Malec

4 - Parents?

Magnus and Alec looked at each other unexpectantly while the others left. They'd both talked about having children but they'd talked about having a warlock orphan or a human orphan. Magnus collapsed into the couch rubbing his face and Alec paced the room. Alec didn't want these kids sent to Idris as Orphans. He saw how much it had hurt Jace to come to the institute once he'd lost his adopted evil father. Emma Carstairs had already lost her parents, then she lost Mark who was like her older brother. And now she's lost the Blackthorn's Uncle. Poor Julian has lost siblings and parents. 

He looked at Magnus who sat on the couch continuously rubbing his face with his hands. Alec stopped pacing and knelt down in front of Magnus who looked up at him slowly. "We have to take them Alec," Magnus said slowly.

"Are you sure?" Alec asked. 

Magnus nodded. "We just have too."

"What about the warlock child?"

"They need us right now," Magnus said tears brimming in his eyes. "Alec you are young and barely an adult. I've lived for longer than people should and .... I want to help these children. I want to be a father. I'm ready."

Alec looked down at his partner, friend and his lover wrapped into one package. He saw the tears threatening to escape his eyes and he knew that he had so much to learn about Magnus. He had so much to learn about what Magnus wanted or needed. They'd been together for a while now but they still didn't know each other fully. Alec didn't know if he was ready for children right at this point but he knew they needed someone. He knew that they could provide a loving home for them. The place they lived in was small but Magnus was a warlock and Alec knew that he could make it bigger on the inside to accomodate these children. It was just if Alec could. Could Alec let these children he's met once come in here and be family? How long would it be for? Would they take them away? 

The questions ran through Alec's head as he tried to be of some comfort to his boyfriend. He took Magnus's hand with one of his own and wiped away the stray tear with his other. "We'll help them."

The children sat in the lounge room looking around with wide eyes. Alec stood next to Jace who held one of Clarry's hands. Just before the children had arrived Magnus had changed the interior of the house again to accomodate the children. There were now three extra rooms for the children to sleep in. Alec widened his eyes and looked at the children who's hands were in their laps. Silently they sat on the couch and arm chairs that Magnus had managed to magic up from a drop of a hat. The children had looked at Magnus as if he really were a marvel.

Alec supposed they'd never been this close to a warlock before let alone living with one. Jace looked at Alec and raised an eyebrow. Growing up together this had been their signal for an, 'are you okay?' He nodded in reply and went over to stand next to Magnus. Magnus had been performing magic tricks to entertain some of them. He showed them how he changed his bold eyeliner and how to make fireworks spring up from thin air. Some of the children marvelled and the others looked at Magnus like he wasn't normal.

He wasn't normal.

He was Magnus.

Alec loved him no matter what. The look in Magnus' eyes were that of pure adoration. He'd always wanted children and now many were under his roof and care. Alec hoped for Magnus' sake that the children would warm up to him. Many people knew about their romance now but romance between downworlder and shadowhunter were still strange to many. And for children to be raised so safely in an institute...well they surely would never have been anything quite like this.