam." Max took a hold of Rafael's hand and watched as the purple went from gold to purple to red. The brothers shared one last look before stepping through.
Once again, Max felt like he was being pulled in so many directions. His brain was fuzzy then super sharp, his body felt heavy then light as air. He felt ill, yet all his passages cleared. Each sharp jolt got him closer and closer to his goal that he clung to:
'suscipe me in domum suam' Take me home.
Finally, with a harsh thud, he was face down in the dirt. The warlock groaned and slowly felt his senses come back to him and took in another groan to his left. Shaking off the dysteria he blinked up at the scenery and squinted as light flooded his eyes. Wasn't it just night time? Excitement flooded Max as the hope of being home bloomed.
"Did we do it?" Rafael breathed, looking a little winded. Max took in the cemetery , noticing gravestones that weren't there before, a new monument and aged stones. They were definitely in a different time.
"I think so." Max grinned and helped haul Rafael back onto his feet. Max gasped suddenly as feelings of joy and confusion pulsed from his hip. His hand clasped his parabatai rune and couldn't help beam at his brother. "I feel her. She's here - sh-she's alive." Max gave a shaky laugh.
"No doubt they'll track us here any min-"
A crackle was heard and a swoosh as multiple bodies stumbled through a golden portal. The brothers watched in awe as their family raced towards them.
"BOYS!"
"MAX! RAFAEL!"
"OH THANK GOD!"
Max let out a yelp as Alexandra and Madzie tackled him to the ground, talking rapidly about how worried they were and how they'd not been able to track them. Rafael chuckled as his brother went to the ground but turned round in time to get an armful of his fathers. Magnus and Alec held onto him tight.
"Where the hell have you been?" Magnus almost sobbed into the young Shadowhunter's shoulder. Rafael grinned, feeling tears sting his own eyes. He wasn't sure he'd get to see his proper family again, but Max did it. His Papa did it too - even if he couldn't remember.
"Its a .... long story." Rafael breathed a sigh of relief. Eventually he pulled away from his fathers to see Alexandra and Madzie still giving his brother an earful about running after trouble on his own. Max looked sheepishly between the two girls before turning to smile at Rafael. Soon the girls turned to Rafael and gave him a big hug, telling him how brave he was for going after his idiotic brother. Max barely let out a scandalised 'hey!' before he was enveloped in a hug between his fathers. Max left the protests to hug his parents back, actually letting tears escape as he felt like he was finally home.
~
"Holy shit, really?!" Alexandra gaped.
"What was it like?"
"How young did I look?"
"Are you boys okay?"
"You didn't see Valentine did you?"
"Did you punch Jonathan in the face?"
"Oh my god can you all shut up." Max groaned, burying his face in his hands. Rafael gave his family an exasperated smile.
"We're perfectly fine, if a little disorientated." Rafael reassured. "It was definitely surreal. Seeing all of you during the dark war really gave us an insight into how horrible it all was, how Downworlders were still being discriminated against to a worrying degree, and how Valentine was so cruel in his ambition."
Everyone went quiet.
"Well that's the depressing way of putting it." Max grinned, breaking the tension. Magnus rolled his eyes as Alec hid his smile behind his palm. "It was really cool though, despite fearing for my life and everything. We met everyone when they were younger and got to see how you evolved. Uncle Jace you've certainly come a long way." Max smirked.
"What did I do?!" He exclaimed as the others snickered.
"I have to agree that you were a grade A asshole." Rafael laughed. Clary snorted and tried for an apologetic smile when Jace glared at her.
"Oh come on babe, you weren't exactly welcoming when we first met."
"I was plenty welcoming to you! Alec was the unwelcoming one!" Jace tried to dodge.
"You were welcoming to Clary because you wanted in her pants." Alec commented dryly.
Jace narrowed his eyes. "Pretty sure you liked the idea of getting in my pants at the time Lightwood." He retorted.
Max and Alec wrinkled their noses in disgust. "Oh god, don't remind me." Alec looked genuinely ill thinking about it and Rafael let out another huff of laughter at his family's ridiculousness.
"What did Dad do?" Alexandra asked and Jace looked betrayed.
"He accused us of working with Valentine."
Clary and Alexandra turned and looked at Jace with a murderous gaze. "OW!" He yelped when they slapped him hard. "I wouldn't do that now! Why are you blaming me?!"
"You're still an ass and you deserve it for saying such horrible things to my nephews." Clary quipped.
"They're my nephews too. I'd never knowingly insult family- don't look at me like that Alec, you know what I mean! I'd never intentionally hurt any of you. I'm sorry if I caused you any distress boys. I'm not as ... troubled as I used to be." Jace apologised sincerely. Clary looked on fondly as Max and Rafael gave him a big hug.
"We know that uncle Jace." Rafael smiled reassuringly.
"So when exactly did you travel to? Valentine's soul sword massacre? The forsaken attack? The Alicante attack? Lilith? Sebastian's death? The angel-"
"God slow down Alexandra!" Max chuckled.
"We were there during Sebastian's infiltration of the institute and Valentine's last attempt at destroying the Downworld." Rafael supplied and all the adults in the room tensed.
"Of all the times." Alec whispered, horror in his tone. "Are you sure you boys are ok?"
The brothers smiled brightly. "Of course, you were there after all."
Alec smiled back before frowning. "I wasn't ... cruel or anything was I? I was a very different person back then." Magnus curled his fingers round Alec's, sending comfort through their bond. His Shadowhunter could never be cruel, not to him.
"Actually you weren't too different. You were still the strong Shadowhunter we admire." Rafael explained to his father. "I hope to be half the man you are."
Alec felt tears well up. "The only man you need to be is yourself Rafael. I hope you aren't trying to live up to my expectations because anything you do will make me the proudest father on earth." Rafael felt his own eyes sting as he embraced his father once again. Magnus didn't know he could fall even farther for his nephilim, but seeing him show such care and devotion in the way his parents never had through most of his teenage years made the warlock warm and fuzzy.
"Dad made Rafa head of security after Sebastian was exposed." Max jumped in, grinning at his brother.
"Of course he did. Anyone would notice our son's shining potential." Magnus beamed with pride, chucking Rafael.
"Guys please."
"Aw look he's blushing." Madzie cooed.
"Shut up." Rafael grumbled, hiding his red cheeks.
"I saw you as well Madzie." Max said sheepishly. "I had no idea you were so adorable." Madzie sat there speechless as her cheeks also started to redden. The Shadowhunter's tried to hide their knowing looks as Max also turned into a tomato. Magnus was full on beaming at his son's boldness and Alec tried to whisper for him to not look so smug. 'I can't help it Alexander, he's my son after all!'
"So if this all happened, how come we can't remember?" Jace asked, breaking the tension.
"Don't be dumb Jace." Isabelle sighed and Jace gave her an offended glare.
"They would have had to erase their memories to avoid the butterfly effect." Simon intervened. "I can't believe time travel exists!"
"Yeah you were pretty bummed out when we said you had to forget." Max chuckled.
"Wait, you told us?! That you were from the future?" Alec exclaimed.
"Well ... Max kind of gave us away."
"Hey!"
"How did we react?" Magnus asked curiously.
"Um ..." Rafael shared a reluctant glance with Max. "It was a little awkward considering you guys were kind of ... on a break." Alec's eyes widened.
"Holy crap I completely forgot that all happened at the same time." His eyes found Magnus' who only looked at him with fondness.
"Don't worry darling, it's all in the past and we haven't gotten that close to being apart since ... well except for the time you dumped me so I could get my magic back." Magnus hummed casually.
"Magnus!" Alec groaned in embarrassment.
"You boys were so dramatic." Isabelle giggled.
Jace joined in. "Oh I love Magnus and his golden eyes!"
Isabelle snickered. "He's the love of my life, my world, my soul!
"I must propose! He is too precious!"
"Oh wait, his father didn't give me his blessing!"
"Dooomed! Star-crossed lovers! I must sever all happiness for Magnus'"
"Oh wait here's Magnus who found out my sacrifice. He wants to marry me after All!"
"My love!"
"Guys!" Alec groaned as his kids howled with laughter.
"You were so romantic darling." Magnus smirked. "And if you know me, you know I love drama." Alec couldn't help the fondness that crept over him. He really would do anything for his warlock.
"God stop, I'm gonna melt from all the gooey ness in your eyes!" Isabelle sighed lovingly and Simon chuckled, hugging her to his chest.
"Leave Alexander alone. I want him to look at me like that all the time." Magnus beamed and pecked his Shadowhunter.
"He already does." Max laughed. "The pining was surreal."
"Max." Alec tried for stern but just looked exasperated.
"You guys made up and got back together once you learnt you had future kids." Max continued.
"Well of course we did. I've never once stopped loving your father so promise of a future together would only drive us back together." Magnus sighed and wrapped his arms round Alec's neck.
"Ugh people wish they could be as cute as malec." Alexandra sighed.
"What's a malec?"
"I think we got a little sidetracked." Jace sighed.
Rafael chuckled, "Well dad and papa got back together and it was very emotional and sappy. However we were concerned about it affecting this time so they agreed to erase all memories of us. Unfortunately it meant they'd also forget getting back together."
Alec's hand tightened around Magnus' subconsciously. He couldn't imagine having Magnus' warmth in his grasp only to be ripped away again. However, he was happy his boys were safe and their future with them still existed.
"So how did you guys get back together?" Alexandra asked, fully enthralled in the story.
Alec turned to Magnus. "It was after Valentine was killed and everyone went out to celebrate ..."
~
Alec's eyes never strayed from the warlock as others tried to engage him in conversation or congratulate him on Valentines demise. He only had one thought on his mind after everything they'd been through. He never wanted to lose Magnus again, the fear he felt when Valentine raised the angel was bone deep. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity to tell him how important he was.
Finally, he excused himself and made his way through the crowd, patting an intoxicated Luke on the shoulder as he went by. Magnus looked so good leaning against one of the supports with his signature drink in hand. He always looked good - so elegant and poised. Alec tried to contain the swoon that crawled up his spine.
He let out a breathless "Hey."
Magnus replied in kind and Alec stumbled into a, "you look like you've got your energy back." to break the ice.
"My go to remedy after a major magic depletion; boiling hot bath, 8oz steak - medium rare - and ..." he paused for dramatic effect, admiring his glass whilst Alec helplessly admired Magnus and smiled at his quirks, "a lot of these." He finished with a huffed laugh and took a sip. Alec didn't know what to say, just revelled in the fact Magnus was talking to him again. "Mm." Magnus remembered, "any sign of demons."
Alec quickly hid his fond smile as he returned to work chat. "None. The sensor maps are completely clear of wrath demons. It's the strangest thing, it's like ... they disappeared into thin air." Alec frowned.
Magnus looked thoughtful before giving a smile. "Well, then we can take this moment. To celebrate." He raised his glass and smiled at Alec's surprised grin and clinked glasses. Alec went to take a drink but found the bottle stilling at his lips, wondering when the peace would break and they'd acknowledge the elephant in the room. He paused and decided he wanted to rip the bandaid off now - he didn't want polite civility. He wanted to ravish his boyfriend and kiss him for every minute they'd spent apart. He watched Magnus take a sip and mustered up his courage.
"Can we talk?" It came out a little unsure but straight to the point. Magnus hesitated for a second before nodding a quiet 'yeah.' Alec took the lead and walked past him to the back doors of the hunters moon, knowing there were too many advanced hearing ears ready to weigh in and gossip. As soon as he entered the fresh air he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He had to make things right. There was a gap of silence as they both prepared to address the tension between them. Alec decided to get right to the crux of the problem and apologise for causing the rift.
"Magnus I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologise."
"No, I should of told you about the soul sword."
"It's in the past."
They paused after it had all been blurted out into the open. Alec tried to figure out how to fix this as he saw Magnus curl in on himself a little, holding his elbows. Alec could almost taste the anxiety coming from his warlock and he wanted to smooth it away.
"Magnus, ever since our ... fights, I ..." Alec started, trying to find the right words, and Magnus swallowed, looking down, "I can't- I can't think straight."
Magnus' eyes darted around as he tried to think of a reply, "Well I can't do any thing without ... thinking of you." He admitted, vulnerable in confession.
"Magnus I ..." he stepped forward, "I don't think I can live without you."
Magnus eyes darted up to meet Alec's, disbelief settling inside him along with hope as Alec shook his head hopelessly. Magnus knew he had caused them both pain and had to admit his mistakes so that they were on equal ground. "I ... I thought I had to choose between you and the downworld ..." he took a step closer to his nephilim, "but I don't." He assured and felt his lips quirk up. "A wise man once told me, 'relationships take effort'"
Alec huffed a laugh at Magnus' terrible impression of him. "Yeah. Well that was an understatement." He teased and Magnus chuckled back, the tension shattering and leaving them in this calm, yet uncertain relief. Alec gave Magnus a hopeful look.
"You know what's not an understatement?" Magnus tried to be coy. He edged closer to the Shadowhunter and Alec grinned as he reached out towards the warlock, meeting him halfway. He felt his world slot back into place with the familiar warmth of Magnus on his lips. He breathed him in, savouring the presence he sorely missed. He was determined not to lose it again.
They pulled away with a smack and smiled dopily at each other. Magnus took in a breath before looking around, "I'm all into parties ... but what do you say we get out of here?" He smiled, eager to be alone with his nephilim once more.
Alec grinned, the happiest he'd been in days, "yes."
THE END
PREVIOUS START
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Hi guys, sorry the ending took so long. I hope you enjoyed the story, I've had a lot of fun writing it for you, let me know what you thought about it down in the comments. Lets see how my transition from phan to malec is :D
Magnus' jaw was dangerously close to unhinging. Lightwood-Bane? It sounded so tantalisingly sweet. Could it really be possible? Those two boys standing in front of him ... his boys? His sons? Magnus' eyes began to sting with the possibility. He'd never had a family - none other than his chosen friends. To actually love and nurture ... he felt like he'd collapse from joy. Could he really be so lucky after all those lonely centuries? To raise children with ...
Magnus' eyes darted to Alec. The Shadowhunter was already looking at the warlock with shock and ... hope? Raising children with Alexander. Magnus didn't think a perfect sentence could exist. He swallowed thickly as he held his nephilim's gaze. He didn't think he could be this shocked more than once in one day. Sure, finding out that a Shadowhunter would have kids in the future wasn't so hard to grasp but ... a queer Shadowhunter and Downworlder having children together? It was unheard of. Magnus held back the urge to whimper and fall into his Shadowhunter's arms. He and Alexander were still on the outs and the future wasn't definite. The promise of what they could have was so sweet but the decision was, still, ultimately theirs in the present. The sweet became sour in Magnus' mouth.
Alec hadn't torn his eyes away from Magnus since the boys had uttered their names. A warmth bloomed in his chest and started a fire in his heart. He was determined to have that future with Magnus. He wanted his beautiful warlock and he wanted him forever. Never before had he felt such motivation to do something - to fix something. All those times he cleaned up after his siblings, everything he was determined to fix, the Lightwood reputation, his wedding. Nothing compared to the burning need to have Magnus again. He was in love with him and he wanted to eventually raise children with him. Alec turned back to Rafael and Max with a softened gaze. These children.
Magnus, impatient to know whether they were telling the truth, stepped closer and hovered a sparking hand over the boys. If it was true ... Magnus swallowed and let his magic work over Rafael and Max. He felt his breath hitch when he felt Rafael's blood pump and reveal the years of Lightwood genes coursing through his being. Not only that but Magnus' magic was accepted readily by Max's - a familiar gesture built over years of nurture and trust. There was a bond there, one formed naturally by Warlocks over years of familiarity. Magnus' throat clicked as he withdrew and a tear or two escaped as he looked at his children.
"It's true." He croaked.
Max couldn't help the tears in his eyes when he saw the recognition and acceptance on his Papa's face. He couldn't help himself as he pulled Magnus into a tight hug. He'd been starved of his parents' affection for days stuck in an unknown world. He wanted his father's comfort. He didn't want to be hurt by the nonrecognition in their family's eyes any longer. Rafael joined in, wrapping his long arms around his brother and father, cradling them both in their emotional state. He gave Alec a watery smile over Magnus' shoulder. Alec found a smile creep onto his lips and he ducked his head, feeling affection consume him.
Isabelle couldn't help but let out a sob - it was everything she wanted for her brother. It was fair to say that everyone's eyes were shining. All the scepticism was erased by their trust in Magnus and his power. Alec was a father and he had a future with Magnus if he pursued it. Clary and Simon shared a smile, happy for their friends.
Isabelle felt a wave of relief befall her - similar to the one she felt at Alec's wedding. She always knew someone would love him heart and soul. Now he had that love and the promise of a family. She knew Alec would, like he had for his siblings, love them with everything he was. She thought her brother deserved the world after everything he'd been through and now he had it.
Jace could no longer deny the truth. He felt happiness for his parabatai - knowing he had a future to look forward to. Not to mention he could get Magnus back. He'd been so miserable without the warlock. Jace could feel Alec's pain through the bond pulsing for the last few days. So much so, that Jace could almost always feel a diluted version of his ache. He didn't want Alec to fall back to his repressive days. He was so worried he'd close off again but no, he was determined to march on. He was so much stronger now. Jace had never given enough thought to his brother's emotions since they tended not to talk about them. However, he could tell Alec was never really living - never really feeling before he met Magnus. He recognised the difference when he felt genuine joy through the bond for the first time. The fact that Alec had never felt truly happy before had made Jace sad and pushed him to support Alec in his relationship and leadership. He would do anything he could to help them if only to feel that joy through the bond again.
Magnus pulled away after a moment, fondly patting Max's blue head. The brothers grinned in response before turning to the rest of the room. Alec regarded them with a shy smile, not really knowing what to do with himself and the feelings that were surfacing. His main concern was Magnus. He wanted to whisk him away and talk to him about what this all meant. He wanted to know if he'd let Alec kiss him stupid. God he missed him. However, this wasn't over.
Clary broke the silence. "So that's why Max shouted 'Papa' during the attack." Max flushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Yeah, didn't really think ... for most of it actually." He admitted.
"You were just scared. It's alright." Rafael smiled. He too felt the relief at the truth finally being out the open. A weight had been lifted from their shoulders and they could work together to find a way home.
"How did you get here?" Jace asked, tone a lot more accommodating than before.
Rafael sighed. "We don't know for sure. Dad, or, uh ... Alec sent our team on a mission to kill a horde of Shax demons that had been multiplying in the local cemetery. We didn't know why there was so much activity until we got a warning from pa- Magnus. Demon activity had spiked in the area because a ritual was taking place. We were put on guard when it was confirmed that two hell-hounds were approaching the scene. We'd encountered them before but it seemed like they had a different agenda. Max pursued them on his own so I rushed after him." Rafael narrowed his eyes at Max who rolled his eyes. "They created a portal somehow which transported them to this time period. We were cut off from Alexandra and Madzie." He explained, slipping into his no-nonsense-head-of-the-institute head-space.
"Madzie?" Magnus blurted in surprise. Max grinned, "She's our friend, we grew up with her and auntie Cat." He winked and Magnus adorned another soft smile at the new information.
"Whose Alexandra?" Jace asked, eyeing Alec. Did he have a daughter as well? Max and Rafael shared an awkward look.
"She's my parabatai," Max admitted and bit his lip, wondering how to break the news. "And ... she's, uh, your daughter?" Jace's eyes shot wide open.
"What?!" He barked.
"Yup, you and Clary." Rafael clarified, watching the two Shadowhunters blush bright red. "Her name is a nightmare though." Rafael smirked.
"She hates it ... well not her first name. She was named after our father after all." Max grinned, giving a pointed look to Alec who also blushed. "It's all the other names. The full version is Alexandra Fairchild Lightwood Herondale. A lot of Shadowhunter families in there." Max chuckled. Jace and Clary share a sheepish smile although Jace still looks slightly awkward.
"S-so um ... hm." Jace cleared his throat and tried to snap out of it, "So, what sent those demons? Where did they come from?"
Rafael sighed in disdain, "There's only one powerful enough with the intent to send those demons back in time to meddle with our family."
Max scowled, "Our ass-hole grandfather." Magnus tensed, jaw clenching, as the others gaped.
"Robert?!" Jace blurted in disbelief.
Max rolled his eyes. "No."
Magnus turned on his heel and made his way to the drinks cabinet, pouring some whiskey into a glass to calm his nerves. Alec noticed his Warlock's tensed movements and the slight shake of his fingers around the glass. Without thinking he walked over and put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Magnus." Alec whispered soothingly. Magnus let out a breath through his nose and closed his eyes for a moment before turning to look at Alec.
"Magnus' father." Isabelle clarified, "...whose a demon."
Magnus turned to the room, taking a gulp of his drink. He made hesitant eye contact with Max and Rafael. "Not just any demon." Max clarified, searching Magnus for permission. He knew his father was never comfortable about his lineage.
Anger suddenly simmered beneath the Warlock's skin. "He went after you?" He asked, tone cold. When Max and Rafael nodded, the anger boiled over and his glamour slipped, exposing his gleaming cat eyes to the room. Alec felt a hitch in his breath upon witnessing them again. Even though they were filled with fury, Alec thought Magnus' eyes were beautiful and signified the trust Magnus had in him. He loved his eyes and felt indescribably happy at seeing them again despite circumstances. He pushed those thoughts down as he tried to focus on why Magnus was so furious.
Magnus put his glass down firmly before addressing the room with a hardened resolve. "Asmodeus is my father." He admitted to the surprised Nephilim. Guess it wasn't so hard for them to be shocked more than once in one day.
"Asmodeus? The Asmodeus?!" Isabelle exclaimed, awe in her eyes. Clary and Simon shared a look of confusion.
"Um ... who's Asmoedus?" Clary piped up.
"He's one of the seven princes of hell, remember Azazel?" Jace explained, looking at Magnus like he'd never seen him before. Clary gave Magnus an impressed smile. Magnus however, was watching Alec for his reaction. Not many people knew of his parentage. It was smart to keep it under lock and key considering how powerful the demon was.
Alec looked a little star struck at the information. "I'm sorry I never told you ..." Magnus said quietly. "I was ashamed." He admitted, fingers rubbing nervously together.
Alec snapped out of his stupor at the self-deprecating look on the Warlock's face. His hand shot out to take Magnus', softly rubbing his knuckles. "Hey ..." breathed, "it's alright ... I knew you had a demon parent, I just ... Asmodeus." Alec was still trying to wrap his head around it. Magnus' lips twitched upwards at the look on his Nephilim's face. Alec turned to Max and Rafael.
"Why would Asmodeus send those hellhounds here?" He didn't let go of Magnus' hand.
"Papa told us that Asmodeus planned to 'undo' us. I'd deduce that means killing off our family before we even exist." Max frowned, clutching his elbows tight at the thought of everyone getting hurt. Magnus scowled and squeezed Alec's hand, getting a reassuring squeeze in return.
"It's alright they're dead now." Alec reassured and the others in the room relaxed.
"What about you two? How are you getting back?" Simon asked.
The brothers looked a little distressed. "We haven't worked it out yet. We don't even know how the hounds got here. Portal science isn't as advanced as time travel when we're from. There's been a few advancements but this is still foreign magic to us. There must have been a power source accumulated outwith a Warlock or demon." Rafael pondered.
Max perked up, "I did find one thing on the first hell-hound I banished." Max informed and Rafael let out an exasperated breath,
"And you only mention this now?!" He snapped. Max looked a little embarrassed before reaching into his pocket and producing a purple shard. It was jagged on one side and smooth on the other. Rafael held it up to the light and saw pulses of magic and a demonic rune carved into the centre.
"That's a portal shard." Magnus stated, taking a closer look. "The demonic rune has infused it with greater demon magic. It probably increased the portal's power. I assume my father added a calculation to pinpoint the accurate time period."
Isabelle suddenly remembered her pickings from the other hell-hound. "Hang on!" She exclaimed and searched through her pockets. "Before we left the lake I saw this in the hound's remains." She pulled out another purple shard similar to the one in Max's grasp. Magnus assessed them both before getting an idea.
"Hand it over." He coaxed Isabelle. She did so willingly and watched as Magnus brought the shard to Max's. "Look, they're both cracked down one side but are smooth on the other. If you join them together they could probably conjure another portal. I could probably fuse them together but we'd need to find the correct spell." Magnus offered.
Max and Rafael grinned at each other. "It might not work though." Magnus added just in case.
"It's a start." Rafael smiled gratefully.
"Guess I'll get started then." Magnus smirked, taking the shards and swaggering off to his library. Alec watched Magnus as he left the room and felt the urge to go after him. They hadn't had the opportunity to talk yet. He wanted to know what was going on in the warlock's head. He wanted to know where they stood. He turned to the others to see if they'd notice him leaving. Isabelle and Simon were already excitedly questioning the boys about the future. Jace and Clary were awkwardly trying to talk about what they'd learnt.
It was decided. Alec took in a deep breath and went after his Warlock.
~
Magnus skim-read his notes from when he invented the portal with Henry Branwell. He knew there were a few spells which he could adapt if he used enough power. He could look some up in different dialects to get a more accurate result. Maybe he could combine two spells? How exciting, the 800-year-old Warlock was rising to the challenge. The stones should have enough juice to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to power thanks to father. Now he just had to channel it through the right spell. They didn't have Asmodeus' calculation so the spell would have to suffice.
Alec quietly entered the study and took a moment to admire Magnus as he studiously poured through his resources. The Warlock had shucked his jacket and pushed his sleeves up to his elbows revealing strong caramel forearms. Alec swallowed the lump in his throat and suppressed the want to sooth the furrow between the Warlock's eyes. God, he was so in love. He missed him.
"Um, hi." An awkward mumble broke through Magnus' thoughts. Magnus swivelled on the spot, eyes wide. Alec stood in the doorway, an awkward look on his face. He looked like he was about to burst but didn't know how to articulate his feelings as usual.
"Alexander." Magnus addressed cautiously. He felt a little nervous being alone with the Shadowhunter after all the emotional revelations. Despite that, his heart fluttered in his chest. He couldn't deny the curiosity to know how the Shadowhunter felt about their predicament. He hadn't said much.
"H-hey." Alec stuttered and cursed internally. "How are you feeling?" He found himself blurting through his jumbled thoughts.
"A little tired but I'm doing alright. Nothing a coffee or two won't fix." Magnus retorted with mirth. Alec bit his lip, Magnus was always so put together and it was difficult breaking down his walls. He hid behind his wit and nonchalance and he felt a twinge of sadness at having to earn back the right to see his Warlock be vulnerable once again.
"Can we talk?" Alec asked softly. He watched as Magnus' arms slid up to his elbows, creating a defensive barrier. It didn't look like the Warlock was conscious of the movement and was too busy thinking through what he was prepared to say. He dragged his, now glamoured, eyes up to meet Alec's.
"Yeah." Magnus finally breathed, leaning back against his desk. Alec licked his lips nervously before glancing behind him and closing the door to give them more privacy.
"Magnus I'm sorry." Alec finally said into the silence.
"Don't apologise." Magnus replied softly.
"No, I should have told you about the soul sword."
"It's in the past." Magnus affirmed, arms tightening round himself. Alec paused, not really sure where to go from here. He was prepared to do a little more apologising before forgiveness. He swallowed and tried to collect his thoughts. This was an important moment for him - for them.
"I ... I know a lot has happened in the last few days. I haven't really had a moment to catch my breath but ..." Alec breathed in, steadying his nerves. "But I know that ... it hasn't been easy without you. Things being difficult isn't anything new but having you with me always ... I always ... Magnus I don't think I can live without you." Alec admitted, hands shaking.
Magnus' eyes darted up to meet Alec's. He couldn't read the expression on the Warlock's face but there seemed to be conflict warring in his eyes. "I-I know we've fought and it sucks and ... but I know that I want you in my life. I want you to know that everything that's happened in the last few hours hasn't influenced my decision. I ... I miss you Magnus." Alec got out, holding back tears.
Magnus' expression finally broke and he looked at Alec with a deep fondness and sparkling eyes. "I've missed you too ... I can hardly do anything without thinking of you." He gave a watery smile. "And ... I want you to know that I want a future with you, whatever future."
Alec grinned wide and took a few steps forward to be closer to his Warlock. He slid a hand round the back of Magnus' neck, fiddling with the hair there. Magnus dropped the glamour and Alec felt giddy at the sight of them once again. "I love you Magnus Bane." Alec confessed, looking into Magnus' amber eyes.
"I love you too Angel." Magnus smiled softly and reached out for his Shadowhunter's shirt. Both tugged at the other at the same time, lips crashing together. Magnus breathed happily into the kiss and passionately moulded his lips with Alec's. Alec replied in kind, savouring the taste of his lover's lips after the cruel absence. His fingers crept up to cup the back of Magnus' head, pressing them as close as possible whilst the Warlock's fingers tangled tightly in his clothes. When Magnus pulled back for a breath, Alec chased his lips and sealed them again with a hum. Magnus released his grip and slid his arms round the Shadowhunter's shoulders, pressing them together from top to toe. He felt his heart beat wildly and his happiness soar as he breathed his Shadowhunter in. He missed his warmth, his scent, the smacking of their lips. Eventually they broke apart, panting heavily. Alec couldn't stop grinning at Magnus who had moved to stroke Alec's face.
Alec pulled Magnus into a tight hug, closing his eyes and inhaling. He loved Magnus' scent, how perfectly he fit in his arms, how he could feel his muscles through the shirt ... he loved everything about the Warlock and he had missed being so close. He never wanted to be without him again.
Silence consumed the room. Expressions morphed into shock and confusion. Isabelle, Jace and Alec caught each other's eye with silent question. How was it possible? Rafael tried not to smirk at the way Jace looked like he was straining to understand. His uncle shook his head; he prepared for the denial.
"That's not possible."
Max sighed in disdain, this was going to be a lot harder than he thought. A lot of convincing and negotiation needed to happen before Magnus, Simon and the Shadowhunters even considered helping them get home.
"We don't have any extended family..." Isabelle added, "at least ... not any we know off." She looked unsure, sharing another contemplative gaze with her brothers. No one seemed to have anything else to say, still caught up in how impossible it was. "Do you know your father? Is he our blood connection?" She asked curiously, doubt still coating her words.
Max held back laughter at the ridiculousness of their situation and Rafael hid a smile behind his hand. "Oh we know who our father is." Max confirmed with mirth.
Their father was in the room, narrowed eyes watching them like a hawk. The suspicion in his gaze was clear as day, but the elder Lightwoods had lied about their lineage before; they'd hidden that their ancestor had gotten demon pox and shamed the Lightwood name, not to mention the fact that Robert and Maryse were active members of the circle. Who knows, maybe there were hidden family members as well. But why?
Suddenly Alec had a moment of clarity and he paled rapidly. He knew why they might have wanted to cover up the boys' existence. Rafael caught the haunted look on his father's features and wondered if he'd caught on with only their vague explanation.
"Robert ...?" Alec whispered hesitantly, almost like he didn't want to know. The mood soured instantly in the room. Anger took place upon Jace's face whilst Izzy just looked uncomfortable, fingers fiddling with her bracelet. Simon and Magnus shared an awkward glance, not prepared for being included in the Jeremy Kyle-esque Shadowhunter drama.
Max and Rafael were horrified. They'd heard about their grandparents affair but it was a fairly taboo subject in their household. Max felt sick. "No, no, no, no!" He quickly jumped in. "No, no way, ew, no!" He continued and Rafael glared at his brother, flicking his ear.
"Don't overdo it." Rafael grumbled quietly before turning to the confused party in the room. "Robert isn't our father." Rafael confirmed calmly.
Jace finally lost patience. "Then who is?!"
The boys shared a look. They couldn't put it off any more. "Alec is our father." Max finally admitted, going a little shy as he waited for their family's reaction.
Alec almost choked on his tongue, not believing what he'd just heard. Isabelle gasped dramatically and looked at her brother like she'd never seen him before. Many emotions warred within her; surprise, doubt, confusion, and pride. She never expected her law abiding big-brother to be so scandalous. Her inner rebel applauded it but her inner sibling felt betrayed by her lack of knowledge.
Jace looked like he was in pain from trying to comprehend the whole situation. His face couldn't settle on one emotion and he kept looking like he wanted to say something but nothing came out. He also looked at Alec like he'd never seen him before and wondered how his own parabatai could be a parent and he not know it. Was their relationship a lie? How was it possible? How young was Alec when he had them? I THOUGHT HE WAS GAY?! Jace's mind was spinning with this knowledge and he felt the denial rushing back up his throat - there was no way he could be so wrong about his brother.
Simon and Clary had backed away from their moment and were observing with wide eyes from the back of the room. This was some soap opera shit and Simon almost wished they had some popcorn to complete this thrilling moment.
Magnus' jaw literally dropped at the information, eyes as wide as saucers. All his mind could conjure was Alexander's a father? Alexander? A father? ALEC IS A FATHER? ALEXANDER? A FATHER!? Alec? He was so blind sighted by this information he didn't even stop the consider the impossibilities of that statement. Not to mention that Rafael was a year younger than his Shadowhunter so Alec would have had to have been one year's old when he'd had him. Magnus, however, didn't focus on the plausibility and stood there frozen in his incredulity.
Alec was spluttering and stuttering in disbelief. "E-excuse me?!"
Max and Rafael knew they had to explain but, they too were starting to think about the absurdity of it all and found themselves in shock, wondering how they could even begin to explain. Alec looked at Rafael, saw his own face staring back - the hazel eyes and the unruly dark hair. The Lightwood heritage was plain as day. Alec could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. There was no way. There was NO WAY.
"I- But don't- You can't- I can't- I didn't- y-you can't be- I- I d-didn't even- didn't even have s-sex with anyone until I met Magnus!" Alec blurted out from his chaotic thoughts. He blushed instantly after revealing this fact.
Magnus' jaw snapped shut, brain still whirring. If he had a moment, he'd stop to admire the flustered Shadowhunter fondly. He was reassured that his innocent Alexander hadn't lied about his first time; it had been such a special and cherished memory in the warlocks mind. The stumbling, the laughter, the kisses, the-
He shook those thoughts away. Now wasn't the time. The facts started to register in his calming mind. It wasn't biologically possible, Alexander was too young to have a grown child. The boys had to be lying. The warlock felt a little embarrassed by his delayed common sense, too shocked and hurt at the prospect of his ... or his ex boyfriend, having lied about his experiences the whole time they were together. He usually enjoyed this kind of Idris gossip, but this was really going too far, especially since he had a personal stake in it. The warlock winced slightly as he remembered his place, he and Alec weren't in a relationship anymore - he had no right to be involved in this.
"... And you don't know your mother?" Isabelle finally interjected, still reeling from the surprise. Alec looked at his sister, horrified that she'd even entertain this idea. He wasn't a father!
"No, she was a surrogate. I don't know what Shadowhunter family she comes from, I think her name was Christine though." Rafael admitted, not sure if the others believed he and Max.
"It's not possible! I am not your father!" Alec burst, done with the lies. There's no way! "I think I'd remember all of this if it'd actually happened!" He spat. The other Lightwoods seemed to snap out of their stupor and finally wrap their head around the the situation. It just wasn't possible.
"If Alec had a kid we'd know about it." Jace backed up, finally getting through the shock and confusion and realising his parabatai would never hide something like this from him - at least not with good reason and especially not from Izzy.
Rafael needed to clear the air before they started getting hostile. They really needed to have planned this reveal out better. "Look, look. I know this doesn't seem possible alright? Trust me, my brother and I can barely wrap our heads around this scenario ourselves."
"It's been a freaky couple of days for us." Max admitted, biting his lip and looking wary of the anger in his family's eyes. They needed to settle this now.
"We know it sounds mental but it's the truth, we're ... we're from the future. I know that it's mad and impossible but just think for a second. It's the only plausible explanation for all of this. In a world with demons and angels and magic and portals you have to be more open minded to this concept as well." Rafael urged, hoping they'd at least be open to listening.
The room was quiet once again but doubt was still laden heavily in everyone's features. Well ... except Simon, who looked unbelievably excited about the whole possibility of time travel. He never believed a world of supernatural beings was possible, why should that be the limit?
Max continued to explain, "We came here through a portal created by those hell-hounds. They were formed by a greater demon and were a serious threat. Our team was tasked to hunt them down and kill them before they caused serious damage to the city. When we were fighting them and their shax demon entourage, they somehow opened a portal to this year or dimension. We're not completely sure if this is our timeline yet or another's. I don't think the hounds were smart enough to create the portals on their own, we believe the greater demon had a specific motive to come back in time and hurt someone, therefore changing future events." The youngest Lightwood could see the others trying to wrap their heads round how it was all possible. The only person seeming to follow along easily enough was the vampire who looked thrilled with his explanation. He held back a smirk, his uncle Simon was a sci-fi geek as well and hadn't hesitated in 'educating' he and his brother in the importance of Star Wars.
Alec looked a little ashen. It certainly explains the age thing - there was no way he could father a kid a year younger than himself. However, he was a huge sceptic, what were the odds that this was true? He knew that the word impossible didn't make a regular appearance in their world and Alec himself had said 'impossible just means try again'. Even though the idea of his sons coming back from the future is bizarre and shouldn't be applicable in the realms of their reality, he also reminded himself daily that 'all the legends are true' and to keep an open mind so he was never truly surprised.
He was truly surprised now. Surely ... surely not ... but then if ...
Alec could tell Rafael was a Lightwood, it was plain as day. From the beginning, he and Izzy had felt a connection to them, could tell there was something familiar in many things they did and in how they reacted. Could they really be ...? Could he really consider a future where he had something he never thought he would? Was he really a father? He had trusted his gut since day one, he knew he didn't want those boys harmed, he knew he wanted to protect them with everything he had. So maybe it wasn't so impossible.
But wow, him? A father? Who was the mother? Why was there a surrogate? Did he have a partner? Did he have M-
He swallowed the lump in his throat. That's something he couldn't consider right now. There was something bigger happening at hand. His questions would surely be answered in time.
"It hasn't been easy y'know." Max admitted tiredly. "You all look so different and ... this time is so foreign and everything that's happened in only the past few days has ... I never imagined-" Max cut himself off, feeling emotional. Alec felt his heart clench at the distress on his boy's face. They'd been up against Valentine, in a war, Sebastian, demons, danger-
... his boy?
"It was a little weird calling you by your first name as well." Max chuckled, looking directly into Alec's eyes and trying to lighten the mood.
"Not to mention us practically being the same age." Rafael smirked, joining in.
Alec couldn't help the slight twitch of his lips. The way Max looked at him ... as if he could do no wrong. He looked at him with love and pride and hope and ... could anyone fake that? Alec felt the itch to hug them both but he held back. There was always the possibility that this was a trick. An awful trick. He found he didn't want it to be false.
Magnus felt odd. He remembered liking both the boys upon meeting them. He felt a great fondness for the little warlock and admired Rafael's strong sense of leadership and compassion - traits he adored in his own Shadowhunter. He had felt protective. It's no wonder really, everyone who was a part of Alec's family had stolen a place in Magnus' heart. His children should be no different, especially with how they've turned out to be so similar to the eldest Lightwood. Magnus smiled a sad smile, at least Alec was happy in the future - he had this to look forward to. He'd be alright on his own, without ... without Magnus. Even though his heart was hurting, he knew all he wanted was Alec to be happy.
"This is nonsense." Jace still denies. Clearly he wasn't open to the time travel thing.
"God, have you always been such a dick? You're not this difficult back in our time." Max retorts and Rafael notices his Magnus flare. He wonders if his Papa sees it too.
Simon, being the self-proclaimed time travel expert, decided to intervene. "Hi, um, sorry, how's it goin'? Um, if you're telling the truth then you can prove it. You must be aware of the majority of events in this timeline. I'm sure our older selves will have told you what has happened here today and the events leading up to it. In the movies they usually know intimate details of the past and present."
Jace rolled his eyes at Simon's comment but everyone else stopped to consider it. The Lightwood-Bane brothers shared a look. "We could answer whatever questions you have. We're kind of wary of it affecting our future though. There might be a few things we can't answer depending on whether we'd cease to exist as a result." Rafael tried to explain. The others considered this carefully.
