Mornings were always silent.
There was no talking in the apartment. There was a sleepy fog over the city, muffling the usual honks and sirens.
Just the sound of the percolator brewing coffee, each drop precious, like liquid gold.
Mornings were routine: Alec would stir first, laying in bed a few moments before attempting to move out Magnus' arms. Sometimes Magnus would pull him back, sometimes he wouldn't. Sometimes Alec would give in for a few more minutes of rest, other times he would negotiate his way out of bed with whispered words.
In the winter, he'd pull a blanket off the bed, wrapping it around himself as he trudged through the apartment, not ready to commit to the icy air just yet.
But it was summer now so the first thing he did was open all the windows, trying to get a cross-breeze to cool the stifling ancient apartment.
Then he'd turn the coffeepot on, mindlessly placing the coffee filter then filling it with fresh coffee grounds and pressing start.
Alec would pull down two coffee mugs, a random pair from their eclectic collection, dumping a ton of sugar in one while leaving the other empty.
Then he'd continue his morning by giving the Chairman his breakfast, then dropping four slices of toast in the toaster.
Toast and jam was the typical breakfast meal for them.
At some point in time, Magnus would come wandering out, generally giving the coffeepot enough time to make two cups.
Today, Magnus came out with a blanket wrapped around himself as well. He poured the cups and handed one off to Alec. Then with one hand securing his lifeline of caffeine, the other took a hold of Alec's hand and guided him to the couch made for two. Alec curled up in Magnus' lap, watching the Brooklyn skyline, and slowly sipping his coffee, forgetting the toast for the time being.
Silence was appreciated and taken advantage of in this house. Their lives had been far too hectic for far too long. Some days offered bursts of excitement but nothing could really compare to the chaos of Edom. Neither of them missed those days.
Alec settled his head against Magnus' chest just as a phone started screaming it's ringtone.
"I'm the type of girl you wanna chew all of my bubble gum. The type of girl you wanna chew all of my bubble gum." Magnus scrambled to his feet, searching for his phone. The volume was so loud it was hard to pinpoint the exact spot. . .
"I'm the type of girl ya wanna take to ya mama house, t-t-t-take to ya mama house."
"By the Angel, Magnus, shut that off," Alec moaned, falling into the pillows. It was bad enough that Magnus played mundane music but this song particularly irked him.
"The Georgia Peach and i'm back again its time to do the damn thang, better tell ya friends."
"Was my phone in the room?" Magnus asked. Alec looked back at him, annoyed. Magnus ran down the hallway.
"First thangs first: I Sheeda, mess around wit' no man who won't eat her. It's time to get it straight, these suckas round here trippin', ya know you do it boy, so gone and keep it pimpin'! Got that Juciy Fruit, certified Bubble Yum--"
Alec could hear Magnus murmuring something.
"--second."
Catarina's voice suddenly crackled over the speakerphone as Magnus plopped down next to Alec.
"Okay. We're both here. Tell him what you told me," Magnus said, staring at Alec. He could tell Magnus was trying to keep a straight face.
"Hello, Alec," Cat said.
"Hi. . ." Alec said.
"I'm at the hospital and we just got a little boy in here--"
She didn't have to continue; Alec knew exactly why she was calling.
"--for malnutrition. He was homeless apparently; his mother died a year ago. He can't be more than five, Alec. He really needs a place to stay-- Magnus knows how it works. It'll just be for a few years until we can find him someone to really teach him how to use his magic."
"We all know it won't just be a few years," Alec said, bending over, trying to think straight.
Magnus put a hand on his back.
"We don't have to do this," Magnus said. "Cat and I have other people we can call. I'm sure Malcolm is looking for a little more excitement in LA."
"You're insane if you think Malcolm Fade can take care of a child. He can barely take care of himself," Cat laughed. "Alec, I don't want to pressure you into anything but this kid needs someone."
Alec sat up.
"Cat, we'll call you back in a few minutes," Magnus said, hanging up without another word.
Now he couldn't help his grin.
"You really want this, don't you?" Alec asked. Magnus nodded.
Magnus rarely asked for anything.
"We haven't been up for thirty minutes. Don't you think it's a little early to be considering adoption?" Alec asked.
