An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 3/?
Fandom: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten & Aaron Minyard, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Nicky Hemmick & Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Warning: Drake Spear, Canon-Typical Violence, canon typical AFTG warnings, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Neil agrees to testify for aaron, Discussion of aaron’s trial, inaccurate portrayal of legal systems, Andrew is in Easthaven, Neil Josten is Not Fine, Protective Foxes (All For The Game), Betsy makes everything better, Oblivious Neil Josten, Wholesome Twinyards, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Scars, Neil goes to the FBI to allow him to testify as Neil, Background Relationships, Pre-Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Demisexual Neil Josten, Asexual Character, Asexuality Spectrum, Protective Aaron Minyard, Slow Burn, glacial speed build to andriel
Summary: What if the threat of Aaron being charged with murder was more significant and Neil found out that he could prevent Andrew from having to be at the trial if he were to testify. What would he be willing to sacrifice to achieve that?
What if instead of refusing to testify for Aaron, Neil decides to make a deal with the FBI to become their witness against his father if they’ll backstop his current identity. He thinks it means signing his death warrant and losing the Foxes. Betsy, Aaron and the Foxes are determined to convince him it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, his father’s people are coming for him and that’s not even starting on what Andrew will have to say about Neil choosing to martyr himself.
Ft. Unlikely bonding between Aaron & Neil and the therapy Neil needs but wouldn’t ever ask for on his own behalf. This story is set after Drake’s death but contains brief discussion of his actions as part of Neil’s testimony that Aaron’s actions were justified.
Malec Prompt: You just got off your third double (22 hour) shift this week. I’m making sure that you get some sleep if it kills me. +\- Bed sharing
OKAY BUT I NEED MAGNUS TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF ALEC BECAUSE HE DESERVES IT AND MAGNUS LOVES HIM AND WORRIES ABOUT ALEC!!!
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Magnus scowled and looked at his phone again with a deep sigh. The message that Alexander would be late, again, for the third time this week due to a double shift was more than a little concerning. It was still too early in their relationship for him to show up and drag Alexander to bed from his office, but Magnus was going to make sure that he slept tonight, no matter what.
There had been no increase in demonic activity to warrant this kind of schedule, and Magnus had a sneaking suspicion this had to do with Maryse Lightwood's return from Idris more than it did what the Institute required. Which meant that the second Alec walked through his door, he was going to take at least two days off to be able to sleep.
The sound of a quick knock on his door had him jolting to his feet and Magnus opened the door with his magic, taking in the slumped picture of his boyfriend. Alec was only here on his insistence, and since they hadn't done more than accidentally fall asleep together on the couch a few times, what he was about to propose was likely a step beyond what they should be doing.
Alec blinked tiredly, trying to smile. "Magnus," he breathed. He took a step into the loft and nearly stumbled over his shoes as he tried to kick them off. "M'sorry, know I canceled date night again, I didn't mean-"
"Hey," Magnus interrupted him, reaching out to press his fingers to Alec's lips. "Not right now," he added. He replaced his fingers with his lips and kissed Alec, soft and gentle. "You can apologize to me when you're not falling asleep standing up. Come on." He reached down and took Alec's hand, tugging him further into the loft.
Alec yawned. "Won't be good company, I'm too tired."
"You're going to be the perfect company to sleep next to, and that's all I want for both of us," Magnus said, continuing to tug Alec towards his bedroom. Once the door was shut behind the both of them, Alec blinked and looked around the room before squinting at Magnus. "Magnus?"
Magnus grinned and stole a quick kiss from Alexander. "Just to sleep tonight, Alexander. But I don't want you to do anything for the next twenty-four hours. You are beyond dead on your feet."
Alec grunted and dropped his hands to his belt with a sigh. The idea of doing nothing more than face planting into the mattress was tempting. He took a deep breath and looked up at Magnus. "Can you...?"
Magnus nodded and waved his hands, his magic washing over Alec in a wave, cleaning him and dressing him in a worn shirt and comfy sweatpants. "Better?"