Isabelle's eyes lit up with excitement. Now that she started to consider the possibility of them being from the future, she had many questions. Why not ask them now? However, she couldn't start with questions about the future for confirmation since they'd have to wait and see whether it happened. She held herself back and tried to think of a more serious way to determine whether they knew intimate details about their life that no casual friend or acquaintance would know.
"What is the name of the woman that Robert is having an affair with?" She asked bluntly and caused Jace and Alec to flinch.
Rafael sighed, "Annamarie Highsmith." He replied, equally as blunt.
"Correct. Hardly anyone knows about the affair. Not even my brothers know who the woman is. I know because I saw one of dad's letters." Isabelle admitted sadly. Alec and Jace looked pained.
"That still doesn't prove anything. We don't know for sure that rumours haven't spread in Idris. There are other ways for word to get out." Jace sighed, still sceptical.
"Then you ask a question." Max sneered.
Jace scowls back but thinks for a moment. "What was Alec, mine and Izzy's childhood motto?" he smirks.
"Three go in, three come out." Max replied without hesitation. Jace's smirk was wiped away but he still didn't believe them.
"There's still ways you could have found out." He shrugs. Rafael put a calming hand on Max's shoulder as he looked like he was about to burst with anger. However Max was flustered enough and wanted to prove they were who they said they were, he was sick of having to lie.
"I know why you're parabatai rune disappeared." He snapped. Rafael closed his eyes in frustration but knew it was too late now. Jace paled as Alec's attention snapped to his brother, eyes narrowed. "In the future you tell us what happened because it is the start of something so much bigger!" Max hisses.
"Max." Rafael said softly but with warning in his tone. They needed to broach this topic with more tact, especially if it affected their timeline.
"What are they talking about?" Alec directed his question at Jace.
"They're lying." Jace tried to refute. Clary looked warily between Jace and Alec, she felt their friends deserved to know but had kept her promise. It appeared that everything would be revealed anyway. Alec looked at the boys expectantly.
"Why did my parabatai rune disappear?" He asked calmly with no room for argument. Max looked hesitant then, so Rafael took over. Looks like there's no going back. Max would definitely have to erase some memories after this conversation.
"Jace was stabbed and killed by Valentine. Clary killed Valentine then raised the angel to bring Jace back to life." Rafael explained, preparing for the back lash. All eyes snapped to Jace and Clary in shock.
"You made the wish?" Isabelle asked incredulously. Jace looked like he wanted to argue but sighed and gave up. Clary also looked ashamed of lying to their friends. They didn't deny it.
Alec's jaw clenched in frustration. "How long did you plan to keep this from us?" He asked angrily.
Jace swallowed, "Knowing would have put you in danger. You know what position you would be in with the Clave. They would have sent everyone to the guard-" Alec made an angry noise in the back of his throat. He took long strides towards his parabatai and punched him in the face.
"ALEC!" Isabelle exclaimed as Magnus' magic fizzed at his fingertips - ready to break up a fight if need be. Jace had stumbled back and clutched his nose. He straightened up once again, looking Alec in the eye and expecting another hit. Max and Rafael held their breath as they watched Jace close his eyes in preparation as Alec advanced again. Isabelle tried to tug him back. This probably wasn't a good idea ... Max felt bad for revealing the information, no matter how much of a dick Jace was, he still loved his uncle and didn't want him to fight with his father.
However, at the last minute Alec pulled Jace into a bone-crushing hug. "You god damn idiot." Alec muttered into his brother's shoulder. Everyone, including Jace, relaxed, and the tense atmosphere began to fade. Jace wrapped his arms around his parabatai and held him tightly. "You know you can tell me anything. I'll endure anything for you, for my family. We would have found a way round it. We need to know, or we'll get worried dumbass." Alec pulled away and smiled at his idiot brother. Jace smiled sheepishly and gave him a small nod.
Jace turned to Rafael and Max with confusion in his gaze. There was no way that anyone but he and Clary could have known that. Could they really ...?
Rafael saw his conflict and decided to convince them once and for all. "I promise we're telling the truth. Magnus can give us a DNA test if you really want to know." The High Warlock lifted an eyebrow at the mention of his power before looking to the Shadowhunters for confirmation. Mainly the tall, dark and handsome one currently biting his gorgeous red lips in consideration. Godammit Bane, keep it together.
Alec gave the warlock a nod as a go-ahead. Magnus let out a breath and summoned his magic to warm his fingertips. Rafael suddenly realised something. There might be more that Magnus came across if he gave Max the test as well. Oh god how could they have not brought it up sooner?
"Wait!" He said before Magnus' magic could reach him. The High warlock looked at him suspiciously, doubt creeping in on whether he was telling the truth about his DNA. "Before you test both of us, there's probably something you should know." Rafael admits and catches Max's eye. He glances in Magnus' direction and understanding crosses his features. He gives his brother a subtle nod of support.
"Our full names ... my name is Rafael Santiago Lightwood-Bane."
Rafael slowly blinked his eyes open, mind foggy as he tried to make sense of where he was. What had happened? Where was he? He blinked the blur away until he focused on a dark ceiling. Then, his eyes darted about as he wondered about his brother's well-being.
Now he remembered.
He let out a breath of relief upon spying his little brother asleep next to him on a bed. The golden sheets covered the blue boy's body which rose steadily in his sleep. Rafael took in his whereabouts and deduced they were in Magnus' apartment. The layout was similar to his parent's room back in their future.
His head began to spin as he remembered the events over the past few hours. A quick glance out the window showed it was early morning. So much had happened that, only now was he given a chance to process. Valentine was dead, the angel was raised, Jace came back to life, a hell-hound attacked his father and Max killed it. They had been revealed. At the time, Rafael hadn't cared in the slightest that the cat was out of the bag but now he knew that the Shadowhunters would be asking questions.
There wasn't much left to do but tell the truth. However, they needed a back-up plan as to not screw up their timeline. He and Max were in serious danger of not existing, especially considering their parents' current fragile state of relationship. Looks like Max would have to erase some memories after all. Firstly, they needed to make sure their family could trust them and help them find a way to get home.
Rafael turned to Max and smiled at the Warlock's snores. Pulling the covers away, Rafael couldn't spot any injuries and felt grateful that Magnus had been able to help. Thinking of injuries, his hand ghosted over the point on his stomach where he'd been bitten. There was a dull ache but the skin was unmarred. An iratze or two were probably activated to speed up the process.
He turned back to Max and gently coaxed him awake by stroking through his hair. They needed to gather themselves. They had a big conversation coming up. Slowly Max roused from his sleep but, like Rafael, once he remembered what had happened, he sprung up and looked round wildly.
"Sh, sh, it's alright." Rafael soothed.
"Raf! You're alright!" Max grinned and pounced on his brother.
"Of course I'm alright you blue idiot. You're the one who went crazy." Rafael scolded.
"Sorry ... I saw the blood and couldn't stop myself lashing out." Max replied and pulled away sheepishly. Despite the fond feeling blooming in his chest, Rafael had to push on.
"Thanks for your concern, but now thanks to your tantrum the others will be wanting answers." Rafael sighed. Max bit his lip, unsure what to say. He felt like he was being a little harsh on his brother so softened up a bit. "Look, good job on killing the demon, but you need to be more wary about your well-being. Also maybe keep it more subtle next time?" Rafael smirked, mirth creeping into his tone.
Max gave a cheeky smile and nodded without saying anything. After a moment of silence, they caught the tail ends of conversation muffled through the bedroom door. The brothers shared an anxious look. "Can you activate a hearing rune to see how much trouble we're in?" Max asked. Rafael nodded and grabbed his stele off the side table which one of them must have left. That was a good sign, it showed they trusted them enough to use the stele and not activate any aggressive runes. Rafael felt a little guilty violating that trust by using the hearing rune but he needed to gauge the situation.
"I still think we should have restrained them." Came Jace's annoyed voice.
"We need to hear their side of the story." Clary tried to calm him.
"They're dangerous! You saw the younger one, he was literally on fire. How can you trust them after that?" He demanded.
"They've been helping us for days, why would they do that if they had evil intentions?" Isabelle snapped, feeling protective over the sibling in the other room.
"Hello? Am I only person who remembers Sebastian?!" Jace exclaimed. Everyone fell silent for a moment. Alec stood in the corner, not really knowing what to think. He didn't want to believe the boys were evil or spies but all his Shadowhunter instincts were telling him to question it until he was 100% certain. Magnus was silently seething, although he was suspicious of the boys' intentions, he hated how Jace was insinuating distrust because the boy was part warlock.
"How can you trust so easily after Sebastian weaselled his way into our group like they have? One of them was there when we revealed the location of the mirror, and the other kept disappearing. They must have set up the whole hell-hound thing and only now are they showing their true colours! Max especially can't be trusted, he could be one of Valentine's experiments."
Rafael grit his teeth in anger upon hearing and Max flinched as he heard through their connection. He hated that anyone would connect his brother in any way to Valentine but held himself back to see where the conversation would lead.
Magnus, however, couldn't hold the anger back anymore. "And what is that supposed to mean!?" He snarled. "That he can't be trusted because he's part warlock? How progressive of you! Just shows that the ideals of the nephilim never change!" Magnus laughed humorlessly and scowled at Jace.
"This isn't about Downworld politics! The fact remains that they are suspicious! Alec back me up." Jace urged. Alec gripped onto his elbows tightly. He was feeling honestly conflicted because he knew he felt a weird connection to the boys. Was it organic though? Had they enchanted him or were his feelings genuine? He felt sick at the idea of them being harmed but he had no reason for such protective instincts, so maybe they were plotting against them?
"You must have swallowed some lake water Jace because you're clearly not right in the head!" Isabelle snapped. "How could you believe that they would betray us? They're our friends." She insisted.
"You thought that way about Sebastian." Jace shot back, matching his sisters glare.
"This time it's different!" Isabelle fired back.
"How? What proof is there that it's any different? They could attack at any moment and we're providing BnB service!"
"First of all, I'm the one providing my home to all of you." Magnus interrupted, trying to calm himself down and speak with a level head. They shouldn't argue, but calmly settle the issue. "Second of all, I have wards up all over this apartment. They won't have the chance to attack, trust me." He reassured and a little bit of tension left the room.
Alec felt like he should speak up, he'd been silent ever since the lake. He hadn't known how to handle the situation. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be handling. He didn't want to have to deal with another betrayal. He didn't want to hurt them either. There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to figure out what to say.
"How do you know he isn't in league with Valentine? Have you seen the warlock before?" Jace accused Magnus. Insults were poised like venom on Magnus' tongue but he held himself back because he had seen the warlock before.
He gave a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I've seen the boy before." He confirmed and everyone else tensed. Max internally cursed once again at revealing his identity. He knew Magnus was too perceptive not to have noticed. Jace looked ready to argue once again but Magnus continued before the Shadowhunters grew suspicious. "Before you accuse me as well, I only met him once. He came to me a couple days ago looking for a potion to help him rebuild his strength. He got through my wards easily which shows he had no ill intentions. Of course he looked very different at the time, no runes in sight so forgive me for not recognising him straight away."
"Everyone was too focused on more important things, like, oh I don't know, the wrath demons invading New York, preventing Valentine raising the angel and my parabatai rune disappearing." Alec added, feeling frustrated with Jace's attitude and vague explanation of why the rune vanished. He clammed up after that and Alec felt all the more angry at his parabatai keeping secrets. He deserved to know.
"It's no wonder we got blind-sighted by the hell-hound given all that had happened. Let's just be thankful for now that Magnus wasn't harmed." Alec continued, throwing Magnus a softer look. Magnus shifted a little under his gaze, not knowing how to handle the affection hidden beneath the concern and relief.
Something had been bugging Clary since the lake, "Didn't um ... didn't Max shout 'Papa' when the demon arrived? What does that mean?" She asked curiously.
Jace opened his mouth to answer something along the lines of being affiliated with the demon. Isabelle quickly cut in, "He directed it at Magnus when the demon lunged at him."
"It was probably a command or something." Jace threw back.
"You think he'd look that freaked out by a demon attacking his friend if he was commanding it? Also, Rafael jumped in front of the hound, he saved Magnus' life! How could you think there was any malice there?!" Isabelle demanded.
"And why would I call the demon papa?" Max grumbled in annoyance. He felt a little embarrassed by his slip up of the tongue and knew they'd have to explain themselves. Before the conversation could continue, Simon, who had been filled in on what happened, heard movement in the other room.
"Um, not to alarm anyone but ... they're awake. I can hear them with my vamp ears." He explained. Everyone went silent and turned their gazes to the bedroom door. Rafael and Max tensed and shared a glance.
"Busted." Max whispered and Rafael smiled weakly in response.
"Time to talk it out."
Jace's hand instinctively rested on the blade as the doors started to open, feeling cautious. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the brothers to either show their true colours and attack, or explain. Max looked different to when they were by the lake. He had a glamour on that hid both his runes and warlock features, he didn't want to freak anyone out any further without explaining himself.
Magnus, noticing Rafael rubbing the spot he'd been bitten, felt a jolt of concern. They had both been hurt and he felt ill remembering the way the hound sunk its fangs into the boy's side. The boy who reminded him so much of Alec and made dread ring in his bones at the prospect of his Shadowhunter being in similar peril. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, not able to help himself.
"The iratzes did their work. It's a dull ache now." Rafael reassured. The boy then rubbed behind his neck awkwardly as he tried to figure out what to say. The Lightwoods in the room, as well as Magnus, couldn't help but notice the action being similar to Alec's tendencies. The similarities were startling and Isabelle was trying to work out how that was possible.
"You two have some explaining to do." Alec spoke up after the tense silence. Max felt a jolt of nerves as he recognised his father's scolding tone of voice. Usually it was followed by some sort of punishment, be it doing the dishes for a week or ichor duty for a day.
"Yes, we do. I know we kept stuff from you guys but it was all with good reason, I assure you." Rafael admitted, trying to stall just a little longer.
"And who are you to decide what's good for us?" Jace snapped, glaring at them. Max scowled back, not one to back down from a challenge from his uncle. Rafael held back an eye role and swatted Max's head, telling him to behave.
"Who are you?" Isabelle finally asked.
"Our names are Max and Rafael, but we're not from the LA Institute." Rafael decided to start small.
"And we are brothers, although I'm adopted." Max joined in.
"How can you use runes when you're a warlock?" Isabelle asked curiously.
Max looked a little ill as he remembered the circumstances of his birth and Rafael looked ready to jump in and explain. Max, however, gave his brother a look which told him he would tell it.
"You told us that a warlock experimented on Max when he was younger." Clary prompted, remembering their conversation after warning Imogen of Valentine. "You also said you had downworlders in your family."
Max sighed and hesitated before removing the glamour. Slowly his blue skin and horns appeared and his runes decorated his arms and neck. Shocked and awed gazes were cast round the room. Magnus felt protectiveness wash over him once again when he saw the blue warlock who had looked so lost when he came to him and made Madzie giggle.
"I um ... I guess I am a result of an experiment. My mother was a Shadowhunter and my father ... was a greater demon." Max admitted, feeling small. Magnus felt his gut twist at the shame on the boy's face and wanted to hug him close and say there was nothing to be ashamed of. He too was the son of a demon but it didn't define who they were. No one chose their parents whether they loved you or not.
Clary suddenly gasped where she stood and everyone turned to stare at her. "Unless ..." She started and looked over to the blue Shadowhunter.
"Unless, a warlock created a formula that could make the blood compatible. There's only one warlock crazy enough to try." Rafael filled in, fists clenching in anger.
Realisation started to dawn on the rest of the group. "Iris Rouse." Magnus filled in, disdain in his tone. "That woman never knew when to give up." He sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Iris Rouse was working for Valentine, how do we know you aren't doing the same?" Jace accused.
Max lost his temper, "I would rather die than side with Valentine! He's hurt my family countless times! He was a monster and would have killed me and the downworld regardless of whether I helped him so tell me, what could I possibly gain from working with him?!" Tears were beginning to sting his eyes and he fought to keep them back. He relaxed a little when he felt Rafael's soothing touch on his shoulder.
Everyone was silent once again, Jace had the common sense to look a little ashamed but suspicion still lay in his every move. All Alec wanted to do was comfort the boy himself and let him know that Valentine would never come back to hurt them again. His family was safer with the monster gone. He couldn't explain the tight feeling in his chest at seeing tears in the boy's eyes. Why did he feel so attached to them? He hardly knew them, he trusted them easily. He hadn't trusted a new person so easily since Magnus and he was still hurt by their distance. He shook the thoughts away. He couldn't think about that now, there were more pressing issues.
Isabelle decided to change topic and get more information without hurting Max further. "So, do you both have the same Shadowhunter mother? Is she a Truewright?"
Both boys shifted, knowing that the truth couldn't be held off any longer. "Um no, neither of us know who our mothers are but we're not related by blood. And ..." Rafael paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain.
"-we're not Truewrights." Max blurted and shrugged at his brother's exasperated expression.
"Why would you lie about your names? What are they?" Jace demanded, confusion clear on many faces.
"Promise you won't freak out?" Max smiled nervously.
"That's never a good way to start things." Isabelle snorted, crossing her arms. Everyone waited, with expectant expressions. Rafael took a breath and calmed his features, he needed to convince them after all. It was time they knew the truth.
"Any word from Jace and Clary?" Magnus asked, almost fully replenished. Max had been careful not to be alone with him in case of recognition. He had ducked his head when Isabelle had commended him on his aim.
"No. They should be arriving in Lake Lynn by now." Rafael informed, checking the sensors for further demon activity. He was frustrated that he hadn't had time to hunt down Asmodeus' hounds but knew he couldn't abandon the institute in a time of need - it would be his one day, and he was going to protect it. Magnus often found himself double-taking around the boy - he looked a lot like Alec. Almost everything he did reminded the warlock of his Shadowhunter - same posture, same unruly black hair, hazel eyes and general aura. Not to mention the smaller Shadowhunter that had accompanied them. There was something familiar about him but Magnus hadn't had time to think it through considering their dire situation. He decided to leave it for later.
"Strange. The aerial sensors show no demonic activity." Isabelle informed and Rafael frowned, nodding in agreement. He'd been searching since they got back but they seemed to have disappeared from their radar.
"There's nothing on the ground either." Alec added, looking troubled. "It's like the Edomi completely disappeared."
"Never heard of that. Once they pass through the rift, the demons are here to stay until they're properly banished." Magnus explained.
"Then where the hell are they?" Alec demanded in frustration. Magnus ducked his head, out of answers. Isabelle turned away, looking equally as annoyed as her brother. Max and Rafael could tell that they wanted to get to Jace and Clary. Rafael had this sinking feeling in his chest - it was going to happen soon. He turned to Max who didn't seem to have put it together yet. He was busy mulling over the Edomi's whereabouts, fingers dancing across the screen as he tried to make sense of it. Rafael turned to suggest they take a break when he heard Alec gasp. He turned to see their father hunching over.
Rafael felt his blood run cold as he saw the pain on their father's face. Magnus and Isabelle turned in alarm as Alec grunted in pain. Rafael turned to Max who had turned ashen - finally realising what was about to happen. "Alexander?" Magnus questioned in concern. "Are you okay?" Alec started gasping for air.
Alec scrambled for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up to reveal the glowing mark. "His parabatai rune." Isabelle said shakily. Magnus' eyes locked with her's and they shared in a moment of horror as Alec struggled.
"It's-" Alec got out and his eyes went wide. His thoughts spun with images of he and Jace, panic building in his soul. The pain was unbearable and he felt it reach his eyes as the dread of what was happening hit him full force. "Jace." He forced before crying out.
Tears started streaming down Max's face as his hand subconsciously traced his own parabatai rune which started to itch. He watched in horror at what would happen if he lost Alexandra. He whimpered as his father shouted and groaned in pain, desperate noises leaving him as he pleaded for it not to be true. Rafael couldn't let it go on and smothered his brother's face in his chest, trying to block the sounds getting to his ears. Even though he felt himself flinch with every sound Alec made, Rafael was determined to protect his brother from witnessing it.
Magnus panicked when Alec howled in pain, lunging forward as he fell onto the floor, curling in on himself. He felt tears sting his eyes at the Shadowhunter's suffering and found all he could do was helplessly hold him and wait for it to pass. Finally the groaning stopped and all that came out was sob-like gasps as Alec's eyes frantically searched the room. Isabelle looked distraught and on the verge of tears as she realised what had happened and all Magnus could do was watch in sorrow.
Rafael turned and watched as Alec lifted his shirt and the rune disappeared from his skin. He clenched his teeth and, squeezed his brother tighter. they shouldn't have had to witness that - all the pain and suffering their parents had been through should be in the past. No one should have to re-live them. Their parents were finally happy and now they had to witness this? Rafael wanted to shout at the world and tell it to fuck off. He wanted to storm to Edom and plunge his blade through Asmodeus' chest for putting the brothers through this pain. He hated seeing his father like this. He hated how it would haunt them.
"I ... I can't feel him." Alec's voice came out gruff as he fell back into Magnus. The look of disbelief on his face as he swallowed and gasped for breath, wounded them further. The shock remained when he uttered the words, "He's dead." Rafael watched as his father didn't move a muscle - just stared ahead, completely broken. He watched his auntie slump to the ground with a sob and his papa looked distraught in his inability to help.
Rafael turned to Max who was shaking. "Hey." He whispered. "Just keep it together, it's okay Maxie. This is all in the past, we can get through this. Father's in a lot of pain but we know it will all be okay." Rafael winced as his voice broke a little. Max's sad eyes trailed up to his brothers and his breath hitched when he saw Rafael fighting back tears. He'd been so strong for the both of them. It made something snap in his mind and he pushed down his anxiety. He couldn't keep depending on his brother.
"I know." He whispered back and gave a watery smile. The brothers hugged again as they tried to compose themselves for their family.
"Not long now, I promise." Rafael stated firmly. Once aunt Clary kills Valentine and the institute is no longer at risk, we'll leave. Just a little more." Rafael reassured. Max wiped his eyes and settled with a look of determination. Everything was going to be okay.
They turned as Alec shakily got to his feet. He struggled to compose himself, and Rafael wished that everyone who was staring would just turn away and give him the privacy his father needed.
"Alec." Isabelle whispered, tears leaking from her eyes. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Alec's eyes screwed shut and Max could see the rage wanting to break free. However he held back and straightened up, fists shaking.
"We have to go to Lake Lynn. We're wasting time." He gritted out and Isabelle sighed sadly at the fact that her brother didn't have time to grieve. Everyone was silent as Alec's thoughts raced and he thought up a strategy. "ALRIGHT LISTEN UP!" He thundered, "My team and I are heading to Alicante to provide backup, this institute better be standing when I get back. ARE WE CLEAR?!" Alec demanded and every Shadowhunter nodded stiffly before scurrying away.
"Gear up." Alec croaked and Isabelle, Max and Rafael did as told, grabbing their respective weapons and joining Magnus who wordlessly summoned a portal.
~
"We're too late." Isabelle said in despair as the sky lit up with heavenly energy. Max and Rafael looked on in awe at the atmosphere created by the angel. Even though he knew the wish gets stopped, Rafael threw a worried glance at his brother who was half-downworlder. If Valentine succeeded, he'd lose his brother.
"He's raised the angel." Magnus voiced in horrified awe.
"Magnus, you need to get to safety." Alec warned, panic creeping into his tone. He couldn't lose Magnus too, he couldn't suffer through that loss as well. It'd break him.
Magnus disagreed, gaze not wavering from the lights in the sky. Rafael could see the hints of fear there and hoped he'd never have to see it again. "We need to find Jace and Clary." Magnus took the lead, running towards the lake, Alec close behind. He couldn't help the dread that filled him as he anticipated seeing Jace's dead body. He didn't know if he'd be able to breath if that happened. As they approached the clearing, he saw two figures huddled together and one sprawled to the side. His stomach dropped as he expected to see Jace's vacant expression staring back. However he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Valentine's body.
He whipped round, hope soaring as the two figures pulled apart from each other's lips. "You're okay!" Alec breathed, relief filling him up as his parabatai turned to look at them.
"Actually they're more than okay." Isabelle breathed with mirth. Jace and Clary stumbled to their feet and Rafael and Max let out a breath. Everything was fine - nothing changed with them being there.
"Thank the angel." Max whispered. Rafael grinned and turned to look at Valentine's body, he stepped closer and checked his pulse to make sure, Max standing on the opposite side, peering down curiously at the mad man he'd heard so many stories about.
"Jace, I ..." They heard and turned to see their father's confused face. "I thought you were dead." He breathed, eyes round in disbelief. "Our rune, it disappeared." He frowned, hungry for an explanation.
"Look at it now." Jace urged and Alec frowned before looking down and lifting his shirt. Max managed to catch a glimpse of Alec's parabatai rune and let out his own breath of relief, fingers skimming his own rune on his hip.
"How?" Alec asked in confusion.
"I don't know." Jace lied and Max turned to Rafael with an annoyed expression but Rafael just grinned - that was a problem for another time. The others turned round and stared at Valentine's corpse.
"It's over." Alec stated, a deep exhaustion clear as day in his words as he turned back to Jace.
"Yeah." Jace agreed and quickly went to embrace his brother who welcomed him. They hugged tightly, Isabelle turning to Magnus and doing the same. Clary couldn't stop smiling though tears did continue to fall here and there. For a moment, everything seemed calm - happy even. Rafael stood up and away from Valentine's dead body and was about to go embrace his brother when suddenly all the hairs on the back of his neck went on end.
Max looked up and felt his blood go cold when a pair of amber eyes looked down on them from above. A growl erupted and the beast lunged. All Max could do was reach out and scream 'PAPA!' as the hellhound's teeth aimed for Magnus' throat. Suddenly, Magnus was shoved out the way and the beast barrelled into a different body. Max's heart stopped when he recognised Rafael's pained cry and the others' yells of panic.
It had all happened so fast. Alec had turned just in time to see a large demonic creature lunging down on Magnus and then Alec was cradling him as he was pushed into his arms. Hands tightening around his love, he looked up in horror as the dog pinned Rafael to the ground and bit into his side. The boy's screams were joined by Max's. Jace and Clary suddenly moved forward, Jace tackling the hound as Clary kicked its face, diverting his teeth away from the young Shadowhunter. Magnus scrambled to his feet and stumbled towards Rafael, immediately trying to heal the wound that could prove fatal. Alec turned just in time to see the hound shake Jace off a good distance into the lake. Alec drew his bow and knocked an arrow but froze once he caught a glance of Max.
The boy was glowing and shaking. The glamour dropped and his runed skin turned a bright blue whilst horns grew on his head. The boy's fists were sparking red and Alec watched the hound turn on Max with a warning growl before turning its soulless eyes on Alec. He felt a shudder go down his spine and his hair raise but he couldn't stop glancing at the blue Shadowhunter.
Max had never felt such fury - the sight of his brother's blood had made him see red. All his magic flooded to the surface and poured from his fingertips. He watched as the beast turned his sights on his other father and only felt the rage deepen. Before the hound could so much as step in Alec's direction, Max grabbed his seraph blade and let his red and white flames fuse with the adamas. He extended his other hand and lit the demon on fire. It screamed out in pain as white flames singed it's already burnt skin. As it started to head for the water, Max conjured a glowing roped of magic and lassoed it round the demon's neck. He slammed it down into the ground and watched it suffer from the angelic flame. However, it wouldn't die without the final blow. Max marched up to it and with all his strength, plunged the glowing blade into the monster's back, through its ribs and into its heart. The demon let out one last howl of horror before it started to smoke and disintegrate into glowing amber ash. As soon as his rage had no focal point, the adrenaline left his body and Max collapsed to the ground, exhausted from how much energy and magic he'd used.
Magnus had been able to quickly remove the poison and stitch up the wound with his magic. Rafael gasped and sat up, although his chest was in agony, he had to make sure Max was okay. He along with Magnus and the other Shadowhunters watched in shock as Max dropped the glamour and became consumed by his magic. "By the angel." Isabelle breathed.
Recognition and worry filled Magnus' eyes as the blue warlock from the other day was revealed and was facing against a powerful high level demon. There wasn't much the group could do however as the boy delivered justice swiftly with the flick of his hand - the beast yowling in pain. Everyone winced at the volume and backed away as the beast stumbled all over the place. Jace was crawling out the lake with a gaping expression as they watched the light show. Rafael didn't care if they were revealed now, he just wanted his brother to be alright and for those damn hounds to be ended once and for all.
Finally the lethal blow was dealt and nothing remained but a pile of ash. "MAX!" Rafael exclaimed and broke out of Magnus' hold to catch his collapsing brother. Everything was quiet except for Rafael's frantic breathing and rambling. "Max! Maxie! H-hey come on, y-you're gonna be okay!" He stuttered.
"What the hell just happened?" Jace exclaimed behind them.
"Max is a warlock?" Clary breathed in confusion. "B-but he has runes!" Clary blurted in confusion. No one could completely wrap their heads around what happened. Magnus, though still trying to process what he had just seen, recognised first that the boy needed help. He went to step forward but Jace held him back.
"It might be dangerous." Jace warned and suddenly, Magnus' protective side flared up.
"He's just a boy and he's hurt!" Magnus all but growled and broke out of his grip. He ran towards the two brothers and knelt beside Rafael who was still babbling in worry, stroking his brother's blue hair. Alec, having not been able to move due to shock, finally snapped out of it when he heard Magnus' words and joined the warlock beside Rafael. Even though a million questions were swirling in his mind, his heart sank when he saw the boy's blue skin turn pale.
"Help him please! Help him!" Rafael sobbed, almost hysterical. Magnus sighed sadly and turned the boy's face to look at him. Rafael looked like he was about to protest when Magnus waved his hand over his forehead and the boy went limp in his hold.
"Magnus! Why'd you do that?!" Isabelle exclaimed, coming closer.
"He needed to be calmed down. There was no way we could have separated him from Max and we need to get him back to my loft immediately. He's had a major magic depletion and it's seriously unhealthy for young warlocks!" Magnus explained and Isabelle looked worried. "Alexander, you grab Rafael. Careful, his wound isn't completely healed yet. I'll take Max." Magnus instructed, picking the warlock up and cradling him to his chest. He quickly gestured for a portal, with some struggle due to the body in his arms and hurried through. Clary gathered the mortal instruments whilst Jace grabbed Valentine, glaring at the body in his hold. They too went through the portal. Isabelle gave their surroundings one last scan and her eyes fell on something amongst the ashes of the fallen beast. Her eyes narrowed and she quickly grabbed it before shooting through the portal that was starting to close.
Alec sighed as he made his way up the stairs, heart lodged in his throat. He simultaneously dreaded and longed to see Magnus again. He was still hurting from their last interaction. He could hardly believe how cold Magnus could come across. Alec hated that Magnus was on the other side of a war. He hated how the man he loved couldn't look him in the eye. He felt so much for the other man and just the few days apart had been torture - as if he'd never feel happiness again. It eased up when distracted by his friends and the mission but the ache was constantly there. Magnus made him feel whole and he was kicking himself at the fact that it was all his fault - he had kept the truth from Magnus. He deserved to know - they all deserved to know.
His thoughts were interrupted when he got a text with a confirmation of the rift's location. He felt relieved that his sister and Rafael managed to find it so quickly. He felt his stomach sink as he neared the front door. He also felt a small flutter in his heart - he missed him so much. He loved him. He just wanted to see him.
Alec shook off those thoughts. He knew he wouldn't be greeted warmly so he rid himself of expression and stood firmly as he raised his arm and knocked on the door. Despite trying to remain calm, Alec's heart raced as he heard the footsteps approaching much sooner than he was prepared for and his arm was still raised when the door swung open. Alec tensed as Magnus' gaze slid over him. He looked left then right before humming and going to close the door.
Alec felt the frustration rise at the man's childish actions and held out a hand to stop it slamming in his face. "Magnus." Alec warned.
Magnus took in an angry breath, still not meeting his eye. "What do you want Shadowhunter? Is it about the demons?" Alec tried not to flinch at the disdain that coated his kind's name. Magnus wasn't usually one to discriminate due to race but Alec could see his hatred of the Shadowhunters now directed at him and it hurt a lot more than he liked to admit. He hated that he'd put this barrier between them. He wanted to be someone Magnus could love and trust. Alec tried not to think about it as he replied.
He let out an annoyed sigh, "There's something you need to know, about the queen."
"Well if you've come to tell me that she made a deal with Valentine, I already know." Magnus stated and went to close the door once again. Alec felt the anger rise once again as he stopped the door from closing.
"Wait." Alec urged. Magnus gave him an impatient glare and Alec tried not to rise to it. He also felt a pang of sorrow - he never wanted Magnus to look at him like he was a burden. He tried to push down the emotions which were making it hard to breath. "Izzy has located the rift that the demons are coming from." He explained as calmly as he could muster.
"Oh, and you want me to seal it. What a surprise." Magnus expressed sarcastically. Alec looked down and gave a small defeated sigh before turning his gaze to Magnus.
"We need a warlock to seal one this severe."
"Duh." Magnus drawled whilst rolling his eyes.
The frustration flared again, "Demons don't discriminate between downworlder, Shadowhunter or mundane. They kill them all." Alec urged, trying to make Magnus see reason through their petty feud. Magnus' eyes narrowed but he could see Magnus beginning to think rationally.
"I'll seal the rift." He finally relented. "But not because of you or the Shadowhunters, because it'll save lives." He clarified and Alec tried not to feel the sting of those words. Alec lifted his chin defiantly and Magnus turned away, shutting the door in his face. Alec couldn't help but roll his eyes.
~
Rafael was studying the data of the Edomi demon when he heard Isabelle. "I just spoke with Imogen. Despite her request there have been no troupe movements in and out of Alicante since." Rafael and Max turned to see Isabelle and their parents making their way towards them. "When she went to Malachi to see what the hold up was she was told he left suddenly." Isabelle informed and Rafael frowned at the disconcerting news. He was pretty sure he remembered their uncle Jace telling them Malachi was a traitor.
"So she believes Consul Malachi is actually a spy for Valentine." Magnus voiced, looking very concerned. Max shied away behind his brother a little, hoping the warlock wouldn't recognise him.
Isabelle sighed, "There is no other explanation." She agreed.
"Jace and Clary are at Lake Lynn with Valentine, who knows how many circle members and no military support." Alec shared a worried glance with his sister.
"We need to go help them." Isabelle stated.
Alec looked conflicted. "We can't leave when the city is under assault." he refuted, leaning against the table. Rafael didn't know what to do. He wanted to intervene so badly and volunteer to help Jace and Clary but knew he had to leave things alone. He knew Max felt the same dread he did when he thought about what leaving his aunt and uncle alone would do.
"We shouldn't be here." Rafael thought angrily. He didn't want him and Max having to restrain themselves from keeping their loved ones from harm. However if they did intervene there'd be a chance that he and Max may never exist and he was too protective of his brother to let that happen. Therefore, he remained silent.
Isabelle turned her worried glance onto Magnus, he was their best shot at getting the job done quickly. Magnus immediately went into professional mode. "What have you got?" He asked, stepping closer. Max and Rafael stood on the opposite side of the desk as Isabelle brought up the data.
"We've identified the demons as a rare sub-species of Edomi." She explained.
"Edomi." Magnus repeated with disdain.
"Familiar with them?"
"They're from Edom. Tenacious little devils." Magnus confirmed with an odd look at the screen.
"So we've noticed." Isabelle muttered.
"And remarkably intelligent. Capable of creating carnage in, any number of ways." Magnus said with gesturing hands. Max could see Alec trying to figure everything out.
"Yet they haven't attacked once. What are they waiting for?" Alec asked, seeking guidance from Magnus as he had the most sufficient knowledge.
"They work in hoards, perhaps they're increasing their numbers to reach a critical mass." The warlock suggested with a furrowed brow. Rafael could feel himself getting antsy - the Edomi were the least of their problems at that moment. He and max knew they weren't going to attack until later and Valentine needed to be a first priority. However without evidence, his insistence on joining the others would be dismissed.
"All the more reason to get this rift closed as soon as possible." Isabelle added. Rafael decided to step in. He brought up the map and zoomed in on the location of the rift.
"Their entry point appears to be here." Rafael gestured. "Near Croton Point." Max watched as Magnus took notice of them for the first time. His eyes narrowed at their unfamiliar presence. However his eyes lingered on Max as he tried to figure out where he might have seen him before. Max tried his hardest not to squirm under his gaze. Magnus' attention was diverted however when Alec directed a question at him.
"How long will this take? Jace and Clary are alone in enemy territory." Alec urged.
"Not long." Magnus answered and started to leave.
Isabelle turned to Alec "We need to move." He nodded before glancing at the brothers.
"Max you come too. Rafael keep us posted." Alec ordered and Max swallowed before smiling reassuringly at the worried Rafael and leaving. Magnus summoned a portal and the four of them were greeted by the salty sea air.
"This is definitely the right place." Alec commented as he saw the large steaming hole in the sand. He paused and squinted when seeing a path of scarlet trailing towards it. "What is that?"
"Blood." Isabelle replied and shook her head. "Where did all the demons go?"
"I'm not sure. They just don't normally fly off into the sunset." Magnus quipped whilst studying the entrance. Max rolled his eyes at his father once again - always one to make a sarcastic comment. He got his seraph blade at the ready.
"Well let's not stick around until they make an appearance." Alec sniped. Max smirked as Magnus rolled his eyes and pushed Alec out the way to reach the other side.
"The amount of energy required to seal a rift from Edom is substantial. It's not just the flick of the wrist." Magnus explained and Max wished he could help his father close it. He knew he wasn't anywhere near as powerful as Magnus but he could help with the exhaustion. However using magic would blow his cover and Magnus would recognise him as the warlock from the other day. He felt guilty as he saw his father's troubled expression as he rubbed his hands together - preparing for the ritual.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Alec couldn't help but ask. Despite everything, Magnus' safety was essential to him. Magnus turned a condescending look on him and Max internally groaned at what was inevitable to follow.
"I'm the high warlock of Brooklyn." Magnus justified.
Max could practically see Alec thinking, "Sorry I asked." As he ducked his head. Magnus started to build his magic and cast it out across the entrance, arms swirling. Max watched in awe as he always did at his papa's magic - it was so beautiful and powerful. He was so distracted by the spirals of red that he didn't notice the approaching figure that Magnus did.
Max turned to see Alec and Isabelle frowning down into the hole when suddenly he was slammed back into the sand. "MAX!" Isabelle exclaimed as he let out a winded breath. His eyes widened when he saw the Edomi demon soaring above them and turning around. He saw Isabelle and Alec starting to move towards him but he shook his head.
"Go! I'm alright!" Max insisted.
"Cover me." Magnus said as he started the ritual once more. That seemed to convince them and they turned their attention to the demon that was getting away. Alec took off after it, Isabelle not far behind him. Max struggled to sit up and watched as the demon turned its attention to the two Shadowhunters. Alec fired an arrow which barely missed and suddenly the demon was diving towards the siblings. Having to retreat, Alec and Isabelle started running away. Max huffed in frustration and turned to Magnus who was very focused on closing the rift and whose attention couldn't be diverted.
He heard Alec calling Magnus' name but max knew he couldn't do anything. Instead, Max reached for his dagger, quickly enchanting the adamas to explode upon contact. Then, with all the strength and precision he could muster, he threw the knife at the gaining beast. It split into four smaller demons once hit. Max watched Alec immediately adapt and shoot an arrow, killing them as they approached. Isabelle got the last with her whip.
Alec turned just in time to see Magnus struggling to stand as he finished closing the rift. Immediately he was running to his side, panicking about his health. Max and Isabelle followed to make sure he was ok but Max hung back in case Magus recognised him - he was particularly wary after Isabelle had yelled his name earlier. He was hoping that he wouldn't connect the dots.
"Magnus!" Alec exclaimed, worry clear in his tone as he put a comforting hand on the warlock's back. "Magnus." Alec said again but softer, gently gripping his shoulder. Both of them panted from exertion and Magnus glanced up at his former lover and smiled slightly.
"You can't get rid of me that easily." He breathed and Max and Isabelle smiled at the comment whilst Alec let out a breath of relief.