"Alexander, we've been dating for five years. I think we can handle a little more commitment. And a child. Hell, the Chairman hasn't died yet!"
"A cat is not a five year old warlock who was homeless for a year."
"Stop trying to say no," Magnus said, cupping Alec's face in his hands. "I know you're just dying to say yes."
A kid would change everything; their quiet mornings, their lazy afternoons, and sleepless nights.
"We meet him before we commit to anything."
.........
Cat got Magnus and Alec into the hospital as social workers.
The boy, who still refused to tell anyone his name, was in the pediatrics wing. Magnus was unfazed by the hospital stench but Alec could barely breathe. He hated the white walls, covered in cute decals of monkeys and lions. The infirmary in the Institute was too much for him even without the clouds of antiseptic.
The little boy had his own room, courtesy of Cat pulling strings and, more importantly, glamours. He was hooked up to an IV line, pumping fluids back into his system and Cat was trying to get him to eat chicken nuggets when they knocked on the door frame, announcing their arrival.
Alec tried not to be surprised by his blue skin, much darker than Cat's and the black horns sticking through long, curly, messy hair, but warlock marks still caught him off guard.
"This is Magnus and Alec," Cat introduces. "Magnus is also a warlock and Alec is a Shadowhunter."
The boy was silent, his lips pressed together to keep the words in and the chicken nuggets out.
"Why don't you say hi?" Cat suggested. He stared at her like she had suggested he start flying. "Okay, well, you eat and I'm going to go talk to them outside."
The boy's brown eyes followed them out of the room.
Magnus and Alec stood together as Cat explained his laundry list of ailments.
"--but if you want him, no one is going to notice he's missing. I'd just give him a day or two to get re-hydrated."
"Has he eaten anything?" Alec asked.
"No," Cat said.
"Said anything?" Alec asked.
"When he first got here, yes. I suppose that was before we started poking him with needles."
"That would explain it," Magnus said.
"I can fix the eating problem," Alec said.
The other two looked at him suspiciously.
"Max was a picky eater," Alec said, suddenly self-conscious.
"Work your magic," Cat said, gesturing for him to go back in the room.
"Was that a joke?" Alec asked, raising an eyebrow.
Magnus snickered.
Alec stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Magnus and Cat could watch through the window.
"Hi," Alec said, stepping to where Cat was sitting.
The boy looked at him.
"I'm Alec."
Alec could handle the silence; Max didn't talk much either when he was younger.
"Are you going to eat this?" Alec asked, gesturing to the untouched lunch.
The stare continued.
Alec reached onto the plate, taking one of the chicken nuggets.
"I never ate breakfast," Alec said, eating. "I heard you were here so I came right over."
"Why?" he asked. Alec took another bite.
"Well, it's not every day a boy as young as you survives on his own for a year," Alec said. "You're special."
Alec reached for a second chicken nugget just as the little boy did. They both took one and kept eating.
"None of the other kids are blue," he said. "That makes me special too."
"It's not always how you look that counts," Alec said. "It's what's on the inside."
"My mom said that too."
"Your mom was smart then," Alec said.
"My mom is dead."
"My brother is dead," Alec confessed, the words painful to say. He saw Max in this little boy. He saw the chance for redemption; the chance to save Max.
So was he saving the boy for the wrong reasons?
"I'm sorry," the boy said, taking another chicken nugget.
"Do you want to come home with Magnus and I?" Alec asked.
The boy nodded.
Alec turned to the window; Cat was in awe and Magnus was looking at him like he had never loved Alec more than he did in this moment.
.........
They spent the rest of visiting hours with the boy, trying to get him to open up, to little avail. Even when left with only Alec, he stopped talking again.
Magnus entertained him by turning the room different colors and changing Alec's skin color to a shade of fuchsia.
He was obviously tiny, beyond typical five year old skinniness. He was skin and bones and that worried Alec. The blood tests came back as negative for any major infections, so they were out of the clear on that. The pediatrician had cleared him for discharge tomorrow morning at 7 am.
So they had 12 more hours of independence before they would be burdened with a child.
"So what do you want to do?" Magnus asked as their cab took them home.
"Survive this cab ride," Alec mumbled as the driver took his third sharp turn of the short trip.