Alec nodded and bit down a loud yawn, shuffling towards the bed. "I'm going to fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow."
Magnus climbed into bed, and patted the free side of the bed. "I know you are. And you're probably going to sleep for at least ten or fifteen hours."
Alec grunted out his agreement, clambering next to Magnus, shifting until he was closer to his boyfriend, looking at him. He sighed and leaned in close, pressing his forehead against Magnus' collarbone. "This okay?"
Magnus immediately sank his fingers into Alec's hair, rubbing his scalp and combing through the strands gently. "More than. Do you want me closer?"
"Don't want you uncomfortable," Alec mumbled, yawning again, even as his arm crept up, his hand resting on Magnus' waist.
"I'm perfectly fine," Magnus said, scooting closer until Alec's arm was secure around his waist and he was pressed up against his shadowhunter, Alec cradled much more in his arms. "How about now?"
Alec sighed in relief and sagged into Magnus' arms. "Perfect," he whispered, nuzzling Magnus' neck. Magnus was warm, and his bed was comfortable, and he knew he was safe, and for the first time in days, his mother wasn't breathing down his neck, questioning him about every single aspect of his life. Alec yawned again and let his eyes fall shut.
"Sleep," Magnus coaxed, keeping his fingers running through Alec's hair. "I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."
"Sounds nice," Alec admitted. "Would like that."
"Then you'll have it," Magnus promised, his voice soft. "Don't worry, Alexander. I'm going to take good care of you." When Alec responded with a quiet snore against his skin, Magnus smiled and let his own eyes fall shut, relaxing into the hold of Alec's arms.
~!~
Waking up to see the sun fully risen, Magnus had waved his fingers and put blackout curtains in place before Alec could be disturbed and had let the shadowhunter sleep until he'd sat up blearily, looking around, his eyes unfocused and confused.
"Alexander?" Magnus asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"
Alec squinted at the curtains. "It's not night, is it?"
Magnus chuckled and lifted the curtains just a bit. "No, it isn't. Late, for certain, but it isn't night."
Alec slumped back to the pillows and nodded, blowing out a hard breath. "I have a problem now, Magnus."
Magnus raised his eyebrows. "I'd say you have many problems, considering the schedule that you worked this week, Alexander. But what, in particular, are you referring to in this case?"
"I'm never going to want to sleep in my bed again," Alec admitted, looking at Magnus, starting to laugh. "Yours is too fucking comfy. How am I supposed to go back?"
A startled laugh escaped Magnus and he settled onto the bed beside Alexander, rolling his eyes. "I think you'll find some way to cope."
Alec turned hopeful eyes to Magnus and smiled. “You know what the best way to cope would be?”
Magnus raised his eyebrows. “Enlighten me?”
“Spending more time in your bed than mine,” Alec teased, his cheeks flushing as he stared at Magnus. “If, uh, obviously, you want me there, or want to do that, or think you’re ready for-”
Magnus pressed his finger against Alec’s lips, admiring their softness once again, taking a deep breath. He smiled at alec and removed his finger, kissing his earnest and eager shadowhunter softly. “I’d like that, Alexander.” Alec’s smile lit up his entire face and Magnus felt his heart start to pound. “I’d like that very much.”
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Me, still filling Malec Anniversary Bash Prompts? More likely than you think!
Hey Zoe, so sorry to hear you're feeling so sad. Moving is really tough, especially with the year we’ve had because our capacity to cope with change is mostly consumed with this COVID life so anything else - even small things - can be way too much. Moving is hard at the best of times, it is exciting once you get to the new place and it's real but it's also having to leave an established place emotional and physical safety combined with all the effort of making a new one.
that makes a lot of sense, actually. i hadn’t thought of moving as a grieving process, but it certainly would make a lot of sense and give some insight into why i get this upset every time i move, even when it’s an exciting prospect.
thank you so much, i will try to be gentle with myself, and hopefully in only a week or two i’ll be singing a very different tune lmao. the anticipation is the worst! (also dealing with nothing feeling like it’s Mine because i have my room right now packed to hell).