"I've told you so many times how reckless you are, do you have no self-preservation?" Rafael snapped.
"I just went into warrior mode, I didn't have time to think about the odds when they were right there! I knew I was the only one there who could defeat them, I did what I had to do okay?" Max replied angrily as they exited the infirmary. Rafael let out an angry breath and Max thought he was for sure going to punch him. However he was tugged into a tight hug instead. Max winced a little as his bite was still tender though it was healed.
"You're infuriating." Rafael sighed, a fondness creeping into his tone.
"Love you." Max mumbled, feeling grateful that his brother had got there in time to stop him bleeding out.
"I love you too Maxie." Rafael smiled and pulled away.
"I want to go home." Max sighed, the relief ebbing away. He'd been feeling homesick for a while now and although the idea of travelling in time was exciting, their circumstances were less than ideal.
"I know, me too." His brother agreed, their family would be worried sick about their absence. "How's your magic?" Rafael whispered, changing the subject.
"Half recovered. Should be back by the end of the day." Max reassured. Rafael nodded.
"Okay good. Let's go, Dad wants us in the ops centre." Rafael informed and fell into step with his brother, overly aware of Max's slight limp. They joined Clary, Jace, Isabelle and Alec as they were explaining the problems with tracking.
"... for some reason it didn't work." Clary finished.
"Magnus' wards are up. Valentine must still be in the city." Jace added and Max noticed the way Alec turned away from their papa's name.
"Thank the angel for Magnus and the warlocks." Isabelle sighed and Rafael noticed Alec's face darken further at Magnus' name. He knew instantly that Alec's reply was going to be snarky.
"He didn't raise the wards for us." He stated bitterly and Max closed his eyes, exasperating at his father's pettiness.
Isabelle rolled her eyes and continued on topic, "Teams are out doing block by block sweeps throughout the city. We'll find him." Isabelle assured. Everyone went quiet, Jace turning to Clary. Rafael and Max made their way to Alec and Isabelle.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Alec asked and greeted Max with a tired smile.
"All good, luckily the poison from the bite was extracted before it could do permanent damage." Max grimaced.
"I've never seen anything like it." Isabelle frowned.
"Hellhounds are rare and can only be summoned by a greater demon, namely a Prince of Hell." Rafael explained.
"Who could have sent them?" Isabelle asked, concern clear.
"We don't know yet, we just know that they were targeting Shadowhunters." Max lied. He and Rafael both knew Asmodeus had sent them but that would raise too many questions.
"One's still out there." Alec mused unhappily.
"Nice job on taking one down. How did you do it?" Isabelle praised and Max flushed.
"There's a vulnerable spot between the ribs." Rafael cut in. "It can still be banished to hell like every other demon but they're resilient."
"They can only be banished with adamas combined with the spell though." Max thought worriedly. He had to make sure Alec didn't assign the case to anyone else because they wouldn't be able to handle it.
The conversation was put on hold when the alarm went off, red flashing around them. "Aerial sensors." Alec said, moving to check the threat at the monitors.
"Is it Valentine?" Clary asked eagerly.
"No, could be some type of wrath demon." Isabelle theorised.
"Rafael you hold the fort. Max still needs to recover, so you three with me." Alec ordered and Jace, Isabelle and Clary followed without question. Rafael watched them go in concern.
"What's happening?" Max was confused. Rafael understood as he tried to piece together the timeline told through their parent's stories.
"Okay so Jonathan just died, what's the big thing that happens next?" Rafael pondered aloud.
"Valentine raises the angel." Max filled in.
"And Clary makes a wish to revive uncle Jace." Rafael continues.
"But what's happening right now?" Max wondered in annoyance as he watched the shape on the aerial sensors get close to the heart of the city.
"Jonathan opens a portal right before he dies, right? So he must have raised Lilith from Edom." Rafael muttered gravely.
"By the angel." Max's eyes fluttered shut in despair. "We shouldn't be here."
"I know." Rafael agreed. "Let's put all our focus on finding that hellhound so we can leave this time to play out." Rafael decided and Max liked the sound of that. He was sick of lying to the people he trusted the most. He just wanted to go back to the family who loved him. To Madzie and Alexandra. To his home.
~
"At least four demons are still unaccounted for. notify all available personnel." Alec ordered as they walked back to the institute. They needed a new strategy - the demons were multiplying and the Valentine's whereabouts were still unknown. Clary sighed as she got off the phone.
"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Jace asked, seeing the anger that took over her face. Alec and Isabelle turned round, curious.
"It was Luke." She sighed. "Valentine's on his way to Idris."
"What?!"
"How?!"
"He made a deal with the Seelie Queen." She revealed bitterly. Jace let out an angry breath and tried to bury his rage. "Luke's warned all the other Downworld leaders."
"Damn Valentine." Jace said under his breath.
"If Valentine gets to that Lake-"
"He won't." Alec interrupted his sister. "Malachi's army is armed and waiting for him."
"We need to warn him. Who knows how many circle members will be there?" Clary urged.
Isabelle looked troubled as she shook her head. "If we lower the wards these demons can get out - spread beyond the city." She cautioned.
"Maybe we don't have to lower them. Maybe my portal rune can pierce the wards." Clary suggested and everyone thought it over.
Alec nodded before saying, "We can't all go. Demons need to be dealt with."
"Clary and I will go." Jace volunteered. "You two stay here, slay the beasts." The lightwood siblings nodded in agreement.
"Be careful." Alec warned.
"Likewise." Jace countered before turning back and pulling a face. "And when am I never not careful?" he asked rhetorically. Alec narrowed his eyes, letting it slide because of the tension the four were under. Once Clary's portal was drawn and she and Jace went through, Alec rolled his eyes.
"Such an ass." He muttered and caught Isabelle's smirk.
"Come on, let's head back quick. You left Rafael in charge and things are getting more urgent." Isabelle reasoned and the siblings took off towards the institute. After a minute or two, she spoke up again. "Why'd you appoint him?" She pondered aloud.
"Huh?" Alec called, not understanding the question.
"Rafael ... why'd you appoint him head of security after the whole thing with Jonathan? I mean ... you hardly know him and I know I said I trusted him and Max but I thought ... it would take more convincing." Isabelle prodded curiously.
Alec didn't say anything for a moment and pondered. He'd told Rafael he had a good gut feeling about him and he did - he just felt he could trust him, just like how he trusted Magnus after so little time. "He ..." Alec struggled to find the words as they neared the institute. "I could just sort of sense he was sincere. I had a good gut feeling and ... I feel like I can just trust him - both of them. When I saw Max injured last night I felt ... distraught. I knew I'd blame myself if something happened to the boy because I left him to fight those hellhounds by himself. I can't help feel ..." Alec made a face as the words left him.
Isabelle gave a soft smile. "I know what you mean big brother. I trust them too and ... I also feel protective of them." She admitted.
"We've only known them for a couple days." Alec frowned. He didn't know he could get attached to someone so quickly. He couldn't help but dread when they left and that thought boggled him, why did he care so much?
"I think it might be because Rafael reminds me so much of you. He holds himself the same way, same ability to command a situation, level headed and ..." Isabelle grinned and bumped her hip into Alec's. "...protective of his siblings." Alec smiled back and slowed to a stop outside the institute doors.
"We can ponder all of this another time. For now we've got demons to vanquish." Alec changed topic and slipped back into his professional coat, opening the door. Isabelle nodded, slipping through without a word.
The siblings walked in to find Rafael talking urgently to a small group of Shadowhunters, geared up for mission. "What's the latest?" Alec demanded. Rafael turned to him with a frustrated look.
"They're multiplying at a rapid pace. There aren't many teams left to send." Rafael sighed, rubbing his brow. Alec had a quick recognition of Isabelle's earlier words - he did have a lot of Alec's mannerisms. In fact he looked a lot like Alec, a major difference being the angelic power rune sticking out proudly on his neck instead of the deflect rune. He shook off the thoughts and tried to focus. Isabelle walked over to the monitors as her brother turned to the group of Shadowhunters to caution them on the demons. She bit her lips in worry as yet another red dot symbolising a wrath demon appeared on the map.
"Over 50 of them now with numbers increasing." Isabelle informed as she turned back to Rafael and Alec. Max had shown up as well and stood next to his brother with an equally anxious disposition.
"And they haven't attacked once. What are they doing?" Alec wondered in annoyance, their pattern was so unusual for demon activity and it wasn't helping their situation any better with valentine's threat getting higher by the minute.
"I don't know but demons don't usually come into our realm to sightsee. We need to find the rift where they're coming from and seal it." Isabelle concluded.
Alec's eyes closed in despair for a moment before admitting, "We'll need a warlock for that." Rafael and Max shared a glance - they definitely knew where this was going.
"Not just any warlock. The most powerful one in New York." Isabelle insisted.
Alec's gripped tightened and countered sharply, "Magnus has no interest in helping the Shadowhunters. He said so himself." Rafael noticed Max let out a distressed breath, he knew his brother hated it when their parents fought. His anxiety always acted up. Rafael put a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Max accepted the gesture with a small smile. Comforted that his brother wouldn't have a panic attack, Rafael set to work searching for the location of the rift.
"He still also thinks the Seelie Queen is on their side. He needs to know about the deal she made with Valentine." Isabelle pushed, staring her brother down.
"Well not from me." Alec replied bitterly. "He doesn't want anything to do with me." Max tried not to flinch at his tone.
"Don't make this personal Alec!" Isabelle's voice rose.
"I'm not." Alec snapped and Max rolled his eyes. Isabelle looked exasperated before composing herself and gathering her jacket.
"If you don't ask him, I will." She threatened and started strutting towards the door. The Lightwood-Bane brothers smirked at their auntie, proud of her mixed stubbornness and professionalism. Max turned to see the distress on his father's face the further she moved away.
"Izzy wait!" Alec called. She paused and Rafael held back a chuckle when they saw her poorly concealed smirk when she turned. Alec let out a sigh and nodded before turning to the brothers.
"Find the rift." He commanded in a soft voice before exiting the building. Isabelle smiled as she joined them.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Max quipped and Isabelle gave a wolfish grin as she helped Rafael with locating large quantities of demonic energy.
Rafael brought up the rear as they arrived at the cemetery. It was no longer light and there was a bitter twinge in the air that made the hair on Max's neck stand on end. Something wasn't right.
"Why would they hide in a graveyard?" Clary wondered aloud.
"They probably raided an old weapons cache." Isabelle justified.
"Doesn't explain what happened to everybody else here." Jace added. The six of them scoped their surroundings for any clues.
"I don't think they left." Alec commented as he spotted a bloody tombstone. Rafael also spotted a bloody handkerchief nearby and stepped closer to Max.
"Another demon trap." Isabelle suspected.
"Let's split up in teams of two." Alec instructed.
"I'll go with Alec"
"I'll go with Izzy"
Jace and Clary said at the same time. Alec and Isabelle looked confused as Max smirked at Rafael. "Something so happened." He muttered and Rafael shook his head with an amused smile.
"Okay." Alec frowned and turned to the others. "Rafael you go with the girls as backup, Max with us." Alec instructed and the boys nodded before both teams split up, surveying the perimeter as they approached. Izzy, Clary and Rafael went through the back whilst Jace, Alec and Max went round the front. As Alec and Jace went through the door Max stopped in his tracks at a familiar sound. He whipped round, blade ready as he scanned the area for the source. The growling got worse and the sudden surge of fear told him that he was right. The hellhounds were nearby.
"Max!" Alec hissed from the doorway.
"I'll cover you, there are demons lurking!" Max insisted, keeping his eyes trained on possible shadows moving through the gravestones. Alec found himself reluctant to leave the boy alone. He looked young and the dread of something happening to him under Alec's watch weighed heavily on his mind all of a sudden.
"Alec, we need to go quick." Jace urged and Alec paused before he gave a reluctant nod, casting one last glance at the blue-haired Shadowhunter. Max gave him a quick reassuring smile over the shoulder but it didn't ease the worry in Alec's chest.
Max flinched when he saw the familiar sight of amber eyes that tore at his soul. He gritted his teeth and held his defensive position. This was going to be a lot harder without back up, he wished he'd stuck with Rafael but that would have raised suspicion. Everything grew quiet for a moment and Max held his breath, hair raising in dread.
A large figure lunged out from behind two gravestones, jaws snapping. Max ducked out the way, turning to face the beast which snarled and swerved back on the Shadowhunter-warlock. It made another dash, movements quick, and clawed at Max's side, which he only just managed to deflect with the side of his blade. He kicked the creature in the side, sending it flying into the church wall. Before he could catch his breath, he heard the slightest of movement behind him and whipped round just in time to dodge the jaws of the second hound that came close to his neck. Max lunged forward, slicing a gash in the dog's side that coaxed it to hesitate long enough for Max to focus his attention on the other hound charging towards him. "Shit" Max yelled as it barrelled into him. He plunged his seraph blade in the dog's stomach and kicked its whimpering form off of him. He knew that wouldn't slow it down for long. He needed to use the spell.
The second hound came at him when he was still down, Max grabbed a dagger from his belt and jammed it into the dog's skull, hearing the skull crack under the pressure. The hound howled in pain but, still, it didn't go down. Reaching for a spare dagger as both demons started to recover, Max quickly started chanted the spell provoking white and scarlet flames to violently claim the adamas in his blades as he backed away from their preying forms. Finally one lunged at him once again, jaw prepared to clamp down on his arm but Max punched his dagger in its throat and kicked one of its front legs, breaking it, and sending the beast to the ground.
He didn't react fast enough to the second and it bit down hard into his shoulder. Max screamed but grabbed the creature's jaw. He took a breath and used as much strength as he could muster to ply the teeth from his flesh, successfully breaking the muzzle in the process. Without further hesitation Max whipped round, flames burning at the end of his sword and plunged it into the beast's centre. It let out a gut-wrenching scream and its body evaporated into amber and black sparking smoke. Adrenaline still pumping through him, Max turned to the other hound as its leg bone snapped back into place. The growling increased, black seeping from the corners of its mouth in rage.
However instead of attacking, the hound glanced at the pile of ash that was its double and decided to gather its strength for another attack. Max frowned as it retreated and he turned to the once-hellhound smattering the path. He caught sight of something glinting amongst the ashes. He reached out to grab a purple shard-like gem before stuffing it in his pocket. He could worry about it later, he needed to take the other hound down before it could gain its strength back. He hissed at the stinging in his shoulder but whispered a quick spell to seal the wound and sprinted in the direction he saw the hellhound retreat.
~
"Thank you for not asking any questions about Clary." Jace pointed out as he and Alec scoured one of the rooms.
"I figured you'd talk when you're ready." Alec replied, focus unwavering as they prepared for the attack.
"I knew there was a reason you were my parabatai." He replied with a hint of mirth. Both of them turned as they heard a grunt on the other side of the door. As they approached it got louder and suddenly forsaken burst through and snarled at them.
Quick to react, Jace threw an axe at the first one's head, taking it down immediately. This didn't deter the other possessed being as it pushed the other out the way and wretched in anger. It made a grab for Jace who kicked it into the wall, blade raised as it stumbled. It lunged once again and Jace sliced across its throat.
A new forsaken entered the fight as it came in from behind. Alec backed up and dodged its swipe, plunging his seraph blade right through its middle. Jace turned at the sound of wood breaking in time to see a forsaken grab Alec from behind.
"Alec!" Jace exclaimed, blade raised to strike.
"Jace!" Alec grunted as he was pulled back through the wall. Jace went to help but suddenly felt a pressure round his throat and was hauled backwards. He choked as a gruff voice taunted him, "Hello brother! Mind if I take you outside for a moment?" Jonathan snarled and Jace wheezed and grunted as he tried to escape the chains round his neck.
~
Rafael got his bow out, arrow at the ready as he covered their backs. He frowned at the blood stains on the walls as they proceeded further. "Wanna talk about whatever happened between you and Jace at the institute?" Isabelle asked, not breaking focus for a second.
"There's no point talking about any of that until we figure this out." Clary evaded and Rafael smirked to himself. His uncle and Auntie were rather dramatic themselves and, from what he's heard, were rubbish at communication at the start of their relationship.
"Stop!" Izzy warned as she noticed the figure at the altar.
"Is she hurt?" Clary questioned as she saw the old woman clasping rosary beads.
"No, she's forsaken." Isabelle stressed and got her weapon at the ready as the figure turned her attention on the three Shadowhunters. She let out a screech and lunged at them. Clary wasted no time, slicing the woman across the stomach and Isabelle sent her flying out the way with her staff. Many forsaken started filing into the room, spittle flying, vacant eyes wide and pale.
Rafael let off a succession of arrows, sometimes needing two to slow them down. Isabelle and Clary dodged and attacked those that got through his range of fire, slicing and stabbing until they stopped moving. Clary kicked two away from her and sliced the figure coming behind her. As she turned back she froze as the forsaken were inches from her face. However they never reached her as an arrow embedded through one's skull into the other, demonic energy spewing from their mouths due to the adamas. Clary let out a breath and thanked the new recruit for his bow-skills. Isabelle noticed as well as she chopped off a head, surprised at the level of skill that she only knew was possessed by her brother and few others. Rafael reminded her more of Alec as time went by and when she had a moment to think it through she'd try discover why.
Isabelle turned, pushing a forsaken behind her with her staff for Clary to take down and used the other end to plunge into his chest. She caught sight of Rafael fighting two forsaken on the steps, bow forgotten as he used duel seraph blades to take them out. Clary was slicing through a chest when Isabelle turned back to her. They took a moment to breath but both turned as three forsaken appeared at the altar and made their way towards them. Isabelle still heard Rafael struggling in the background and readied her staff to continue the fight. Clary following suite.
As the three forsaken approached in succession, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, an arrow lodged through the first forsaken head - the clear through the other two. As the dropped to the ground it revealed Alec lowering his bow and Isabelle once again pondered how the two Shadowhunters were so similar. She turned round just in time to see Rafael plunge both blades in a forsaken's centre and pull apart its torso.
Rafael let out a breath and watched as Alec approached them with a grim expression. "I think that's the last of them." He frowned and immediately went to wrap Isabelle in a hug who leaned into the embrace. Rafael smiled a little and remembered times after hard missions where his father had done the same to him and Max.
"Are you okay?" Isabelle breathed.
"I'm okay." Alec replied firmly, pulling her in tight.
"Where's Jace?" Clary frowned. Rafael looked around and realised Max was also no where in sight.
"Sebastian. We gotta find them." Alec urged but Clary and Rafael's head jerked as he saw shadows moving towards them.
"There's more." Rafael warned pushing down his worries for his brother and grabbing his bow, he let an arrow fly through a forsaken's throat.
"Izzy you go, we've got this. You've got the whip, the electrum, we know it can hurt him! Go!" Clary insisted and Isabelle retreated, letting Rafael step forward and take her place. He swapped his bow for his duel blades when Alec drew his own. Once the first arrow was released, Rafael and Clary rushed forward, slicing down any forsaken that got close enough. Alec was quickly and cleanly taking them out until no arrows remained. Rafael kicked a forsaken down and thrust his blades down. Once was sure the last one was dead he turned back to Alec.
"Where's Max?!" He demanded in fear.
Alec looked conflicted. "He didn't follow us in, he said there were demons outside and that he'd handle them. I doubt Jonathan wouldn't have found him if he was nearby though." He explained, feeling his stomach sink at the boy being in danger. He felt like he made the wrong decision when he saw the terror on Rafael's face.
"That idiot taking on more than he can handle." Rafael growled.
"Hey, come on. Our best bet on finding both Jace and Max is if we find Jonathan." Clary urged and both Lightwoods followed after the red head as she sprinted out the church.
~
They arrived just in time to see Jace stab Jonathan through the chest. Jonathan, although wounded, didn't stop and grabbed at Jace's throat. Jace's struggled and Rafael held his breath as he slammed down on Jonathan's arm, breaking free of his hold. He used Jonathan's stumbling to his advantage and his kicked him in the chest and off the bridge. Alec, Clary and Rafael slowed to a halt as Jonathan hit the water. Everyone breathed heavily and watched as the body drifted downriver.
"Hail and farewell." Isabelle said bitterly. Rafael turned away and frantically searched for another body.
"Where is he?" Rafael breathed before whipping round to the others. "Where's my brother?!" He exclaimed frantically. Alec walked over to Rafael and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's ok we'll find him." He reassured.
"NO you don't- just ... please, I need to find Max." Rafael rambled, feeling fear grip him tight. If anything happened to his little brother under his care he'd never forgive himself.
"He's probably back in the cemetery." Clary suggested shakily. Rafael took off running once again, adrenaline and fear driving him onward despite the exhaustion making his bones ache.
"MAX!" Rafael shouted, throat sore from the urgency. He circled the church twice and scoured the gravestones. "MAX!" He was pleading now, begging for his brother to be okay. He felt his eyes sting with tears.
"RAFAEL!" He heard Isabelle call and he turned to see her waving him over. He rushed to her and froze when he saw Max's body slumped against a mound of dirt.
"Max, by the angel!" Rafael swore and dropped to his knees, abandoning his weapons in the process. There was blood all over his shoulder and black ooze on his clothes. His face was bruised and trousers ripped due to a tear in his leg.
"He's been bitten." Isabelle assessed his shoulder as Rafael gripped his brother's hand. Alec, Clary and Jace arrived, their breathing heavy with exertion.
"Oh no, Max." Clary breathed and Alec stiffened when he saw all the blood. He felt fear rise in him - if Max died it would be his fault for leaving him alone. That terror from earlier lodged itself in his throat. Rafael wiped his eyes to stop the blurring, he needed to check his brother was okay. He exhaled in relief when he saw Max's chest moving. He lightly patted his bruised cheek to wake him.
"Maxie, Maxie hey! Stay awake buddy you may have a concussion!" Rafael soothed, making his brother face him. Heavy blue eyes looked up and Rafael laughed in relief, hugging his brother close. "Oh thank the angel!" Rafael cried, stroking through blue strands. Alec felt all-consuming gratitude that the boy made it through and wondered why he cared so much about the brothers in so little time.
"Rafa." Max croaked and Rafael lay him down.
"He and Jace need medical attention." Isabelle warned, watching Jace put his weight on his parabatai and clutch his stomach.
"They were here. B-both of them." Max said weakly, ignoring Isabelle.
"You stupid idiot for facing them without me! You always need back up!" Rafael snapped but he wasn't really angry. Just scared. Clary created a fire message and sent it to the institute for assistance.
"One ... got away." Max breathed tiredly. "S-searched everywhere for the other b-but ... but it got ..." Max trailed off, feeling light-headed.
"I understand Maxie, let's just get you healed first." Rafael insisted and shakily drew an iratze to heal the leg wound. It wasn't long until the medical team found them.
"Lester what the fuck is this? I asked for a report on the local football club not a whole fucking history biography!" Phil's boss, Mr Turner, shouted. Phil was tempted to roll his eyes because his boss liked to find anything to shout at him for. Instead he apologised because he didn't want to lose his job anytime soon.
"You need to get your head out of the clouds boy and produce some acceptable shit or your out of here-"
"PHIL!" Someone interrupted. Phil and his boss turned towards Phil's office door and there stood a very happy PJ, one of his work mates.
"Mr Ligouri I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt our conversation!" Mr Turner growled.
"Sorry sir, but Lester's wanted on the top floor." PJ smirked. Phil's eyes widened in shock as the words left his friends mouth. The top floor, floor one hundred, was the head of the companie's floor. The overall manager of the business Mr Howell's office was on that floor along with his second in command - his sister Miss Howell. Anyone sent that floor usually came back with a smiling face and a promotion.
Mr Turner stood still gawping at PJ in the doorway, also in shock. He turned to Phil with a nasty glare as Phil fumbled to grab his bag. In all of his time there he had never got a promotion and was jealous that Phil had to report to floor one hundred. Phil nodded his head in goodbye to Mr Turner as he followed PJ to the lift.
"Good luck Jack, maybe there'll be a golden goose at the top of the beanstalk." PJ smirked.
"Nice metaphor Peej, I'll keep it in mind." Phil chuckled and walked inside as the doors opened with a ding.
"Beware of the big bad giant though Phillip. Howell is known to be one scary guy when he wants to be." PJ warned.
"I'll keep that in mind thanks PJ." Phil replied and smiled.
Phil let out a shaky breath as the lift began to ascend. He's be there for a little while since he was located only on the twenty first floor. He looked at himself in the mirror, fixing his fringe at least ten times and checking he looked presentable in his work clothes.
A few people came in and out of the lift but paid no attention to Phil as he continued to be nervous in the corner. Finally the last ding went and the doors opened to a very bright floor. Phil stepped out and nearly shielded his eyes as the sun coming through the many windows bounced off the pristine white walls. The room was large and and mostly empty apart from a few sofas, a coffee machine and a large reception desk at the far end of the room with a brunette standing smartly behind it.
Phil took in a shaky breath and straightened his posture. He then walked with what he hoped was confidence over to the receptionist. His eyes darted around nervously as he approached the desk. Next to the reception desk was a large wooden door with a golden plaque placed neatly in the middle. Engraved on the plaque was the words, 'Mr. D. Howell - Business Management.' Beneath that, also engraved was, 'Miss. J. Howell - Assistant Business Management.'
Phil finally made it to the desk and the woman smiled politely at him. "Um, Mr Lester? I was told to come here?" He asked, still not quite believing he was there.
"Yes, Mr Lester. Please take a seat Miss Howell will be out shortly." She replied sweetly, hand gesturing over to one of the nearby leather couches. Phil smiled gratefully and awkwardly sat down on the pristine white leather. He tapped his foot nervously as he watched the seconds tick by on the clock above the receptionists head.
Around five minutes later the large wooden door clicked open and out walked a young looking woman with golden-blond hair. She was a very pretty woman with flawless bronze skin, plump peach coloured lips and mesmerizing coffee coloured eyes. All Phil could think about was how amazingly beautiful this woman was in front of him. The woman turned to look at Phil and smiled a white dazzling smile which happened to reveal a single dimple on her left cheek.
"Phillip Lester is it? Jessica Howell, assistant manager." Her smooth voice spoke up, offering a hand to shake Phil's own.
"Yes, wonderful to finally meet you." Phil beamed, jumping up and shaking her delicate hand firmly.
"I bet you're probably a little confused as to why you are here?" She asked.
"A little yes." Phil replied.
"Well my brother and I have read some of your work and we think it's really good. We thought about promotion to further up in the writing business but we had a better idea." Jessica smiled.
"Oh?" Phil questioned, confused at where this was going.
"You see our secretary, Becky-" She stopped to nod at the brunette behind the desk before continuing, "is leaving to get work experience in Canada. So, we thought you could possibly take her place for a little while. The pay is a lot better of course but you will be required to go to business meetings and attend events with Mr Howell when requested, these events alone will be added to your salary. Once we can get someone else to take your place we can then promote you to head of publishing, how does that sound?" Jessica asked, a glint in her eyes.
Phil was absolutely gobsmacked, never in a million years did he think he'd get a promotion as huge as this. He was thrilled to be offered such a brilliant experience and didn't hesitate in agreeing to the idea.
"Fantastic, you can start on Monday, finish off what you have left on floor twenty one and have a relaxing weekend. Then on the Monday morning just come straight up here and I'll show you the basics. You'll need to answer calls and sort some emails and paperwork, the most work is on Monday so you'll be on your toes. Don't worry though, it lessens throughout the week and when it comes to Friday most of the work is done and if there's nothing to do you can leave early!" Jessica grinned. Her smile was very stunning and Phil gulped before nodding in understanding.
"Golden goose indeed." Phil thought as they both stood up.
"Thanks you Phillip for accepting our offer. Now to be a little less formal, will you be at the office party on Friday? Some people from floor fifty has rented out the club down the road for everyone on floor twenty, up. The club is 'The White Stallion' do you know of it?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear. Despite how professional she was, she was only twenty two years old and still young. She liked to have a good time as much as any other person.
"Oh, I haden't thought about it. I suppose I could stop by for an hour or two." Phil replied. There was no doubt he'd be there if he got to see Jessica again. He could already tell he was developing a small fancy to her. Even though it wasn't right to crush on your business manager Phil couldn't control the small butterflies that danced around in his stomach as he took in Jessica's beauty.
"Great, I'll see you there Phil. Hopefully there'll be some good music, I'll save you a dance yeah?" She offered, beaming.
"Sounds great." Phil smiled and shook her hand once again.
"Bye Phil, see you on Friday!" Jessica called over her shoulder and walked through the wooden door and disappeared. Phil let out a breath and raked his hand through his black locks in disbelief. He glanced at Becky who smiled kindly at him and he returned the gesture out of politeness. He then power walked to the lift and waited impatiently for it to reach his floor.
Once he was finally inside ad the doors closed he let out a happy, "YES!" and did a dance in the lift, swaying his hips and arms in an uncoordinated fashion. Little did he know Becky could still hear him and couldn't help but smile to herself.
-----
For the last two days of work he had gotten it particularly bad from Mr Turner because of his jealousy. He decided to take his rage out on Phil and found every small reason he could to yell at him with empty threats which Phil didn't bat an eyelash at.
When it finally came to Friday, Phil had packed his stuff up and had the last box balanced in his arms. Most of the people who had been working that day had left and it was darker and quieter than usual, letting Phil have space to think.
As the lift descended to the bottom floor he thought about how lucky he had been and couldn't help beam to himself even after he left the building and to his car. He drove quickly home to change into less formal attire for the party. He was excited to see Jessica again and was even more excited that she saved a dance for him which made his stomach flutter with butterflies once again.
Once he was home he changed into a comfortable pair of black skinny jeans and a red and blue plaid shirt. This was pretty much his normal look but took effort in his appearance for Jessica by straightening his hair again and shaving. He even ironed his shirt out before properly wearing it. He slipped on a pair of black vans, grabbed his keys, wallet and phone then left.
It didn't take long to drive back to the street his work building stood tall and intimidating in. He parked the car and glanced at the club with 'The White Stallion' printed in gold lettering above the door. He hopped out and walked up to the door, stopping to give his name to the guy outside who nodded and let him in.
Once he entered, the beat of the music filled his ears and he saw a lot of his workmates already tipsy and dancing like crazy on the dance floor. He sighed and went straight to the bar and ordered a drink for himself as he scanned the crowd for familiar faces. He took his drink and spotted PJ and his other friend, Chris, bobbing slightly to the music as they had a conversation. Phil smiled and walked over to them, greeting them with a quick hug each and then was immediately invited into the conversation and he relaxed, taking a sip of his drink.
Around fifteen minutes later he felt two arms on his shoulders and he jumped slightly in surprise. He heard a heavenly giggle from behind and turned to see Jessica, only a little tipsy, grinning up at him. "Where's that dance you promised me Lester?" She grinned and tugged on his arm to the dance floor.
Phil looked back to Chris and PJ were both smirking and winking in encouragement, which made Phil's cheeks burn a light pink in embarrassment. As the next song came on he danced as well as he could next to Jessica who was unsurprisingly flawless at it as she moved her hips gracefully. He was beginning to enjoy himself a lot now with Jessica laughing and chatting with him as they danced together through three songs.
"It's really nice talking to you Phil, you're really funny! I'm going off to find some of my mates now, I hope I didn't interrupt your conversation too much earlier." She smiled sheepishly.
"Oh no problem, I'll probably leave in a bit anyway." Phil replied, smiling.
"Ok well it was nice dancing with you, I'll see on you on Monday okay?" She asked and he nodded eagerly. She smiled one for time before saluting and disappearing into the crowd. Phil sighed in content and then made his way out of his group of drunk, dancing colleagues.
He decided before he left he'd have one more drink to get a slight buzz before hitting the road. He ordered another drink at the bar and took a large gulp before scanning the crowd for a familiar face. His line of vision was suddenly drawn to a figure standing in the corner, observing the party.
It was a guy, a young looking one at that and wearing all black. He had slightly tanned skin, a slim build and long legs. His hair was a warm mocha colour and his eyes a familiar coffee brown. There was also small details like a black onyx stud in each ear.
For some weird reason Phil felt attracted to him, as if drawn to his appearance. He seemed to be quite lonely, standing by himself observing his probable workmates, considering it was an office party. Phil didn't know everyone in the building so wasn't that surprised he haden't seen him before.
He found himself standing up and walking towards the intriguing man. As he got closer he began to actually properly drink in his appearance and was startled to find he was actually really attractive. The thought confused him but he brushed it off none the less and leaned against the wall next to him.
"Hey." Phil spoke up, not sure how to spark a conversation.
"Hi." He replied, his voice silky and calming in a weird way.
"Do you not have anyone to hang out with?" Phil continued, trying to start conversation
"I'm not a very social person, so not really." He chuckled and looked down at his drink. Phil immediately noticed he had a pair of dimples, the one on his left cheek more prominent than the other. He began to wonder why these features seemed so familiar.
"I'm not really one for parties either. I was invited though so thought I'd drop by for an hour or two." Phil shrugged.
"Yeah, I'll probably do the same." the guy smiled, revealing an also familiar white smile. Phil continued to chat with this guy for the remainder of his time there at the party which was really only twenty minutes. The guy was interesting to talk to and as Phil hopped into his car he realized how stupid he was not to ask his name, although the other haden't asked for his either. Despite that Phil knew he'd probably never see him again and just sighed, driving home.
-----
He arrived a little early on Monday, wanting to make a good impression on his first day. Jessica was there to meet him and teach him the basics and Phil was pleased when Jessica spent most of the morning chatting to him about Friday before leaving for a meeting.
Surprisingly when she left it wasn't her who stuck in his head but the man at the party, standing alone, observing quietly. His weird thoughts were interrupted by the phone going off and he jumped slightly before bringing the device to his ear.
"Hello, Howell's office speaking." I spoke down the line.
"It's me Dan Howell, I'd like to request your assistance." A familiar voice spoke up.
"Yes sir, I'll be right with you." Phil spoke professionally. The line went dead and he walked to the large wooden door and twisted the large brass knob and entering. He walked into a large tidy office with an equally large wooden desk with several neat piles of paperwork scattered across it. Four large windows brightened up the room and in the far corner was another desk with an opened laptop and other piles of paper pushed to the sides in large but organized looking piles.
But, there was one thing that caught Phil's attention immediately in the room. It was the man sitting in the chair opposite him. It was none other than the boy from last night, he was the almighty Howell? The big bad giant? Phil found it hard to believe but didn't question none the less.
"Oh hello Phil, I recall meeting you two nights ago at the party." He gave a half smile which I returned. "Now I'm going out for an hour, I've been called for urgent business. I need you to stay and look after things, answer phone calls in emails. If anyone asks, I'm away on important business okay?" He asked. Phil nodded. He seemed like a totally different person from the party.
He wasn't the awkward guy who stood on the sidelines and watched the others party, he was the man in charge, making sure everything worked and everything was in order. It was hard to compare these two people as the same person. At the club Dan had seemed quite a shy person but laughed at every joke Phil told and was genuinely pleasant to talk to. Phil didn't worry about what he said next with him then. Now he felt restricted in what he could say and knew he couldn't express too much opinion around the other man.
Dan left five minutes later, nodding a goodbye to Phil as he passed the desk, not smiling this time and hurrying to the lift and disappeared. Phil was left in confusion for a while before he sighed and decided he'd try and forget what happened at the party because however much he wanted to be friends with the other then, it wasn't going to work in his situation now. It was just business.
Jessica came back an hour later to pick something up from the office, asking if Phil needed anything and Phil politely declined. Jessica shot him a dazzling smile. That's when he realized why the small features such as Dan's eyes, smile and dimples seemed familiar because he and Jessica were related. A thought dawned on him that he was going to have to hide his feelings for Jessica around Dan or he'd probably have something to say and would have Phil out of a job!
------
His Monday had gone pretty well despite the piling amount of emails that he had somehow managed to reply to. When Dan had returned, all he got from him was an acknowledging nod before he went to hide in his office again. When he was ready to leave Jessica praised him for his great work on his first day.
His Tuesday went pretty un-excitingly as he wasn't asked for anything and Jessica was out all day. He spent it answering phone calls and sorting paperwork like he was supposed to do.
Things luckily turned around on the Wednesday, Phil was asked to accompany Dan to a meeting and take notes.
"Ready Lester?" Dan asked, as he tugged his jacket over his shoulders.
"Always sir." Phil replied, a smile on his face.
"Lets go then." Dan sighed, not returning the smile. He looked fed up and Phil wanted to cheer him up but thought it smart not to ask him about it. Phil hated seeing others who are sad or in pain, he's always been the caring type even when it was not required. He'd probably even give Hitler a plaster when he grazed his elbow, he was that caring.
(I'm sorry, I laughed when I wrote that!)
Dan and Phil left the building and got into the waiting car, driving to the destination. The meeting went fairly quick and Phil had written down a generous amount of notes to help him type out for Dan later.
Once they left however, Dan instructed for the driver to take them to the nearest bar. Phil was confused as to why he was doing this in working hours, but then again, he was the big man and he made the rules. Phil accompanied Dan into the place and took a stool each at the bar, Dan ordering one large beer and Phil ordered a small so he could look out for Dan in case he suddenly decided to get drunk.
"Ugh Phil, have you ever tried being in charge of everything? It's so stressful!" He groaned, taking a gulp of his drink. He seemed to have fallen out of work mode and was back to the boy Phil remembered from Friday night.
"Unless you consider my younger sister's birthday parties then no." Phil replied. Dan snorted, cracking a smile at his joke and taking a slightly smaller gulp.
"Oh I'm sure we can count that, depends how much work she is." Dan smirked, playing along.
"Oh she's the devil in human form." Phil laughed, half heartily. This earned a grin from Dan before he shook his head and took another sip.
"So is everything working to your expectation?" Dan asked, changing the subject.
"I never really expected any of it but the situation is more than great." Phil replied.
"Good." Dan said, taking yet another sip and looking deep in thought before he shook it off and turned back to Phil who took his own timid sip. "What about you then, what's your story?" Dan asked, narrowing his eyes as if to figure Phil out.
"Are you sure you want to know, you might need some popcorn." Phil warned, jokingly. Dan's smile widened but he didn't laugh.
"I'm sure you can chop it down to a thousand words or so." Dan assured.
"Okay ..." Phil then proceeded to tell Dan where he was born and brought up, then moved onto school and what he wanted to be when he was younger. "I always told my mum I'd be something cool like a policeman or a firefighter. I didn't really have a grip on reality at that age but, who does? It's best to be a kid as long as possible, even when people are telling you to grow up. A child's mind is much more interesting than an adults and has endless amounts of imagination. I like to think I keep that factor and try produce some of these childish qualities in my writing. I want people to be happy, and I like to think I can cause simple acts of kindness each day. These can be little things like a smile or helping someone with their shopping or something else along those lines ... I realize now that I'm probably rambling-"
"Don't stop!" Dan said quickly, taking Phil by surprise. He looked up at Dan who was looking at him in what looked like fascination. He could see the intrigued glint in his coffee coloured eyes and for some reason the look made Phil blush in the slightest. He smiled and continued.
Throughout the rest of their time there they talked and laughed and found out little things about each other. Phil for some reason couldn't help feel content with this Dan, the real one outside his work facade. He looked like someone so worn out during work, someone who pushes people away and wallows in a cocoon of sadness, but here is living proof. The living proof that under all that there is still someone wanting to try, try get on with life and see the better side of things and Phil can't help admire it as he admires Dan.
It's weird when the next day, they fall back into their work act. These simple nods and 'good mornings' felt foreign to Phil when he remembers that Dan is still only a 23 year old man who's just starting his life and still has lots to give.
It was suddenly Friday again and Phil was feeling slightly drained and in need of a good night's sleep. Before he could leave however Jessica pulled him to the side.
"Hey Phil? Do you want to go to the club with my friends and I?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes slightly. In most cases Phil would have declined because he felt so drained but it was Jessica asking so of course he agreed.
"Oh sure." He replied, only half enthusiastically.
"Cool, I'll pick you up. Can you give me your address? Maybe your number while your at it so I can text you when I'm outside." She added, twirling a lock of golden hair round her finger. Phil felt over the moon that she wanted his number but knew it would never really lead to anything because they were just work colleagues.
