Prompt: The same Sky, I look forward to Valatines realisation that a shadow hunter and a lightwood at that are helping the downworld destroy him just before he dies. Or any other part I love time travel fics.
Good luck with the surgery
SFW/NSFW
finally had the spoons i have missed this verse!! this has been on my mind for a while so i'm glad i finally had the spoons to sit down and think about the start of the plan of attack and not just the process. last part here. i hope you enjoy!
<3 lumine
the same sky
“Why do you think he’ll already have defenses in place if he still thinks no one is aware of his movements?” Ragnor sets down his cup and takes up his pipe with a thoughtful frown.
“Because it’s what I would do.” Alexander doesn’t bother to look ashamed as he once would have and Magnus admires him all the more for it. “Just because he remains hidden doesn’t guarantee that a random happenstance couldn’t reveal him. I’d shore up every defense and security option I had available and Valentine is unlimited in the depravities he’ll stoop to.”
Magnus also appreciates that Ragnor doesn’t immediately judge Alexander for it — not that he’d thought his cabbage would. It’s simply that Alexander wouldn't know to assume the same. He never got a chance to meet or truly know Ragnor, or for Ragnor to even know of Alexander. However at some point in life, Magnus and Alexander have shared more than they’ve kept to themselves and while Magnus still has far more to share, Alexander has exhausted his own past.
Magnus knows better now how often — in those early months of fighting and still without any power — Alexander used to be met with judgment and scorn, all because Magnus’ husband dared to be strategic and clever.
Magnus will be the first to admit and acknowledge the cold, dangerous side of Alexander.
He delights in it.
Luxuriates in the rabid violence that is so casually masked under Alexander's calm gaze and steady expression. It unveils itself so rarely these days and yet when its provoked it always for the same reason, the defense of Magnus himself.
Alexander is capable of thinking with the same hard and cruel edge that Valentine has. Alexander can plan with the same vicious meticulousness and he can adapt, quickly and fiercely. His husband is capable of the very worst of cruelties because he’s smart. A man does not need to be good to be great, even if he’s great in the worst of ways. His Alexander is not a good man and he never has been. However Alexander very rarely allows himself to be effortlessly cruel, holding himself to a higher standard and perhaps not aiming to ever be what could be considered a good man, but instead focusing on and succeeding at becoming a better man specifically for Magnus, for the rest of his long life.
An endeavor that Magnus both adores and appreciates.
“Valentine doesn’t take chances no matter how erratic he acts. There are a dozen secrets for every shared order. My mother was one of his greatest generals and his best code-breaker. While I may not have realized it at the time, what she taught me as a child were all things she herself had learned, with Valentine. There was a time when she worshiped him, molded herself to fit what he commanded and learned him until she could be his shadow.”
“There’s still a bit of that now, beloved.” Magnus hates to be the reminder of bad news, but Alexander needs to remember that the Maryse of this time is not the mother who learned to love and accept her children. Nor is she the woman who managed to live until she was old and gray, passing with every single one of her children by her side. A feat that Robert did not repeat when he passed several years before. “We’re at the beginning again, my love.”
—
Alec knows that Magnus means the beginning of them.
Of when they met and both their lives were forever changed and in turn, everyone else's lives around them was also impacted.
It’s not to say that Magnus and Alec meeting and getting together was the most important or powerful thing that occurred during Valentine's reemergence. Not for everyone else. But Alec also knows that he and Magnus, what they’ve made and created and stabilized together, that it changed the shadowworld more than any other event in that century.
Even if it starts out differently, he won’t let their new chance and the joy they’ll find creating a better world particularly for themselves keep them from impacting the world in a similar way. Too much good came from their love being public and proud and enduring.
Alec won’t take that away from the future, even if he will take away many other things and for selfish, greedy reasons.
Ragnor coughs, more of a clearing of his throat than a tickle and taps his pipe against the table to regain Alec’s attention.