In 2035, a violent storm forces NASA's Ares III Mission to Mars to be aborted but during the evacuation, Isabelle Lightwood is hit by debris and lost in the storm. The last telemetry from her suit indicates no signs of life. Believing she is dead and in imminent peril themselves, her crew take off to return to their orbiting vessel, Hermes. But Isabelle survived and has just made contact with NASA.
Now the race is on for Alec, one of NASA's astrodynamicists and Izzy's brother, to find a way to rescue her. With everything stacked against them, including their own mother (NASA's Administrator) refusing to authorise a rescue mission, there's only one company, one person with a rocket that could launch in time - and it’s owned by Magnus Bane.
Can Alec convince him it’s worth the risk? And what will he have to give him in return if Izzy is brought home safely?
this is a new read for me by the ever talented bel! one of my fave films/books now a malec au, HELLS YEAH SIGN ME THE F UP!
made all the difference by @ladymatt
Since finishing work, Alec had been reflecting on how Magnus, and their beautiful relationship, had changed his life for the better in just a few short weeks, so when he arrives back at the loft to enjoy yet another evening full of love, laughter and liquor, he takes a few private moments to appreciate just how great it is to be in love - especially with Magnus Bane!
this is an old fave and a beautiful heartwarming gift from a dear friend, i still go back to it when i need a good pick me up!!
WINC are also cool because they’re not just co-operative housing, they’re also environmentally sustainable and looking at addressing larger factors which can leave older women particularly vulnerable to poverty and homelessness. Sadly they don’t have a formal website but they do Facebook so that’s a good start. I actually had tea in the Alice’s Garage tent with one of them at chill out this year, which was some kind of amazing beginners luck at my first pride event - can confirm very lovely ppl
Very cool! I didn’t know this, and I’m very glad to see that they’re doing such wonderful work. Also what an amazing experience for your first Pride!
(If anyone is curious, WINC are Older Women in Cohousing Inc. You can check out their Facebook for more info, where they describe their group:
Older Women in Cohousing Inc. [WINC] is a group of about 20 women, most lesbians, some not, ranging in age from about 50 to about 75+ working to create a cohousing community in Daylesford, Victoria, Australia. We have 20 active members and another 15 who are observers/friends. We are looking for more women who wish to join our group. We plan to include communal spaces and privately owned homes, with a small proportion of homes rented to women who meet the social housing criteria. Our 28 houses will be environmentally sustainable with at least 8-star energy performance.We seek to build a community of older women who share common life experience and values and who will strive to live in harmony with the group.
I assume this message was prompted by our episode on lesbian centenarian Ruth Ellis, where we discussed the struggles of older queer people, many of whom go back in the closet when entering care. It’s great to see WINC working to combat this issue!
Just popping by to say I love your work and I'm so so impressed every time I get an AO3 email saying you've posted. I'm having a bad few weeks with being too anxious to read things and have sensible thing to say about them but I still get a boost every time an email comes in so thank you and hope you're doing well xx
This is such a sweet message, thank you so much <3 <3 I’m also sorry to hear that you’re having a rough couple of weeks here - if there’s anything specifically you’d like to read, like a super fluffy prompt that would brighten/ease your day a little, let me know and I will 1000% write it for you! <3 <3 I sincerely hope things turn around for you soon because you’re a wonderful person and deserve nothing but the best. YOU HEAR THAT, ANXIETY? EFF OFF AND LEAVE BEL BE. <3
Prompt: Malec playing with the Alliance Rune, +\- magnus (being a little jealous?) not liking Lorenzo’s magic running through Alec, wanting it to be his. Alec loving Magnus’ magic
Thanks for sending a prompt Bel!! I hope you like this! <3
read on ao3
When Magnus notices, it’s a punch to the gut. It makes bile climb up his throat, seeing the nauseatingly yellow magic around Alec’s hands– his Alec, his darling Alexander, using another warlock’s magic is intolerable.