"Yeah sure, here's my number and address." Phil smiled, writing it down and handing it to her. His mood already seemed a million times happier. He skipped out the building and into his car, a grin never leaving his face as he rushed home to change into something more appropriate.
----
Jessica arrived later that evening and drove him to yet another club which Phil didn't manage to catch the name of before he was whisked inside. He was immediately introduced to her friends and had comfortable conversations with almost every one of them. He also danced with Jessica for a while, laughing and having fun like they had done one week previous. Phil still felt that fluttering feeling whilst he was around her.
Once he went off to get a glass of water, not wanting to be hung over the next morning, he spotted a familiar figure. He nearly spat his water out when he saw Dan smiling and laughing with another girl. For some reason Phil felt a little pang of jealousy and was soon followed by confusion. He decided he'd go say hi. He was still unsure if Dan wanted to talk to him outside of work and it was only a one time thing ... or two time thing.
"Hi." He spoke, unsure as the girl walked away from Dan and he was available to talk to again. He turned around and looked at Phil in surprise. Phil immediately noticed he looked a lot happier than he normally was. His cheeks were flushed, there was a glint in his eyes and he had a wide grin plastered on his face. It soon came to Phil's attention than Dan was probably drunk.
"PHIL! What are you doing here?" He asked, a slight slur to his voice.
"Jessica invited me." Phil replied, then wondered if that was a smart thing to say. Dan narrowed his eyes a bit.
"You're not trying to get off with my sister are you?" He asked suspiciously although it didn't seem as threatening as it normally would because of his state.
"WHAT? No, we're just friends." Phil stuttered, hoping he sounded convincing. Dan's accusing look suddenly vanished and he was back to beaming.
"Good, now come dance with me Phillip!" He chuckled and grabbed his wrist. Phil was beyond surprised and felt really awkward when Dan started twisting his body to the music and spinning Phil in circles a few times. After a while he decided he didn't care because he liked this Dan and wanted to have a good time. Phil noticed that Dan was a very mesmerizing dancer and moved his hips gracefully and almost sexily to the beat. He was a good mover like his sister and Phil didn't know how to feel as they automatically got closer throughout their time there.
It was getting very hot in the club and there was a lot more people on the dance floor, forcing Dan and Phil to be even closer as they danced the bouncy music. Phil noticed the little touches here and there when their sides brushed slightly and he couldn't help feel a tingly whenever it happened. These emotions confused him but he like them none the less. It got to one point that someone accidentally bumped into Dan and he stumbled forward into Phil, brushing noses before he giggled and pulled away.
Phil didn't know how he felt in that moment when Dan's face was so close to his. All he knew was in those seconds his breath caught in his throat and Dan's lips began to look very appealing. A few minutes afterwards these thoughts began to bother him so he politely excused himself from the intoxicated Dan and through the crowd of people to the bar where he had one more glass of water before leaving, forgetting to tell Jessica he had left.
Later that night he lay in bed, frowning up at the ceiling. He haden't drunk anything so these weren't intoxicated thoughts. He contemplated whether it was because Jessica and Dan were similar but when he thought more about it, it seemed ridiculous. They were definitely not similar apart form the dimples, smile and eyes. Their personalities were completely different in which one was confident and bubbly whilst the other was reserved and awkward.
Phil gave up as the hours rolled by and decided to sleep on it.
-----
He decided he'd forget about what happened in the club and agreed on it being spur of the moment feelings and the setting of where they were. He had gotten a text from Jessica at two in the morning saying,
'Where ru Phil? Been lookin 4 u!!! Thought we could have nother dance! ;) <3" Phil expected the fluttering feeling to return but for some reason it had reduced. He knew the winky face and the heart was only there due to intoxication.
He replied, "Sorry left early, wasn't feeling too good! :)" and turned his phone off, wanting to use his weekend to laze around, drink tea, listen to Muse and watch countless episodes of Buffy.
When he was back on Monday, he fell back into his professional routine, smiling as Jessica entered that morning.
"Hey Phil. Were you okay on Friday?" She asked, looking quite concerned.
"Oh no I'm fine, just had a head ache nothing major." Phil reassured.
"That's good then, have a good weekend?" She asked politely.
"It was alright, was yours?" Phil asked, returning the politeness.
"It was good thanks for asking. If it's not too much to ask, same thing this Saturday?" She suggested, looking hopeful. Phil was surprised she asked him again but kindly accepted the offer. "You can bring some friends too so you don't get lonely when I'm not around." She winked and Phil nodded. She then disappeared into her office.
Phil noticed that he haden't seen Dan that morning and wandered whether he had came in early or was away on important business and decided to ask Jessica so he knew what to say if someone requested for Dan.
"Hey Jessica, do you know where Dan is? Is he in there with you or is he out on business? :)" Phil texted.
Jessica's reply came almost immediately, as if she'd been waiting by the phone. "Oh sorry, I forget to tell you, he's away on important business. ;)" She said. Phil frowned at the winky face but decided to ignore it. For some reason he felt his mood sink at the thought of not seeing Dan. He was quick to reply to her text though.
"Thanks Jessica :)"
"Call me Jess ;)" Her second reply came and Phil couldn't help let his heart speed up a little. Was this considered flirting? Phil didn't know how to react. His emotions were confusing lately and Jessica was suddenly less appealing for some reason. Like there was someone else in the back of his mind but he couldn't work out who. In the end he replied with,
"Haha okay, but only outside work. :)"
"Deal ;)" She said and then they stopped after that. At the end of the day she threw him a grin and what looked like a flirty wink before she left, Phil leaving soon afterwards after he locked up. He needed a good night's sleep to rest his aching brain.
-----
Dan returned on normal time that Tuesday but looked exhausted and only managed a small 'good morning' to Phil, not bothering to glance his way or acknowledge his reply as he went straight into his office after Phil's "Morning."
Phil watched him almost slam his office door. He felt sad to see Dan in this state, once again he was caring too much about others. He'd like nothing more than to comfort Dan and make him happy but something told him he wouldn't appreciate that right now.
Instead Phil spent that Tuesday getting on with work with no texts fro Jessica and no other appearances from either of the Howell's. The only other contact they made was a quick "goodbye" at the end of the day. Phil felt a little down in the dumps. Dan's gloomy mood had seemed to drain into him and he couldn't help feel grumpy later that night.
He woke a little roughly the next morning but made himself as presentable as possible for work. When Dan came in that morning he didn't look that exhausted and managed not to walk in his slouched manner. As he approached Phil a small smile played on his lips. "You look awful mate." Was his first words of the day, making Phil chuckle.
"Thanks, had a rough night." Phil explained. Dan's eyebrows raised slightly and an almost unnoticeable flash of anger crossed his features.
"Rough night as in ... doing the dirty?" He questioned, laughing slightly, although it somehow seemed forced.
Phil's eyes widened in shock at Dan's assumption and flushed red in embarrassment. "W-what? NO! I didn't- I mean- I wouldn't-" Phil stumbled over his words. Dan gave a genuine laugh this time which Phil couldn't help smile at because it was such a joyous sound.
"It's fine Phil. No need to act so innocent!" Dan smirked.
"I'm not innocent." Phil pouted.
"Sure, have a nice day Phil." Dan smiled before walking into his office, a smile on his face. His happiness radiated off him and Phil couldn't help his mood rise ten times more.
His day continued to go normally until finishing time. He stopped what he was doing when Jessica and Dan both walked out the office, seemingly bickering over something.
"Oh come on Daniel! You were invited so go and live a little. She seems to like you!" He caught Jessica say. He suddenly felt the familiar pang of jealousy he felt on Friday and couldn't help frown at the feeling once again.
"No Jess. I can't go alone, I'd need someone to go with me. Besides I don't want to go, I don't need to to play match maker for me." Dan sighed.
"YES I DO! You haven't had a girlfriend in ages. Maybe she could stop you moping around all time. As for someone coming with you, you know I can't make it tonight!" Jess explained, almost exasperated.
"Then who will help me?" Dan hissed. There was a pause before Jess spoke up again.
"Why don't you ask Phil? You two seem to get on well enough. I'm sure he won't mind." Jessica said, not realizing Phil had heard and was for some reason against the idea. He didn't want to help Dan with this mystery girl for some reason. He wanted to find a way out of there quickly so they didn''t have the chance to ask.
"See you guys tomorrow." Phil said quickly, picking his bag up and starting to power walk towards the lift. He heard some harsh whispers behind him before Dan spoke up.
"Wait Phil!" He called, causing Phil to freeze to the spot and scrunch his eyes shut, let out a frustrated breath before plastering a smile on his face and turning around.
"Yeah?" He asked, acting innocent.
"Look ... um." Dan started, sounding unsure. Jessica rolled her eyes and turned to Phil.
"Phil, would you mind accompanying Dan to a party tonight? He's meeting someone tonight and I'd appreciate it if you were there to back him up. What do you say?" She asked, smiling brightly. It wasn't like Phil could say no, that would seem rude and out of character of him. He could make an excuse, but then he'd feel guilty for lying when Dan needed someone. He resisted the urge to sigh and put on a weak smile.
"Oh, um, sure. Is there a dress code?" He asked.
"Black suit and tie." Dan filled in.
"Ok, should I drive there or-"
"Jessica gave me your number so I'll get a car to pick you up. I'll text you when I'm there if that's okay?" Dan asked, suddenly acting more nervous than usual. Phil felt his heart speed up a little, Dan had his number? For some reason this fact excited him a little too much and Phil realized he needed to figure out these confusing feelings sooner or later.
"Yeah, sounds great." Phil smiled genuinely then left, saying his goodbyes.
Phil dug through his wardrobe and found his smartest black suit and a silver tie. He quickly got dressed then sat around in his apartment for ages, going on social media sites and watching pointless episodes on TV before his phone went off with an unknown number.
"Hey Phil, it's Dan. I'm outside. :)" The text said. Phil felt his heart flutter slightly but pushed these confusing feelings down and replied quickly before locking his door and running down the steps to Dan's waiting car.
"Will be right out :)"
Phil hopped into the back seat where he saw Dan waiting. Dan was wearing a very slimming black suit jack and a purple tie. Phil immediately noticed that Dan was wearing black skinny jeans as well as purple converse which matched his tie and he couldn't help crack a smile. For some reason Dan looking all smart in his black suit was quite hot and Phil found himself once again confused by his thoughts.
"Nice shoes." He smirked as the car began to drive.
"Speak for yourself." Dan retorted, gesturing towards Phil's shoes. He had put on a pair of black lee coopers, not really smart shoes but still a little more appropriate than Dan's bright purple ones.
"Touche, but at least mine are a bit more normal." Phil grinned.
"Pfft, who needs normal?" Dan asked, also grinning.
"No one. Normalness leads to sadness." Phil replied wisely.
"That should be on a mug." Dan teased.
"Shut up!" Phil laughed but only half heartily, earning another grin from Dan.
Dan and Phil walked around together throughout their time there at the party, swapping small talk and politely joining other conversation too, but never leaving each other's side. Phil learned that the 'girl' was a woman called Carrie and was the daughter to a very rich company owner much like Dan. However Phil noticed that Dan made little effort to really talk to her.
After three hours Dan suddenly let out a frustrated sigh and looked down at the expensive wine in his hand. "Wanna get out of here?" He asked, placing the glass on a nearby table.
"Already? Don't you have other business to take care of?" Phil asked.
"Nope, plus this party is boring as fuck." Dan replied in a bored tone. Phil cringed at the use of a swear word, he was never one for violence, verbally and physically.
"Don't swear." He found himself muttering, earning a confused look from Dan. He dipped his head in embarrassment at what he said.
Dan chuckled, "That's cute." He commented.
"What's cute?" Phil frowned.
"You don't like swearing." Dan explained.
"That's not cute, it's just not very nice." Phil defended, although he could feel a blush crawling up his cheeks.
"Haha whatever." Dan smiled.
"So, where would we go? Do you want me to go home?" Phil asked, changing the subject.
"You could come back to mine?" Dan said almost hesitantly.
"Oh no, it's fine. I wouldn't want to intrude." Phil politely declined, even though he'd love to.
"Don't be ridiculous, you wouldn't be intruding!" Dan grinned and not giving Phil a chance to reply, dragged him out the door and into the car. It wasn't too long a drive to Dan's apartment and Dan told the driver he could go home and that he'd drive Phil home later. Both of them went up to the top floor of the apartment building.
When Dan opened the door and let Phil go in first and he admired the slightly better than average flat and it's view over the city of London. "Nice place." Phil commented.
"Thanks." Dan replied, joining him by the window and looking out over the dark rooftops of buildings and the bright lights from the city.
"It's breathtaking." Phil smiled, completely absorbed by the scene in front of him. He was confused when Dan didn't reply and turned to look at him. He was surprised to find Dan's gaze already upon him with what looked like a concentrated look, as if trying to figure out every secret Phil had. Usually it would make Phil uncomfortable but he couldn't find it in himself to look away from those captivating coffee eyes.
After a while of weird staring Dan broke the eye contact looking at anything else, awkwardly. "Do you want a drink?" He finally said.
"Some coffee would be nice." Phil commented.
"I'll be right back, make yourself comfortable." Dan smiled and left to what Phil assumed was the kitchen.
-----
Dan and Phil spent the night talking and having the TV play silently in the background as they both found out more stuff about the other. They had a scary amount in common and soon was on the debate of which Muse song was the best.
Phil's was Undisclosed Desires whilst Dan's argument was Sunburn. They haden't really noticed it but through their time together they had somehow shuffled closer. Phil was sitting cross legged, knees sometimes brushing against Dan's whilst his head lay on the back of the sofa tiredly. Dan had his back against the sofa's armrest and was also cross legged whilst his body was leaned forward and his head resting against his arm which was resting on the back of the sofa. The was probably only a ruler's length between them and Phil's could sometimes feel Dan's breath on his face.
As the conversation died down Phil found himself getting drowsier but still kept his heavily lidded eyes on Dan's pretty ones, not wanting to look away. It was in his sleepy form that he noticed how much he wanted to actually kiss Dan and how beautiful he looked in that light. Even though he wasn't fully conscious he realized why he'd been having weird feelings. It was because he liked Dan. He wasn't crushing on Jessica anymore but crushing on Dan, which was a weird but appealing thought in his head.
Dan sat there looking at Phil as his eyes got heavier and couldn't help let his heart flutter at the beautiful sight of Phil in front of him. He knew he shouldn't be feeling this way but ever since Phil walked up to him in 'The White Stallion' he couldn't get his cute face out of his head. For some reason Phil made him come out of his shell and he liked being around him. When he mentioned having a rough night the other day Dan suddenly felt jealous and wondered whether he was already seeing someone. He knew he shouldn't fancy his secretary but feelings were an uncontrollable force and how could he not be attracted to someone as hot and adorable as Phil?
Dan soon caught himself when he realized he had slowly been edging closer, he knew Phil would fall asleep soon. He didn't want to drive him home but it would be really awkward if he woke up the next day in Dan's house and they both had to go to work.
"Phil?" Dan whispered.
"Mhm?" He mumbled, his eyes fully closed now.
"I have to drive you home. You're falling asleep." Dan cooed softly, taking a risk and brushing some of Phil's fringe out the way. Phil sighed in content at the touch, feeling himself get even drowsier but still slightly conscious.
"M'not." He mumbled, although it was obvious that he was. Dan smiled at how adorable he was acting.
"Yes you are, now come on. Lets get you home." With that, Dan got up from his comfortable position on the sofa, the action making Phil open his eyes. He groaned but stretched and let out a cute yawn before standing up and smiling sleepily at Dan. In that second Dan wanted to grab Phil, push him back on the sofa and kiss him senseless but he obviously wasn't going to act on his want driven thoughts.
Dan drove Phil home, the ride silent because Phil was slowly nodding off in the passenger seat. Dan walked Phil up to his apartment door and wished him goodnight before leaving Phil to rest in piece. On the way back in the car he thought over the events of the night. He thought about how funny Phil was. He thought about how pretty his smile was. He thought about how cute and adorable Phil was when he laughed. He thought about how his eyes lit up when he was happy. He thought about how soft his hair felt between his fingers and how he wanted to rake through it whilst attacking his perfect lips.
Dan had to snap out of those thoughts though as he soon realized he was driving and could crash. He also know that if he continued he'd start to get aroused and he didn't want to have to deal with his problem if it were to happen.
-----
Soon enough it was Friday again and Phil was looking forward to the party the next day. He was hoping he'd see Dan there. Dan was away on business again on Thursday and Phil missed him, despite Jessica who was having a friendly conversation with him every once in a while. On Friday though he was back in the morning and gave Phil a friendly 'good morning' along with a smile that made Phil's heart flutter like it did when he saw Jessica for the first time.
He feels awkward when Jessica flirts with him now, well at least he thinks it's flirting, he can never be sure. For his lunch break he met up with Chris and PJ on the thirtieth floor for a coffee since they haden't spoken in a while. Phil remembered he had to invite them to the party on Saturday too.
"Hey Phillip, long time no see. You're not too important for us now are you?" Chris teased.
"Pfft, never! How are you guys?" Phil asked.
"Alright s'pose. How's the big bad giant?" PJ grinned. Before Phil could speak up Chris jumped in.
"I hear he's a right angry dude. Apparently he went bat shit at Sam the other day for not handing his report in on Wednesday!" Chris gossiped. Phil frowned, he knew that wasn't true becuse Sam never visited the top floor on Wednesday and his office door had been open the whole day so Phil could see who was in and out. Phil decided he needed to say something in Dan's defence.
"He's not that bad." Phil said.
"You sure? He sounds like a right nasty dude." Chris replied.
"Well he's not!" Phil nearly snapped. Chris and PJ gave him a funny look.
"Whatever you say mate." PJ sighed. Phil sighed then decided to change the subject.
"Look Jessica invited me to the party tomorrow, some club. I'll email you the address, she said I could bring friends." Phil explained."You up for it?"
"S'pose I could swing by."
"Yeah me too." They replied and Phil smiled.
"Great, see you guys tomorrow." Phil grinned.
"See ya Phil!" Chris called and then Phil returned to the top floor, resuming his position behind the desk and reading and replying to the new bunch of emails on his laptop.
The hours flew by and soon enough it was the end of the day and Phi started to pack his stuff out. Just as he was doing this Jessica walked out.
"See you tomorrow Phil!" She called and Phil nodded his head and smiled. As Jessica disappeared into the lift Dan emerged from his office, locking it behind him. He then turned round and smiled at Phil.
"Hey Phil."
"Hey Dan." Phil smiled
"So um ... do you have anything planned right now?" Dan asked a little hesitantly, unsure if this was the right thing to do.
"Right now? No, don't think so." Phil replied.
"Do you want to go out for a coffee?" He suggested, biting his lip. Phil's attention went immediately to the lip biting and nearly forgot to answer.
"O-oh yeah sure. I'd love to." He smiled, although his eyes kept dancing from Dan's to his lips which Dan stopped biting and turned into a full smile.
"Cool lets go." He grinned and walked ahead of Phil who cursed himself under his breath for staring. He soon caught up with Dan and they both went to the Starbucks down the street. As they both got their coffees and settled down in a booth next to the window, rain started to spit down from the grey sky.
"Brilliant." Dan sighed sarcastically and wrapped his cold fingers round the warm coffee cup.
"Typical, you count on one sunny day in London and then it starts to rain." Phil sighed and took a sip from his vanilla latte, letting out a content sound and then turning to watch the rain race down the window.
"Yeah." Dan sighed. "Anyway, how are you? Do you like the new position so far? It's been two weeks." He asked, diverting the conversation to a new topic.
"It's great, even though I'm not in the writing business just now I'm enjoying being secretary, it's a lot more peaceful than floor twenty one." Phil smiled. "When there's nothing to do for a while it's nice to just relax and think." Phil added, knowing he could be more casual outside of work with Dan.
"What sort of things do you think about?" Dan asked curiously.
"Oh I dunno. Life? Kittens? Pizza?" Phil listed off.
"That's a strange collection." Dan grinned.
"It depends on my mood I suppose." Phil smiled, shrugging his shoulder and taking a sip of his latte. "What about you? What do you do when you have a spare few minutes in the office?" He asked.
"I suppose I think too. Nothing as interesting as your thoughts though. Mine are usually stressful, and I tend to be falling into an Existential Crisis every few days, it doesn't help get work done, I can assure you!" Dan sighed.
"Existential Crisis? Why?" Phil asked.
"Suppose I'm just questioning things. Everything's getting to me, I'm stressed out almost all the time. I'm surprised none of my hair has fallen out." He chuckled making Phil smile too. "It's just I'm only 23 and I get landed with carrying on the family business ... you know it wasn't originally my choice." Dan said sadly.
Phil's eyes widened, he had never heard this story before. If Dan was unhappy with what he was doing then why doesn't he just quit? "You're not happy?" Phil asked wearily.
"Does it look like I'm happy?" Dan asked, a sarcastic look on his face.
"S'pose not." Phil replied, taking another sip. "Why did you take the job if you didn't want it?" He questioned, wondering if he was overstepping any boundaries. Dan looked uncomfortable with the question. "You don't have to tell me if it's an uncomfortable topic!" Phil rushed in.
Dan smiled at Phil, "Thank you Phil for your kindness but it's fine. My father always expected great things from his Children, so when my older brother went off somewhere I was left with the burden of carrying on the business. Jessica refused to let me go it alone so she's been helping me for the past year. I told her to get away whilst she can but she refuses to leave me here. To be honest I don't know what I'd do without her." Dan sighed and gave Dan a sad smile.
"I'm sorry Dan. You should be able to do what you want. Was there anything you wanted to be?" Phil asked.
Dan snorted, "Lots of things when I was younger. I suppose I wanted to do a bit of acting but I'm so awkward that seems stupid now. I don't really know what else I could do, what else I'd be good at." He explained. It was silent for a moment, both deep in thought. "We probably shouldn't dwell on this subject. It's kind of depressing!" Dan suddenly said, plastering a smile on his face.
"Okay." Phil smiled. They chatted for a little longer until Dan said he needed to go and get some work done at home so they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Phil loved being around Dan. When he wasn't in work form he was a nice guy to hang around and so young too ... well younger than Phil anyway, Phil was 26 and Dan was 23. He loved feeling butterflies whenever he was around Dan and how cute he looked when he smiled. He just generally loved Dan.
Dan loved to spend time with Phil too. It was like Phil was becoming a close friend ... one of Dan's only friends really. He had other friends outside of work but he hardly had the time to meet them so Phil was a nice change. He acted so young for his age and always looked on the bright side of life. (Monty Python reference) He was Dan's ray of sunshine as far as he saw things.
------
Soon enough it was Saturday and Phil changed into his party gear which consisted of a blue plaid shirt, a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of grey vans. Once again he straightened out his inky black hair and then grabbed his keys, wallet and phone before hopping in his car and driving to the club Jessica had told him about.
He was immediately let in and quickly find Jessica near the bar ordering drinks for her friends. Phil noticed a few familiar faces from the last time he had been there and said hello to all of them as he was greeted. He ordered a small beer for himself, deciding he'd get a little tipsy tonight.
"PHIL! GLAD TO SEE YOU MADE IT!" Jessica shouted over the music.
"YEAH, IT'S GOOD TO GET OUT!" Phil shouted back.
"HOW ABOUT THAT DANCE?" She asked.
"SOUNDS GREAT." Phil replied and quickly downed the rest of his drink before following her to the dance floor. They danced around to a fast beat song for a while, laughing and flailing about. Whilst this was happening, Phil couldn't help scan the crowd for a familiar brown haired boy. However hard he looked he could not find Dan among the sea of people.
Suddenly a slow song started and he turned back to Jessica, suddenly uncomfortable with the speed of the tune. He was about to say he was off to find his friends but Jess wrapped her arms round his neck and began swaying to the song. Phil sighed and placed his hands on her hips but didn't look down at her. He looked around the club the whole time, still in search of Dan.
As the end of the slow song began to end he felt Jessica's grip tighten. He finally looked at her and was surprised to see her so close. She looked like she was going to lean in and kiss him. He needed to get out of there quick and saw Chris and PJ in the corner. Before Jessica could get any closer he spoke up.
"My friends Chris and PJ are over there, I'm going to go say hi!" He quickly said, before unlatching her from his body.
"Oh, okay." She said, sounding slightly disappointed. It made Phil feel guilty but even guiltier that he liked her brother instead. "Find me later though alright?" She smiled again.
"Definitely." Phil smiled and kissed her on the cheek as a sort of apology and went off to see Chris and PJ.
Phil got a little more drunk throughout the night, still not having seen Dan. He wasn't too drunk but enough to begin to get a little dizzy at all the lights and fast moving people. He was feeling disappointed that Dan haden't showed up and was contemplating leaving.
He started to stumble through the crowd so he could call a taxi and leave but tripped over someone's foot and fell straight into another's arms. He yelped as the other person caught them and let out a sigh of relief when he found out he was safe. He opened one bleary eye to see a rather blurred version of Dan smiling down at him. Phil's face immediately broke into a grin.
"DAN! I was beginning to think you weren't coming!" Phil slurred, giggling as Dan pushed him to his feet.
"Whoa Phil, I've never seen you drunk before." Dan chuckled.
"There's still a few things you don't know about me." Phil said in a sort of seductive voice which made Dan raise an eyebrow.
"Is that an act of seduction?" Dan smirked.
"It can be whatever you want it to be babe. Now dance with me!" Phil replied, tugging on Dan's arm. He didn't miss the bright blush which crosses Dan's face at the pet name and smirked to himself. They stopped in the middle of the dance floor and Phil began to sway his hips to the beat, biting is lips slightly in an attempt to be sexy.
Dan was very surprised at this drunk Phil, but couldn't help like his seductive attitude. His lip biting and hip swaying was becoming a turn on and Dan didn't know where it was going but he wasn't trying hard to stop it. They danced for a few songs until Phil suddenly got up some courage and turned his back to Dan and started to lightly back his hips into Dan's.
Dan's breathing hitched as Phil started swaying his hips in front of him, this was definitely turning him on. As the song went on, Phil pressed more into Dan and then proceeded to grind on him. Dan let out a small noise from the back of his throat as Phil's hips grinded on his crotch. His hands found Phil's waist and his grip tightened, guiding him back.
As more upbeat songs kept playing Phil continued to grind back into Dan who was breathing heavily and gripping Phil's hips tightly. As they continued this Phil's shirt had managed to ride up so Dan's warm hands made contact with Phil's skin and Phil shivered at the contact. Dan couldn't help let his fingers slide upwards to Phil's sides, feeling over the small muscles in his masculine body. His hands slid to Phil's stomach and Dan's chin rested on Phil's shoulder, breathing on his neck. Phil shivered at the sensation of Dan's fingers and his breath on his neck. He was getting more turned on the longer it went.
Dan's hands started to trace light patterns into Phil's stomach, circling over a faint six pack and slowly leading downwards. The action made Phil suddenly moan and even over the music Dan managed to hear it, loving the noise straight away. Phil suddenly turned around, surprising Dan. Phil looked Dan up and down with a hunger in his eyes which he saw reflected in Dan's and he grabbed him by the wrist and back through the crowd of people.
They went to a dark corner where no one seemed to be paying attention to and Phil pinned Dan against the wall, making the younger man grunt. Phil pushed through bodies together and hovered his lips in front of Dan's breathing on them in anticipation. All Dan wanted at that moment was for Phil to kiss him hard against the wall and him this close was agonizingly teasing.
"Hurry up already!" Dan growled out, making Phil smirk and connect their lips in a hungry passionate kiss. Phil pressed Dan harder against the wall, making him groan into his mouth, and his fingers to dig into Phil's hair. Phil may have been intoxicated but even if he was sober he'd be sure to be enjoying it just as much.
Phil's tongue prodded against Dan's lips and he didn't hesitate to let Phil in and explore his mouth. Phil moaned as Dan let him in, digging his fingers into Dan's hips. In the spur of the moment he ground his hips down into Dan's crotch earning a groan from each of them. Phil's lips then left Dan's and kissed down his jaw to his neck where he placed small kisses. Dan's breathing hitched and his fingers tighten in Phil's black hair. He then began to suck and nip at the golden skin there, receiving a loud moan from the younger, making him smirk and leave a large love bite on his neck.
Phil went to go back and kiss Dan but he suddenly found their positions being flipped and Phil was the one against the wall. Dan kissed down Phil's jaw and his neck until he got his collar bones. He started to nip at the skin there and Phil let out a whimper as Dan left a few bruises along that line. Dan then kissed his way back up and gave Phil one last peck before standing back.
"You're drunk Phil, this is seen as taking advantage of you." Dan breathed, raking his hand through his own hair and catching his breath back.
"Don't you want me Danny boy?" Phil slurred, proving that he was under the influence.
"Of course I want you. You have no idea how much..." Dan trailed off, giving Phil a once over before continuing, "But this is wrong and you'll forget this ever happened tomorrow and we can go back to normal on Monday okay?" Dan said, although he didn't want it to stop.
"But Daaaaaan." Phil whined.
"Sorry Phil, come on I'll call you a taxi." Dan sighed and dragged Phil out the club, phoning for a taxi and telling the guy Phil's address before driving off.
-----
Phil haden't remembered what happened the next morning and he had such a bad hangover he couldn't remember if he tried because his brain hurt. He spent half the day bent over the toilet, being sick and vowed never to get drunk again, although he was sure he would in the future. When it came to Sunday night he still haden't remembered and fell asleep fast that night.
He only remembered when he was having a dream about it on the Sunday night and he woke up on the Monday morning with wide eyes and a fast heartbeat. He spent the whole morning yelling at himself as he got ready for work, cursing himself for getting drunk and letting his want for Dan show. Things were surely going to be awkward now, even though Dan said they'd go back to normal.
Phil just sighed and decided he'd pretend he doesn't remember and left to go to work. He was in at the usual time. He knew Dan wasn't going to be in for another twenty minutes but he decided to busy himself with work so he didn't have a lot of time to interact with Dan when he did come.
Surely enough the lift dinged and Phil held his breath, deciding not to look up and continuing to type on the computer. He heard two voices and relaxed when he heard Jessica was with him. When they were closer he looked up and smiled at both of them, saying his usual good morning.
"Where'd you go on Saturday Phil? You do this every time." Jessica asked. Phil noticed Dan tense out the corner of his eye and fought hard not to look at Dan and not react. He just chuckled instead and replied, "I had quite a bit to drink last night, I hardly remember what happened." He glanced at Dan who was looking at the floor.
"Haha, how was the hang over?" Jessica asked.
"Not pleasant." Phil shuddered, making Jessica laugh and Dan to smile in attempts of joining the conversation.
"Ok well I hope your better today, see you later Phil." Jessica smiled and her and Dan walked into their office. Once the door was firmly shut behind them Phil's smile dropped and he flopped back in his chair, dragging his nails down his face in frustration. After a minute of moping he decided to distract himself with the work he had to do.
When Dan and Jessica entered the office they went straight to work with the usual morning paperwork. Dan haden't told Jessica about the thing on Saturday yet and was contemplating on telling her at all. Twenty minutes later as Dan was writing down notes with a pencil on his small not pad, Jessica spoke up.
"Phil's sweet isn't he?" She asked. Dan stopped writing for a second before frowning and continuing with his notes.
"I suppose." Dan replied.
"What do you think about him?" She kept going.
"Well um ... I suppose he's quite funny, and kind too." Dan shrugged, not sure as to why she was asking these questions. "Why?" He asked.
"I think I like him." She said, looking dreamy. As soon as the words left her mouth Dan's mouth dropped open and his grip tightened on the pencil he was holding and it snapped in his grip. He felt his chest tighten, he didn't know what to feel.
If his sister fancied Phil and so did he then there was a huge problem. Dan didn't even know if what Phil did on Saturday was his true actions or just the one of a horny drunk's. Dan felt so disappointed when Phil seemed to genuinely not remember anything but that was the thing he had also been hoping for so there'd be no awkward misunderstandings. The other problem was that he loved his sister and if he had to sacrifice Phil for her then that's what he'd do and that crushed Dan too.
"You what?" Dan decided on, not being able to keep the anger out of his voice.
"Please don't get mad! I think he likes me too. He's been so sweet and he's so cute. Please don't be protective brother and be happy for me for once. I really like this guy. I may not know a lot about him but I'd like to get to know him. I'm waiting to see if he will ask me out." Jessica sighed and smiled, twirling a lock of golden hair around her finger.
Dan's chest clenched once again but he shook the feelings off. "Okay." Dan replied, not knowing what else to say and going back to his work. He felt like if he carried on he'd probably start to cry because Phil was starting to be a huge part in Dan's life.
"Okay? That's it? You're not going to yell at me?" Jessica asked, astonished.
"He's a good guy." Was all Dan could reply with.
"Oh thank you Dan! I need to leave for a meeting! I'll be back in half an hour. Thanks for supporting me!" She grinned and brought him into a hug.
"No problem sis." Dan sighed and hugged her tight before letting her go. When Jess opened the door he caught a glimpse of Phil who was working away at the reception desk in concentration. As Jessica says a hello he looks up and beams at her and replies with his own before getting back to work. Dan thinks that he fancies her for sure. There was only one way to find out.
Once he was sure his sister was gone, he picked up the phone to Phil's desk and asked him to come into his office. Not a minute later the door clicked and Phil stuck his head round the door, looking painfully cute.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Come in, I need to talk to you." Dan sighed, standing up and walking round to the front of his desk then leaning back on the front of it, arms crossed across his chest. Phil nodded, looking confused then closed the door behind him.
Phil was nervous in case Dan was going to talk about Saturday night but was shocked at what Dan asked next.
"Do you fancy my sister?" Dan asked bluntly.
"What?!" Phil exclaimed.
"Don't play stupid with me Lester. I see the way you look at her so I'll ask you again. Do you fancy my sister?" Dan asked, his voice raising slightly.
"NO! I don't" Phil said, exasperated. Dan frowned.
"Well you fancy SOMEONE! You always have a dazed look on your face and you always smile brightly when you see her! So tell me if you like her or not! I'm not going to kill you, I just need confirmation!" Dan said, getting impatient.
"I told you I don't fancy her." Phil said through gritted teeth. "I fancy someone but it isn't her alright?" Phil sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. Dan didn't know whether to feel happy or unhappy. Happy that there was still a chance with Phil and unhappy because he didn't return his sister's feelings.
"Well who do you fancy then?" Dan snapped, deciding on unhappy. Phil was silent for a while and the tension slowly built up in the room. Dan found his breath hitching at the intense look in Phil's eyes. After a long two minutes Dan spoke up again, "Well?" He asked but his voice cracked at the end, and Dan cursed himself.
Phil suddenly took in a breath and took long strides across the room and grabbed Dan's face, bringing it closer. Dan's breath stuttered as he once again found himself only inches away from those perfect lips, hot breath fanning on his own. Phil haden't kissed him straight away in case he wanted to pull away. Like last time Dan found himself becoming impatient as Phil's eyes were searching his.
"Hurry up already!" Dan growled suddenly, making Phil laugh as he remembered Saturday and connected their lips without another word. Phil pushed Dan back against his desk and Dan moaned, hands sliding into Phil's inky locks. He felt Phil push him further back until he found himself having to lean on his elbows against the papers on his desk. Phi's hands trailed down Dan's body, lingering on his hips before his hand gripped Dan's thighs, lifting them up which encouraged Dan to wrap them round his waist.
Phil then pulled away from Dan's lips and trailed kisses down his jaw to the love bite he had left last time. His tongue traced over it making Dan moan as his hot tongue traced the sensitive skin there. Then Phil bit down once again, making Dan hiss but groan as well. His fingers tugged tight on Phil's hair before pulling him back for another heated kiss. When the both finally had to pull away for air, they rested their foreheads against each other and panted.
"You." Phil breathed, replying to hid previous question.
"I caught on." Dan smiled and reached up to peck his lips once.
Looks like the big bad giant was the golden goose after all...
I hugged my knees close to my chest. Thirteen days. How much longer would I last? Food was running low - in fact I hadn't checked if there was anything left in the cupboards. I had been trapped in the top flat of an apartment building for nearly two weeks.
I could hear the groaning and scraping of flesh and bones as the corpses outside the front door fought to get in. I whimpered and retreated into myself. I had been listening to the grinding and gargling of those creatures for days on end and it was slowly making me go insane.
The windows were boarded up and so was the door - there was no escape and I doubt a skinny nineteen year old boy like me could've survived anything like what had happened anyway. Zombie outbreak was always just supposed to be a fantasy, yet those creatures were fighting outside my door to get in and turn me into one of them.
Phil
"Do you think there are still others out there?" Leila laid back in her chair, untying her thick, brown hair and letting it fall loose behind her. She placed her boot-clad feet on the table, checking the ammunition in another gun before clicking it to safety and throwing it with the other functioning ones.
I sighed. "I wish I could say no."
Leila murmured in agreement. "I'd say we have about five hundred guns in that box alone," she stated, gesturing to a large wooden box overflowing with pistols. "But that's hardly enough against a country of zombies."
"It'll have to last us," I replied matter-of-factly. "The other countries were right to shut the borders but until we can find a way to get people safely out there's nothing we can do expect hope and fight."
Leila nodded, tossing a gun to the other side. "This one's dead," she muttered before standing and leaving the room.
"Phil!" a high-pitched voice squealed. I turned to see Nessy, Leila's sister, charging towards me with speed.
"Hey Ness-bear," I chuckled, picking her from the floor and bringing her in for a snuggle. "How're things on the other end?"
As survivors, Leila and I had found us on the Tube when the apocalypse hit. It was a strange but quickly noted fact that zombies cannot live in the dark. They absolutely refused to come down where the light lacked.
It baffled what remaining scientists we had, but people rapidly accepted it as a beacon of hope - creating an establishment underground for all remaining citizens. Some learnt to fight, some kept in charge of provisions and supplies.
As young people, Leila and I were immediately chosen as soldiers and taught how to manage a gun and a 'Main-Way'.
A 'Main-Way' is a new piece of technology designed for soldiers going out from Underground and adapted from zip wires to help them stay alive.
The mechanism works from within a belt that it strapped around the soldier's waist at all time. If the soldier pulls the trigger at the hip, the line of strong nylon cord strikes from the belt and sticks to the closest wall due to suckers on the end.
They're hard to use and barely fool proof. Soldiers are known to have died because it failed before, but it's a risk we have to take in order to get food and scout the area. Leila and I have been training for nearly two weeks on the things.
Because she's young, Nessy tends to spend more time on the less violent side of the establishment. She helps the men and women do the cooking, counting and sewing and she's happy there as far as we can tell.
"It's okay," she said. "But Dad's worried. He says food is getting low again and-"
The door opening quickly cut off Nessy. There stood a marshal, dressed in military gear, gun and Main-Way belt around his hip.
"Lester," he spoke in an authoritative voice. "You and Smith are needed in the training room at once."
"Does he mean me?" Nessy said once he had left again. I could feel her shaking slightly.
"No, sweetheart," I assured her, pressing a lasting kiss to her head before standing and watching her return to the other side. I sighed, speaking to no one as she became less visible down the dimly lit corridor. "He means your older sister.
Dan
I shivered; it was a lot colder now that heating was out of the question. I didn't even know what was happening in the outside world. I didn't know if help was coming. For all I knew the corpses could have spread across the world. I looked up from my knees - my cheeks stained with tears and my hair a mess.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and shakily stood up. I wobbled over to the kitchen sink since I hadn't moved in nearly 24 hours. I reached out and twisted the tap handle. To my relief water came pouring out - cold water was still water. I splashed my face and even washed a little of my body since the bath and shower refused to work.
After I was a little cleaner I washed my hair to get rid of the greasiness. I sniffed and looked in the mirror in the hallway. I looked a little less shitty but there were still dark circles under my eyes and my collarbones were sticking out a little more.
I closed my eyes and shuffled back into the living room, bundling myself up in the duvet I had managed to salvage from the bedroom. I snuggled up on the couch. 6 months. That's how long the apocalypse had been going on for. I had managed to hide in the apartment but only to trap myself inside.