"And after?" Magnus asked, gripping the armrest in the door.
"Should we be telling someone we're getting a kid?" Alec asked.
"You're not getting my hints," Magnus pouted.
"I feel like we should be telling someone. Like what's the adult thing to do here?"
"I've been an adult for a long time and I know what we could be doing," Magnus said. Alec stared out the window.
It was all happening too fast.
........
Magnus unlocked the front door, pushing it open for the little boy to walk through, under his outstretched arm.
"This is big," he commented, awe in his voice and on his face.
"Do you want me to show you around?" Magnus asked.
"No," he said, looking up at Magnus. "I want to explore by myself."
"Okay," Magnus said. "Go ahead."
He wandered on his own, his fingers trailing on pretty much everything. He opened drawers in the kitchen, always shutting them after inspecting the contents.
He kept walking, pulling out a dining room chair and sitting in it for a minute.
He stared out the window, gaping at the skyline for the longest time.
Alec and Magnus watched from a distance, admiring their new son like proud parents at an honor roll assembly.
Magnus had an arm around Alec's waist, determined to keep him close for as long as this moment lasted.
Eventually the little boy got bored, as little boys do, and moved onto the long hallway of rooms.
He opened every door, finding closets, bathrooms, Magnus' office, bedrooms, and eventually the master suite.
"This is your room?" he asked, before ever entering.
"Yes," Alec said. "You can go in if you want."
"No." He shut the door and then looked up at Magnus and Alec who were surprised. "My mom never let me in her room." Alec was about to say something when he was cut off. "Where is my room?"
Alec took his hand, guiding him down the hallway to the room two doors down from theirs.
It was empty, walls painted simple white with plush white carpeting.
"Okay," he said, reaching for the door handle to shut them out.
"Don't you want some furniture?" Magnus asked.
"Oh." He opened the door again. "Yes please."
Magnus stepped inside, eyeballing the little boy carefully.
"What's your favorite color?" Magnus asked.
"I like orange," he said, trotting after Magnus who was in the middle of the room.
"So this--" the room exploded into a burst of neon orange, "--or more like this." It faded into a rusty orange.
"Bright!" he shouted.
Magnus caught a glimpse of Alec shaking his head "no."
He turned down the brightness, and added a grey twin-sized bed against one wall.
"What do you like to play with?" Magnus asked.
He shrugged, still mesmerized with the way the walls were changing color.
Magnus made a dresser and wardrobe appear, then little shelves, stocked with random toys and bins of Legos.
"Can you make it green?" he asked halfway through the decorating process.
The walls and orange accents on the bedspread and drawers turned to a pale green.
Then the room was all different shades of the rainbow, bouncing from pink to brown to turquoise to lime green.
It didn't take long to wear the kid out.
He climbed into the bed without a word, falling asleep before Magnus and Alec could ask any questions.
"So I guess that's naptime?" Alec asked as they retreated into the hallway.
"You know, I think we're really nailing this parenting thing," Magnus said, stopping in front of Alec. Alec jumped, falling back against the wall.
"It's been two hours," Alec pointed out.
"Mm. I suppose that's a good point," Magnus said, kissing Alec, gently, thanking him for everything without words.
.........
Naptime lasted most of the morning, with Alec and Magnus alternating between making sure he was still breathing every ten minutes or so. They supposed they were supposed to be a little panicky with a human life in their care now.
When he woke up, they took him out to a park to wear him out again.
"What else are we supposed to do?" Alec asked as they watched their son run up and down and across the jungle gym from a bench.
"I have no idea. There's no manual on parenting, Alec. Trial and error. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette."
Alec pointed a finger at Magnus, "No one is breaking anything and please don't call him an omelette--"
"Well, until he gives us an actual name, I think "Omelette" sounds very French and very sophisticated--"
"Our child will not be referred to as a food--"
"Well, "Blueberry" would be far more accurate, I suppose--"
"Hi."
They both jumped a little as they turned back and saw the kid had appeared in front of them.
"When are you gonna tell us your name?" Magnus asked, ruffling the little boy's hair a little bit.
"My name?"
"It's okay if you don't remember," Alec said, cautiously.
"Oh, no, I remember," he said. "It's Max."