“You sound confident, which means that in the future you’ve predicted his movements accurately enough to be sure now.”
Alec nods, “not that the majority of my intuitions were ever followed or heeded properly, but yes. That’s not to say that every single assumption or conclusion I made was correct, just that I was able to narrow it down and I was right more than I was wrong.”
“He also is the only one who was ever right.” Magnus sounds as proud as if it were his own accomplishment and Alec’s younger body is still new to the rush of delight. Of natural endorphins flooding his body just from the sound of Magnus’ smug pride in Alec. His brain and his heart react and Alec doesn’t bother trying to hide or diminish the flush that builds on his face. The effect that Magnus has on this younger, miserable body of his will be notable and better yet, it will delight Magnus.
There are times still where Alec will still blush with delight or flush with pleasure at Magnus’ mere presence or actions. However it doesn’t come as frequently as it did in the beginning. Those first decades where it took years for Alec’s body to learn what it was like to live a life worth living. One filled with delight and awe and love, with more laughter than he’d ever thought there would be in his life. And sorrows shared, not tucked quietly away.
He’s right about Magnus liking it.
Because Magnus’ turns to look at him, a preen to his smirk and his gaze adoring and he pauses. His eyes brighten in delight — and at his side Alec hears Ragnor make a pleased little huff and hide it with a puff of his pipe — and Magnus’ smile turns soft as if he’s witnessing art being made.
“I forgot how easy it used to be to make you blush for me, darling. I don’t think I’ll mind it’s return one bit.”
“And I’ll enjoy all the ways you go about ensuring I do.”
“Please—” Ragnor sounds particularly long-suffering, “I am doing my very best. Magnus, I am the happiest that I can possibly be for you but I have succeeded in listening to the two of you coo over each other like a pair of lovebirds for hours now. I would like to finish the point being made, so that plans can be made and I can flee your domicile and avoid the coming intimacy. While I acknowledge and applaud it’s existence, I do not wish to be a witness. I had thought that perhaps since you came with decades of marriage between you that it would make you both more tolerable but no. It’s as if you’ve only just confessed your love except you don’t even need to look at each other to communicate. I am tired of it.”
Alec would feel bad except he and Magnus have already been trying to be a bit more discreet for Ragnor’s sake and it’s not actually anyones fault that it still isn’t working for anyone.
He can also never truly feel bad that he wants to express his adoration and affection for Magnus.
It would be an impossible regret.
“And we recognize your tolerance and patience.” Magnus soothes, interjecting carefully and — with a look of longing at Alec’s mouth — he merely takes Alec’s hand instead. “I will wait to fluster my lovely boy until after you leave, even if it torments me to do so.”
“Your suffering is noted and appreciated.” Ragnor rolls his eyes, “but you wouldn’t be suffering if you hadn’t delayed us with gossip in the first place.”
Magnus makes a shocked noise, as if he’s been wounded and Alec’s young and untested heart trembles in response to even a clearly fake noise of wounded agony and he can’t help the way he frowns, or the way his fingers tighten reflexively around Magnus’ own.
It draws his husbands attention enough that Magnus eyes him, understanding a moment later exactly what has Alec’s mood souring and he winks, mouthing a silent ‘later’. Clearly knowing that Alec wants nothing more than to hold Magnus near and melt into his embrace. However Ragnor isn’t wrong and the sooner Ragnor leaves, the better off everyone will be.
“I know that warlocks haven’t started disappearing yet, at least not that is known. But I think it’s already started. Valentine was too established and steady in the future for it to be a true test run. I also think that Valentine is dangerous and desperate enough to make deals that others would baulk at. I also think he has a time limit on some of these deals. Protections he currently has that he loses later on, or runs out of payment. None of this was ever truly confirmed. The documents destroyed and those who were captured refused to speak against the Circle rune.