I couldn't leave out the front door because zombies roamed the building and the windows were boarded up tight. It would probably be easier to break it from the outside since there was nothing to pry the boards away from the inside. I let out a defeated breath.
"Please let someone find me." I croaked. My voice was hoarse for not using it in a week or two - who did I have to talk to? Besides if I talked too much, the zombies would hear and crowd around the front door.
I looked over to the window and squinted when I saw the bright light through the cracks in the boards. "Must be morning." I thought and glanced at the phone on the coffee table. Of course it eventually ran out of battery and that was months ago. I had no way to contact anyone since I didn't have a charger. Who still had their phone in the end of the world anyway?
I huffed and lay down on the sofa. My body clock was all fucked up because the zombies kept me awake at night. Being in the dark somehow made them restless so the nights were uneasy. Just as my eyes began to get heavier I heard a crash in the street. I frowned and jumped up, staring at my window in fear.
After everything I was definitely a lot more jumpy. The littlest of sounds made me flinch. I bit my lip and stared at the window as more sounds were made outside. There were a few zombies gargling and what sounded to be smashing of glass. However, it was a little distant - as if it was happening a minute or two down the road. Hesitantly I got to my feet and padded over to the window.
I peered through a crack and at first saw nothing. As I was about to turn away I heard a faint yell. My eyes widened. "People?!" I thought in surprise.
After a moment of standing in shock I snapped out of it and immediately ran about the flat trying to find something-anything to try prying the boards from the window.
Phil
"Lester, Smith, you two have become our best young soldiers and the most capable of handling the Main-Ways," Marshall Lance stated. "We need you on an important mission."
We nodded. I shivered slightly at the loud, harsh tone of his voice but didn't dare look at Leila to see her reaction. I assumed she was coping better than me.
"Due to new scientific technology, we have a wireless-run metal detector that has been seeking out small electronics and metal pieces that living humans may have on them - such as phones, belts, zips, buckles and so on. One has been successfully detected amidst the boarded over apartments on the Eastern side of town."
My jaw dropped. They found living humans above the ground? What if they're not alive? For all we know they could've died with phone in hand.
"Do you think you can get there?" Lance asked bluntly.
"Yes," Leila answered immediately, though her voice shook slightly. I swallowed and nodded. I was in no state to talk right now.
"There is also a few streets of shops around the area that haven't been raided yet. We want you to get as many supplies as possible."
So we had to get a supposedly living human and as many supplies as we could halfway across this dead town full of walking dead creatures... Casual Saturday. I nearly laughed at my own joke but suppressed it in the seriousness of the situation.
"Good. Go get into your Main-Way gear. Marshall Offey will equip you with guns. Food and water are your problems. If you are out there for days, it's your priority to get yourselves bedded down and fed properly."
I let out a shaky breath. Food and water would only weigh us down, but it was still a scary thought that we could be out there alone for days with no protection. God knows how the other humans out there survived.
He began to make towards the door. Leila and I stayed standing exactly where we were. He opened it but stopped, addressing us though his gaze was on the floor.
"It doesn't matter what you do today - be it drop supplies, drop people, get lost or die," he said quietly. "No one's blaming you." The door closed after him, the shutting noise echoing around the room.
"Looks like we better get kitted up," Leila said, her voice cracking slightly. We were being sent out into a dead world of the living dead with nothing but a semi-working Main-Way. It was madness, maybe even suicide.
Once ready, having been given good luck wishes by friends and others, we were led to the old entrance to the underground where light beamed in like I had forgotten it to.
"In the back of the head, boys," Lance whispered from beside the staircase. We nodded, checking our many guns fitted into our belts. I looked at Leila once more, sighing as she looked at me also. Then we turned our gaze outside and stepped out.
"Let's take to the roof tops, we'll be safer there," Leila said. I agreed immediately - we would also have a better shot at zombies, even if it was slightly pointless to kill them when there were so many. We turned a corner, only to be faced immediately with two zombies, moaning and stumbling.
My breath caught in my throat as they began towards us but Leila simply slapped the sense into me, bringing out a gun and running towards the wall. I copied, soon realising how slow these things actually were and sprinted behind it, releasing a bullet straight into the back of its head. I did the same with the other as I had a clear shot. Leila thanked me, and using the Main-Ways we made our way to the roofs... Or attempted to.
Me being the clumsy fuck I was managed to slam myself into a brittle window, made shaky by dirt and old age. It smashed immediately and I yelled loudly as a piece of glass scraped my hand.
"You idiot," Leila chuckled but helped me onto the roof, grinning foolishly.
"Well that could've gone worse," I deemed. She laughed.
"Come on loser, we've got souls to save."
Dan
I threw cupboards open and searched every crevice of the apartment. I couldn't count on my voice to save me since it wasn't working too well. I'd need to open the window and signal for help if actual living human beings were out there.
I angrily ripped open the last cupboard only to find nothing. No doubt the flat had been raided before I arrived. In frustration I threw my fist against the wall and let out a yelp once I realised it was a little too hard. I stared at my clenched fist to see bruised knuckles and a little blood. A sharp pain struck through my hand and made me think about the possibility of accidentally fracturing it.
"Perfect timing Dan." I thought furiously and stumbled back into the living room. I went over to the window and started tugging on the boards, hoping they'd at least budge but they didn't. I let out a groan of effort as I tugged as hard as I could.
Realising it was useless; I pulled back and started kicking at it, but only successfully cracking the wood. I wasn't strong enough or had enough stamina to keep it up either. "Come on, there's got to be SOMETHING!" I thought worriedly, panic settling in. I looked around for anything that could possibly help pry the boards from the window.
My eyes scanned the room but there wasn't anything strong enough to break them. I ran back through to the kitchen and double-checked every cupboard. I checked once more under the sink, unfortunately only finding plastic bags, dirty rags and a series of washing up liquids and bleaches. I was about to close it when a glint of silver caught my eye.
I felt a relief flood over me when I pulled out a hammer from under the plastic bags and nearly jumped for joy. Not wasting another second, I ran to the window and started to attack the nails holding the wooden planks to the wall around the window. It took a while but eventually all the boards were pried from the window. I squinted as the light flooded into the room and momentarily blinded me. "Please don't let me be too late." I thought in panic.
I listened out but all I could hear was the zombies down the road creating a commotion. For all I knew, the others were dead. I looked down at the street bellow and cowered at the sight of a bunch of zombies crowding round a flickering street light in fascination.
I looked down the face of the apartment building and was surprised to see vines flowing down to the pavement floor. I reached down and gathered them up, pulling them up into the room so I had a way to escape if necessary. I was done feeling sorry for myself - I needed to survive.
Phil
Leila and I jogged across the rooftops. Apart from a few moaning zombies, the neighbourhood was silent. Any noise we make could be heard for miles - by any organism, living or not. I felt eerie, almost tense. I suppose it should, considering we're running across rooftops in a zombie apocalypse. I never thought I'd be saying that. Leila and I used to joke about it all the time before the outbreak yet here we are.
"What do these things run on?" I asked Leila, gesturing to the Main-Way strapped around my waist.
"I don't really know," she admitted, tightening hers. "Let's just hope whatever it is doesn't run out." I nodded solemnly. That was the absolute worst thing that could happen. We slowed to a walk, catching our breaths and watching as the light behind the clouds began to tilt towards the West.
"Uh oh."
"What?" Leila asked, worried.
"We're running out of time." I pointed to the sky and her tense jaw slacked as she realised what I was pointing at. There was no doubt that it was either Spring or Summer, so the days didn't end that quickly, but we had been going for just over an hour and we still needed to find whoever was out here and get back to the underground.
They told us not to trust any other undergrounds just in case, despite the fact that zombies won't put themselves in dark places. Then a thought struck me.
"Leila?"
"Yea?" she answered, not really looking at me but more towards the remains on the neighbourhood behind me.
"What do zombies do in the night?"
"What do you mean what do- oh. The dark."
There was silence for a short moment before she attempted a guess. We both knew next to nothing about zombies, she's just always been the more logical one and I the more creative one so I figured she'd have a better answer.
"They could take themselves to light places," she offered. "I don't know how the electricity is up here, but I'm willing to bet that there are a few shops or street lights still working."
Ideas began to hit me quickly. "Leila... Maybe going back isn't such a good idea..."
"WHAT?" she whisper-screamed.
"No I mean in the end obviously," I said. "But if your theories are correct, zombies will gather around street lights and lit shops in the darkness. Anything glowing we'll be able to see for miles and it will give us a clear indication of where the zombies are."
Leila paused to think over my reckoning.
"That's actually a really good idea - only downside is, we can't see."
I nodded. "Yeah. But we've got nothing else remotely close to a plan except for wander aimlessly until someone screams at us or get eaten."
"Oh don't say the last part again," Leila begged, running her hands over her face. "We're going to find this arse-hole okay?"
"Yeah, we will," I agreed.
We picked up the pace to a jog again until Leila spotted a small convenience store with the window smashed in but nothing taken. We abseiled to the ground using the Main-Ways and ran in as silently as we could, guns cocked and eyes alert. We snatched up a few tins and a slotted as many bottles of water into the pockets of our Main-Way belts as possible before quickly taking to the rooftops again to eat them.
Due to the lack of cutlery we ditched all means of dining etiquette - I mean, it was an apocalypse - and ended up kinda drinking cold baked beans out the tin. We had a few tins of sliced peaches and tomatoes left which would last us another day, and enough water to last two if we were resourceful, but after that we would need to refill.
We left the tins of the rooftop and stood.
"We need to find this guy," Leila stated. I rolled my eyes.
"You keep saying that." She didn't reply.
I took her silence as an opportunity to have a look around at our new location. It looked almost exactly the same as any other place, except we were surrounded by apartments and the light had just begun to dim. Something caught my eye and made me inhale.
"Oh Leila," I breathed, watching the scene. "You were right."
A single, flickering street light was being swarmed by moaning zombies, all crowding around it, jostling to get the better view. But Leila still didn't reply. Usually if she was right she'd do a happy little dance or a 'See how clever I am' joke but she was silent.
I turned to look at her, eyebrows furrowed together at her odd behaviour, only to realise that she was watching something on the ground intensely. I couldn't be a zombie - she would have slammed a bullet in its brain by now and gotten us running.
I crept to her side and followed her gaze.
There was a human figure running through the streets. He was old - well, older than us and he wasn't wearing a Main-Way. He began to scour the area, both high and low.
Leila and I immediately dropped to our fronts, shielded by the wonky gutter in front of us. If the man saw us he didn't do anything about it but simply began pounding an apartment building and yelling.
We watched through a kink in the gutter. "What is he doing?" I whispered. "Surely he's giving away his location to the zombies?"
She shrugged, bewildered. Suddenly a series of long green vines erupted from a window three stories above, tumbling strongly to the floor. The man didn't think twice in grabbing onto them and using them to climb up the wall. By the time any zombies arrived, he was much closer to the window and scrambled in, heaving in the vines after him. If anything happened next we couldn't hear it.
Dan
I looked outside, there were more zombies gathering and it was getting lighter. I shivered as the breeze flew through the window. That was definitely a downside to my amazing idea. "So what now? Do I escape?" I thought in hesitation.
I probably had a faster chance of dying if I went out. However, it was either that or starve to death and I was already feeling weak. I looked at the pile of vines at my feet in contemplation. "I at least need to search for food before morning comes." I thought and mustered up all the courage I had left.
I picked up a bundle in my arms and got ready to go when I heard frantic banging and screaming from below which made my confidence whither and die. I cowered back from the window and shook. I fell to the floor and clutched my knees tight, trying to block out the sound.
However, the sound still reached my ears and the more I listened the more human it sounded. My eyes widened in alarm and I rushed over to the window and peeked over the edge. An old man was banging frantically on the ground apartment door with tears in his eyes.
"Shit." I whispered and grabbed the vines. I couldn't have him alerting all the zombies on where our location was. I pushed them over the side and watched as the man looked at them in bewilderment before grabbing them and climbing up the side of the building.
I held my breath as he got closer - I had no idea if I could trust him and, despite yearning for it, human interaction made me nervous after all the time I had spent alone.
Finally he reached the window and i helped him scramble inside. He heaved out an exhausted breath and collapsed on the carpet. "He's quite strong for an old man!" I thought, he was probably in his late forties, early fifties by the looks of it.
I watched in silence as he caught his breath back and once he was fully recovered he sat up and looked up at me with a strange look. "What's your name boy?" He asked with an odd tone.
"D-Dan." I croaked, still not used to the sound of my voice.
"Heh, well thanks for saving me ... but I'm afraid this won't work." He grinned sadistically. My eyes widened and I backed away in fear - this was what I feared. The fact that the apocalypse had turned some people in selfish psychopaths.
I swallowed. "W-what?" I asked weakly.
"Things are going to work a little differently around here - I'm in charge from now on, you got it? Now when night comes you're going to stay here and not help anyone else, got it? I'll got search for food. The only reason I'm keeping you alive right now is because I need someone to lower the vine, got it?" He snarled, getting in my face.
I whimpered and cowered away, but I nodded in terror of being hurt. "Good, now let's make this clear. If you don't throw them vines down or try to run away - It'll either me or the zombies that kill you, got it boy? No screaming for help - no escaping. You're a slave to me, got it?" He sneered and his rotten breath made me want to gag.
"G-got it." I stuttered, trembling in fear.
He smirked and burst out laughing. "Great! Now make me familiar with this place and the best place to sleep." He ordered and I bowed my head, showing him around the flat.
Phil
Leila and I stayed lying hidden behind the gutter for two more hours. The light had long since begun fading, and at this rate it was going to be night soon. We had shared a bit of water and kept watching the house for any sign of danger or a clue as to who these people are and what they could possibly do to us or each other.
We took it in turns to keep watch. There's only so long you can watch a falling-apart flat before wanting to violently smack your head face first into the roof tiles beneath you. Leila is one of those annoying people who don't get bored if she has a motive and right now, her motive was to get to know the people in this house.
But Leila and I have been friends for a long time. Since before the apocalypse. She knew me better than just to make me wait. So when I shifted my body and turned to face the zombies she didn't say a word only pushed me further and jolted the gutter so I had a better view.
I studied the zombies and their movements towards the light. They didn't seem to want to touch it or involve themselves with it - just look at it. They weren't pushing or bustling to get as close as possible, simply being near and being able to see it seemed enough.
As the time passed more and more zombies ambled up to the light, groaning as their heads robotic-ally turned upwards to face the light. It was strange, disturbing, but fascinating at the same time.
They were so drawn to the light... What made them?
Suddenly Leila grabbed my arm. Her legs were bent and she was poised to get up. I looked forwards to see what she had seen. There was a person in the window - we couldn't see exactly who they were or if it was a boy or girl, but they seemed pretty tall.
"I say we go in," Leila whispered. I didn't object. Seeking for an answer in my silence she looked at me so I nodded and she wrenched the gutter from the building so it hung below us.
She plugged her Main-Way to the wall and abseiled to the floor, waiting fearlessly for me to follow.
As soon as my feet hit solid ground, I became very aware that I was, once again, in an abnormal amount of danger. All it took was a small wave of zombies and we'd be wiped out if we got surrounded.
Leila wasted no time in sprinted to the other wall and grabbing the vines, seeing no use for her Main-Way so she disabled it to save the energy in it and began climbing up.
"Hurry up, Phil!" she whisper-yelled once she was a considerable way up. I nodded, placing a foot on the wall and curled my hands around the vines. I heaved myself up from the floor, using my legs to support as much of the weight as I could and started up the wall.
I looked up when I was around half way up to see Leila's strong legs sweeping over the windowsill and into the house. Despite my aching limbs I picked up the pace and hauled myself to the top as quick as I could.
I stumbled inside only to have my heart stop. Leila was frozen to the spot, her gaze fixed on the awful scene in front of her.
A boy was being held at a knife point on the other side of the room. I wish I had more time to study his face because he was absolutely gorgeous with a brown fringe swept to one side quite like mine, deep eyes wide with fear and glazed over with the trauma of this situation. He was tall and very skinny - I hated to think how the hell he had survived to long and what the hell on.
He was shaking - anyone could see that. My heart lurched for him.
"Take one more move and I'll slit his throat," the man growled. I raised my hands in the air.
"Listen we're not the enemy-" Leila started but that man only pressed the knife further into the boy's neck causing him to cry out in pain. I automatically began to step forward to shove the man off but Leila held me back.
"I don't care who you are," he snarled. "Get the FUCK OUT."
I tried my hardest to keep my quivering mouth closed. I sucked in my lips, glaring at the man with such hatred I was surprised he didn't burst into flames from my look alone.
"Let's go, Phil," Leila said, calmly. I switched my gaze from the man to the boy and immediately my gaze softened. He stared at me in desperation.
I tried to tell him through eye contact that I wouldn't leave him here but for I know he probably took it as I was going to kill him.
Leila pressed into me and whispered in my ear.
"If you get the chance, save him."
I nodded and she stepped away from me. We backed away slowly towards the window. The man seemed content after the backs of our legs hit the windowsill and he released the boy and walked into the other room.
Without hesitating at all, I sprinted to the other side of the room and gathered up the boy in my arms, running my hands over his face to see if he was too badly hurt.
He said nothing, simply pointed behind me. I followed his arm, heart thumping, only to see the barrel of a gun poking out from the next room.
"LEILA!" I screamed, turning and charging to her but it was too late. A shot rang out through the flat and she fell backwards, legs bending over the edge of the window and she fell backwards.
My hands hit the sill milliseconds too late. Time seemed to go in slow motion as I scrabbled on the side of the wall to catch anything but I had already missed.
Leila immediately reached for her Main-Way but a look of horror flashed across her face as she realized she had disabled it once getting inside. She had no way of saving herself.
Her terrified eyes connected with mine, a heart-breaking look of desperation fixed onto her expression.
Her body hit the ground with a sickening crack.
Dan
I stayed curled up in the corner, not daring to look up. That's what I get for trying to be a good person during the apocalypse. Thanks to my stupidity I would never be free. I was stuck playing slave to a man I didn't even know.
I gave a terrified glance up in his direction. He hadn't hesitated to take my bed on the sofa. He didn't even bother to give me anything to keep me warm - only to sleep in the corner like the dog I was. It made me think. He could have been a completely sane and loving person who was on the verge of retirement but the apocalypse could have turned him into the psycho he was now.
I quickly looked down at my knees, which were pulled tight to my chest. I tried not to whimper as I heard him scoff down the food he had been carrying with him. I hadn't eaten in ages and my stomach was aching tremendously. It had only been a few hours but I had already been thrown about and battered.
I don't think luck or hope exists. If it did, then why would my good deed land me in the worst situation possible besides death? In fact death seemed much kinder than what I assumed I would endure for quite some time.
"SHUT UP BOY! I can hear your stomach from here. If it goes off again I'll hurt you." He grinned maniacally, pulling a knife from his pocket and holding it tauntingly in the light.
I whimpered and retreated further into myself. "Please stomach, don't make a sound." I internally begged.
The early morning soon passed and the sun was shining brightly through the window. I felt myself nodding off but the light was irritating my eyes so I sat in a cramped position, falling in and out of sleep. Just when I thought I was getting the precious release of unconsciousness, I felt the man grab me by my collar and pull me to my feet, which resulted in a pained yelp from me.
"YOU IDIOT! YOU LEFT THE VINES OUT!" He growled, spit flying out and onto my face. I was disorientated and didn't know what he was talking about.
Next thing I knew he turned me towards the window and pressed the knife firmly against my neck, causing my breath to hitch and my heart beat to accelerate.
My eyes fearfully flicked towards the window where a figure had just climbed through - a girl. In my panic and slightly confused state, I had no time to study her. All I could make out was the cautious and hateful look on her features they her eyes burned holes in the man holding me. Soon another figure climbed through the window - a boy, but yet again I didn't process his image - only the fact that my body was reacting badly to the shock. I was shaking and my breathing was ragged and uneven, not to mention the skin on my neck stung from the blade being pressed firmly against the skin.
"Take one more move and I'll slit his throat!" The man warned behind me with a growl. The boy put his hands up in a way of showing peace and a hopeful negotiation. However, I was on the verge of tears because not only was the knife pressed against my sensitive neck but he held my arm at an awkward angle behind my back and his grip was tightening on it. I was afraid it would snap easily since I was really skinny from lack of food.
"Listen we're not the enemy-" The woman began but the knife was pressed harder against my neck, breaking the skin and leaking blood whilst he twisted my arm further, making me cry out in agony. I whimpered in his hold and blinked the tears away, my vision going blurry.
"I don't care who you are," The man snarled, "Get the FUCK OUT!" He yelled, hurting my ears in the process. There was a second of silence before the girl spoke up again.
"Let's go Phil." She stated calmly. My eyes shot open in fear - they were actually going to leave me to die in the hands of this psychopath. I just stared at them in desperation.
"So this is it ... there's no such thing as compassion in an apocalypse. It's every man for himself." I thought bitterly. The boy's blue eyes stared intently at me and I cowered away, if he wasn't going to do anything I didn't need his pity.
They backed away slowly until their legs were against the windowsill. I felt his hold on me relax and suddenly I was thrown to the floor. I yelped as my head hit off the floor. "Just kill me already." I thought in desperation.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the man walk into another room, leaving me on the ground. I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath but choked on it when I felt arms lift me up. I whimpered and flinched away. I felt hands grab my face and suddenly I was looking into the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I stared in awe as the boy worriedly checked my face.
Everything that happened next happened so quickly I didn't know how to react. There was a loud bang and the boy screamed out a name before running to the window.
I leaned against the wall - feeling dizzy. All I could see was a blurred figure of the boy, crying and screaming. The girl was nowhere to be seen and the man emerged from a room, gun pointed at the boy at the window. My eyes widened in realisation when my brain finally clicked.
I didn't know what happened but instinct took over and I lunged towards the man, successfully knocking the gun out of his hands. I pushed him over, causing him to stumble and hit the wall. I looked up in fear, feeling my heart quicken when he gave me the most evil stare in the world. He wiped his mouth before standing up and approaching me like a predator would prey. I whimpered and backed away in terror.
Phil
I couldn't tear my eyes away from Leila's distorted body. I couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. Blood was seeping out from the back of her head and her right arm was twisted behind her. If someone didn't get there soon she's die from the impact or worse - be eaten. A thud behind me brought my thoughts back to the fight at hand.
I saw the man approaching the brown haired boy, a furious expression on his face. His gun was across the room and there was a large dent in the wall behind him.
"HOW DARE YOU!" He screamed, advancing on the boy, silhouetted like a monster.
I did the only thing I could think to do and took my gun from my pocket. My hand shook as I fumbled with the safety. I may be killing the dead like flies, but killing the living was entirely different.
He was getting closer to the boy. I remembered Leila and suddenly my mind calmed. The red and panic cleared and it became easy to think again.
I didn't pull the trigger. I raised my arm and hurled the gun as hard as I could. With a loud crack it hit him in the back of the head and the man fell unconscious before the boy.
The boy was leaning against the wall and shaking with terror. After rolling the man's body out if the way I hurried over to him and gathered him up.
"We need to get out of here okay?" I said, looking into his eyes. He nodded slightly, curling into me. I sighed and stood, activating my Main-Way and walking over to the window.
Black. It was all I could see. The night had come. And Leila was nowhere to be seen.
Dan
"HOW DARE YOU!" The man growled and I whimpered, backing further into the wall. This was it – I was going to die! I was a failure and a waste of space – even when I try and save someone I go and fuck that up too.
He raised his arm to harm me but he suddenly froze up. A sickening crack filled my ears and I watched shakily as the man dropped to the ground with a shocked expression. In my confused and terrified state, I only just managed to make out a small trickle of blood run down his forehead.
I was about to collapse in exhaustion when two strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me close to their chest. My eyelids fluttered and I frowned as I tried to focus on the person holding me. It was the blue-eyed boy looking at me in concern.
"We need to get out of here okay?" He asked, looking me directly in the eyes. I was still in a state of shock and I was disorientated from being abruptly awoken and forced into a terrifying situation, so all I could do was nod and curl into him. For some reason I trusted him even though I knew I shouldn't trust anyone any more. I was just so tired.
I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the exhaustion consume me. When I opened them again I felt a breeze on my face and my blurry vision made out a black canvas of stars. I frowned and looked to the boy who looked sad. I didn't have the energy to ask him what was wrong and then suddenly we were falling. I didn't scream – I couldn't scream. I clenched my eyes shut and prepared for impact when there was suddenly a jolt and we were flying.
I frowned and looked up to see the boy focusing on the path in front of him. He looked angry and sad at the same time – all in all scarred. The emotion behind his bright blue eyes was startling and I felt my heart lurch for him. I racked my brain for a second – where was the girl?
It clicked in my head and I looked up at him with a sad look, but he couldn't see me. Somehow he was manoeuvring us to safety. I sighed and closed my eyes. My energy finally ran out and I drifted into unconsciousness.
...
I blinked but immediately winced as a light invaded my eyesight. After adjusting to the brightness I studied my surroundings. Still half asleep and dizzy, I only made out slightly blurry and squint surroundings. I groaned in pain as numerous limbs started to ache.
The next time I opened my eyes I was staring up into bright blue ones. The bright blue ones of my saviour.
Phil
I hadn't slept much last night. My thoughts kept wandering to Leila, flashes of her unmoving body shuddering through my mind. I eventually gave up and sat on the edge of the roof watching the sunrise.
We were miles away from the abandoned flat where I found the boy. He fell asleep as soon as we hit solid ground, so I lay him on a secure piece of roof to sleep. I drank a bit of water but couldn't eat the tinned peaches. They reminded me too much of Leila.
I'd give them to the boy when he woke up. Thinking about the boy made me watch him for a moment. I realised I didn't really know what he looked like. I crawled towards him as best I could on an old roof and hovered above him studying his sleeping face.
He was actually gorgeous, with plump lips and shadowed features. They were a little more defined due to the lack of food recently eaten, but as the sun rose further, his eyes fluttered open.
They immediately bore into mine until slowly I backed away, helping him sit up and immediately offering water. He seemed parched and he couldn't really talk, so I waited until after he had eaten and drunk to speak to him.
"Are you okay?" I asked, resting a hand on his arm. He nodded, offering me a small smile. It must've hurt though, because his face was littered with tiny cuts and bruises and he had a split lip. Nevertheless he smiled. "What's your name?" I asked. He swallowed another gulp of water.
"Dan," he croaked out, holding his throat. His voice wavered a bit, like he hadn't spoken in a long time. He probably hadn't.
"Okay Dan, I'm going to get you somewhere safe," I promised. "I can't imagine sleeping on a roof has left you in the best situation, but you're going to have to work with me okay?" He nodded, but closed his eyes, still listening. "I'm going to use this device to get us home, but you don't have one so you're going to have to hold on really tight okay?" He nodded again. "Do you feel as if you can go now?" I asked. He opened his mouth to say something but never did. It was silent for a moment before he nodded.
"Okay," I said, getting to my feet and stretching my legs before helping him stand. "It might take us all day, but I promise we'll get there," I said, slinging his arm over my shoulder and letting him lean his weight on me and we started walking across the rooftops.
As time continued, he seemed to get better and better at walking by himself but he still liked to hold my hand for security. I liked holding his hand. I felt nice in mine and took my mind off Leila.
I was blocking out all feelings to do with Leila because I had to focus on Dan right now. After we had been walking for hours I spotted a shop. I had long since run out of supplies and this would be the perfect place to stock up. I asked Dan if he wanted to come with but he rejected.
I don't blame him.
Quickly, I used my Main-Way to get stealthily to the ground and crept into the shop. I loaded tins and water into my belt.
I turned to go and my heart dropped. Blocking the entire doorway - my only exit - was an enormous crowd of zombies.
But what made it worst of all, at the front, was Leila.
Dan
"There's a shop down there, I'll need to stock up. Are you okay here or do you want to come?" The boy asked me. I shook my head, more than happy to stay away from any danger. He gave me a sad smile, "Alright, I'll be back in a minute, don't move."
He jumped off the edge of the roof, using his odd pully-system to manoeuvre to the ground safely. Despite everything that was going on - humanity continued to impress. Apparently throughout the time I had been hidden away they had managed to make these new devices.
I sighed and flopped down on the roof. My body ached from sleeping on the roof and also from the bruises and marks that man had made on me. He only knew me for nearly 24 hours yet he still managed to inflict that much pain on me. I cringed and shivered at the thought, subconsciously curling into myself.
Then the boy came – I didn't even know his name. He asked for mine but he didn't have time to tell me his, I'd need to ask him when my voice was of better use. I thought about how he was feeling. He didn't show it but I could tell he was in pain – I could see it swimming behind his beautiful blue eyes.
That's another thing I noticed – the boy was absolutely gorgeous and is definitely the definition of knight in shining armour. His hair is so dark and contrasts so well against his pale skin. He has a little muscle and looks like he's been eating better than I have. Just thinking about those eyes made butterflies dance in my stomach. I bit my lip and blushed, "Pull yourself together Dan – we're in an apocalypse, that's not time for a romance." I scolded myself because really – I've seen the movies and couples never last!
I sighed and closed my eyes for a split second only to hear the sound of glass smashing and a blood-curdling scream. I felt ice cold and I snapped my eyes open in fear in the direction of the sound.
There was tons of them – a whole group surrounding the shop. "SHIT! The boy's in there!" I knew I wouldn't survive without him – I couldn't leave him even if I could survive without him. I stood up and yelped, feeling my body and bruises ache. "What can I do? What can I do?" I thought in worry.
My eyes raked the streets in search of something useful. When I found nothing I felt my heart sink. "I need a distraction!" I thought and frantically scanned everywhere for something – anything. "SHIT!" I growled in frustration when, once again, I came up blank. I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath before they snapped open again in fear.
I shakily looked down at the group of zombies crowding around the shop the boy was situated in. He could save so many more lives – I wasn't helping anyone, I have caused enough trouble. "If I get him out it will be one last good deed." I thought in determination, however, I couldn't banish the fear from my mind.
I clenched my fists and looked down the side of the building. To my luck the was a drain pipe going up the side of the building. Using all the strength I had left, I quickly clambered down until my feet hit concrete. I turned round and none of them had noticed me yet.
I did, however, notice the boy hiding behind the desk with fear and an emotion I couldn't decipher in his eyes. That was all the encouragement I needed. "Here I go." I breathed before running down the street. "HEY!" I yelled and picked up a piece of glass and smashing it on the floor.
All heads turned to me with their dead and glazed over expressions. I breathed out a terrified breath before clenching my fists tight and glaring back at them. "WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" I yelled angrily and stood strong. "One more good deed." I thought.
Phil
My legs began to tremble as they advanced into the shop. No, no, Leila! This was the one thing she didn't want and it was my entire fault. I doubted Dan was in any physical condition to even consider saving me and I don't blame him. I wouldn't save me either.
I backed up until I hit the counter and jumped behind it, shaking and crying and knowing this was it. I put my head in my hands when I heard a scream. I looked up and heard another yell.
Dan.
All the zombies' heads turned towards the outside of the shop and slowly they began to move.
Dan... He's going to die!
This was the first thing that ran through my head, but I certainly wasn't going to become stupid with fear. I watched as all the zombies stumbled out of the shop. I had no idea where Dan was but he could just hit the roofs if they got to close. Oh shit. He doesn't have a Main-Way. The thought hit me like a slap to the face.
All he could do is run, and after being beaten and malnourished for I don't know how long, that wasn't good. I cocked my gun and stood, smashing a window of the shop just in case we got cornered and running outside, picking them off one by one before they could turn. Using my Main-Way, I hit the roof and began running, desperately searching the street below to find Dan.
Soon enough I caught sight of him - he was running for his life with zombies behind him. I looked around, quickly clocking the zombies that were coming round the corner and he was about to run into. I picked off those zombies quickly with a bullet into the back of the head and kept running alongside Dan, trying to find an empty street where I could get him to higher ground.
"DAN!" I yelled. "GET TO THE SQUARE!" I gestured to behind a block of houses. Either he knew the area or understood what I meant, because he immediately kicked open the door of the nearest house and darted inside, keen to get out the other side.
Using the Main-Way, I leapt from the roof and soared over the houses, fire at zombies whilst flying back first through the air, legs out in front of me. I turned so that I could see when I was going and angled my body to land on the roof Dan had just run into. I latched the Main-Way onto the side and scrambled up, quickly dropping over the other side and into the square
Only he didn't show. Not immediately, not even after a minute. It was easy to get through these houses - my aunt had had one. Something was holding him up. I kicked through a brittle window and clambered in, heart thudding, thoughts racing, yelling that this was a bad idea.
I immediately began searching every room until I heard a scream from my left. I charged in, cocked my gun and was about to yell when my jaw dropped and blood went cold. Leila stood with Dan in her arms, teeth millimetres away from Dan's neck. She raised her yellow eyes to meet mine, threatening to close her jaw and bite him. This was it. I had to choose. And it was between my dead best friend or a beautiful boy in severe danger.
Dan
I went to run out the back door, when I heard a groan of pain. I frowned - even though my heart was beating loudly and fear racked my brain, I couldn't leave someone who could be in pain. I bit my lip before investigating.
I wandered into the nearest room, "Hello?" I asked shakily and suddenly hands grabbed at me. I screamed in fear and the next thing I knew I was being held by a zombie while the boy burst into the room. He seemed to freeze then drop his arms. "What's he doing?" I thought in fear as I felt the corpse's breath on my neck.
I glanced at his face and saw the same sad and guilty look from before. That's when it clicked once again - this was the female. I whimpered - there's no way he'd choose me over her, even if she is dead. I scrunched up my eyes and prepared myself to get bitten - I had already risked my life to get the boy out. I'm just a waste of space and he doesn't need me. I've caused him enough trouble - it's my fault the girl is dead. What other reason would he need to let the girl kill me? I felt tears in my eyes as I waited for death.
Phil
My hand was shaking. I couldn't shoot. It wouldn't matter if I was aiming for Dan or Leila I'd miss either way. My thoughts were racing, flashing back to all Leila and I's times together.
~Flashback~
"Phil!" Leila laughed as I splashed her with river water. She flicked some back at me. I yelped and tried to dodge but tripped over a rock and fell head first into the river.
I resurfaced, spluttering, and on the bank Leila was splitting her sides laughing. "Are you even real?!" She giggled after she had calmed down.
"Yes," I grumbled, wading from the brown depths.
"Oh don't be so down," she scolded jokingly. "Let's go get you cleaned up."
"Since when did you get so heartless?" I asked, eyes furrowed deliberately comically.
She shrugged. "You'll never know how to help someone if you let your vision be blinded by sympathy." I didn't say anything to that. I just let her lead me home.
~Flashback~
Leila's words ricocheted around my head. It almost seemed ironic now. My hand had stopped shaking, so I pulled the trigger.
Dan
I heard the girl draw back a breath and knew she was about to bite into my neck. I scrunched up my face.
"Couldn't he at least shoot me and save me the pain of becoming one of them?" I thought in despair and suddenly there was a sharp shot through the air, which made my ears ring and my head rattle. "So he did it?" I thought in confusion, fear and all in all disorientation. What had happened? I slowly opened one eye and was surprised to feel the grip on me slack as the girl relaxed and slid down my back. "What just happened?" I thought in confusion as I looked down at the zombie.
I gasped when I saw the gaping bullet hole in her head. I swallowed and turned back to the boy who was looking down at his shoes with sadness, guilt and anger mixed into his expression.
"W-why?" I croaked and his eyes darted to mine. The bright blue momentarily struck me speechless but I shook it off and found my words again. "Sh-she was your friend. Wh-why would you kill her for someone like me?" I asked, my voice shaking and stuttering all over the place.
He looked at me with what looked like shock then a stern expression came over his face as he walked towards me. I winced and cowered away – thinking he'd hit me. I was beyond surprised when he pulled me into a hug.
"You're not worthless – no one on this planet is. Besides, she was already dead." My eyes widened in surprise at his words but I shakily hugged him back.
Phil
I held him for a long time as he began to cry. I didn't blame him. All this apocalypse is too heavy for any human to bear alone. "W-why did you s-save me?" He sobbed. "I'm not worth anything to anyone."
I stepped away, horrified by his words and tilted his chin to look me in the eyes. "Nobody in this world is worthless, and even if you feel that way know that you mean s fuck lot to me and I am never leaving you." He simply burst into tears again and threw himself at me. All I wanted to do was cuddle him but we needed to get out of here. I gathered him up in my arms and took is quickly to the roof where I snuggled him into me and let him cry as I peppered little kisses over his hair and forehead.
Eventually he stopped crying and we lay there, limbs lost, tangled in one another for a long time, simply enjoying the silence and warmth of each other's company. "Thank you," Dan whispered, burying his face into my shirt.
"There's no glory in killing the dead over twice," I croaked. In the silence Leila's death had really hit me hard. "But you were worth the humiliation and I will never regret my decision." I kept my gaze forwards as I said this, and only now did I tilt it down to his face.
His sharp brown eyes were gazing into mine, his expression filled with pain and something else I couldn't decipher. So I did the only thing that felt natural. I leant forwards and pressed my lips to his.
Dan
I snuggled into Phil's embrace, feeling warm and safe there. "Thank you." I whispered, feeling small in his arms.
"There's no glory in killing the dead over twice," Phil croaked. "But you were worth the humiliation and I will never regret my decision." He mumbled, eyes cast ahead. I looked up at him in awe and also pain – I had been hurt and he was my shining light in the dark. His striking blue eyes met mine and my breathing hitched – he was so beautiful.
Suddenly he leaned down and kissed me."Am I dreaming?" I thought in disbelief as his lips moulded with mine. Despite my shock, I melted into him and kissed back – it had been a while since I had had such intimate contact with another human being. My hands slid up his chest to his neck – keeping him in place and kissing him firmly. I felt the butterfly's pool in my stomach and although it was such an inappropriate moment I enjoyed every second and kissed him back passionately.
I only came to my senses when I heard a pained groan from downstairs. I pulled away in alarm but even then I couldn't keep my eyes off him. My breath came out in a stutter as I stared at him – mesmerised. "W-we should go." I breathed, still staring intensely in his eyes.
Phil
Surprisingly, we arrived back at the Underground entrance before sunset. There were crowds of people lining up either side of an aisle for me to walk down. They were cheering and screaming but all could think of how Leila wasn't here.
I gave Dan over to the doctors so they could help him and feed him and went to lie down. Several people offered me food, drink or other services but I refused. I didn't feel like doing anything right now. I missed Leila. Until now, I hadn't really had time to lie down and go over everything.
The tidal wave of her death hit me hard. I cried and cried and cried - bawling my eyes out against the bed sheets, banging my fists on the wall and ripping my hair out sobbed for hours until I was curled up on the bed, crying quietly into my knees, face hidden.
The door opened and closed and I felt the bed dip. Warm arms slithered around my waist and pulled me close to another body. My crying ceased slightly at the contact. I turned around in his hold and looked at his face properly for the first time and holy heck, he was beautiful.
He leant forward, kissing my forehead before letting me curl into him and sniffle some more."I miss her," I whimpered.
"I know," he whispered into my hair, his arms strengthening around me. I sighed. "One day, this will all end, and we'll live happily," Dan said. "One day, we'll be out of here, we'll be eating proper meals and sleeping on proper beds. And one day, we'll find Leila, and she'll be human and smiling and happy."
"One day," I whispered, becoming sleepy. "One day, she'll be safe."
"One day we'll all be okay."
Dan
I had been prodded and bandaged and patched up by doctors and I was fed up with it. The room smelt sterile and the room was a blinding white - it reminded me of hospital and that made me uncomfortable. Finally the doctors and nurses left me to get rest but I couldn't sleep - the whole time I worried about the boy.
After asking one of the nurses, I discovered his name was Phil. I laid in bed with a smile on my face - the doctors were long gone and all I could think about was how perfect 'Phil' sounded and how perfect our kiss had been.
However, my happiness dissolved when I remembered how sad and broken he looked when we separated. I didn't miss the miserable look on his face before they took me away. For hours I tried to get some sleep but however exhausted I was - I couldn't tear my mind away from Phil.
