Chapter 8

Magnus is almost done getting ready, applying kohl to his eyes, when he hears a knock on the door. Finished applying Magnus leaves his room and goes to the front door, looking through the peep hole, the Warlock sees Alec on the other side. Five minutes early.

Opening the door Magnus invites the younger man in, and he notices how relieved Alec seems  when he opens the door. "I'll be a moment." Alec nods his head in acknowledgement, standing awkwardly in the living room, as if he's scared that someone will come in and catch him; but why? As far as Magnus knows Izzy is the only other Shadowhunter that knows about him and Alec expecting a child together.

Magnus quickly grabs a jacket from his closet before heading back out to Alec. Re-entering the living room, the Indonesian man notices how Alec has his eyes on him, which Magnus cannot argue with. After all he's wearing his usual tight pants, heels, a fuchsia shirt with countless necklaces cascading down his chest and rings adorning his fingers, dark eyeshadow, kohl eyeliner, his hair in spikes.

His appearance seems to make Alec even more nervous.

"Where are we going for dinner?" He asks once he's back in the room.

"T-Taki's." Alec stumbles out. "If you d-don't mind, that is. We can always go somewhere else."

Magnus is familiar with the Chinese restaurant, and their famed food. "You're lucky I like Chinese food." With that both men grab their jackets, heading out to the eatery.

Magnus is surprised when he and Alec arrive at the restaurant. Taki's is a popular restaurant amongst everyone, even mundanes. The place tends to be packed from the time it opens to the time it closes everyday; but overlooking it now the place is only half full, which the Warlock finds odd.

The hostess guides them to an empty booth. Both men take their seats as the hostess gives them their menus before she leaves. Their waitress----a curly-haired, chocolate-milk skinned young lady,----comes over and takes their drinks; a water for Magnus and a soda for Alec. Unlike Magnus, who is carrying a child, Alec doesn't have a good reason to not have alcohol. So why is he having a regular drink?

By the time their waitress comes back to take their waitress comes back to take their orders neither man has spoken a word. Magnus orders sweet and sour orange chicken while Alec gets moo shu pork. The young woman leaves with their menus and orders, leaving the two men in silence.

Magnus notices that Alec keeps wiping his hands on his pants. Is he nervous? Why would he be nervous? He wonder, noting Alec's nervous smile as the younger man takes a sip of his soda. "I hear you've been promoted to being Head of the Institute, how is that going?"

"G-good. I mean dealing with Clave officials all day can be challenging, especially when they tend to stay in their 'Shadowhunters with Shadowhunters' mindsets, other than that it's not too bad."

Magnus nods.

"How has, er, being High Warlock been?"

"Good. Clients can be very demanding at points, even if a spell or potion takes time they'll still want it done sooner. They're lucky I'm the High Warlock and not someone who turns them into ducks or toads." Alec snickers. "Is something funny?"

"I, er, pictured Jace being turned into a duck. Probably not a good thing for a brother or Parabatai to think. . . "

"Nonsense." Magnus intervenes. "Some of my closets friends and I can get on each other's nerves sometimes and we often change each other into furniture, animals, anything. I once turned my dear friend Ragnor into the Eiffel Tower before Paris even had it."

That makes the younger man smile. Quietness befalls them again just as their food comes. The waitress refills their drinks as she walks off to take care of some of the other patrons. They're halfway done with their food when Magnus reaches for his newly filled water, only this time it tastes different. Magnus hasn't asked for any fruit slice or anything to be put in the beverage, so why does it taste different?

"Is everything all right?" Alec's voice is shaky.

"Of course, just full is all." Alec nods. As Alec pays for their food, both agree not to take the leftovers with them. As they leave restaurant Alec walks beside him, their hands in the pockets of their jackets; Alec is close enough so people know they're together, but not close enough for any part of them to be touching.

After centuries of life Magnus has never been so surprised before, not even by a mortal----and a Shadowhunter at that. After leaving Taki's they're walking passed Central Park when Alec suggests they go for a walk through it.

The chill night air blowing, cooling off the heat from earlier in the day. Honestly Magnus is glad that Alec is all right, not because, not because of their date, but overall. Izzy had been texting him like crazy yesterday saying how Alec wasn't moving or showing any signs of being all right. If Alec had been asleep any longer Magnus is sure that he would've been called in to make sure he was still alive so the Clave didn't burn him in white while he was still alive.