“Until we know what exactly he has set up, we’ll need to plan the attack with less focus on precision and more on adaptability. That means focusing on destruction over retrieval. Either way, I'll ensure that Magnus is topped off with enough energy to chain a greater demon."
He easily ignored Ragnor’s bemused utterance of ‘top him off? is he an automobile now?’ and focused back on the table.
“At some point he’ll recognize the way we’re tracking him. Even if he thinks it’s impossible, the longer it takes to kill him will give him the time he needs to reslizethat a nephilim is working with you and against him. He’ll be twice as vicious if he finds out and while I won’t be on site until he dies or after—” Alec nodded to Magnus, because it would be Magnus’ choice if Alec would join or not and closer to the final strike. “Magnus and I still want to ensure that he dies knowing one of his own kind fought against him with the very people he seeks to eradicate. It means that the attacks will change going forward. Not just little blows and dismantling of his networks, but a true strike. That, Magnus and I agree, needs to be personal and vindictive. All the better to flavor his soul with despair. This means the warlocks you gather to join Magnus must be trustworthy not just with his life, but with his secrets.”
“And just what secrets will be shared and must be kept safe?”
“Over the years we’ve found out quite a few things, one of them being that Magnus can wield an adamas blade without harm. It turns red, but there is no damage to him and the blade works just as well as one held by a nephilim. It will be a devastating blow. Not only to be killed by one of what he considers his own sacred weapons, but also because he will understand that the only way for Magnus to have a blade so eager to accept his call is because it was given him. That will almost be as bad as the blade itself.”
“I do admire your taste in psychological warfare.” Ragnor finally says with a nod, “very useful and while it has enough flare for Magnus to be pleased, it lacks the depth of his preferred dramatics.”
Magnus laughs, clearly delighted by the fact that Ragnor is around to make quips at him at all and doesn’t even bother to snipe back, a thing that leaves Ragnor clearly unsettled. The confusion in his gaze lingers on Magnus before he realizes that Magnus is merely basking in his presence and Ragnor clearly feels compelled because he moves closer to pat Magnus on the shoulder.
“You picked a good one with him, ducky. I’m glad you made the last one count.”
—
AN:
I was writing this and I was like… okay why should robert ever live longer than maryse? Like yes she’s more susceptible to mundane shit now but she’s got alec and with alec comes magnus and with magnus comes catarina and catarina could hate maryse with a flaming passion and she would still help keep maryse healthy and whole. Because it would keep alec happier longer which keeps magnus happier longer.
Ecosystem of care.
Maryse would never ever be allowed to babysit or watch Madzie, however Catarina might allow Madzie to join to a checkup and let Maryse be a good older example of consequences and shadowhunters etc. Like I fully see Catarina talking with maryse first and going over things shes not allowed to say and what she should focus on. Because while Catarina wants Madzie to have a good view of life and while Madzie has had a very front row view of what typical racist shadowhunters look like from her own experiences, she’s also around alec a lot and that skews views. So for Madzie’s own safety at some point when she’s older, she’ll have a conversation with maryse and catarina and madzie herself. Because its a safer environment and so maryse can impart how dangerous it is for madzie to trust any shadowhunters outside of alec’s territory/hunters (and even those she has to be wary that they’re actually alec’s vetted hunters). And they explain why and at that point maryse is in a position where she can admit to the mindless hatred and bigotry and the problems and harm she caused etc anyways. its not to scare madzie its just that while the world is changing that doesn't mean they can afford to be careless. they're working for better changes while acknowledging that they arent instantaneous perfect fixes and that the danger is still real and the wound remain unhealed. also you can't tell me that alec didn't try to give the 'you can't trust shadowhunters' spiel to madzie and she just 'head-tilted' him because, well. its madzie and alec. so they figured out a way to make it work. madzie just was having a mental block because why is the walking contradiction telling me not to trust his people while i know hes actively trying to make it safer and better? she's young enough that it's hard for her to understand two things are true. that alec is trying to make it better and it is already safer but she still can't rely on him to be absolutely safe and that's hard to understand as a child and once she starts to portal, she needs to know that she still needs to be careful. just because its safer doesn't make it safe.
so about maryse and her being the good mom she worked to become, they lost that. Alec is going to be fairly uncomfortable with the family in this time because he’s already mourned that but also they’ve all changed — him included — for the better and he will be comparing them to versions of themselves that do better and are better and he might not be able or willing to deal with that right now.