Finally, I gave up and left the room in search for him. I didn't know what we were but I liked to think we had something special - maybe even start a relationship but if he was overcome with grief I wouldn't push it on him.
Eventually, after an hour of wandering I heard hushed sobs and whimpers and followed the sound into a dark room. I found him curled up on the bed and walked over to him, hoping I could offer comfort.
I hesitated before sliding my arms round his waist and cuddling him close. His sobs eventually died down and he turned to look up at me with round wet eyes. He really was beautiful. I smiled softly then leant forward and kissed his forehead."I miss her," he whimpered.
"I know," I whispered, holding him tighter. "One day, this will all end, and we'll live happily. One day, we'll be out of here, we'll be eating proper meals and sleeping on proper beds. And one day, we'll find Leila, and she'll be human and smiling and happy."
"One day," Phil mumbled sleepily. "One day, she'll be safe."
"One day we'll all be okay." I reassured.
He soon drifted off and slept comfortably in my arms - my saviour had been strong for me so I must be strong for him ... and maybe one day we can be together and love each other and I will always be thankful that he sacrificed so much to save me. For that I love him.
I was at my usual spot, behind the tool shed in the park. I was taking a drag of my cigarette when an old man arrived round the corner. I raised an eyebrow in question, maybe he was a customer. "Are you D-daniel?" He stuttered.
I took another drag before exhaling and throwing my cigarette down, stamping on it. I looked up at the man and smirked. I then showed my black horns and my black tail which swished from side to side intimidatingly. I gave him a small grin, flashing my pearly fangs. You see, I'm a demon. A demon who takes offers.
"Yes, what of it?"
"I have a d-deal." He spoke timidly.
"Intrigue me." I smirked, leaning closer.
"I'm going to die soon." I nearly rolled my eyes. Usually these went the same way, them begging for immortality or a chance to live until they're one hundred or something. I was already bored by the request and I bet it showed on my face.
"A-and I want to trade you my soul for my son's eternal protection." He spoke confidently. My interest was sparked again. I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" I asked, smiling thoughtfully.
"Yes, when I die, I want him to be looked after. You protect him, you get my soul." He confirmed. I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
"Hm, on one condition." I grinned, making his face fall a little. This request was asking more than others, I'd have to watch over this person and make sure they were alright at all times so I was going to make it easier for myself.
"What is it?" He asked suspiciously.
"That he works for me for six months, a bit like a slave." I smirked. The man's face contorted in dislike but he seemed to be thinking it through.
"Alright, but you aren't to harm him at all. That's our deal. You get my soul, he's your slave for six months. You don't hurt him in ANY way and he is granted total freedom when the six months are up." The man concluded.
"Is that a deal?" I asked, holding out a hand. He gulped then shakily reached to take my hand, giving it a firm shake. I snapped my fingers and a contract hovered in mid air, pen beside it. "Please sign at the bottom and tick the terms and conditions box. I doubt you'll have time to read those because seriously, who ever reads the terms and conditions?" I smirked and winked. He frowned but took the pen and scribbled his signature on the bottom.
It was sealed.
~
Ding dong.
I groaned and jumped to my feet, stretching and padding towards the door. I didn't bother hiding my horns and tail, whoever made me get up would see how pissed off I was. I swung the door open and my eyes widened when I saw an old man. It was the old man I had made a deal with two months previous. Behind him was a black haired man with striking blue eyes. He was quite slim but had broad shoulders and nice hips. His skin was pale but contrasted well against his dark hair. He didn't look too happy though. He was hot.
"Our deal." The old man spoke up.
"But you aren't dead yet." I frowned. The old man looked sad.
"I will today. That's when it's scheduled, I just wanted to see my son off."
"I can't believe you made that stupid deal. I'M FINE." The man growled.
"It was the only way I could make sure you were always safe!" The old man sighed. I felt like puking at the cliche words.
"Shut up both of you and get this goodbye over with." I snapped.
"Can't you take back the deal?" The man whispered to his father. "It can't be too late."
I rolled my eyes, of course it was too late. His fate was sealed.
"I'm afraid I can't" The old man replied. I started to yawn, getting bored of waiting. The man's eyes started to water a bit and I felt a pang in my chest, I never liked it when people cried. It made me feel uncomfortable. I had to look away, not wanting to see them cry and hug. I heard some sniffles and some mumbled words before rolled my eyes.
"Alright come on! I don't have all day." I snapped. The man glared at me and watched the old man walk away. He stopped at my gate and gave me a look, as if to say 'keep your word' before disappearing round the corner.
I turned to the man, watching him walk inside my house. "So, you gotta name?" I asked, shutting the door. I turned to him.
"Phil." He spoke a little venomously.
"Well Phil, I'll show you to your room. Then you can start on hoovering the place." I smirked, eyes raking his body once more. He really was quite hot. Phil scowled and followed me upstairs. We walked down the hall and to the last door on the right.
"Here it is." I opened the door into a white room with a wardrobe, bathroom, desk and bed. It was pretty plain but he could do whatever the hell he wanted with it. "I don't care how you decorate just don't mess up the walls. Once your unpacked you can get downstairs and start cleaning." I grumbled, wanting to get back to my show.
"Whatever." He sighed, sitting down on the bed. I watched for a second as his sad eyes trailed the room before landing on me. He frowned when he saw me still in the doorway. I blushed a little before swiftly leaving, I felt stupid as the heat remained on my cheeks.
~
I watched him, he'd been at my house for three days. He did the work I gave him although there wasn't always a lot. Usually it was just cleaning the house or making meals. Whenever I left the house I let him do what he wanted as long as he didn't leave. There was a shield around the house which prevented him from escaping. It was the contract, locking him in place. The only way he could get out is if he was with me.
I had just come back from work and had made three deals. One was make the person rich in exchange for half their life. That one made me laugh because he was going to die the next day anyway. The second one was something similar, money for soul. The third one was have the girls fall in love with him for his soul. They were stupid requests but that was what was so fun about dealing. Watching the pathetic humans trade their soul for things they thought were important to them.
However now that I was looking at Phil, I could see he was different to others. Looking into his soul I saw he required nothing, he was annoyingly selfless. Selfless people usually pissed me off, being pure and all but there was something different about him. Maybe it was because I was attracted to him which made it a bit more bearable. However I promised not to harm him in anyway which means I couldn't use him for sexual pleasures otherwise his pride or innocence would be hurt and that is still hurting him.
I didn't have a job for him to do so he was sat in his room, reading a book. He smiled at little bits here and there and I found it completely adorable. It was weird having thoughts like that, I never thought anything was adorable or cute. I despised cute and adorable things yet I liked these qualities about Phil. I shook my head and left the hallway.
~
"Phil I'm going to work. I need you to come with me, there'll be people at my house for today so I can't leave you." I called up the stairs. Soon enough I heard the light pad of his feet as he walked down the hall and to the top of the stairs.
"Why can't you let me out? I promise I'll come back." He asked, looking frustrated. I frowned, would he go see friends? The thought made a jolt go through my chest and for a moment it felt like jealousy. But why would I be jealous?
"Sorry the contract forbids it." I replied. "Now come on." I said impatiently. He sighed before following me outside.
It had been quite a while and I still didn't have any customers. I took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag. I glanced over at Phil who was looking at the cigarette in disgust. "What's your problem?" I asked.
"Nothing, I just don't like smoking." He replied, looking at the ground. He then slid down the shed and started picking at the daisies, starting to make a daisy chain. My eyes widened in shock.
"You can't do that!" I exclaimed. He frowned and looked up at me.
"Why not?"
"Because it's bad for my image. What if a customer showed up and saw you and me and you were making Daisy chains?" I explained, exasperated. Phil giggled at me. I felt myself blush, ok so maybe his giggle was cute too. It was annoying me how much this boy was getting to me.
"Alright alright." He smiled and got to his feet. He then proceeded to take out his phone. I couldn't see the screen but I assumed he was either on the internet, playing a game or texting a friend. There it was again, that little jolt of jealousy. I frowned, what was I jealous of though? The fact he had friends and I didn't? The fact that he was giving attention to someone else and not me? I was surprised at these thoughts and tried to shake it off.
"So what do you do for a job? Just sit around behind the shed all day?" Phil asked, looking confused.
"No, as you know I made a deal with your father. I make deals with human beings, provided it amuses me." I explained. He nodded but his eyes stayed on me, looking over my face. I suddenly felt self conscious. "What?" I asked.
He blushed and turned away. "Nothing, it's just nice seeing you without the horns and tail and stuff." He explained, looking at the ground. I felt my own cheeks heat up but tried to fight it. I didn't know what to say, what could you say? I just coughed and looked anywhere else that wasn't at him and he went back to his phone. I took a drag from my cigarette whilst an awkward silence settled. Luckily a customer arrived.
"Hey." The guy said. Phil jumped and it made me want to laugh but I had an image to uphold.
"What do you want?" I asked, making my horns and tail appear. The menacing look return to my eyes. The man was quite tall and well built with floppy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He had a strong jaw and handsome face. All in all, really hot.
He smirked as if flirtily. I could already guess what he wanted and tried to forget that innocent Phil was witnessing it. His smirk faltered for a second as he spotted Phil who was watching wide eyed. "Who's that?" The man asked, his expression going cold. I immediately disliked him showing Phil that look and felt a protectiveness wash over me.
"He's an associate for the day. Pay him no attention. Get on with it." I snapped.
The man raised an eyebrow before returning to his smirk and looking me up and down. "I'll give you my soul for a nice fuck." He smirked. I heard a small gasp behind me but tried to ignore it.
"That's it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow although I sort of liked the idea, I had had these before. I was definitely not a virgin if you know what I mean.
"Well, I was hoping it could be followed by many more after that." The man smirked. I thought about it. I was immortal, if he was having sex with me any time he wanted then that wouldn't benefit me much when he was old. I'd offer him one good time of his life but that was it. I didn't want him sticking around.
"You only get one." I smirked.
"Oh well, you can't blame me for trying." He smirked, giving me a flirty wink. I snapped my fingers and the contract appeared.
"Sign your name at the bottom and tick the terms and conditions box." I spoke up, a little bored of repeating myself. He grabbed it enthusiastically and scribbled his name down. It was sealed.
"So when are we gonna do this?" He asked, smirking.
"Tonight. I'll see you there." I smirked.
"See you then." He winked and walked off. I looked at my watch, there was only ten minutes left and I couldn't be bothered to wait any longer. I turned back to Phil, surprised to see an angry expression on his face.
"What's up with you?" I asked.
"That's a stupid thing to sell your soul for. He will endure suffering after death and all for some dirty sex? It's wrong." He replied, looking at me in a small form of disgust. For once I felt a little ashamed which was weird. I never felt ashamed of what I did, I was a demon. I wasn't supposed to give a fuck.
I scowled. "Shut up, let's go." I snapped and turned my back.
~
It had been two months, only four left. With every passing day it had been harder to deny that my feelings were definitely different for Phil. Every time I looked at him he seemed to look prettier and prettier and there were some days when I wanted to push him against a wall and kiss his stupid face off. However if I did that then the contract would be broken and he'd be free to go.
I really didn't want him to go.
Now I occupied my free time pretty much watching him. I'd give him meaningless jobs just so I could see him. However I didn't like working him too much. I always felt a little bad when I saw him cleaning up and doing the work. It drove me mad sometimes because I'm not used to feeling all these different emotions and sometimes I wanted to bang my head in a wall. He was doing weird things to me.
We were both in the living room watching Adventure time. There was another thing. Even if I was a demon, I still appreciated human creativity. I enjoyed TV shows, music and video games. Phil and I seemed to have a lot in common and sometimes played together, watched shows together and listened to music together.
I think it was safe to say that Phil had gotten used to me and didn't hate me anymore. I was glad he didn't hate me because I definitely did not hate him. I remember the looks he used to give me when I made deals he didn't like or brought someone home. It always made me feel ashamed in some ways and I hated that he could make me feel that way.
I watched the screen when I heard Phil giggle. I looked over at him to see him on his phone. I frowned. "What are you doing?" I asked curiously.
"Texting someone." He replied, looking up at me for a split second with his beautiful eyes. I gulped.
"Who?" I asked, feeling the familiar pang of jealousy.
Phil sighed, probably annoyed that I'm so nosy. "If you must know, my girlfriend." He sighed. I felt my blood run cold. My jaw dropped open and I felt my heart sink. I had never felt this way before and the sudden attack of these emotions were too much. Pure jealousy, sadness, longing.
"Oh." I managed before abruptly standing up and walking out the room.
"Where are you going?" He called.
"Out." I yelled back and slammed the door.
~
I was making dinner for once. I wanted to try being nicer to Phil. Everyone saw me as someone to fear and hate, unless they wanted a quick fuck. Phil, despite his situation, treated me like a human being most of the time and I even stayed in my human form more often. I only wore my horns and tail when I was at work now.
I was boiling some pasta when I heard it, the sniffling and crying. I froze, and stopped what I was doing. If he was hurt then I was screwed. Surely I would have seen it though? I turned the cooker off and ran up the stairs with super speed, reaching his door in no time.
"Phil?" I asked. He had his head between his knees but when he heard my voice it shot up in shock. He was crying and I immediately felt that uncomfortable knot in my stomach.
"O-oh, um. Yeah? What is it?" He asked, wiping his eyes and trying to seem like he wasn't upset. I frowned and closed the door, however I didn't come closer. I was always awkward in these situations.
"What are you crying about?" I asked. He looked away from me.
"I'm fine-" He started but I frowned, of course he wasn't.
"You definitely aren't. Tell me what's wrong." I demanded, my tone a little stricter. However I felt bad after using it, surely that's no way to get someone to tell you why they're sad. I felt ashamed after using it.
Phil glared at me which immediately made me feel bad, "FINE! If you have to know every fucking detail of my life, my girlfriend just broke up with me because she hasen't seen me in three months! She thinks I'm not spending time with her and I can't tell her WHY! Just go away! This is all your fault!" Phil growled. Turning and looking the other way.
I felt a pain. A pain of hurt, another emotion I had never experienced before and I immediately hated it. I felt sad that Phil didn't like me and said it was my fault. I bowed my head in shame. I knew that it didn't count in the contract because it was a relationship. I included that in the terms and conditions. I can't cure mental pain, only physical. I included that whilst he was staying with me. However I wasn't allowed to cause him mental abuse since I promised but if someone else did, say a bully or a girlfriend who broke his heart it didn't count so the contract was still in place. Not that I cared in that moment in time.
Without another word I left and went to finish dinner. Once it was ready I called him down and to my surprise he came and ate with me. He looked defeated when he was eating though which made me feel bad. Then the thought of him coming down only because he thought he had to because of the contract came to mind and I didn't know I could feel any worse. It was too much that halfway between the meal I got up and left.
~
It had been a week since Phil had broken up with his girlfriend and I had left. We didn't talk about it. We just carried on as normal, although Phil seemed to be more deflated than usual. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want him to be miserable with me.
"Phil." I called.
"Yeah?" He asked when he arrived.
"We're going out, come on." I sighed. Phil's face dropped.
"To work?" He asked, looking unhappy. I had stopped taking him to work because I knew it made him uncomfortable.
"No, into town. I need a day of fun and I suppose you do too." I explained, trying not to show any emotion. I watched as his face held shock then broke into a grin.
"Ok." He replied enthusiastically, already making me feel better.
We went for lunch then walked around London, doing all sorts of things and I loved seeing the happy smile on Phil's face all day. "Come on, lets go to the cinema." I yawned.
"Really? To see what?" Phil asked. I shrugged.
"You choose." He grinned and we looked through what was on. Eventually he chose a movie and it was actually pretty enjoyable. He had chosen a comedy and I found myself actually laughing at some parts. Seeing Phil's happy face though was my highlight.
It had occurred to me that I definitely liked Phil. Liked him in a romantic way and it scared me a lot but for some reason I didn't want to fight it. I wanted to kiss him and cuddle with him and do all the things human couples did but I didn't know how. I'd never had a relationship. I'd never shown any type of compassion or love before other than lust on the occasional deal. So now that I was experiencing it, I was terrified.
It was dark when we were walking back. I was deep in thought, thinking through all the things I about Phil that were on my mind. However I felt eyes on me and turned to look at Phil who quickly diverted his gaze. Even in the dark I could see his cheeks had grown darker.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"N-nothing." Phil stuttered. I smirked.
"There's obviously something. Come on Phil, if you were staring at my hot body no one will blame you." I smirked, trying to cover up my curious nerves with cocky confidence.
"It's just that you were smiling." Phil spoke timidly. My eyes widened in shock. I was? "And you look kinda cute when you smile." Phil added, a lot more quietly but I definitely heard it and it was shameful how much I blushed in that moment.
"Uh, thanks? I guess." I replied awkwardly. Not knowing what to say.
"Um, thank you for the day out. It was nice to get out the house." Phil changed the subject.
"No problem." I replied, not knowing what else to say.
~
We were curled up watching a movie. I don't know how or when it happened but now every time we watch a movie, Phil would curl into my side and rest his head on my chest. Don't get me wrong, I loved it but it made me hurt. It made me hurt because even after I realized I liked Phil I knew he's never like me.
I'm a demon and I'm immortal, it would never work. Plus, who could love me? Who could love me after what I do and have done to people. How could he love me after everything I have put him through? So as we were curled up I felt myself hurting inside. The last time it happened I ran out the room and left. I did it often. However, this time I was determined to stay because even though it was hurting I loved having him that close to my chest.
Halfway through the film I found myself unconsciously playing with his hair. I heard him sigh and that's when I realized I was doing it. I sort of froze and took my hand away from his head. However he let out a moan in protest. "Don't stop." He grumbled, seemingly have asleep. I gulped but complied and played with his hair again, feeling him physically melt at the touch. Soon his breath slowed down and he was fast asleep.
Movie forgotten, I watched his sleeping face, feeling that hurt in my stomach. He'd be gone in a month. I didn't want him to go. I kissed his forehead and lifted him up, teleporting to his room. I laid him gently down on the bed and tucked him in. I watched his angelic face and felt tears come to my eyes. It shocked me because Demons don't cry. I just felt that emotion of helplessness and the hurt on top of it was making me shake and the tear to slip out.
I wiped it away harshly. Since when had I been behaving so human? I looked at him again. "You see what you do to me? You made me cry. Demons don't fucking cry." I whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear me. "Demons don't love either." I whispered even quieter and felt another tear escape before sniffing and wiping it away. I turned and left.
~
"Lets go to a club. You need to let loose." Phil grinned. I raised an eyebrow.
"No I don't."
"Yes you do. You've been extra grumpy this week and you need to relax. Please can we go?" Phil asked with puppy dog eyes. I immediately melted but made an effort not to show it. We had officially become friends, quite good friends although I tended not to show too much emotion around him although I did feel it. I didn't want him to know I was feeling human because it scared me and only gave him more power to hurt me.
"Fine." I replied. Phil beamed.
I dressed up for the night, feeling awkward as I looked myself over in the mirror. I had black skinny jeans on, a white dress shirt and my leather jacket. I had also made sure that my hair was on point. I walked to the front door, waiting for Phil. Finally he walked down the stairs and joined me. I let my eyes rake his body and was pleased he was wearing something similar - Black skinny jeans, checkered shirt and denim jacket. He was looking extra hot.
He approached me and his eyes looked me over, seemingly going wider. I frowned. "What?" He blushed.
"N-nothing, you look good." He commented before looking away. I smiled and opened the door, watching him rush out. He was complimented me a lot recently, maybe it's because we were friends now. I wasn't sure but I liked it.
The club's music was loud and fast and it was already making me excited. I had come many times before but I hadn't been in ages and it was sending a thrilling rush through me. "Want a drink?" I offered and he nodded, following me to the bar. I got us both a drink before watching everyone dance to a fast song.
After, quite a few, drinks Phil turned to me with a drunk smile. "Wanna dance?" He offered, seeming more confident. My eyes widened.
"Um, are you sure?" I asked.
"What's wrong? Can you not dance?" Phil teased. I frowned.
"No, for your information I have been complimented many times by the ladies for my dancing." I smirked.
"Then prove it." Phil smirked back. He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him. I felt a tingle rush from my fingertips round my whole body. A realization washed over me, was Phi flirting with me? I felt myself blush even though I convinced myself it wasn't possible.
Super Massive Black Whole by Muse came on and I grinned. We both loved Muse. I jaw dropped when Phil started dancing to the beat, swinging his hips a little. He looked really hot. I gulped and danced along with the music. He seemed to be doing it a little sexily but I didn't know if I should. However I gave up eventually and started to move my hips in similar fashion to his.
He noticed immediately and there was shine in his eyes. "There you go. No need to be shy around me." He grinned and continued to dance, getting a little closer. I grinned back and found myself enjoying the close dancing. Halfway through it was interrupted though when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see the blond man I had made a deal with months previous. I think his name was Mark.
"I thought it was you." He said flirtily. "I'd know those hips anywhere." He winked.
I just stared at him expectantly, no knowing what he wanted. I crossed my arms over my chest. "Mark, was it? What do you want?" I asked.
"How about you and me find some place quiet?" He suggested, getting closer and making me uncomfortable. I was about to reply when I felt a hand slip into mine.
"Sorry but he's taken." Phil snapped and pulled me away, leaving Mark speechless.
When Phil stopped at a quiet corner in the club I found myself frowning. "What was that-" But I never got to finish. Phil pushed me against the wall.
"Shut up!" He growled then his lips were on mine. I was so shocked but it quickly passed when Phil kissed me passionately, if not a little sloppily. I found myself getting lost in the kiss, hands slipping into his hair and pulling him closer. He ran his tongue along my lip and pushed his tongue in, roaming around my mouth. Never before had I enjoyed a kiss so much.
He pressed our bodies together, pressing me further into the wall. Usually I wasn't happy subbing or feeling vulnerable but in this case I was so turned on by it. Phil's lips left mine and I whined, wanting to kiss him forever. They started to move down my jaw and my eyes widened. Phil knew my neck was sensitive since he accidentally touched it once and I shrieked. I could tell he was thinking about how I'd react if he kissed me there and let me tell you, it was very sensitive.
As soon as his lips touched the skin I moaned loudly. He smirked against it and started sucking and biting, leaving a love bite. I pulled him closer, wanting to feel all of him against me. "You're so beautiful." Phil mumbled against my skin, making me tense up. I had been called things like hot and attractive but never beautiful. I felt a pang of happiness. "I just want to kiss you all the time." Phil mumbled, biting down and making me moan again. "You always just sit there, looking so sexy." Phil hissed in my ear, making me gasp as he toyed with my earring.
He ground our hips together and we both let out a groan. Things were definitely getting hot and I indescribably turned on. My mind was a little hazy from the drink and the heat of the club was making it harder to realize what was happening. I wasn't supposed to do this with Phil. If he got hurt by it, the contract would break and he'd be free to go.
With the thought of him leaving sooner rather than later in mind I unlatched Phil from my neck. He frowned as I breathed heavily for a minute. "We need to stop." I spoke up.
"What? Why?" Phil asked, looking upset and annoyed.
"Because, you don't mean any of this. You're Phil, we have a contract and this will only make things complicated. Lets go." I sighed, grabbing his wrist. He seemed confused and looked a little hurt but he was drunk so there was a good chance it wouldn't affect the contract.
"Is it because of that slut Mark?" Phil spat on the way out. I didn't reply, just let him ramble. "He's not even that pretty anyway. What do you see in him?" He ranted. "I love you Danny." He sang only ten minutes from the house. I felt my mood drop, Demons don't get easily drunk so I was a lot more sober than Phil was. So I was able to feel that hurt again. He didn't mean it, he was just drunk.
I put him to bed as soon as we got in and he was out like a light. As I was sat in my own bed I still felt the tingle of his lips and felt the tears come to my eyes again but fought to keep them down. Demons don't cry.
~
It's the night before the contract ends and I feel so unhappy. Six months was definitely not long enough. The next day Phil would be gone from my life and he'd leave me with all these emotions I never wanted to feel but somehow do when I'm around him. We're doing what we do almost every night. He's curled up in my side, head on my chest watching a movie; I stroked my fingers through his hair. Phil sighed and snuggled in closer to me.
I didn't know if he had been counting down the days or not and if he knew that he was leaving because I hadn't told him. I never told him how much time he had left. As I was sat there I wondered if I just didn't tell him and let him stay for a while longer until he caught on ... but I couldn't do that to him. A deal is a deal.
"Dan." Phil whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Where's your family?" He asked softly. I felt myself tense, demons don't have families. We're born, raised until twelve then left to make our way in the world. No compassion or love from the mother's either. Demons aren't supposed to feel emotions like love, loss, sadness, longing. They are considered weak.
"I don't have one." I settled on.
"Oh." He replied, looking up at me with his brilliant blue eyes. "I'm sorry." I shook my head. It wasn't his fault. As I looked at his eyes I wondered if he remembered that night at the club at all. When we had woken up everything had returned to normal. However I didn't forget and it seemed he had, it broke my heart a little. I was so in love with him at that point and the pain was only worse.
I hadn't even noticed how close we were and how Phil's blue eyes had drooped a little or how his chin had tilted upwards towards me. I only noticed when I felt myself lean down because I stopped midway, wondering what the hell I was doing and pulling back. He was leaving the next day, there was no point.
However I missed the disappointed look on Phil's face when I looked away, focusing back on the screen. He bit his lip and returned his head to my chest snuggling up again. I hadn't worn my horns and tail in over a month, I even started dealing less, only showing up occasionally. I always wanted to please Phil and he liked my human form.
~
"You're time is up." I announced from his bedroom door.
Phil was sat at his desk, looking at me in confusion. "What is up?" He asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "The contract. The 6 months are up." I explained. His eyes widened but he looked sad, like he was disappointed. I assumed because we were friends now.
"Oh." He replied, looking down at his lap. "How long do I have to get out?" He asked.
"However long it takes to pack." I shrugged, not meeting his gaze. Without another word I left, feeling my mood at 0%. This was it, the first person I ever loved and they were leaving. I stumbled into the living room, letting a few tears escape my eyes as I buried my face in the sofa cushion. I allowed myself to cry for a minute to let it out. I tried not to be long in case Phil heard and came down.
I dried my eyes and waiting in painful silence, hearing his feet shuffle around the room. An hour later I heard the padding of feet and the 'thunk' of his suitcase as he made it down my stairs. I got to my feet and joined him once he reached the bottom of the stairs. I didn't expect him to look so miserable. Although when he caught my eye he put on a seemingly fake smile. I didn't get it, I thought he'd be happy to finally be free. So why was he so sad?
"Um, good luck." I muttered. Opening the door for him, I had no idea what to say. He nodded and dragged his suitcase behind him.
"Goodbye." He spoke quietly, still with the fake smile.
"Bye." I replied, focusing on not letting my voice break. Phil lingered for a second, just looking at me before gripping his suitcase tighter and leaving. I didn't want to watch him walk away so I closed the front door. As soon as the latch clicked I felt my heart hurt so badly. I let a sob go and I slid down the door, hiding my head in my knees. I rocked back and forth, feeling so lost and miserable.
"Emotions are weak. They are so weak. Emotions like these should be banned if they make you feel like this." I thought miserably. My horns grew in and my tail drooped, I felt so defeated. My whole world seemed to revolve around Phil and now he was gone and I had nothing left to do. I couldn't even remember life without him ... and now he was gone. I let the tears slip down my cheeks, feeling the salt on my lips.
Knock knock
My eyes widened in surprise. I frowned and stood up, drying my face. If it was the postman he was going to get one hell of a beating up. I made my horns and tail vanish, wanting to feel normal for a bit. I sighed and twisted the handle, opening the door.
I barely had time to register the body flying at me before there was a pair of lips on mine, kissing me passionately. Without seeing the person, I knew it was Phil. His scent was familiar, his body pressed to mine felt familiar and his lips felt so familiar. I kissed him back needily, fingers gripping his locks and keeping his face connected to mine.
"I love you." He breathed out before kissing me harder and pressing me back against the wall.
"NO and that is final!" Phil's step dad, Stewart, bellowed. He scoffed and flopped down on the couch, taking a handful of cheese puffs and stuffing them in his gob. Phil glared in disgust, he was such a pig and he hated that he was left in his care.
Everyone in Manchester went to his parties. Dan Howell's that is. He was the coolest guy around and had loaded parents so he'd throw these massive parties every year. All the local school's, including Phil's, knew about them and always went. Phil had never been allowed to go by his step father even though he was eighteen now. He was determined to leave as soon as possible.
The annoying part was that Stewart had two twin sons who were sixteen and always went to Dan Howell's parties. Stewart obviously favoured them and spoiled them rotten. Phil was left to clean the house and do as he was told. Phil's older brother was in university and Phil was miserable when he left him on his own. He still visits to make sure Phil's okay since Michael, his brother, knew their step father was cruel and didn't trust him not to lay a hand on his younger brother.
Phil ran up the stairs, in a bad mood. His friends were going and were hoping for him to be there. Phil never got to have any fun and very rarely even got to see his friends out of school, luckily they didn't give up on him.
Phil stormed into his room and flopped down on the bed in frustration. A few minutes later he heard a light knocking on his door. "Piss off you two!" Phil growled, assuming it was one of the twins - Jack and Jock.
"That's no way to greet your brother is it?" Michael chuckled from the doorway. Phil jumped to his feet, looking wide eyed at the boy in the doorway. Without another thought he ran and hugged his brother, missing his presence.
"Sorry." Phil replied sheepishly.
"Oh Phil, what's wrong now?" He asked calmly and guided them over to the bed.
"Stewart won't let me go to a party. I've never been out the house for fun, I have to stay and clean up the whole fucking thing." Phil growled, the words tumbling from his mouth.
"Whoa, slow down there. Where are these bad words coming from Philly?" Michael teased. Phil sighed and gave his brother a half smile. "What's so special about this party?"
"Well, my friends wanted me to come. It's one of Dan Howell's, you know that really rich kid a couple neighbourhoods down?" Michael nodded, a knowing look on his face. "I've not been to a party since I was fifteen and I don't want to disappoint my friends AND miss out on one of the biggest parties of the year AGAIN." Phil sighed. Michael saw Phil's disappointed expression and felt bad. He wanted to take Phil away with him but there wouldn't be enough room in his dorm and he was saving up to buy a house of his own. Only then could he get legal responsibility over his little brother. He wanted to make it up to him somehow and his eyes scanned the room as he thought.
His eyes landed on the fairy tales book lying on the floor in the corner of the room. Their mother had always read to them before she re-married. The book was open on a certain story; 'Cinderella' was printed out in large gold letters at the top of the page. Michael smirked. "Well Phil, we can't have you missing that now can we?"
Phil looked up at his brother, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" He questioned.
"How about I stay and clean the house? That way Stewart won't moan and you can go to your party with your friends." Michael smiled.
"No Michael, I can't drag you back into this hell again." Phil sighed.
"It's fine Phil really! You deserve some fun." Michael urged.
"You mean it?" Phil asked, a large grin growing on his face.
"Of course." Michael smiled, happy his little brother was smiling. "Just call me your personal fairy godmother." Phil smiled fondly before hugging Michael.
"Thanks bro."
"No problem ... now about your clothes. Anything nice to wear?" Michael asked, breaking from the embrace. Phil glanced down at his baggy jeans and stripy t shirt. He bit his lip, his step dad never bothered to get him nice clothes. Phil shook his head sadly. Michael looked Phil up and down. Phil was tall, reaching about the same height as Michael so he should fit his clothes.
"I have some clothes in my car, lets see if you fit them." Michael announced before leaving then returning with two shirts and two pairs of jeans. "I was going to stay at a friends for the weekend but it looks like you need these more."
"Thanks Michael. I can't thank you enough." Phil beamed.
"No problem little bro." He smirked and laid the clothes out. "Take your pick." Phil looked over the choices. There was a white shirt and a black shirt, both with long sleeves. There was a pair of clean blue jeans and another pair of black skinny jeans. Phil thought about what would look for appropriate. Eventually he picked up the black shirt and black skinny jeans. It would match his hair.
He slipped them on, fitting like a glove. "You look better in my clothes than I do. I'm offended." Michael teased. Phil just smiled and straightened his hair in the mirror. "How are you getting there?" Michael asked. Phil's face dropped.
"Oh no, I told my friends I'd meet them there if I was allowed to go. I don't have any cash to get a taxi." Phil whined, feeling his heart sink.
"Phil! Don't worry, you can take my car. Just don't crash it!" Michael reassured, chucking his keys to Phil.
"A-are you sure? This is too much, really." Phil stuttered, admiring his brother.
"Don't be ridiculous." Michael brushed off and hugged his brother once more before showing him towards the door. "Now, get going it's six now. You can be fashionably late." Michael grinned.
"Thanks Mike. I'll repay you someday." Phil grinned before running out to the car. Michael just shook his head and waved Phil off as he drove to the party.
Michael glanced at their pig-like stepfather in the living room and rolled his eyes. They weren't poor, no. They actually lived in a wealthy neighbourhood. Phil and Michael's mother was the daughter to a wealthy business owner. When she died it was stated in the will that all the money would go to Phil and Michael but they were too young to use it so was stored away for them. Michael was supposed to get his share but Stewart had purposefully made things complicated and there had to be some things to be checked over in the will. Until it was all sorted out Michael had to earn his own living, which he didn't mind.
Phil pulled up at the party feeling an excitement and nervousness wash over him. He turned his brother's car off, parking it alongside the many others. He was about to get out when there was a buzz in his pocket. He took it out, to see a text from Michael.
'Be back by midnight, and be careful, the twins are there!
~Mikey X'
Phil smiled then hopped out, approaching the giant house. It was huge in comparison to his own. As mentioned before, Phil's family were pretty wealthy and they lived in a well furnished house but Dan's was a monster in comparison. He walked straight in through the large doors, hearing the music pump through his ears and make his bones vibrate. It filled him with a small ounce of excitement.
He made his first task to find Chris and PJ, his friends, in the sea of people. It was awkward shuffling round strangers and people he vaguely knew from his own school and repeated this for twenty minutes until he finally found his friends in the upstairs living room, chatting with two girls.
"Hey guys." Phil announced. Chris and PJ's eyes nearly popped out their skulls as they stared at Phil in astonishment.
"How the hel id you get out?" Chris exclaimed happily.
"My brother is covering for me." Phil grinned and flopped down beside them.
"Good old Michael." PJ smiled. "Oh, this is Carrie and Zoey." He introduced. Both girls smiled enthusiastically.
"Nice to meet you!" Phil smiled politely.
For the next hour and a half, Phil talked with his friends, the two girls and a few others he'd managed to befriend as well as dancing with a girl called Louise for a little bit. He was enjoying himself and was shocked at how fast time had gone by the time it had hit half eight.
Suddenly a thought crossed Phil's mind. He knew who Dan Howell was, but he had never seen a picture of him before so didn't know what he looked like.
"Hey, Chris? Do you know what this Dan guy looks like?" Phil asked.
"No, only the people from his school and a few others who have met him personally know so he kind of blends in." Chris explained.
"Oh."
After a while, Phil decided he needed some fresh air and was relieved when he spotted an unoccupied balcony nearby. He told Chris and PJ before making his way through everyone and out into the fresh air. He tugged his sleeves down and shivered a little but was relieved none the less. He leaned against his hands as they held onto the bars. Gazing out at the landscape, he took in the beauty of the neighbourhood which seemed to be lit up.
Meanwhile, across the room Dan was talking to his friend, Tyler.
"Nice one Dan, this seems to be the best one yet. Look at how many people showed up, there might actually be some people I don't know." He retorted, making Dan chuckle. Tyler was all about the gossip and could probably remember half of Manchester if he tried. It was uncommon for him to not know at least someone's name at a party unless he had never seen them before.
"Yeah, it's been a good year." Dan agreed.
"I second that. Troye and I have been doing great."
"Oh cool, did you ask him on a fate yet?" Dan asked.
"Course! We've been on two, in fact I'm taking him out tomorrow as well. I should probably go find him later and give him a good snog." Tyler giggled. Dan smiled, happy for his friend. "What about you mister? You haven't dated anyone since Eliza and that was a year and a half ago." Tyler narrowed his eyes.
"There's just no one I've been interested in." Dan shrugged.
"You should socialize tonight. Maybe you'll meet Miss or Mr Right." Tyler winked.
"Maybe." Dan sighed and took a sip of his drink. He continued to listen to Tyler ramble with a few others who had joined in on the situation. Eventually his mind began to wonder and he scanned the room, his mind going off on an adventure of its own.
Finally his eyes reached the balcony. He frowned when he saw a figure standing out there with their back turned. Dan's eyes furrowed as he tried to make the person out by the back of their head. However he couldn't pin a name. Finally they turned to the side a little, half of their face submerged in the light of the moon outside.
Dan stared in awe at the mysterious stranger. His hair was midnight black and shone glossily in the beam of the moon. His pale skin seemed to glow and his blue eyes glinted. He was fairly tall and had broad shoulders. His waist and legs were skinny but he had a curvy ass and hips. He was dressed head to toe in black and all in all generated a mysterious and cool aura. Dan could barely tear his gaze from him. He was very attractive - in Dan's opinion anyway.
Dan felt himself wanting to know this person. As one of his friends started another story he nudged Tyler. "Who's that?" Dan asked, pointing to the balcony.
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Ooh, hello." He smirked. "He's hot and ... I don't know him?!" Tyler gasped in mock horror. "Damn, I'll need his number if things don't work out with Troye." Tyler commented, giggling. Dan felt the need to jump in first before Tyler went in and swooped the guy off his feet.
"I'm going to go find out." Dan announced, a little more possessive than he'd hoped.
"You go tiger!" Tyler teased and nudged him. Dan smiled anxiously before heading towards the balcony. Phil sighed, he'd need to go in and find PJ and Chris soon. He began to push off the bars to leave, when he heard the door open and close behind him. He didn't look, knowing it was probably just some party guest who was doing the same as him.
"Um, hey there." A voice spoke up, startling Phil. He turned round to see a tall guy, around his age standing beside him. He was fairly tan, from what Phil could make out in the lighting. His hair was cut similarly to Phil's only was a mocha brown colour. His eyes were a shining coffee-hazel which emitted curiosity. He was smiling politely, showing off a rather handsome dimple. He was definitely hot and Phil immediately felt inadequate next to someone like him.
"Um, hi?" Phil answered, as if questioning why this person was attempting to talk to him.
Dan was surprised at how low and hot his voice turned out to be, it sent a little shiver down his spine. This guy was even more attractive up close.
"Sorry, I just saw you over here and didn't know who you were so thought I'd find out." Dan replied, still smiling.
Phil smiled back, "Oh, well it's nice to meet you, I'm Phil."
"Dan."
Phil froze, midway through a handshake. Dan, the Dan Howell? "As in Howell?" Phil asked, needing confirmation.
"The one and only." Dan grinned. Phil immediately felt even more nervous.
"Nice to meet you, I hope I'm not intruding." Phil finally replied.
"Don't be daft, everyone is welcome." Dan brushed off, making Phil relax more. "What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Oh I just needed some air. It was getting a little hot in there." Phil explained.
"Ah. Did you come here with anyone?" Dan asked. He hoped he haden't come with a girlfriend or boyfriend.
"No but I met my friends here and got introduced to some lovely girls." Phil smiled. Dan felt his heart sink, he sounded straight.
"Oh. So, I've never seen you at my parties before." Dan changed the subject.
"I don't really get out much." Phil commented.
"That explains the paleness. Are you a vampire?" Dan asked.
Phil laughed and shook his head. Dan already felt happy that he managed to make him laugh. "I'm not a vampire but I suppose I could be." Suddenly 'Madness' by Muse came on inside and Phil's eyes lit up.
"I love this song!" Both Dan and Phil exclaimed then stared at each other in surprise.
"You like Muse?" Dan grinned.
"Love them, I saw a concert of theirs a year ago. It was so good." Phil talked animatedly.
"I saw them this year, they played 'The Second Law'"
"That's my favourite album! Oh and Origin of Symmetry." Phil replied.
"Mine too!" Dan exclaimed, feeling very overexcited.
"What else do you listen to?"