And Lorenzo, the bastard, he knew. He knew how it would feel to see another’s magic around his fucking fiance.
Magnus is well aware that it’s neither the time nor the place for such a primal reaction. The truth is, the alliance rune had saved those closest to him and secured his own freedom from Edom.
That doesn’t mean that Magnus doesn’t almost choke on the knowledge, though.
Still, everything happens so fast after the rescue mission and it’s weeks later before it comes up again. The two of them are walking through Central Park and it’s the most peaceful Magnus can remember feeling in years– decades maybe.
It’s winter and they’re bundled up in their coats and scarves and Alec’s wearing those fingerless gloves that Magnus adores even if he wonders how on earth Alec’s staving away frostbite. It’s quiet, snow spitting down, and it feels like they’re in their own little world.
Alec hauls him a little closer with his arm over his shoulder and Magnus hides a grin in his scarf, tightening his own arm that’s slung low around Alec’s back.
“You know,” Alec starts and when Magnus looks up, it’s clear that his husband is choosing his words carefully, that this is far from the spontaneous little conversation he’s clearing aiming for. “I love your magic.”
A little taken aback at the abrupt declaration, Magnus merely blinks. “Thank you, darling,” he says, nonplussed.
He looks up in time to see Alec roll his eyes, though he doesn’t know if it’s at himself or Magnus. Looking over, the breath stalls in his chest at the intensity in Alec’s gaze.
“What I mean is– I love the feel of it, the way it seems to reach out to me sometimes, especially when you aren’t even paying attention. It feels familiar.” Magnus watches, entranced, as Alec swallows hard, as his tongue darts out to swipe across his lip. “It feels like home.”
Something melts in Magnus and he leans further into Alec. “Oh,” he says softly.
“Yeah.”
Alec looks like he wants to say something else but he doesn’t and Magnus doesn’t push. Instead, they continue strolling aimlessly down a path while Magnus’s head spins. It’s nothing new or unexpected but damn if Alec doesn’t know how to lay waste to Magnus’s defenses with the simplest of declarations.
His thoughts catch on Alec’s words, however, and his head snaps back up. “You said it felt familiar,” Magnus drawls. He raises a brow. “More familiar than a certain other warlock’s?”
Wincing, Alec doesn’t pretend not to know what Magnus is alluding to. “I’d much rather have been your partner for the alliance rune than Rey’s, I assure you. While it was cool, it felt like his magic was fighting me every step of the way.”
Filing away that useful bit of information, Magnus replies before his brain has a chance to catch up to his words. “Then let’s do it.”
He comes to a stop as Alec freezes and while he hadn’t meant to, he knows his voice had betrayed his irritation. He meets Alec’s eyes with a challenge in his own.
Breath catching as Alec steps close, as his husband cups his cheek and tilts his face up a bare inch, Magnus can’t look away as Alec asks, “You mean that,” in a low tone.
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it, Alexander. Besides,” he asks with a quick grin, “If I can’t share the alliance rune with my husband then who the hell can I use it with?”
He watches the way Alec’s eyes darken and then he’s being pulled into a searing kiss that makes Magnus hot, no matter that it’s thirty degrees outside. When Alec finally steps back, his voice is hoarse as he says, “Home. Now.”
–
Alec sits on the couch, twirling his stele absently in his hand. It’s unfairly attractive and Magnus feels his stare land on him as he lights half a dozen candles around the living room. The late winter afternoon is gloomy, casting the loft in shadows. Taking their outerwear off, Magnus had rolled up his shirt sleeves as Alec had settled. Magnus feels a shiver wrack up his spine and can’t help but feel like the mouse to Alec’s cat.
A few minutes later, Magnus is done and he strolls over to Alec. Looking down at his husband, he blinks slowly and between one moment and the next, his glamour dissolves. He hears Alec’s breath catch and he grins as he steps so that Alec’s thighs are between his legs.
