Two Dads, One Family

8

Alec closes Max's door and sits the boy on his 'time-out' stool. The man kneels in front of his son.

"What's wrong?" "No!" "Maxwell, you need to calm down and talk to me. Are you a big boy or a baby?" "I'mma big boy..." "Then use your big boy words instead of crying and throwing a fit. Tell daddy what's wrong and we can fix it." "No... Is dumb..." "What's dumb?" "Why i acted out... Can I just get my time out?" "After you talk to me, we'll see. Why did you act out?" "I love baby Madzie and she's a great baby sister... But I got almost no time with you today! It's not fair I was here first!" "Oh, buddy." Max starts sobbing and his father pulls him into his chest. Alec rubs the boy's back and cuddles him close, comforting his cries. Max's hands hold on tightly to his dad's shirt and Alec doesn't even attempt to stop him. The boy feels gentle kisses on the top of his head as his body is rocked a bit.

"M not a baby..." "No one said you were, buddy. Sometimes big boys need extra cuddles. I'm sorry that I didn't give you as much attention today. I was so excited that your sister was growing up and learning things that I made you feel left out. How can I make it up to you?" "Um... Cuddles are working... Maybe still let me have my ice cream tonight?" "Only if you sit in time out for five minutes. Sound fair?" "Yes, daddy." Alec kisses Max on the head and holds him for another few seconds before sitting him in the time-out stool in the corner. The father then sets a timer for five minutes and texts Magnus what's going on. The Bane replies that he covered their plates and feeding Madzie. Alec sighs gratefully at his boyfriend's actions while watching Max.

Once the timer goes off, Max launches himself into his dad's arms for one last hug before they go eat their dinner. The Lightwood father walks to the dining room while holding his oldest, smiling at Raphael when he sees a worried face. He then gently placed Max in his seat and grabs his plate for him.

"Max, anything you want to say?" "Sorry I threw a fit..." "It's alright, Max. Are you feeling any better now?" "Yeah. Daddy talked to me and gave me a time-out but he gave me cuddles too so I know it's all okay." "That's good." Magnus smiles at the boy then at Alec, winking at him once. The Lightwood winks back and eats his dinner, making sure Max eats his as well. Once everyone's plates are clear and Madzie's face is cleaned, Alec carries Max to the living room while Raphael walks with Magnus as he carries the baby of the family. Raphael watches cautiously because Max doesn't usually act like this but he sees his best friend smile so he's not saying anything yet.

"Alright, let's start the first movie and we can all have ice cream before the second one." "Wanna help me pick a movie, Raph? I always pick but you're a guest so you can pick too." "Kay!" Alec puts Max on the floor and joins Magnus on the couch as the older male puts Madzie on the floor. The baby crawls to her toys and starts playing as the boys put on Peter Pan. Max and Raphael find themselves in each of their respective father's laps and watch the movie intently, though they both have seen it a few times.

After the movie ends, Alec gets everyone ice cream and brings it to the living room. Raphael puts Coco on since Max hasn't seen it yet and eats his ice cream beside his best friend. Madzie is being fed hers by both Alec and Magnus since she keeps switching between the two anyways. It's about halfway through the movie when Raphael looks at his dad.

"Papa?" "Yes?" "When were we going home?" "I thought we could stay here tonight, soon you two will share a room anyways." "We are?! We're living here?!" "We plan to move in here, yes." "Yes!" Raphael and Max hug each other before hugging their dads. The men laugh at their sons' enthusiasm before all attention is back on the movie.

Madzie is the first to nod off so Alec takes her to her nursery while Magnus goes to quickly set up the spare bed in Max's room. The Bane notices a plastic cover on the mattress as he fixes the sheets and smiles, Alexander truly does think of everything. Once the bed is ready, he peeks into the nursery and smiles when he sees Alec swaying gently with Madzie in his arms. The Lightwood kisses the side of his daughter's head as he helps her fall asleep. Magnus smiles at the scene before going back to the boys, catching a couple little yawns.

"I think it's time to get ready for bed, you two. C'mon, go change into pjs." "But Raph doesn't have any pjs here." "Are you willing to let him wear a set of yours?" "Yeah! C'mon, let's go pick!" "Okay!" The boys run to Max's room and go through his drawers for pajamas. Magnus watches for a moment before going to the living room to clean up the bowls and the mess on the floor. Alec comes out of the nursery and turns the fan on when he sees Magnus cleaning up.

"The boys?" "Getting changed for bed." "Nice." "If i may ask, what was wrong with Max?" "He was acting out out of jealousy because his sister was getting so much attention. We talked, he had a timeout, and we had a cuddle so he knows I still love him very much and a little sibling jealousy won't keep him from being my son." "You're an angel in disguise, Alexander." "I just want to give them a better childhood than what I had. My mom was always great, but I didn't have a great dad so I want to be that father I never had." Magnus puts the bowls from the ice cream in the sink and pulls Alec into a gentle kiss. The Lightwood cradles his boyfriend's face before parting, stroking his cheekbones with his thumbs.

"While I would love to continue this, we have two boys to put to bed." "True. Let's go check on them, they're quiet." Magnus and Alec walk to Max's room and see the boys putting their pajamas on, sitting on their respective beds. Magnus helps Raphael because his shirt is on backwards and Alec helps Max because his is inside out. Once their pajamas are on, the boys are led to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Alec watches them to make sure they do while Magnus washes the dishes.

"I saw you, Maxwell. Finish your back teeth. Here, Raph, rinse your mouth." Both boys follow the Lightwood father's instructions before putting their toothbrushes back. "Alright, both of you try and go potty so we can get into bed." "Okay, daddy." "Okay, Alec." Max does his business and Raphael does afterwards, both washing their hands before getting carried by Alec back to the bedroom. The giggling of two boys fills the house and makes Magnus join them. He watches from the doorway as Alec playfully and gently drops each kid on his bed for the night. The giggles die down as Alec tucks Max in. He then does the same for Raphael and smiles at both boys.

"Goodnight, you two." "Wait! I need my goodnight kiss! Raph does too, it's the rules!" "Alright, alright. How dare I, right?" Alec kisses Max on the forehead then does the same to Raphael before Magnus does the same, starting with his son then his future son. Satisfied, the two kids cuddle into their blankets and slowly fall asleep. Alec turns the nightlight on and the main light off before almost closing the door, leaving it open just a crack. Magnus then guides his boyfriend by the hand to the couch.

"You're just finding new ways to make me fall more and more in love with you." "The thing is, I'm not even trying. This is just me and that's my usual nighttime routine with my children." "Which is why my love is growing. I'm seeing more and more of the real you and I love what I'm seeing. It shows me that i can trust you with my own son even more than I already knew I could, that he'll be taken care of if I'm not here." "I know the same with Max and Madzie." The adults kiss each other again, conveying the emotions they feel through the action itself instead of words.

About two hours later is when they go to sleep themselves, tired from the day and wanting to cuddle like crazy as well. Magnus and Alec both change into just pajama pants, shirts not sounding that great since it's hot and they don't want to be without pants in case one of the kids needs them. They fall into a peaceful sleep with Magnus resting his head against Alec's chest, the taller male having his arms around his boyfriend.

Their sleep is interrupted around three hours later to the screams of a child.

Screams filled with fear.

Screams that cause Alec to bolt out of bed and run to Max's room.