Alec throws his door keys into the bowl on the table in the hallway, adding the third new crack this week. And it's only Tuesday.
"Hello, darling," Magnus greets him, his face already pulled into a worried frown. "The Clave?" he asks knowingly.
"They are such a…" Alec stops himself. "Where are the boys?"
Magnus' lips curl into a tender smile. "I feared that you would come home like this, so I asked Catarina to take them overnight. This way I can be fully here for you."
Some of Alec's frustration bleeds out of him immediately. Still, he says, "You didn't need to."
"Oh, I had to, and the boys love being with Madzie. So, a win/win for everyone." He takes Alec's hand and places a soft kiss on his lips. "Come. Tell me about it." He tugs on Alec's hand but his husband doesn't move. Surprised, Magnus turns back to him. "Alexander?"
"I can't tell you. A directive from the top. I'm sorry."
Magnus' lips part, but he swallows the words. Venom and anger won't help his beloved, Alec needs to unwind, forget all his responsibilities as Head of the New York Institute, husband, father, brother, and whatnot.
He swirls his hand and opens a portal. Alec frowns at it. "What is this for?"
"You’ve had a row of terrible days. We’re going to the zoo," Magnus states as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"What? Without the boys?"
"Yes," Magnus says firmly. "You need to see penguins."
Alec chuckles. "Penguins?"
"There's nothing a penguin can't remedy," Magnus states and grabs his hand before pulling him through the portal. They end up in a supply closet.
Alec raises a questioning eyebrow. "Don't judge me," Magnus says and opens a vision window with his magic to check if stepping out is safe. The moment it is, he pulls Alec out of the closet.
"I'm having déjà vu," Magnus jokes, and Alec rolls his eyes but can't help chuckling as he stumbles behind his husband.
It's only a short way until they stand in front of the windows to the penguin house. They look at the birds for a while, and Alec relaxes more, minute by minute, watching them waddling on land and flying elegantly underwater.
After a while, Alec points to a penguin sitting on the edge of an artificial island. It moves its body forward, again and again, always pulling back right before it would tip over and dive into the water.
They walk closer to it, curious and amused in equal parts. "Hey, you can do it," Alec says in a tone that is usually reserved for their boys. Magnus smiles at his tender husband, badass warrior and gentlest soul in one.
Sometimes, Magnus still can't believe that he is allowed to call him his. After all these centuries. He didn't see him coming, didn't expect to be blessed by the angels with a man like him.
Alec doesn't deserve all the vitriol for marrying a downworlder, the whispers behind his back, the grovelling in front of him, the mixed signals from the Clave, using his Institute one time as a showcase project just to send fewer personnel and higher demands the next season.
In awe, he watches Alec cheering on the penguin, and rejoicing when it finally dives into the water.
Alec catches Magnus staring, and his face-splitting grin calms down to a shy smile that makes Magnus go weak at the knees.
Alec takes his hand and presses a kiss to its back. "Thank you. You were right. I really needed to see penguins."
Magnus chuckles and pulls him into a deep kiss. Alec hums against his lips. "Take us home," he whispers.
Magnus pulls back. "Don't you want to see any other animals? The lions, maybe?"
Alec shakes his head. "The only cat eyes I wanna see now are yours."
Magnus tilts his head a fraction, the same way he always does when Alec's words or gestures touch him deeply, as if he didn't expect someone to truly love him fully, warlock marks and all. It makes Alec's heart clench painfully every time he sees it.
"You know how much I love them," he adds for good measure.
Magnus' lips part in delight. He looks around and opens a portal right behind Alec. "Bedroom," he says and pushes his husband through the portal before he straightens his clothes and lets his glamour fall.