Tilting Alec’s head up, he murmurs, “Are you sure about this, darling?”
Alec’s nodding before he’s even finished asking. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” he admits and a fire blooms in Magnus’s gut at the earnest words, at the way he reaches out and grips Magnus’s hips in steady hands. “I want all of you, Magnus.”
Magnus lowers himself until he’s straddling Alec and he holds out his arm. His voice is husky as he offers, “Mark me then, Alexander.”
Alec’s fingers dig into his hips for a moment and Magnus half hopes he follows through on his clear desire to push Magnus back onto the couch and do wickedly wonderful things to his body.
Instead, he takes a deep breath as if gathering his thoughts and wraps a hand around Magnus’s arm. His thumb brushes over the sensitive skin of his wrist and Magnus shudders in his hold. When he lifts his other hand and the tip of his stele touches him, though, Magnus can’t stop his instinctive flinch.
Memories course through him, flashes of a chair and restraints and an Alec he didn’t recognize.
Catching the little movement, Alec stills, too. “You okay,” he asks softly. “I won’t hurt you– besides the rune itself stinging a little as it’s applied– but I don’t want to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
Shaking his head a little to clear it, it’s Magnus’s turn to take a steadying breath and when he looks up at Alec, his expression is serious but sure. “I want this. It’s just something new and unexpected and my body hasn’t quite caught up with my head.” He sees the hesitancy in the tension seeping into Alec and all he offers is a quiet, “Please.”
Alec nods to himself and then the stele is touching him once more. Alec draws the swirling lines in a competent hand and he wasn’t lying– it does sting as the rune flares with light before settling into a deep crimson against his skin. The pain sears into him for one heartbeat, for two and three, before it settles back down and Magnus bites his lip at the feeling.
It strikes him immediately that it’s different than the first and last time he was runed. This pain is comforting, familiar, something he wants to sink into. His mind’s a little hazy but he has a desperate wish to chase the sensation and when he shifts, biting back a moan, he knows that Alec’s picked up on his reaction from the way his gaze sharpens.
Magnus doesn’t say anything, though, and neither does Alec and as the heat banks back down, Magnus is struck by a different feeling.
There’s a connection there and it’s like he’s been jump-started. There’s a different energy buzzing under his skin and he has the sudden desire to– to do something, anything, that can test the limits of the power he can feel simmering just below the surface, waiting to be tapped.
He doesn’t do any of that, though. Instead, he reaches for Alec’s stele and as soon as his fingers wrap around it, it glows red.
Alec doesn’t comment on the color and when Magnus darts a look up, it’s to see his husband’s unsurprised face.
“You knew?”
Raising a brow, Alec merely replies, “I know who I married.”
Huffing out a laugh, Magnus reaches for Alec’s wrist only to be stopped. He looks up, curious, but Alec just urges him to lean back. With enough room to maneuver, he pulls his shirt off, tossing it onto the floor next to him.
Tapping over his heart, Alec murmurs, “Right here.”
Swallowing hard, Magnus nods once. He’d studied the alliance rune that first day– his eyes had burned into the rune Lorenzo had drawn on Alec’s arm and he’d poured his gaze over the scrap of paper Biscuit had drafted.
He draws the rune over Alec’s heart now with a steady hand. When he’s done, they both take a breath and Magnus rests his hand over Alec’s chest, feels his heart beating wildly underneath his palm.
Looking up, Magnus’s breath catches as his eyes lock on Alec’s. He reaches a hand up, running a thumb over his cheek.
Distantly, he thinks he understands Alec’s reaction to seeing his mark because seeing Alexander with gold eyes is one of the most stunning images Magnus has ever been treated to.
“Mine,” Magnus breathes, tipping Alec’s head up, and he feels the shudder that rolls through his husband at the declaration, at the possessiveness lingering in his undertone.
When his husband lifts a hand to put over his, they see the blue tendrils wrapped around his fingers at the same time and the breath is punched out of Magnus anew.