That scenario hurts Magnus to think about. Since learning about their child only a couple of days ago Magnus has seen how much Alec has been invested in knowing being there for him and their child. If Alec died from the wound how would Magnus tell their child? Their child is half-Shadowhunter and even a powerful Warlock such as himself most likely couldn't keep that from his child, not when Izzy would insist in being in her niece or nephew's life, even without Alec being alive.

They sit down on a park bench. Over the many things Magnus has thought about the evening going, barely talking hadn't been on the list.

"What do you want to talk about?" Magnus asks, his voice civil.

"W-what?"

"We only went out to talk about out child, yet we've barely spoken. So what do YOU want to talk about?"

"I was wondering if you've thought of any baby names yet?" This surprises the Warlock, who thinks of baby names early on in their pregnancy? (Scratch that, he's actually known people who have picked out baby names before even trying to conceive; and those people have ended up changing the name a hundred times over.)

"I haven't. I want to wait until I'm further along. Why? Do you have any suggestions?"

Alec shakes his head. "N-no. I just wanted to know; not that I would try and make you change it."

"You wouldn't? You don't want any part in naming our child?"

"I-I do, but if you had picked a name I wouldn't want to try and make you change your mind. The only thing about our child's name right now is his or hers last name, and I understand if you want to just be Bane; but I was wondering if we could hyphen it?"

"You mean like Bane-Lightwood or Lightwood-Bane?" Hearing their names out loud in a hyphen Magnus admits to himself that the second one has a nice ring to it.

Alec nods. "Again, if you want it to just be Bane, I won't argue; but I want them to be as much claimed by my family as they will by yours."

Family. Alec thinks that Magnus' family, at least his human side, would've accepted their child when they couldn't even accept Magnus himself when his demon marks first started showing. As for his demon side, Magnus wants to keep that side from ever finding out. Oh the irony.

"What about your side?" Magnus asks. (Because there is no conceivable way that the Clave will be happy about a Warlock and a Shadowhunter having a child.) If he knows anything about them (and he does) they'll most likely try to sway Alec to take their child and leave after Magnus gives birth, and keep any information that the child is also half-Warlock filed away somewhere.

"Since Izzy knows she'll help protect and fight for them, Jace will too. As for my parents, I have no idea how they'll react."

"And the Clave?"

Alec puts his head down. "I'm not ashamed of our child or anything, I just don't want them to know."

Magnus sees how Alec is just as worried about their child if the Clave ever finds out. "Okay."

"And since our child will be half-Warlock and half-Shadowhunter how do you want to deal with the fact that they may have runes and magic?"

"Are you asking me if I can take away our child's abilities as a Shadowhunter or a Warlock?" Magnus cannot believe what he's hearing. A Shadowhunter and Warlock child has never been heard of, the Warlock can also see logic in where Alec is coming from.

If word gets out to the wrong people about a child that can bare runes like a Shadowhunter and has the magic of a Warlock. . . .

Magnus shudders at the thought. He doesn't like the fact that some people may cause harm to him or anyone just to get his child.

"Do you, uh, want to go back home? I can walk you back if you like." The Indonesian man can hear how tense Alec's voice is during the last part. He has no doubt that Alec may want to walk him back to his loft but he also knows that it's mostly for their child.

"That's very gentlemanly of you, Alexa----Alec. Of course I would."

As they stand up Alec offers his hand which Magnus refuses to take. He still hasn't forgiven the Shadowhunter for walking out on him, for avoiding him for four months, and for nearly getting killed by a stupid demon.

They walk back in silence. For most of it Alec has been calm and generous; as they get closer to the loft, Magnus senses a change within Alec. The raven-hair man gets more nervous, like earlier as if he's wondering if they'll get caught.

By the time they get back, standing outside the doors, Alec is shifting from foot-to-foot. His eyes darting from Magnus, to the door, to the floor. (Not necessarily in that order.)

"Alec," Magnus wonders, "is everything all right?"

"I was wondering if you told your mate about us,"

"What are you talking about?" Did Izzy not tell her brother about her suspicions?

"I saw your mating bite. I'm not going to interfere with your two's relationship or anything, I just want to make sure that this other person is treating you right and will treat our child right."

Magnus can't believe what he's hearing. Alec believes that Magnus has another person as a mate? Though he does find it sweet that Alec wants to make sure that the person is treating both Magnus and their child right.

"Alec, there isn't going to be a third parent with our child." He reassures.

Alec furrows his eyebrows together. "But your mate----"

"You're my mate."

Alec freezes.