"I love Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Greenday, One Direction." Dan listed.
"I love Fall Out Boy! I was jamming out to 'Death Valley' in my room last night."
"No kidding, I listen to their albums whilst doing homework." Dan chuckled.
"Do you get any of the work done?" Phil teased.
"Shut up!" Dan giggled, making Phil chuckle in reply. Dan felt his mood rising by the second. They had so much in common and Dan wanted to find out more.
"So what other things do you do in your spare time?" Phil asked, leaning against the bars of the balcony.
"Mainly play video games, go on the internet and watch animes." Dan answered.
"Really? Me too, what animes do you watch?" Phil asked, internally fangirling. Dan Howell was turning into his dream boy. Although there was the lingering thought that a guy like him would never go for someone like Phil. He was way out of his league. However, Dan was totally transfixed. He felt his little crush swell in his chest. Each moment with Phil making him happy.
They managed to talk out on the balcony for two hours until more people came out and their privacy was broken. They both went back inside and Phil expected Dan to say goodbye and leave but was pleasantly surprised when Dan dragged him off to a quiet corner where they could speak some more.
"I really like talking to you Phil. We need to meet again and listen to music and play some video games." Dan insisted, making Phil feel happy. He forgot about the fact that he hardly ever got let out the house and and replied.
"That would be great." Phil grinned.
"Do you know anyone else at this party besides your friends?"
"No, not really. I know people from my school and the girls I met but that's it." Phil explained.
"Oh who were-" but Dan was interrupted when 'Follow Me' by Muse came on. His features lit up and he grinned at Phil. "Wanna dance?" Dan offered. Phil felt his cheeks heat up. He had felt strangely comfortable around Dan but his flirting haden't gone unnoticed. However, he nodded and let Dan lead him down stairs where people were breaking it down in the ginormous living room which had been made into a dance floor.
Dan started to move with the beat, his hips swaying. Phil watched Dan move gracefully and tried to dance decently beside him. Phil laughed and danced with Dan for five songs until a slower song - 'Isolated System' came on and Dan smirked, thinking about how he could crank up the flirting a little.
"May I?" Dan asked, holding out a hand. Phil blushed but couldn't stop the large smiled which broke across his face. Slowly, they started swaying to the beat, arms clasped and the second wrapped around the other's waist.
Phil took in Dan's handsome features and felt his breath quicken at how close they were whilst swaying to the piano. Dan spun Phil around and felt his heart beat quicken when Phil let out an adorable giggle. He felt himself falling deeper for Phil and hoped he wouldn't just vanish from his life because he definitely wanted to see him again.
"I really like talking to you Phil." Dan spoke softly, leaning his forehead against Phil's. Phil smiled and let his eyes droop, loving the situation.
"I like talking to you too." His voice in a similar low pitch. They continued to dance to the last of the song, eyes fixed on each other, sharing love sick looks and giggles. Phil felt his heart pounding, he had had crushes and one or two relationships before but he had never wanted someone so badly until then.
Dan felt similarly, out of all the people he had met and date Phil shared a lot of hobbies and his personality was amazing. He was perfect to Dan and he was overwhelmed that such a person existed. He'd be damned if he let Tyler take him away.
When the song finished Dan intertwined his fingers with Phil's and smiled happily before dragging him up two flights of stairs. They got to Dan's bedroom and Dan flicked the switch. However Phil had hardly any time to admire it before he was dragged out onto a different balcony which was larger and had a table and a comfy chair beside it.
"I like to come out here to think and read sometimes." Dan breathed, standing close to Phil and resting his head on his shoulder. Phil sighed and rested his head against Dan's, feeling so at ease with the world.
"It's beautiful."
"I really liked you Phil. I love your personality and I love how we have so much in common." Dan sighed, smiling up at Phil who grinned back.
"Me too." Phil breathed. Dan pulled back from his shoulder and looked Phil directly in the eye. Without hesitation he reached out and cupped Phil's cheek, checking to see if it was okay. Phil's heart sped up. He felt nervous but extremely blissful and want nothing more than to kiss Dan. Normally he'd get paranoid and have doubts but Dan had seemed equally as happy to be around him and Phil couldn't identify a single lie when Dan spoke so fondly of his interests.
Dan leaned in and so did Phil. Finally their lips met and a warm spread through both of them. Dan felt his heart flutter and the butterflies pool in his stomach. It was that amazing feeling you got when you knew you were kissing the right person. They both pulled away from the sweet and gentle kiss for a second, as if double checking.
Seeing the grins on each other's faces they pushed their lips together more firmly. Dan's hands slipped to Phil's hips whilst Phil's played with Dan's hair, massaging his scalp and playing with bits of Dan's soft hair. Dan sighed in appreciation at the feeling of his hair being played with. It was a personal favourite of his. He moved his lips with Phil's loving the warm feeling of kissing him. He gripped tighter and whined a little when he felt Phil's tongue shyly run along his bottom lip. Without hesitation, he immediately opened up, meeting Phil's tongue with his own and moaning a little.
Phil whimpered a little as Dan's tongue massaged his own whilst their lips caressed each other's passionately. His head was fuzzy and he was in a state of pure bliss, never wanting to come down from the high. He tugged a little on Dan's hair as things got more passionate by the second and savoured the noises Dan made in response.
They broke apart for air but as soon as they got a new supply their lips were fitted together again in a more heated embrace, mouths pushing more firmly against each other. Phil's hands left Dan's hair and down to his chest, lightly running his hands up and down whilst nipping on Dan's lip. Dan let out a small groan at the feeling of Phil's hands and his teeth. He whimpered a little as Phil's hands explored his chest whilst pushing him back against the railing a little. He moaned and nipped Phil back, one hand leaving Phil's hip and tugging his face closer to his own. Their bodies were pressed together now against the balcony railing whilst they kissed passionately.
Phil's moment of bliss was broken by the buzzing in his jean pocket. At first he ignored it and gripped Dan a little tighter until he remembered it was probably Michael calling. He pulled away, gasping for breath. "Hang on." Phil breathed and reached for his phone.
"Hello?" He asked, sounding a little breathless.
"PHIL! Hey, come home as quick as possible. Stewart's asking about you and I told him you went out to buy some more milk so get here as soon as with some milk from the supermarket! HURRY!" Michael exclaimed before hanging up. Phil's eyes widened and he felt a panic wash over him.
"I-I have to go." Phil announced, pecking Dan's lips once and rushing out the balcony and across Dan's room. Dan felt his heart sink and ran after Phil.
"Wait? Where are you going?" Dan asked, feeling panicked. He wanted to see Phil again, he didn't want to lose him since he only really just found him.
"I need to go home." Phil called over his shoulder, running down the stairs and pushing his way through groups of people.
"Phil! Wait!" Dan called worriedly as he began to lose sight of Phil. He felt a sincere panic settle in when he saw Phil getting away, he was head over heels for Phil ... he couldn't leave now.
Phil ignored Dan's calls. He should have never gotten involved, it wouldn't work. He's hardly ever let out the house, having a boyfriend who isn't in the same area would never work out. He ran out to Michael's car, jumping in the front and starting the car. He needed to hurry to the shops then straight home.
Dan ran to the front of the house, just making it outside to see a black RV leave down his driveway. Dan felt his heart sink as Phil got further and further away, he didn't even have his phone number or knew what school he went to. He felt his shoulders slump and went to go back inside but saw something lying on the steps. It was a phone. He picked it up, turning it on. It went to a lock screen and Dan's eyes widened, it was Phil's
~
"Thanks for covering for me." Phil smiled gratefully.
"Don't mention it." Michael grinned, giving him a hug. "I'll see you soon yeah? Keep your chin up, you'll see Dan again one day." He smiled softly. Phil just smiled sadly and waved his brother off.
He turned round to see Jack and Jock eyeing him curiously. "What?" Phil snapped.
"Why are you being a whiny bitch?" Jock retorted.
"Because I unfortunately have to look at your face." Phil growled.
"Jesus dude, calm down." Jack smirked then they both walked off laughing. Phil glared at them before running up the stairs and hiding away in his room. He sat at his desk with his head in his arms. He let out a sigh and let his mind wonder.
Almost immediately his thoughts drifted to Dan - his beautiful smile and bright eyes. His adorable personality and dimple to die for. Phil already missed his presence. He would have to tell Chris and PJ about it, they always knew what to say.
Phil reached into his pocket for his phone to call them and frowned when he couldn't find it. "The hell?" Phil muttered, searching through his brother's jean pockets frantically. He searched his desk drawer before face palming, he had his phone with him so why would it be there? He patted his shirt pocket and everywhere else on his body. "SHIT!" He exclaimed, turning the bed sheets over and searching there just in case it fell out when he had explained the night to Michael before he left. After a ten minute frantic search he swore and kicked his drawers which ended up in him with a sore toe.
"Damnit, I left my phone. I need that!" Phil thought grumpily.
~
"He just ran away Tyler." Dan whined. He was laying down on the bed, clutching Phil's phone in his hands. "He had been so amazing and beautiful and we shared a fucking amazing kiss then he left. Someone called him and he bolted without no real explanation. Now I won't ever see Phil again." Dan sighed, grip tightening on the device.
He clicked the on button and Phil's happy face popped up on the lock screen. Dan sighed again. "Sorry mate. You never know though, he might come to your next one. I'm sure someone knows him. Did he mention what school he goes to?" Tyler asked.
Dan shook his head.
"Oh, well he must be from Manchester. He sounded local right?" Tyler quizzed. Dan thought back to Phill's deep voice, making him shiver.
"Yeah he sounded like he was from here but for all we know he could be living in America and only came for a visit." Dan complained, dismissing all the positives.
"Lets just assume he's from Manchester. I'll ask around for a Phil ... what's his second name?"
"I don't know, he's just Phil." Dan sniffed.
"What the hell did you guys talk about? You didn't get his last name, school or where he lived? Your conversation must have been boring." Tyler tutted.
Dan frowned. "We didn't need to speak about that stuff, we had loads in common." Dan defended. "Wish I had though." Dan sighed, turning the phone off and staring at the ceiling.
"What about the phone?"
"It's locked stupid!" Dan retorted.
"Well Sorry!" Tyler spoke sarcastically. Dan sighed.
"Sorry Ty." Dan apologized. Tyler smiled and shook his head.
"Look I'll ask around, I know some people from each local school. There's got to be some Phil's around. We'll find him, although I don't know how you're going to approach him." Tyler confirmed.
"He left his phone, that's an excuse right? I'll give it back to him and then casually ask him out for coffee, sweep him off his feet and live happily ever after." Dan spoke dreamily.
"You're heads full of fairy tales mate." Tyler teased. Dan stuck his tongue out but he was already feeling happy.
"Thanks Tyler."
"No problem mate. Can't have you moping for the rest of time now can we? Not if he is what you think he is."
~
"Get in there Phil!" Chris winked. Phi blushed.
"What now? I can't just go there and ask for my phone, maybe I should just buy a new one. I'm too embarrassed to show my face again." Phil moaned, running a hand through his hair.
"From what you've described he sounds as if he's into you." PJ commented.
"But I just left him! Also he was probably intoxicated, that's the only reason someone would like me." Phil sighed, feeling completely depressed about the situation.
"Don't talk shit." Chris scoffed. "You're great, stop being an idiot! Anyone would be lucky to have you."
"Yeah Phil, you're a real catch!" A female voice jumped in. Phil, Chris and PJ turned to see Carrie and Zoe - the girls from the party.
"You're really sweet. Any person would be lucky to be with a guy liked you." Carrie grinned. Phil blushed.
"T-thanks." The girls giggled and waved their goodbyes before scurrying off. PJ and Chris smirked at Phil who was still beat red.
"See Mr Catch? I'm sure Dan would love to see you again." Chris smirked. Phil looked down, but didn't reply. The bell went and they walked to their first lessons of the day.
~
The final bell went and Phil and Chris exited their last class - English. "Aaaah. Finally free!" Chris exclaimed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "No more two thousand word long essays. Time for video games and a Netflix marathon with PJ. Of course you're invited if you can get out the house ... which is unlikely but you're always welcome." Chris smiled.
"Thanks Chris but I don't think I'll come. I'll try next time." Phil sighed.
"Ok buddy." Chris replied sympathetically and rested his hand on Phil's shoulder.
"Hey guys." PJ grinned and joined the two of them at Phil's locker which he opened up and put his books in.
"How was Chemistry?" Chris asked, smirking. PJ made a face.
"Awful, as always."
"Hey Phillip! Don't forget it's laundry night!" Jock snickered from behind them. Phil glared as the twins walked past.
"Go back under your bridge trolls!" Chris snarled, smirking at the twins scowled back.
Phil just glared and slammed his locker shut. "Can this day get any fricking worse?" Phil muttered.
"Lets hope not." PJ sighed and grabbed Phil's arm. "Come on, we're taking you to Starbucks. Stewart doesn't need you back until five right?" PJ asked.
"No."
"Well then, come on Phil. Our treat." Chris grinned. Phil smiled.
"Thanks guys."
"Don't worry about it." PJ brushed off and led them him out the front doors.
"You know Stewart shouldn't have this much power over you. Why can't you stay with Michael again?" Chris asked.
"Stewart complicated things with the will and told lies so it would take longer for Mike and I to get our money. I don't know when it will get sorted but as soon as it is Michael's going to buy a house and I'll go live with him. Then I can go to uni and then the rest of my life." Phil explained.
"Let's hope that's soon." PJ muttered, earning an agreeable nod from Chris.
Meanwhile Dan was waiting at the gate asking people if they knew a Phil. With every shake of their head Dan felt himself lose more hope. Tyler had said there was a Phil Lester at the school and the other Phil's at different schools had either gone, didn't fit Dan's description or were the wrong age. Suddenly he saw a head of black hair and his heart beat sped up. He craned his neck to see and sure enough a pair of bright blue eyes came into view. Dan's grin spread wide across his face.
Phil, Chris and PJ reached the gates and were about to turn in the direction of Starbucks when someone called Phil's name. Phil frowned and turned to the direction it had come from. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a tall brown haired figure running towards him.
"Who's that?" PJ asked.
"U-um, I-I a- I can't- um..." Phil stuttered, completely dumbstruck as Dan jogged up to him. He stopped and breathed out a bit, panting a little.
"Phil! Y-you forgot your phone!" Dan breathed, his hand outstretched with the device in his palm.
"Oh, thanks." Phil breathed nervously, taking the phone from his hand. He bit his lip as an awkward silence fell over them.
"So, who's this?" Chris asked.
Dan turned to look at him and smiled, "Nice to meet you. I'm Dan Howell." he introduced himself. Chris's eyes widened.
"Oh, yeah we were at your party last night. So, um ... we'll leave you and Dan alone shall we Phil?" Chris winked. Phil blushed but kept his mouth shut.
As soon as Chris and PJ were out of hearing range, Dan smiled shyly and ran a hand through his hair. "Um Phil ... I um- just wanted to um ... y'know-"
"If what happened makes you uncomfortable we can just forget about it." Phil muttered, eyes staring at the ground.
"What? No! Definitely not ... I just wanted to say that- I just wanted to know if you'd like to hang out sometime or go out for coffee or something? I-I mean you don't have to of course, I just really u-um like you is all." Dan stuttered, rambling like a fool.
Phil smiled to himself. "Thanks Dan, I would love to but ... well you see I'm not exactly one who's allowed to go out and meet people. I don't even get to hang out with Chris and PJ out of school." Phil explained, feeling his happiness drain. Dan surely wouldn't wait around for someone like him.
"Not allowed?" Dan questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.
"It's complicated, annoying stepfather and two stepbrothers. I'm left to clean up their mess y'know?" Phil sighed, feeling more depressed as the conversation went on.
"Oh ... well. Any chance you get I'd love to see you I ... I can't stop thinking about you and our kiss and ... I just REALLY want to see you again." Dan exclaimed, looking sincere. Phil smiled at him.
"Thanks Dan but you shouldn't waste your time on someone like me. I'm not worth the wait, believe me." Phil replied.
"Don't say that." Dan frowned.
"But it's true!" Phil snapped. Dan felt his insides squirm, he hated that Phil had so little self confidence. Obviously he didn't know his background but he was willing to understand and help Phil out. He'd meet at night if he'd have to.
Phil looked so sad and looked ready to cry. Dan couldn't let it go on any longer, he needed to show Phil he was worth the wait and he'd wait forever for him. Without another thought he tilted Phil's chin up and brought their lips together in a gentle kiss. Phil's eyes went wide as Dan kissed him. However, he couldn't deny the butterflies which swarmed his stomach as he hooked his arms round Dan's neck. He immediately fell in love with his lips back on his. He felt at home as Dan's hands hugged his waist close, closing the space between them.
"You are so worth it." Dan mumbled against his lips. They pulled away and Phil beamed, Dan thought he was glowing. He felt glad that he had made Phil feel happy again.
"I-I don't know what to sa-" He was cut off by the ring tone on his phone. They both looked down at it.
"You better not run off again." Dan warned, smiling before pecking his lips. Phil smiled before answering his phone.
"Hello?" Phil answered happily.
"PHIL! THE WILL'S BEEN SORTED! I'm looking at apartments near your area! Oh thank god the times finally come, you no longer have to stay with that asshole!" Michael shouted into the phone. Phil felt overwhelmed with even more joy, life seemed to be going in an upward spiral for him.
"Oh my god really?" Phil exclaimed, a grin breaking out on his face. Dan watched curiously but thanked whoever was making him smile.
"Would I lie about that?" Michael asked.
"No! Oh that's great." Phil cried.
"Start packing as soon as you get home! You can come pick the place with me later, okay?"
"Okay deal. See you later." Phil grinned. He hung up and shouted in joy, flinging himself at Dan and hugging him tight. "Is that coffee date still on offer?" Phil asked.
"Of course. " Dan grinned and pulled him into a sweet kiss.
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?"
"I will." Said the Piggy,
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon.
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
~
The two figures giggled as they raced down to the beach, bare feet slapping against the damp sand. Both boys ran along the shore, hands clasped and huge grins planted on their faces. This was it, this was the night they ran away. No more homophobic parents, no more judging stares, no more idiots. Just two lovers, a boat and the waves.
They stopped just by a dock, breathing heavily as they eased up on the large rucksacks which were heavy on their shoulders.
"This is a terrible idea." Phil chuckled.
"Good, lets get started." Dan replied, smile never leaving his lips. They walked to the waiting boat at the end of the dock. Dan carefully placed the bags in the storage compartments whilst Phil set on untying the boat.
Once their transport was detached from the jetty Phil hopped on and put the keys into ignition. The boat purred to life and both boys shared excited grins. A new life, a life away from everyone who ever hurt them.
"Are you sure your father can't track the boat?" Dan asked, biting his lip in concern.
"He only bought it yesterday, it doesn't even have a licence plate." Phil assured and pulled the boat out of the shore and driving straight into the waves. The icy wind blew strong against the two boys so they snuggled into one another as Phil drove the boat with one hand.
"I can't believe we're doing this." Dan giggled.
"No going back now. We wanted to get away, start a new life without them." Phil paused and scrunched up his nose in disgust before continuing. "We can finally be together ... you are okay with this right Dan?" Phil asked suddenly, he had asked plenty of times, but now that the time had come maybe the younger was having doubts.
"More than happy." Dan sighed, tucking his head into the crook of Phil's neck. Phil smiled and rested his head on Dan's, breathing and staring at the beautiful water before them. His eyes trailed up to the moon which was shining proudly in the sky making the waves sparkle and glint in a magical way.
Even though the wind was harsh, they were fortunate that the waves were fairly calm which provided them a smooth exit from their previous life.
~~~
"YOU'RE NO SON OF MINE!" Dan's father snapped and slapped him hard across the face. Dan stumbled and fell to the ground, holding his cheek in his hand.
"RICHARD!" Dan's mother scolded, but even she couldn't look Dan in the eyes. She didn't think Dan's choice was a right one but she would still protest against a hand being laid on him. "He's just a boy, he doesn't know what he's saying!" She tried to assure.
"No!" Dan spoke up, practically spitting the words. "I am gay, and as parents you should respect my decision!" Dan growled, standing back on his feet, his right cheek glowing red.
"You little shit, how dare you? Respect has to be earned and I will not give any for such a preposterous statement!" He snarled.
"I'M A HUMAN BEING!" Dan yelled.
"I DON'T CARE DANIEL, I DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO BE LIKE THIS! I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU!" His father bellowed and struck him again, a lot harder. Dan's mother whimpered and began to sob in the corner as 'Richard' struck Dan over and over.
"Stop!" Dan pleaded weakly.
"You deserve it faggot!" Richard sneered.
~~~
"Aaaah!" Dan sat up in the seat, screaming. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Dan?" Phil asked with with worry. He put the boat in gear and walked over to a hyperventilating Dan. "What's wrong love?" He asked softly and took one of Dan's hands in his. Dan immediately started to calm down as Phil's thumb brushed gently over his knuckles.
"I-I had a night mare about him." Dan spat.
"Don't worry, we're far away from him now. You've been asleep for hours, it's midnight." Phil explained and draped a blanket round him. Dan smiled sheepishly and watched as Phil turned the boat's ignition off and let it go to sleep for the night.
"I have something to show you." Phil smiled.
"What is it?" Dan asked.
"You'll see." Phil smiled and disappeared into the cabin to retrieve something. Whilst he was waiting, Dan tugged the blanket tighter round himself and looked up at the stars. It was a beautiful night, and he was sure he could probably make out some constellations if he tried.
He heard Phil fumble about behind him and turned to see what he was up to. His face split into a large smile when he saw Phil perched on the side with a guitar in hand. "I learned this song two days ago and have been waiting for the opportunity to sing it to you." Phil blushed.
"Aw." Dan cooed and waited eagerly.
“It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I sat on the ROOF and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world"
"That was beautiful Phil." Dan smiled shyly and reached forward, pecking him sweetly on the lips.
~~~
"PHIL!" Dan yelled, shaking him awake.
"What?" Phil groaned.
"We arrived, I've been driving for five hours and we're there!" Dan exclaimed excitedly. Phil shot out of bed and up on deck and grinned when he saw the French shore come into view.
Phil's arm slipped around Dan's waist and pulled him tight to his side. "How's your french?" Phil asked.
"Pretty shit actually." Dan admitted sheepishly. Phil chuckled.
"Well mine's quite good so at least that helps." They drove the boat up onto shore and tied it up on the docks.
"All we need now is some jobs." Dan huffed.
"Don't worry we can start small and work our way up, it will work out. I promise. Anyway, I have quite a lot of cash saved up so we'll be good for a few weeks if nothing comes up." Phil grinned.
"Since it's our first day here how about we just relax and see the sights?" Dan suggested.
"Sounds perfect." Phil replied, giving him a big kiss on the pier.
~~~
They had been round all the tourist parts of where they were staying and luckily Phil's exceptional french got them through the day. It was getting darker and it had soon turned six.
"How about a romantic dinner?" Phil suggested.
"Sounds amazing." Dan replied eagerly.
They soon came to a restaurant on the beach and was immediately shown to a table by the polite waiter.
"Qu'est-ce que vous être d'avoir ce soir ?"
"He asked what we are having." Phil translated.
"Um, le homard se il vous plaît." Dan spoke, reading off the menu.
"Et vous?"
"La Casserol de bœuf se il vous plaît." Phil replied.
"Je vais le faire pour vous tout de suite messieurs." The waiter replied.
"Merci." Phil thanked and the waiter walked off.
"This is great Phil ... and I must say watching you speak french is quite hot." Dan winked. Phil giggled.
"Shut up!"
They ate and drank in happiness, glad to be away from a judging family and environment. They could be together freely now and live life how they wanted. They talked endlessly all night, sharing sweet nothings and compliments whilst others wondered what they were talking about in such different dialogue.
Phil called for the bill and after that they decided to take a romantic and slightly tipsy stroll on the beach.
"Remember the first time we met?" Dan grinned stupidly.
"As if t'was yesterday!" Phil replied.
~ Two Years Ago ~
"We're going to a party tonight Phillip, I want you to come and socialize! My good friends the Howells will be there. They have a son I'm sure you could talk to." Phil's mum grinned.
"I don't want to go, I won't know anyone there mum, please let me stay." Phil begged.
"Come on Phillip, it's only polite." Phil's dad urged.
"Ugh, fine." Phil huffed, "and stop calling me Phillip, I prefer Phil." He argued.
"Don't take that tone with us, now come on, we'll be late." Phil's father announced and opened the door, walking straight to the car. Phil begrudgingly followed them and was driven to the party.
"We''ll be around dear, go off and find some people to talk to and be nice!" Phil's mum called as she walked off with Phil's dad. Phil's groaned in frustration. He hated these things, he knew no one and would have to socialize with old people. He decided to go out the back door into the deserted garden. They were supposed to be having a BBQ but it was raining badly so everyone was inside.
Phil ran down the large garden to the end and took shelter under a tree. He rolled his eyes and took his phone out, checking for wifi. When he found it, he was relieved to find there was no password. He was halfway scrolling through Facebook when a shadow loomed over him.
He looked up and gawped as a boy looked down at him. He was gorgeous, tanned and tall. His mocha hair was quite long and swept across his forehead. His eyes were a deep hazel which looked so warm and inviting, an escape from the cold and damp world. A shy smile was on his pink lips and a dimple stood out proudly on his cheek. Little drops of water were slowly trailing down his forehead and his stud earrings.
"Hi." he spoke up, looking anxious.
"Hi." Phil breathed, recovering from the sudden image of beauty.
"I couldn't help but notice you look like the only person around my age in there." He explained and scratched the back of his neck. "Do you mind if I join you?" He asked.
"No, of course not." Phil fumbled and moved up so he could also take shelter under the tree.
"I'm Dan by the way." He smiled, holding out a hand.
"Phil." Phil grinned back and shook his hand.
"Watcha doing?"
"On Facebook, I managed to find the wifi and luckily there's no password." Phil chuckled.
"OH MY GOD! Give me it now, I've been in there an hour and I think I'm having internet withdrawals." He exclaimed dramatically. Phil giggled at the boy's horrified looking face and gave him the code. "Thank god." Dan muttered under his breath and Phil grinned.
Both boys talked for hours and found they had a lot in common. For the first time Phil was actually glad he came. They swapped phone numbers and social media names so they could talk again. Phil knew he was definitely going to try and see him again.
~ end ~
"You looked really cute when I first saw you." Phil commented.
"I was having an internal explosion. As soon as you looked at me I thought I was going to melt into a puddle." Dan described and stared lovingly at Phil's features.
"Wow, and I thought I was nervous to see such a sexy human being." Phil teased.
"You're right about that." Dan smirked and smacked Phil's butt, making him squeak and Dan burst into giggles. "I need the toilet." Dan announced and quickly nipped into a public toilet two minutes from the beach.
Phil looked around, taking in the scenery to pass the time when something caught his eye. He walked over to a jewelry stand on the beach and looked at all the pretty jewels. The man behind it smirked and began to advertise his stock. He was fat and ugly like a pig with protruding teeth and rancid breath. Phil's immediate reaction was to get as far away from him as possible. However he sticks around and is drawn to a silver ring.
It was Dan's size, and had 'forever' scrawled into the side in fancy writing. An idea formed in Phil's mind and he began to feel excited, asking for a price. He managed to haggle it down to a suitable price before buying it and hiding it so Dan wouldn't see it.
Dan soon returned and kissed Phil's lips in hello before they continued their walk across the sand. The sun was setting and casting a red and amber glow across the sky, it was beautiful. Phil entwined his fingers with Dan's and took his face in his hand, giving him a passionate kiss.
"I love you so much." Phil breathed.
"I love you too." Dan grinned and kiss him harder, pulling him in for a proper kiss, lips moving like lovers should. Phil's arms wrapped around Dan's waist and Dan's clasped around his neck, keeping him close.
"Dan ..." Phil started, pulling away.
"Mhm?" Dan sighed, clearly in a state of bliss. Phil unhooked Dan's arms from his neck and took a step back, making Dan frown in confusion. Phil took a deep breath before lowering on one knee. Dan gasped as he saw Phil reach into his pocket and produce the ring.
"Dan Howell, I've known you for over two years now and we've been together for one and a half. This may be going fast and this is just for the future if you're not ready yet. I'd wait decades for you, even if it's not now, will you marry me?" Phil asked.
Tears sprang to Dan's eyes and he frantically nodded his head. "Of course!" He exclaimed, letting Phil slide the ring on then jumping into his arms. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH OH MY GOD!" He yelled. Phil laughed and hugged him tight. His Dan his one and only shining star in the universe.
Max approached the loft anxiously, he knew he'd have to transform before he reached the wards so went into the alley way beside the building and vanished his runes and released his horns. He sighed in relief as he felt his natural features come out. Putting up the glamour felt like there was always something itching in the back of his mind. Now the itch was mostly gone except for the fact he was no longer hiding his runes which were just as essential to who he was. With a sigh, Max made his way to Magnus' loft.
His front door had never been so daunting before. Magnus tended to see through Max easily, could he tell if he was lying if he didn't even know him? Summoning his courage he went to knock on the door, only for it to open by itself. "How long you gonna hang out here kid?" A familiar face teased. Max tried to hold back a smile as he saw his aunt Catarina - she was one of his favourite people to be around, not to mention Madzie's adopted mother.
"S-sorry." Max apologised and stumbled into the loft. It looked different to how it was back home which had more of a family touch and definitely more photographs. It still held an essence of his father's bachelor days despite being in a relationship with Alec for a while.
Max swallowed when he saw his father walk down the stairs from his roof. "And just who are you?" Magnus asked curiously, martini glass firm in hand. "I don't remember any new warlocks in New York." He raised an eyebrow.
"Keep it together." Max thought nervously. "I'm just passing through." He praised himself on not stuttering in his father's powerful presence.
Magnus hummed and finished the descent. Max tried not to roll his eyes at his father's dramatics, he thought he was so suave. "And what is it you need with the High Warlock of Brooklyn dear boy?"
"I-it's my magic." Max cursed internally as he tripped over his words, he hated lying to his parents and he got nervous unlike Rafael. "M-my brother and I were passing through and were ambushed by Valentine's men." Max found his voice going quieter. He saw Catarina and Magnus tense up at the sound of that name.
"Oh you poor boy." Magnus sighed and pulled Max into a one armed hug. Max's breath hitched and couldn't help but relax into the embrace - happy with how familiar it felt to be in his father's arms. He felt tears reach his eyes as he clung on tight. He wanted to go home and hug his papa like this.
"I-I need help. My m-magic isn't recovering the way it should be." Max croaked and reluctantly pulled away from Magnus. "I was hoping you had a rejuvenation elixir?" Max asked hopefully.
"Of course little blueberry, I'd be happy to help. I'm hosting a lot of warlocks right now, this could become a temporary safe space for and your brother." Magnus offered. Max felt his heart in his throat at the nickname he was so used to hearing at home. He couldn't help the rush of affection and warmth it made him feel. He sniffed and wiped the tears away, trying to compose himself.
"N-no it's ok. I need to get back to him and get home as soon as possible." Max denied and Magnus nodded in understanding. He still rested a hand on the boy's shoulder and couldn't help but feel a protective flare at seeing this little warlock cry. He had to be really young, Magnus was impressed he could handle his magic so well. He didn't want to let go, he wanted to comfort the boy until he stopped crying.
He cleared his throat, "Catarina, why don't you get the elixir. You still remember where I keep them right?" Magnus suggested.
"What do you take me for?" Catarina smirked and went to Magnus' apothecary. Magnus led Max over to his sofa.
"You're not hurt are you?" Magnus checked, tipping the boy's blue chin up to meet his eyes. Max sniffed and shook his head, avoiding eye contact. Magnus could see the sorrow in his eyes and his heart clenched at the sight. Magnus couldn't help feeling protective over the downworlders and warlocks - particularly young ones like Max as he couldn't have any children of his own. "Where's your brother?"
Max sighed, "He's waiting for me ... trying to figure out how we can get home." Again, he tried to stay close to the truth.
"And where is home?" Magnus smiled kindly.
Max tried to avoid a direct location. "Wherever my parents are, I miss them a lot." Magnus felt his heart melt - the boy was too precious. Catarina returned before he could question any further and handed the boy a green vile. He smiled sweetly and down it in one go, nose wrinkling at the taste. Magnus and Catarina chuckled as he stuck his tongue out.
"Feeling better?" Catarina asked and Max held his blue fingers out, letting white wisps of magic lick up his arms. He smiled in relief but it fell rather quickly. Magnus frowned, what could be troubling him now?
"I don't have anything to pay you with." He replied nervously, chewing on his lip. Magnus let out a relieved breath - this boy's well-being felt important to him for some reason.
"Don't you worry about it, just be safe ok?" Magnus asked, although found he didn't want the young warlock to leave. Max beamed up at him and before he knew it, he was being hugged again. Magnus automatically wrapped his arms and cradled him - he wanted to give this sweet little warlock the world, just who was he?
"Thank you." The boy whispered and Magnus grinned, feeling happy for the first time in a few days. He was a sucker for kids. Speaking of, Madzie came bounding into the room at that moment and the blue warlock pulled away, staring at her in surprise.
"Madzie this is ... um, what is your name?" Magnus asked, chastising himself for not asking sooner.
"M-max. I'm Max." He said, eyes wide as he looked down at the little witch.
"Well this is sweet little Madzie. An absolute angel, aren't you darling?" Magnus cooed. Madzie only stared at Max and stepped forward until she was in his face. Max didn't move a muscle - scarcely believing this was the fiery girl he'd come to know. She was so small and cute, a big contrast to how tall and beautiful she was in Max's time. Little Madzie reached out and gently gripped one of his horns.
"Max." She smiled before letting go and curling round Catarina's legs. Max smiled softly at the sweet innocent side of the girl he knew. One day she'd grow into the strong warlock he loved. Magnus felt like his insides had turned to mush at the cute scene that had played out. He wanted to scoop up both of them and hug them tight and out of harms way. Unfortunately Max got up from the couch and looked sheepish.
"I should get back." He admitted.
"You're sure you're ok? You don't need any help?" Magnus checked, he didn't know why he wanted to spend so much time around Max.
"I'm sure, thank you so much. I hope we'll meet again." Max smiled sweetly.
"As do I Maxwell." Magnus grinned and the boy wrinkled his nose at the full name.
"Max is fine." he chuckled and waved at Catarina and Madzie as he left, eyes softening on the young warlock. He hoped he could get back to his Madzie, Catarina and papa soon.
~
Rafael stood by as Luke warned Jace and Clary about the where-abouts of Valentine and Jonathan. "Yeah, blondie moves like a demon." Maia's voice said through the speaker.
"That's because he is one." Clary replied in frustration. The situation was taking it's toll on everyone. Rafael had been taking on some of the extra work to keep everyone's stress levels down - he knew what he was doing since he was acting head of the institute at home. He could work the institute like a well oiled machine if Alec needed to focus on solving their Jonathan problem. Jace brought up a map of the city, trying to pin possible hiding locations due to Luke's information.
"On the plus side he won't get very far." Maia added.
"Yeah, by order of the Queen. Warlocks have put up wards all around the city. No portals or travel in or out for anyone with nephilim blood. If a Shadowhunter enters that threshold they get vaporised." Clary shared a concerned look with Jace and Rafael. "So be careful. We'll continue hunting on our end." Luke informed and hung up. Jace turned to some nearby Shadowhunters.
"Hey spread the word, Shadowhunter movement into and out of the city stops immediately. No more Shadowhunters die today." He said with conviction. Rafael hoped Max was okay, he didn't want him stumbling through those wards.
"Hey!" Rafael turned to see Alec walking towards them, the stress clear on his features - this couldn't be good news. "Isabelle's on her way back with Rufus. Guess who just tried to portal to Idris." He stated in annoyance, voice raising, "Valentine must know that we don't have the mirror, and presumably where the real one is."
Jace sighed and went to comfort his parabatai, "Look, let's stay focused on what we can control, not what we can't. We will figure this out." He assured, putting a hand on Alec's shoulder who was breathing heavily.
"So we're stuck inside the citadel-" Alec ranted and Rafael tuned him out as he saw the expression on Clary's face as she stared blankly ahead. Feeling concerned, he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Clary? You alright?" He asked hesitantly. Jace and Alec turned to observe the problem. She snapped out of it at his touch, looking confused for a moment before clarity crossed her eyes.
"I might be able to speed things up ... but I'm gonna need Jace's help to do it." Rafael and Alec looked to Jace whose brows furrowed.
"Well we should try what we can. What is it?" Jace agreed.
"I think I just had a vision from the angel. Come on I'll tell you on the way." Clary urged and took off without looking back. Jace and Alec looked ready to protest but Jace just sighed and went after her. Alec stayed where he was, Rafael sticking close as he knew they'd be able to track Jonathan. Alec exhaled and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"You doing ok?" Rafael couldn't help but ask. He was concerned about his father's well-being and wanted to do whatever he could to reduce the stress.
"I'm fine." Alec snapped and Rafael ducked his head, knowing not to pester any further when his father was in this mood. He busied himself with checking institute functionality on his tablet. A moment later he heard a sigh and risked glancing up. "Sorry it's just ... a lot's happened that needs resolved. Thank you for everything you've done in the last few days you've been a great help." He said sincerely and Rafael smiled lightly.
"Of course, I'm happy to help." Rafael assured. Alec couldn't help the corner of his mouth lifting up. He didn't know what it was about the boy, but he felt like he could trust him with his life. He felt completely comfortable around him and working with him was a dream - he was so efficient and could handle everything thrown at him with precise solutions. It's as if he'd been there for years, which of course was impossible. The only people whose presence provided him with comfort was his siblings and ... Magnus, but somehow he got the same calmness around Rafael.
"I'm sorry we couldn't help more with your demon problem - that's the only reason you're here after all." Alec frowned.
"No worries, I've been tracking any unusual demon activity with Isabelle when we have a spare moment and they've been relatively quiet. No reason to panic just yet." Rafael reassured.
"You managed to find time to do that? What are you a machine?" Alec asked incredulously.
"I can handle things. I need to be able to if I ever want to take over as head of the institute one day." Rafael admitted, before wondering if he revealed too much. He couldn't go into detail about his life too much in case he had to repeat them and mixed his stories. Alec didn't look like he was going to pry though.
"Well ... I'd say you have all the makings of one." Alec offered and gently clapped Rafael's shoulder.
"Thank you, sir." Rafael nearly beamed. Alec waved him off.
"Please, call me Alec." he smiled.
"I'd really rather not." Raphael thought. It was easier to address him as a senior officer than as a fellow Shadowhunter as Rafael already respected him and took orders from him all the time. However calling his dad by his first name made him uncomfortable. He was saved from replying when Isabelle approached, Max close behind.
"Hey boys, look who I found." Isabelle smiled as Max smiled shyly behind her. "Where've you been?" Alec asked, eyebrow raised.
"Sorry sir but I sent him on an errand. I thought there might be a lead on the hellhounds but he contacted me on his way back and told me it was a dead end." Rafael jumped in. He could see the relief in Max's eyes as his brother covered for him.
Alec nodded, "Alright but I'll need you both on standby, things are getting crazier by the hour." Alec warned.
"Did Rufus talk?" Rafael asked curiously.
"Easily, he confirmed that Valentine was trying to leave the city. He couldn't tell us their location though." Isabelle sighed, annoyed they lost another lead.
"Great." Alec exhaled and pushed off the desk. Max made his way to Rafael as Alec filled Isabelle in on what she'd missed.
"You feeling better?" Rafael asked quietly. Max's smile widened.
"Yeah, papa was very understanding. Almost didn't want to leave." He joked.
"And leave all the hard work to me once again." Rafael shot back, earning a shove from his brother. Not long later, Jace and Clary returned looking a little flushed.
"I don't wanna know." Max thought in disgust.
"We know where Jonathan is - at the cemetery" Clary grinned. Alec let out a relieved breath as Rafael and Max shared a look.
"Alright gear up all of you, I'll arrange a portal." Alec ordered.
"Clary, don't." Isabelle sighed as the four of them walked towards Sebastian's apartment. Max watched the interaction curiously.