If seeing his mark on Alec was gorgeous, watching his magic wrap around his love is something else entirely. Magnus doesn’t have words for what the sight does to him, for the primal surge that rocks through him at seeing his magic– his soul, his essence– intertwined with Alec.
He’s not entirely aware of doing it but in a flash, he has Alec on his back, pushing him into the couch cushions, leaning over him with hands on his chest.
They both freeze for a moment as they realize what’s happened and then Magnus is grinning down at Alec and it’s sharp, wicked and teasing.
Before he can do anything else, though, Alec’s across the room. There’s a flush riding high across his cheeks and his eyes are glinting with challenge, with a look Magnus has only ever seen when the heat of a mission was thrumming through his blood.
“Catch me.”
Magnus has a second to register the words before Alec’s gone and it’s more instinct than anything else that has him giving chase.
It’s odd, to feel the power of runes running through him. They stay in the loft and Alec flashes from one room to the next, letting Magnus get close without quite managing to win. Magnus supposes it would be anticlimactic for vampires or even werewolves but warlocks have never had increased speed or strength. Magnus might be exceptionally fit for a human but any superhuman power comes from his magic and it’s a thrill to feel his heightened senses working in a totally different way than he’s used to.
There’s another piece of it, though, and he follows Alec, reaching through their connection. His magic binds them and he can feel it working in Alec. The ebb and flow, his power sparking in an unfamiliar body while still recognizing it on a molecular level.
It’s like Alec mentioned earlier, Magnus realizes. His magic has recognized Alec since the beginning, since before he used Alec’s strength to restore his depleted levels so long ago. It’s made a home in Alec for longer than Magnus realized– it’s burrowed its way into his husband until Magnus is fairly stunned at how happy it feels to be in Alec, crashing through his system like a purring cat.
Clearing his head, Magnus redoubles his efforts and when he finally catches Alec, he pins him against the wall in the living room. He’s not quite aware of just how effective the strength rune is, however, and when Alec leans in and crashes their lips together, Magnus’s hands drag down his sides until they’re settling against his thighs and he’s pulling, both of them breaking apart to gasp in surprise as Magnus lifts Alec until he can wrap his legs around his waist.
Magnus doesn’t even break a sweat and he feels more than hears Alec groan, his own chest aching in response.
It quickly devolves from there but when Alec’s hands cup his face, the kiss turns impossibly deep and everything slows down until they’re grinding against each other and Magnus has the thought that they should probably move this to the couch or bed or, hell, the floor, but then Alec moves.
Magnus almost comes in his goddamn pants as his choked off cry echoes through the room. When he opens his eyes, it’s to see Alec staring at him, shock and delight flaring bright in his face as they have the same realization.
Alec’s hands had moved down until he was pressing desperate nails into the small of Magnus’s back. Without knowing how– and the very small piece of Magnus’s brain that is still online is racing at the implications– Alec had coalesced his own pleasure and doubled it back, pushing it into Magnus with a shock wave of feeling.
Sex magic is intimate and while Magnus loved it, particularly with Alec as the very willing recipient, it took extensive training and an emotional bond that had to be carefully cultivated.
The fact that Alec had had the alliance rune for less than an hour yet was able to do such a thing was nearly inconceivable.
Magnus gives very brief thought to pursuing it on an intellectual level but the desire still running through him quickly drowns that inclination out.
It looks like Alec is on the same page as they lean back into each other, mouths meeting in a kiss that’s as hot as it is desperate.
As Magnus steps away from the pillar, still holding Alec effortlessly, he turns toward the bedroom.
He can’t wait to thoroughly test out the alliance rune’s abilities.
intangibel replied to your post “I've worked in IT for 15 years and the only real answer I have for why...”
I feel like sometimes tech devices need a break from their regular user (who is often not that savvy) and act like shits just to force said user to let them hang out with someone who knows what they’re doing for a while.
hahah the real robot revolution. they don’t want to take over they just want alone time!