Anyways. The point was that maryse dies an elder even without her runes and is surrounded by all her children when she dies and she also gets to die smug in the knowledge that the only children who went to robert’s side when he died were the child he had with his mistress and Izzy. (I really don’t think the character we see of max would be very pleased that his dad cheated on his mother and then was rewarded by the clave while his mother tried to be a better person and got punished?) but also I feel that izzy retains some of that ‘she’s her dad’s princess’ and she has a soft spot for him that her brother’s dont. Jace almost felt obligated to go but then remembered all the danger he was constantly in when they thought he was actually valentines kid and how robert never apologized or tried to help jace out and also ignored him until he became a herondale. And so yeah. There are things going on there and maryse got to be smug as hell when she died knowing all her kids showed up for her. To honor and love her.
That would be an entirely fair exchange and it shouldn’t even need to be an exchange but it could also be one.
Ragnor is having fits of melancholy over a version of himself missing out on so much of magnus’ life and happiness and not being around to see all the changes that were made and studying it and documenting it and making fun of people. He’s also upset because magnus clearly missed him and he does not like feeling bad over something that isn’t going to happen but also he feels compelled to be more ‘there’ for magnus and also bewieldered because he likes sniping with magnus and magnus is still going ‘oh ragnor, isn’t it adorable when he’s like that I’m too happy to even bother finding something petty to say’. And it’s not like that all the time, magnus is pretty good at keeping up the banter, but sometimes ragnor will be ragnor and magnus will be *heart eyes* thats my dearest cabbage isn’t he trying so hard to be sweet. Alexander are you experiencing this? Isnt this lovely?
And alec is just like ‘thank you for letting him have this he had a hard time without you there’ and ragnor is just ‘please don’t thank me for caring for my friend I am uncomfortable with you pointing out my tender feelings for my him. I dont like my emotional underbelly being exposed’
Anyways ragnor is respecting their love and they are respecting his preferences and tbf ragnor manages several hours of malec gossip and petty conversation over said gossip — which he enjoyed — and during that gossip they were super lovey-dovey in their specific malec way. Well he needed a break and thats okay. He loves their love but he has his limits.
Also its still ragnor. He’s gotta make some well-meaning snide comments about magnus’ past love life because he’s still made that camille continues to be unalived. While also being sincere. He’s acknowledging that magnus intends to spend the rest of his life with alec and in an immortal fashion. He also is giving his blessing in a roundabout way of how alec is clearly worth it for magnus.
Lars is a "Romeo agent" from East Germany in the 1970s. His task is to go West, first to seduce and then to spy on Western women who worked in government or defense institutions.
I came across this on British Channel 4 (they have some amazing selection of foreign language shows). This is a haungtingly good drama, extremely thought provoking and very well acted and produced. I don’t think it’s coming for a second season, but I think it told a story beautifully. Two of the characters from the show ( I won’t say who, because otherwise it will spoil the story), I think, they represented the divided Germany. Check it out. This is a show worth every second of your time.
I was also greatly moved by the story of Axel, played by Hannes Wegener. I could feel his pain and how suffocating it must have been for him to not be able to use his free thought and opinions. A very good show, I cannot recommend it enough.
German cinema and TV is at it’s golden age again. They are making some wonderful shows and movies. Keep it up!
oh to be a gay physics teacher with a big bushy mustache and high cheekbones living in the worst Berlin with his lover living on the other. Like DAMN is Axel an aesthetic statement....