"No, I knew there was something off about Sebastian- or Jonathon. I should never had second guessed myself." Clary stated in frustration.
"He would have found his way into our lives one way or another. The only thing that matters now is taking Jonathon and Valentine out." Jace spoke up beside Max. Max stayed quiet, he knew they wouldn't find Jonathon but still felt something was off as they approached the apartment building. With Isabelle taking the lead as leader of the mission, she sprinted up the stairs to the front door. Max watched, impressed, as his aunt kicked the door open with frustrated force, staff at the ready. Max, Clary and Jace provided backup, scoping the room for any threat.
"Jonathon!" Isabelle shouted in warning. They turned to see the slumped figure of Sebastian at the table, Max immediately felt his blood heat up as he noticed the demonic energy in the room. That was definitely not Jonathon.
"Turn around and face us." Jace commanded. Max's fingers tightened on his blade, watching the body's every movement. He could sense the demon lurking under the surface but knew he couldn't say anything without solid evidence. He swallowed his warnings, trusting that his family could handle the surprise.
"Where's Valentine?" Isabelle asked coldly. The blond shadowhunter didn't respond and Max watched the confusion on his aunt and uncle's face. Jace relaxed his stance whilst Clary's stiffened, clearly dealing with the uncertainty in different ways. Isabelle stepped closer, staff inching closer to the body and turning the chair to face them. Max's nose wrinkled in disgust at the blackened edges of the Shadowhunter's mouth and the dead expression on his face.
"What, did Valentine kill him?" Clary asked in disbelief, staring at the black veins in shock.
Isabelle sighed in disappointment. "He's been dead for days."
"Tortured first." Max felt a shiver go down his spine at Jace's words. His family really had gone through some dark times. "This was the real Sebastian Verlac." Jace explained and went to close the Shadowhunter's eyes out of respect. Clary looked stricken and Max stood aimlessly, wishing to give comfort but not able to. "Ave atque vale." Jace recited.
"Hail and farewell." Max, Clary and Isabelle chimed in to give the Shadowhunter a respectful passing. However this seemed to trigger the demon as Max noticed the body start to twitch and shake.
"Jace!" Clary warned as Sebastian's eyes flew open and he shrieked. Jace immediately went into action, swinging his seraph blade. The demon moved quickly though and clung to the ceiling.
"It's a possessing demon." Jace supplied and Clary grit her teeth.
"The same kind that murdered my mum." Max felt anger for his family and threw a seraph dagger that lodged into the demon's throat. It screamed and slid down the wall.
"Then we know how to kill it." Isabelle concluded harshly and used his whip to drag the demon close enough for Jace to finish it off with his seraph blade. The demon burned through the angelic properties and evaporated into a black and amber cloud. "We'll make them pay for what they did to you." Isabelle promised Sebastian.
"We're going to make them pay for everything." Clary corrected with conviction. Max hated seeing his regularly-smiling aunt have such a vicious expression. He hoped they'd resolve things soon so they could start to heal.
"Nice response time." Jace praised to the youngest Shadowhunter. Max smiled weakly and felt guilty considering he could have responded sooner.
"Let's report back to Alec and start tracking Jonathon and Valentine." Isabelle sighed.
~
"Have you notified the Verlac family yet?" Rafael heard Imogen Herondale's strict response to the news. He was surprised that they'd let him in on the conversation. Max was filling out their mission report so they could discuss the matter at hand.
"Penhallow's daughter, Aline, delivered the message in person, Madame Inquisitor." Alec explained.
"Defiling the body of a fallen soldier and turning it into a booby trap is sadly part of the course for Valentine isn't it?" Imogen replied bitterly.
"The possessing Demon wouldn't have done this on its own. The trap could only have been set using the mortal cup to command it." Alec deducted and Rafael felt anger and anxiety flare in his stomach - he and his brother really had dropped slap bang into the middle of the mortal war. Just hearing the mortal instruments' names made a shiver go down his spine.
"So he had it all along."
"Our intel shows he is also in possession of the mortal sword." Alec added.
"Do you have any good news for me today, Mr Lightwood?" Imogen asked exasperatedly.
"Valentine and Jonathon believe that the New York institute is in possession of the mortal mirror. He won't leave the city without it." Alec reported.
"Thank the angel that at least he wasn't able to find that." Rafael detected the slightly sarcastic tone, but couldn't help agree with the woman. The situation was pretty dire.
"We were. Clary?" Alec prompted.
"My connection with the angel led us to it. It's in Idris. The mirror is Lake Lynn.
"That's the very same water that Raziel first rose from. Who else knows about this?" The inquisitor demanded. Alec's eyes flickered to Rafael but quickly looked back.
"Unfortunately the number of people we can trust is getting smaller by the day. We thought it best to tell you first." Jace explained, turning to look at Rafael with a slight glare. Clearly it was a warning and he didn't wish to share this information with him. Although Rafael couldn't necessarily blame him given the circumstances, he still contemplated how the loving uncle he knew could have been such an ass. Jace turned his attention back to the screen. "We'd like to officially request soldiers for the guard to be placed in the surrounding woods around the lake. It may be only a matter of time before Valentine realises he's been had."
"I'll speak to consul Malachi about deployment at once. Good hunting." Came the inquisitor's reply and Rafael grit his teeth at the traitor's name. He wished he could protest but knew he'd be put under suspicion with that kind of knowledge.
"So what do we do now?" Jace asked quietly, stalking away from the others and eyeing Rafael out the corner of his eye.
"There's only 9 million people in the metro area. How hard can it be to find two?" Clary's sarcasm was dripping from every word. Alec only rolled his eyes in response.
"The job is too big to go alone. We need to ask for help." Alec sighed.
"From who Alec?" Jace asked.
Alec stood, "from everyone." He said firmly. Jace nodded in understanding before glancing at Rafael once again.
"Are you sure he should have been in on the meeting?" He voiced and Rafael internally groaned. Young Jace was hard work.
"I give you my word I'll keep this confidential." Rafael replied calmly.
"Your word means nothing until you can live up to it." He snapped.
"Jace." Clary sighed.
"I trust him Jace." Alec explained and Rafael gave his father a grateful smile.
"On what grounds Alec? A gut feeling? What about Jonathon?" Jace stressed.
"Look." Rafael interrupted firmly. "Valentine attacked and tortured my family. My best friend is a downworlder and so are some of my family. My little brother is in the next room in the middle of this mess and I'm terrified for his safety. I will do everything in my power to help you take the bastard down. I will not let him harm anyone I love again." Rafael snapped with conviction. Jace and the others went quiet. Jace searched the others expression and let out a defeated sigh.
"You better be right. Just know that if something goes wrong, I'll be investigating you first." Jace warned. Rafael sighed but nodded anyway, glad that he was able to co-operate.
"You have downworlder's in your family?" Clary asked curiously. "You seem a lot more progressive that the majority of Shadowhunters I've met." She explained, ignoring the annoyed look on Jace's face.
"My aunt is dating a vampire and I grew up with a warlock. She's my best friend and I'd do anything to protect them. I'm not saying I don't have reservations as a warlock experimented on my brother before my parents adopted him. I don't let that overrule my general opinion on downworlders though." Rafael explained, getting as close to the truth as possible.
"Poor Max, is he ok?" Clary asked and both Lightwood brother's jerked when they heard the name - still not used to the similarities.
"He's good now, a little anxious here and there but a strong warrior." Rafael confirmed. Clary smiled kindly and Rafael was happy to see her usual self shine through.
"Right, well, I'm going to contact the downworld leaders." Alec stated and gestured for everyone to get ready.
~
"How's the report going?" Rafael asked and sat beside his brother.
"Horribly. I hate this bit, why did I offer?" Max complained.
"Because you're a good person and they had important matters to attend to." Rafael smiled.
"What happened?" He asked curiously.
"If they ask, be adamant I didn't tell you because I'm trying to keep their trust. They've discovered the location of the mirror and are going to contact papa and the other downworld leaders." Rafael informed, making sure no one overheard them. Max nodded, remembering the story.
"Guess you'll finally meet who you're named after, huh?" Max smiled sadly and Rafael's eyes widened in realisation.
"Oh yeah, Raphael Santiago is still the Clan leader of New York." He mused.
"Good luck with that. I'm going to submit this report and get some more sleep, my magic still isn't back to full pow." Max sighed, thumb tracing the voyance rune on the back of his hand.
"You do that, I've got to stick by dad and give him updates. I'll see you later?" Rafael offered, guilty that they were being separated again. Max gave a small smile and a nod before walking away. Rafael's attention turned to Alec, Isabelle, Clary and Jace as they entered the ops centre. Rafael grabbed the tablet he'd been given and joined them.
"Ready?" He asked cautiously.
"As we'll ever be." Isabelle sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulder and taking the lead to the meeting room. As the five of them made their appearance, Rafael assessed the scene. His heart spiked when he saw his papa standing tall and defiant, looking flawless as per usual. He tore his gaze away and spotted Madzie's mentor, Lucien Greymark, leader of the New York pack on the right. In the middle, Rafael's eyes narrowed on the Seelie Queen, feeling resentment build. He'd met her in his own time and they hadn't seen eye to eye. She was selfish and cruel and reluctant to compromise. Finally his gaze shifted to the vampire in the room and studied the man who was also raised by his father. Raphael Santiago sat poised in his chair, skin pale and eyes sharp on the Shadowhunters that entered the room. Rafael could sense the potential authority in the man and felt a sadness for his future and the rocky relationship between him and his papa that follows.
"Where oh where is Simon?" The Queen asked with an innocent expression and Rafael cringed, remembering her obsession with his uncle.
"Your highness." Clary addressed, expression sour. "What an un-pleasant surprise." Rafael nearly snickered at Alec's exasperated expression.
"Oh now, I'm she didn't mean to-" He tried to amend but Jace jumped right in, ruining the chances of reparation.
"No offence Alec but I agree with Clary. Your majesty." Jace addressed and cross his arms with a sneer, "this another one of your little games?"
"The institute called an emergency meeting of the downworld council." The Queen replied and Clary frowned at her. "I speak on behalf of the downworld." Rafael immediately noticed his father's eyes flick to Magnus whose head was held high and defiant in his gaze.
"Magnus is this true?" Alec asked and Rafael felt his stomach sink at the tension between them. He hated how they were apart when they both so clearly loved the other. Magnus didn't reply and the Queen spoke for him.
"Henceforth when you need anything from the downworld, you shall address me Mr Lightwood. Such is the nature of our new agreement." She explained with a smug air. Rafael wanted to punch her teeth in. Sensing the hostility, the Queen's eyes flicked to him, eyebrow twitching. However her attention was divided when Alec addressed her once again.
"Your highness. Valentine believes the institute has the mortal mirror. He's not going to leave the city without it. I would like the downworld's help in locating him." Alec tried to settle diplomatically.
"In order to capture him so that he might escape once again." She shot back.
"In order to execute him, so that his threat may finally end." Alec relied just as confidently.
"Why should we believe you?"
Alec inhaled, "I understand why you might doubt my intentions." He looked pointedly at Magnus and Rafael tried to conceal the smile at his father's pettiness. "After what happened with the soul sword, and for that I am sorry. But I founded this council to make things more transparent between the downworld and the clave."
"And how has that been going?" The Seelie Queen asked with an un-impressed tone.
"It's been a bit of a working progress." Alec nearly snapped. Rafael again tried to conceal his smile at Magnus' expression, he was ridiculous. His parents could be so dramatic when they wanted to be.
The Queen let out a disappointed sigh and stood. "For far too long, the downworld has depended on the clave and your institute to protect us from men like Valentine. It's time we learnt our lesson and started fighting for ourselves." She said with finality.
"We can't do this alone. Valentine is a threat to all of us." Alec tried to reason and the other downworld leaders looked like they wanted to help him.
"The answer Shadowhunters, is no." The Seelie Queen said firmly. "Come along." She beckoned to Magnus and her knights, seeing no reason to waste her breath on them any longer. Rafael glared with the others as she started to leave and felt exasperated at his father's willingness to follow her. He could be gullible sometimes. Rafael stiffened as the Queen paused by his side, looking him up and down before casting a glance at Alec. "You're certainly a long way from home." She smirked and Rafael's teeth clenched.
"Indeed I am your majesty." Rafael replied smoothly. He knew the Seelies were talented with dimension magic, she could probably sense he was out of his time.
"You are certainly a curious being. Do come visit me before you ... find your way back." She winked and Rafael held back his shudder of revulsion. She continued on, his papa at her heels.
"Do you know her?" Isabelle asked curiously.
"Of her, she's not to be trusted." Rafael spat quietly, vaguely aware of her allies still sitting at the table. Rafael watched as Jace and Alec went to greet Luke before walking him out. Rafael hung back a little as Isabelle approached the vampire.
"Shouldn't you be waking up every vamp in the city to start hunting?" Isabelle asked with a little hostility.
"I texted Eloise to start spreading the word. We'll search every tunnel, sewer, dark corner that we can, till the sun sets." Isabelle nodded. "That's the best we can do. I'd be mroe than happy to join them, but Magnus was kinda my ride." Rafael nearly face-palmed at his father's ridiculousness. He was so caught up in his own problems and now he forgot to give his vampire friend who was like a son, a ride home. Despite the frustration, Rafael couldn't help the small smile that reached his lips due to the dramatics.
"Yeah, I was surprised he would leave you behind like that." Isabelle breathed with a little mirth.
"You and me both." Rafael retorted in his head.
"He's got bigger things on his mind right now. He's been through a lot lately. We all have." The vampire explained wisely and Rafael felt a surge of affection for the man's understanding. He clearly cared a lot about his stupid warlock father. He understood. There was a moment of tension between the two and Rafael remembered that Isabelle and Raphael had had a thing of sorts and tried not to feel uncomfortable about. Besides the thought of Clary and Simon together was more disgusting.
"I'm truly sorry. For everything. Our worlds turning against each other, it's, it's not quite how I pictured how our paths would cross again." Raphael admitted, Rafael felt like he was invading on a private moment and took the opportunity to retreat. He'd seen enough to respect the man he was named after and would remember him fondly. He retreated to the ops centre to help his father re-think his strategy.
He saw Max shifting uncomfortably in the corner and decided to check up on him first. "What's wrong?" Max sighed.
"I still can't access my usual amount of magic. Going through the portal took a lot out of me and I need my full strength if those hounds show up." Max whispered. Rafael stopped to think for a moment, his brother was correct. Despite not wanting to put all his eggs in one basket, his brother's magic was the only hope at defeating them.
"The warlocks are gathering at papa's loft. If you glamour your runes and show your warlock features instead you may get away with it. I'm sure Magnus won't be unreasonable in giving you a rejuvenation elixir if you say you've been attacked by demons. Father would never exploit someone's weakness for gain." Rafael suggested.
"But how do I sneak out?" Max hissed.
"I'll cover for you." Rafael smiled and went to find Alec
Everyone regrouped in the ops centre and Rafael made sure to listen out for details on how the evening had progressed. "What did you find?" the head of security asked.
"The box my mum used to keep Jonathon's things in." Clary replied.
"It was right where Izzy found Max." Jace explained.
"I know Max had his eyes on it." Alec confirmed. "He was so determined to prove himself."
"It's possible he found a way to use the box to track Jonathon." Jace continued and Rafael tuned out for a bit, turning his gaze to his exhausted brother.
"You should sleep for a bit, conserve your energy." Rafael prompted. Max looked like he was about to protest but sighed, knowing he wouldn't be of any help if he couldn't perform the spell. Rafael spotted the Shadowhunter that arranged their sleeping arrangements earlier. "Hey man." Rafael smiled apologetically.
"My brother's exhausted from fighting a hoard of shax demons today. Do you mind if he sleeps for a bit? Is there somewhere he can rest?" Rafael asked as nicely as possible. The Shadowhunter appeared indifferent about it.
"Sure, the spare rooms are down that hall then up the stairs. He can go in the one at the end." The man informed and Rafael nodded before turning to Max.
"Did you hear that?"
Max rolled his eyes. "We both know where the spare rooms are." He scoffed. Rafael shrugged and helped his brother up. "I can make it there myself, don't worry." Max assured. "Just stay updated on what's happening." Rafael agreed reluctantly and waved his brother away. He tuned back into the conversation.
"-without it. Alec, he could still be in the building." Jace cautioned. So they knew Jonathon was amongst them.
"We have to confirm he's still inside."
"He saw what the real Jonathon looks like, he will be glamoured as one of our own." Jace concluded and Rafael internally commended them on figuring it out as he turned to watch the perimeter for any sign of hellhounds.
"Hiding in plain sight." Clary added uneasily.
Alec breathed in and looked like he was forming a plan. "Okay ... okay Sebastian I want you and any other personnel on-" Rafael blocked out the rest of his father's words and his blood ran cold. Sebastian. That was Jonathon's alias. Rafael fixed the blond Shadowhunter with a gaze full of contempt. That man had caused so much pain and heartache in his family. He wished he could just end him there and then. He clenched his hands to stay in his seat and not throttle the person who attacked his uncle.
"-If Jonathon's still in the building, he's not getting out alive!" Alec assured right to Jonathon's face and Rafael would have been pleased if he didn't know that the bastard would, indeed, get out alive. Rafael glared as the blond half-nephilim, half-demon marched off to perform whatever devious deed was next on his list. Rafael hated having to be rational, but he really couldn't do anything that interfered with their timeline too vastly.
Just then Alec rushed past and whipped his phone out, finger pressing urgently on call. He groaned in frustration when the person didn't pick up. "Magnus please ... I need your help. I know things are complicated right now but ... I just ... I need you ..." Alec sighed heavily and stopped the voicemail. Rafael felt his heart clench - he hated seeing his parents sad. Although they had the occasional argument, they were too in love to ever continue for too long. Hearing the sorrow in young Alec's voice only made Rafael more aware of how it didn't start out so easy.
"Fuck this." Alec snapped suddenly and his son watched as he stormed out the institute to personally get his lover to help. Rafael sighed and dreaded the destination of the evening.
~
Max could only manage a couple hours sleep, his mind was too restless despite his body's protests. After a while he couldn't handle being alone in this foreign room in this foreign time without the comfort of his brother. He went in search for Rafael, hoping he was still in the ops centre. However as he rounded one of the corridors he stopped in his tracks and backed up. He swallowed the lump in his throat when he spotted his papa addressing his father and family about his uncle.
"Max's only hope for recovery now lies with brother Enoch." Magnus explained regretfully. Alec looked disappointed by the news and went straight to denial.
"There's gotta be something! Anything-"
"Brother Enoch." Maryse Lightwood said sternly and Max flinched a little at the sight. This was the Maryse Lightwood still struggling with her prejudices. Although she had come to love Max, he knew he made her sad at the same time - he was nothing like her son. He loved his grandparents but there was only so far their tolerance could go.
As the silent brother went to help little Max Alec became desperate. "No!" He exclaimed.
"Alec! I know you're scared..." Max tuned out of the conversation, shutting his eyes tight. He hated seeing the ones he loved so miserable and there was nothing he could do about it. After a moment he cast one last glance round the corner and saw his papa holding his dad's hand as a comfort. Max, despite the sadness it spawned, couldn't help but smile at the fact that Magnus would always care for his dad and would comfort him when Max couldn't. He let out a breath and headed to find Rafael.
Luckily he was still by the monitors, looking frustrated at the results. Max smiled at the sense of familiarity and security that Rafael gave him despite the painful reality around them, his throbbing parabatai rune and the lack of his family and friends. "Hey." Max spoke softly and Rafael jerked to attention. He smiled at Max's ruffled blue hair but it dropped a little when he noticed something amongst the birds nest.
"Maxie." He said in a low voice. "One of your mark's is showing. Might want to strengthen your glamour." Rafael whispered. Max frowned and reached up to find one of his horns showing. He flushed and concentrated his magic once again. Generally he wasn't ashamed of being a warlock and it was a lot more accepted at the institute in his time but he knew the reaction would be less than great in their current situation.
Just then Rafael's attention snapped to one individual who started talking to Clary. His eyes narrowed and he turned to Max. "That's Jonathon." He hissed and Max's eyes went wide. It was the blond head of security. "His alias is Sebastian. You were right, it did start with an 'S'" Rafael sighed and watched curiously as they interacted.
"Clary's tricking him into holding electrum." Max mumbled.
"Shit's about to go down." Rafael grimaced. The next couple hours were a blur as the sun began to rise. Both Lightwood-Bane brothers witnessed the whole Jonathon attack failure then deflated when they saw their papa leaving the institute with tears in his eyes not long after.
"Dad's probably a mess." Max whispered.
"They both are." Rafael agreed. "I heard the other Shadowhunters talking and uncle Max is okay." Max felt relieved despite knowing the outcome.
"That's good." He smiled. "So, any progress on the demons?"
"No ... they didn't even attempt a breach. What's stalling them?" Rafael asked angrily. "Look we should get some rest. I'm sure that if they attack we'll know about it but I need my strength if we're going to be along for this confusing ride." Rafael admitted, feeling his eyes getting heavy. Max agreed and helped his brother towards the spare rooms.
"Rafael! Max!" They heard Isabelle call and turned to see her jog towards them in those ridiculously high heels. Rafael smiled tiredly in reply. "I just wanted to say thank you for helping me find my brother, I don't know what I'd have done if we didn't find him sooner. So thank you." She smiled, eyes a little red.
"We didn't really do anything but we're glad he's ok. I hope you're able to get some rest." Max smiled.
"Oh I wish ... Alec's called us into a meeting about what happened with Jonathon. Where are you boys headed?" She asked, changing the subject.
"We were hoping to get a few hours sleep because we need to get back to tracking those demons as soon as possible. We've contacted our team and they're staying at a friends. We'll regroup when we can." Max explained, feeling responsible to take on the charade for once. Rafael needed rest and shouldn't have to think so hard.
"Ok you boys get some rest, I'm sorry you came in the middle of it all. If I get a chance to spare I'll help you with your demon problem. If not I'll get Alec to assign a Shadowhunter to help you on the case in the institute." Isabelle smiled and patted Max on his arm. She felt strangely fond of the blue-haired boy. He reminded her a lot of her Max and her protective streak was still raw. She watched with a smile as the brothers helped each other to their room and hoped that once everything was over they'd have the chance to really talk. They seemed nice and there was something comforting about them that Isabelle found herself wanting to explore further.
~
Rafael and Max had finally got the rest they needed and decided to spar. Like their father is provided much needed stress relief and their iratzes had already gotten rid of the previous day's kinks. They had a quarterstaff each and circled each other on the floor. Rafael watched his brother quickly assess the situation, looking for any directional decision's in the boy's eyes. He saw the decision made in hardened blue eyes and prepared as his muscles twitched and he struck fast and hard. Rune's already activated, Rafael dodged with ease and went to get his brother in the back as he flew fast. His reflexes were good though as he blocked the blow.
Max's arms strained a little as he pushed back against his brother's strength. Rafael was the strongest warrior in the institute, Alexandra coming in close second. Max wasn't sloppy by any means but he had to focus on the skill of physical battle as well as mental when his magic came into play. Despite the conflict, he managed to keep up and found his parabatai's skills comforting. He made a quick decision, ducking under his brother's staff and kicking him behind the knee.
Rafael's knee bent but he followed the motion, rolling forward and twisting so fast the he swiped his brother's feet out from under him. Max let out an 'oof!' as his back hit the ground. Rafael chuckled and stood, looming confidently over his brother. "Nice technique and reaction time but you let your guard down when you thought you'd gotten me. Don't stop there, keep attacking until you know I'm down for certain." Rafael instructed and held out a hand for his brother.
"Solid advice." A voice complimented from the side. The brothers jerked their heads to the training room entrance. Alec and Isabelle stood there, similar expressions and stances. Isabelle uncrossed her arms and grinned brightly at the boys as Alec gave a small impressed smile - only the lifting of the corner of his mouth really.
"Thank you, I train the others at the institute." Rafael smiled and made his way towards the head of the institute, Max following suite.
"Really? What family do you come from?" Alec asked curiously. Rafael froze for a second, brain running on fast forward as he struggled to grasp a lesser-known Shadowhunting family name.
"True...wright." Rafael blurted out. Max almost gave an exasperated sigh, he was pretty sure that was made up.
"I haven't heard of the Truewrights." Isabelle said thoughtfully.
"Our legacy isn't very vast and our name relatively new." Rafael tried to explain. Alec seemed to accept that as he looked ready to change the conversation. "Isabelle here said you helped out in the ops centre yesterday when things got crazy during lock-down." He started and Rafael gave a nod.
"He got the operating systems back up in record time once Sebas- I mean Jonathon disabled them. Thanks to that we were able to save and find some institute footage regarding the elite guards. The quick back up also alerted the other Shadowhunters earlier about the crisis." Isabelle explained with an impressed smirk. Rafael felt himself flush a little and just knew his brother was giving him a smug look.
"Impressive." Alec agreed.
"U-um, thank you sir." Rafael couldn't help but get flustered. It's not like he didn't compliments from the older version of his father, but he thought it particularly difficult to impress the young and stubborn version of Alec Lightwood-Bane. No doubt he had other pressing matters that may distract from small feats like helping out with the security system. Isabelle seemed insistent that he get recognition though. Both brothers could tell they'd gained her trust and she wanted to help them.
"How's your field-work?" Alec addressed the younger brother.
"Ready and awaiting orders sir." Max replied automatically, both brothers had gotten past the shock of their situation enough to function as usual. Max was a good warrior and completed orders with vigour. He didn't want to fall behind his brother. Alec looked pleased with the response and turned to Isabelle who Rafael noticed was wearing her gear.
"Then you can suit up and accompany my sister on mission. Rafael, I appear to be lacking a head of security. What would you say to a part time position? I assure you we'll help with your demon problem as soon as possible. We'll get some other Shadowhunters scouting for any unusual demon activity."
Max and Rafael's pulses sped up, both honoured. Rafael was acting-head back home and head of security was a position of honour and he felt overwhelmed that he displayed enough skill and competency to not only gain their trust so quickly but be offered a sought after position in a prestigious institute. "I'd be honoured s-sir." Rafael couldn't help stutter. Alec gave a nod.
"I trust my sister's judgement and you've both proven to not be involved in any of the chaos that ensued yesterday. We'd appreciate any assistance you can offer." Alec replied justly before turning to Rafael. "Shall we?" he pressed and Rafael stood to attention.
He turned to his brother. "Good luck Maxie." He gave a reassuring smile at his brother's anxious gaze. He knew Max didn't like being separated but being on mission would put him in his element - he should be alright.
"You too Rafa." Max turned his attention to Isabelle as Alec and Rafael left to sort out the business of the day.
"Well you're all warmed up, grab your blades and let's go." Isabelle grinned brightly and Max couldn't help but return her enthusiasm. He loved his aunt Izzy.
As Rafael and Alec walked to his office in comfortable silence, Alec felt the need to clarify something that's been bothering him. "Look." He started firmly as Rafael fell into step with him. "My head of security just turned out to be a psychopathic murderer in league with Valentine and I usually wouldn't be so ready to accept another outsider for the position. I didn't have a good gut feeling about Sebastian but he saved my sister's life so I ignored it. I have a good gut feeling about you so you better not betray this offer of trust do you hear me?" Alec warned.
Rafael could see the exhaustion and sadness in his father's eyes and he wished he could reach out to comfort him but knew that wasn't possible. All he could do right now is try and ease his mind about Rafael's loyalty. "Of course sir. I welcome punishment if I don't fit up to your standards."
Alec raised an eyebrow but kept quiet. Once they reached the office, they went straight to business.
"She's the strongest out of all of us. She'll be just fine." Rafael muttered as he and his brother hung nearby as Alec ordered a few of his fellow Shadowhunters about. He had called a meeting about Jonathon - they needed a way to track him and Valentine. The mortal instruments were being picked off and the situation was dire.
"I know but ..." Max sighed and stared off into the distance. Rafael rolled his eyes at the obvious dreamy expression in his brother's eyes.
"You know she's ten years older than you." Rafael smirked. Max scowled.
"Nine actually." Max huffed and crossed his arms sulkily.
"Still a pretty big gap." Rafael shrugged.
Max rolled his eyes. "We've had this conversation." Max sighed in exasperation. "Nine years is nothing in the long term, especially for warlocks." He reiterated his previous point in frustration. Rafael chuckled, he loved teasing his brother about his major crush on the warlock girl. Madzie was a force to be reckoned with and they had all grown up together. If anything she was almost Alec and Magnus' first child as they helped Catarina look after her. Rafael was born when Madzie was 6 and Max joined their family three years later at one years old. Even as a toddler, he'd been enraptured by the talented ten-year old witch. Rafael had nothing against the relationship. He was good friends with Madzie. In fact, if Rafael had wanted one and she was a Shadowhunter, he wouldn't have minded becoming her parabatai. He was happy being a solo warrior however and was happy his little brother could find his match in Alexandra Fairchild Lightwood Herondale. Rafael always thought it was ridiculous how many titles she had. She always insisted on being called Alex - it was easier for everyone.
The brothers' attention was divided when their family re-grouped, Isabelle excluded. Just as they were about to start, her heels could be heard in the distance. She sighed as she joined everyone. "Sorry I'm late. I've been looking everywhere for Max, has anyone seen him?" She asked with slight desperation, hands on her hips. Max tensed beside Rafael, he felt sad when he remembered why he'd been named after his uncle. He only hoped he didn't have to witness his family's pain first-hand as even years later he can still see their heart-ache.
"Have you tried the armoury? He's probably sharpening his blades for his first assignment." Jace suggested. Isabelle sighed in annoyance.
"I've checked."
"We have more pressing matters." Alec intervened. Max winced a little, knowing his father must have regretted saying that for a long time. Rafael bumped his hip against Max's in acknowledgement of his thoughts. They both just had to stay level-headed. "Thanks to Dot's help, we now have the mortal mirror." Alec informed. Max felt a pang of sadness for the warlock he'd heard a bit about in his aunt's stories.
"And you have it at the institute, and it's well guarded I presume?" the blond Shadowhunter questioned. Max found his face familiar for some reason but couldn't put a name to it. He decided to just let it go - probably recognising him from some old institute photos or something.
"The elite guards are the only ones who know its location. It's safest that way." Alec explained.
Clary jumped in, "Jonathon went after Eliot and Dot to get the mirror. Now that he knows we have it, he's going to come back for it." She insisted.
"Agreed. Report back with any possible scenarios by which Jonathon and Valentine can attempt a breach." Alec dealt out - acting the leader he was born to be. Rafael felt a swell of pride and longing to be half the leader his father was when he was his age.
"Okay." Jace agreed and started to vacate with Clary and the blond Shadowhunter which Rafael deduced was head of security considering his involvement in the planning process. Rafael felt confused that he couldn't remember the man's name. The only head of security his father made worthy of mentioning was his friend Underhill.
As the others left, Rafael and Max hung back, turning away from Alec and Isabelle but listening out just in case. Max glanced over briefly and saw the slump in his father's shoulders as he leaned against the table. He could only wonder what made him so troubled. He turned away and shared a concerned look with his brother.
"Is everything okay?" He heard Isabelle ask tentatively. Alec didn't reply but the silence was answer enough. Max and Rafael tensed in preparation. "You told Magnus about the soul sword didn't you?" Isabelle continued with a sympathetic tone. The brothers tensed at the sound of their father's name. Rafael felt pieces click into place and remembered the fury on the young Magnus' face. He cringed - they really hadn't arrived at a good time for their parents' relationship. He shared a worried look with Max. "Wow." Isabelle replied to Alec's silence. "That bad."
~
Alec had left Max and Rafael under Isabelle's supervision temporarily. As a result she employed them to help her find her little brother. "Oh god I don't think I want to meet him." Max grimaced. "It's too sad." he whispered.
"I know but ... it could be nice. Although we know his fate it's good to remember him how he was and from what we've heard he was a happy if not mischievous child." Rafael suggested.
Max still looked uncomfortable. "Yeah but I was named after the guy, what if he somehow knows who I am? Kids are intuitive! What if he feels I'm taking his place?!" Max whisper-shouts.
"You're being ridiculous." Rafael rolls his eyes. "What do you remember about him around this age?" Rafael asked.
"There's quite a few stories about him. He's obviously around the institute at his time ..." Max trailed off, eyes flicking to the worried Isabelle who didn't even notice their hushed conversation. "Hey ... it's unlike him to just disappear from what I gathered and ... the appearance of the mortal mirror is about the time Jonathon shows up so ..." Max let the implication hang in the air.
Rafael felt his blood run cold. "Max is in danger or ... he's already been hurt." Rafael said in alarm. Max looked stricken, not ready to see the pain his family goes through as a result of these events.
"D-do you remember where he went? D-do you remember if Aunt Isabelle told us?" Max asked shakily, knowing they had to find their uncle fast or his injuries may cause an earlier death than they were expecting.
"Wasn't it Isabelle's room?" Rafael guessed. Max turned to Isabelle who had gotten her phone out - probably to call her brother.
"What if he's waiting for you?" Max blurted. Isabelle paused and her brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"Well what if he's in the one place you don't expect to look? Like in your room, that might be a smart place to hide if you're a kid." Max tried to sound indifferent but Rafael could notice the slight hint of urgency in his tone.
"Maybe you're right." Isabelle sighed. She turned to the both of them with a tired smile, "sorry you have to see me be a worry guts overprotective big sister. He's just started his Shadowhunter training and I can't help but worry." She explained as they walked in the direction of her room.
"I know how you feel, I'm always looking out for my friends. Especially my troublesome brother." Rafael tried to lighten the mood, giving Max a pointed look.
"You have a brother?" Isabelle asked kindly.
"Yeah, actually Max is my brother - this Max." Rafael smirked, ruffling already messy blue hair.
Isabelle's eyes widened. "Oh, I wouldn't have guessed. You don't immediately strike me as relatives - and of course you addressed him as your group leader." Isabelle shrugged apologetically.
"Yeah ... I'm adopted. It can be a pain in the ass being under my brother's command but he's proved to be a good leader and I trust his judgement." Max smiled shyly, still overly aware of the situation involving the other little brother known as Max, but he couldn't just tell his aunt to shut up and take him to her room could he?
"You two are too sweet. You remind me of my siblings and I. Jace is also adopted and he sometimes complains about following Alec's orders but like you he and I both know that Alec's a natural when it comes to this stuff." Isabelle smiled fondly. The Lightwood-Bane brothers shared a smile.
"Ah here we are. I swear if he's not here I'm going to kick his ..." She trailed off as she spotted drops of scarlet on the floor. Max felt his stomach sink as his suspicions were confirmed. Max was injured - the uncle he never got to meet and Jonathon was in the institute. A prickle of fear ran down his spine and he gripped Rafael's arm tightly. The brothers watched helplessly as their aunt slowly opened her bedroom door and let out a gasp as she saw the small figure of her brother lying on the carpet.
"Max can you hear me? Max!" She cried. "SOMEONE GET A MEDIC!" She screamed and Max and Rafael ran to find help.
~
All Alec had to hear was 'Max was hurt' to fly into action. He sprinted towards the medical wing, the two LA recruits on his heels. He didn't care about the fact that they needed supervised - not when his brother was in trouble.
"What happened?!" he stressed when he entered the room and saw his little brother lying in the hospital bed.
"I don't know - I found him like this in my room." Izzy replied, fury coating each word. Max and Rafael hung back outside the door.
"Oh my god, Max." Clary breathed.
"We should send him to Idris. See what they can do." Alec suggested, looking more panicked than Rafael or Max had ever seen him. Max looked at his uncle properly - all bandaged up and felt tears reach his eyes. He didn't want to know that little boy this way.
"Hey, it's okay. We know he pulls through." Rafael whispered.
"Yeah ... this time." Max's voice wobbled. Rafael put a comforting arm round his own little brother. He wouldn't know what he'd do if his Max got hurt like his uncle did.
"The medics said that in his condition he won't be able to survive the transfer." Isabelle sounded almost broken and Max had to look away at the expression on his father's face. He really underestimated how dark the times actually were when his parents were younger. Seeing ti with his own mind only made him feel more sorrow for his family's losses and pride for their persistence.
The brothers cleared the way when their uncle Jace ran down the corridor with the blond Shadowhunter close behind. "Max!" Jace exclaimed. Max flinched at his name once again and wished he was anywhere else. "We, uh, checked the institute security camera footage ... whoever attacked him was somehow covering their tracks."
"Has he been able to talk?" The Sebastian asked.
"Not yet. He's unconscious." Izzy breathed.
"I don't understand. Who'd wanna hurt him?" Clary frowned in confusion.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." Alec breathed angrily and turned towards the door. Jace went to calm him down.
"Hey hey, get Robert and Maryse here. The rest of us, we'll find out who did this." Jace reasoned. Not listening to the blond Shadowhunter, Max turned to Rafael.
"I can't be here." He whispered.
"Okay, we'll go to the ops centre and wait for questions. I doubt seeing our grandparents is a good idea. We've had more than enough to handle right now." Rafael agreed and led his brother away to let his family grieve. Max was shaking in his brother's grip.
"God that was actually him." Max breathed in shock as his brother sat him down at one of the monitors.
"Maxie." Rafael soothed. "It's okay. We know he'll be okay. Don't take on the guilt of how his life ends just because you share the same name. Yes, he's our family and yes it's tragic that we'll never really get to know him but take comfort in the fact that we know that this time we get to see him get through it and see our family happy once again." Max teared up again.
"You're right. I just felt so guilty watching him there when I know what happens." He admitted.
"It's out of our hands. There's nothing we could've done." Rafael smiles sadly. Whatever they were about to say next was put on hold when Jace and Clary walked towards them.
"What do you remember?!" Jace demanded, clearly shaken by the whole thing. Max flinched away so Rafael took the lead.
"We were searching for your brother with Isabelle. We suggested he may be hiding in her room and when we got there he was sprawled across the floor. I suggest you look there for clues." Rafael responded calmly.
Jace breathed in heavily, turning to go but cast a suspicious look back at them. "How'd you know to check there?" his voice was cold with implication. "I swear if you had anything to do with this-" Jace threatened and Clary held him back.
"We were with either your sister or Alec the whole time. If you don't believe me then ask. Although, I suspect you should put your attention towards finding the real culprit." Rafael couldn't help but be quite sharp in his response. His uncle was known to be hot headed but had never turned it on them before. Seeing Max's reaction made anger flare in his stomach and he was going to punch his uncle when they got back to their real time for being a dick.
"He's right Jace, let's go quick." Clary urged and Jace finally let it go, jogging off to Isabelle's room with Clary close-by.
"Suppose I can't blame him too much since he's just worried about his brother. I know what that's like." Rafael sighed and turned to comfort Max more. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment.
"We should probably try work out what's going to happen whilst we're still here so we don't run into any more unpleasant surprises." Max muttered bitterly. Rafael cringed.
"Yeah ... hate to break it to you but this isn't exactly a great time for our parents. Remember the whole thing with the soul sword they were talking about earlier? I think this about the time they go on that break." Rafael sighed and Max groaned.
"I really hope we can get back to our time soon so I can hug both dad and papa and tell them how much I love and appreciate them." he sighed. "I didn't realise just how complex their situation was until I'm living it."
"Yeah ... Jonathon is also undercover in the institute." Rafael glared at the floor. "I can't remember what his alias was, who do you think it is?"
"I've no idea, did it start with an 'S'?" Max scrunched his nose in concentration.
"Well we know he attempts to steal the mirror, those poor guards will be slaughtered." Rafael continued, stress making his brow furrow further.
"We could try stop him?" Max suggested.
"No." Rafael refused. "We can't mess with events no matter how unfair. It may change our future."
"Ugh, it's so hard to be a spectator." Max complained.
"We could probably help in little ways. We know he won't get away with the mirror and uncle Max ends up being okay."
"Yeah but dad and papa will be miserable." Max sighed sadly.
"It all works out. If anything, the biggest thing we need to worry about is keeping those demons away from this timeline. With Jonathon invading and the chaos that surrounds it, the institute will be vulnerable to attacks. I think we should stay here and monitor the perimeter. You just try to conserve your magic just in case we need that spell okay?" Rafael reassured.
