ISpy

Chapter 39

Alec:
After their kiss, Magnus and Alec hardly left each other's side. Magnus went around the party, talking to various Downworlders he knew. Alec knew hardly any of them, and most of them didn't look too happy to see him despite them just fighting a war together. He guessed some things took a long time to change.

Izzy found them a while later and was grinning from ear to ear, and with Meliorn by her side, exclaimed "That was the cutest thing ever!"

Alec smiled. One thing about Izzy, she always had Alec's best interests at heart.

"It was a good idea, Izzy."

"What do you mean, Alec? This was all you." She nudged him. "I may have helped with planning the execution, but this was your idea."

Izzy was the one that had suggested 'professing his love to Magnus' by kissing him at the party, but he knew she was trying to give Alec the credit. And he appreciated it, but it wasn't needed.

But, he would let Izzy think she won. "I guess you're right, Izzy. But you did most of the work, really."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. I'm going to leave you guys alone now."

When they left, Alec turned to Magnus. "She did all the work," he clarified.

Magnus nodded. "I know. But it's your willingness to do it for me, for us, that counts."

Alec nodded. "Yeah, i just, didn't want to lose you...I'm in love with you, Magnus."

Magnus was silent for a second, and looked into Alec's eyes with love and appreciation. "I love you too," he said and gave Alec a soft, lingering kiss. They hugged again, and Alec decided that no matter what happened, as long as he had Magnus, everything was going to be okay.

***

Alec returned to the Institute happier than he'd been in a while. All of the agents were looking at him, most with shock, some with admiration, and a few with disgust. But he'd ignored them, and continued on to his room. It wasn't until one of the agents told him he was needed in his Dad's office that the reality of what he'd just done began to crash down on him. He hadn't stopped to think what his Dad would say, mostly because he knew doing so would discourage him and possibly stop him from going through with it. And then after he'd done it, he'd been so happy being with Magnus he hadn't thought about it then either. But now, as he reached Robert's door, he knew he had to face it now. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe Dad will be just fine with it. But he knew deep down it was just wishful thinking. He opened the door and let himself in.

"Hey, Dad. You needed me?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but he could hear the strain in his voice.

Robert was quiet, not saying a word. It made Alec even more stressed.

"I can't believe you," he said finally, "I can't believe that you kissed a filthy warlock in front of the entire New York Institute!"

"He's not filthy, and he's treated me better than you ever have."

Robert hardly seemed to listen. "I never should've sent you on that mission. I knew Camille would corrupt you-"

Alec cut him off. "This has nothing to do with Camille. I've always been like this, you just never noticed. You only saw me as your eldest son, future head of the agency that could do no wrong. You never saw me for who I was."

"You are a Lightwood. That's what I saw you as, not some Downworlder-loving faggot."

Alec was stunned. He'd never heard his Dad used that word before. However, his shock was quickly replaced by anger.

"What happened to that speech you gave me about leaving Valentine? And how the Accords are the right way to do things, and-"

"The Accords were made to keep peace between the Downworld and the Clave. Never did I say that they mean Downworlders are equal to us in any way. We are Nephilim, and they are-"

"Guess what else we are? Human. We're humans just like they are. And in my eyes, that means we are all equal and we should treat each other as such. And if you can't see that, then I have nothing more to say to you. I'm not leaving Magnus. I love him."

That was the first time he'd said those words to anyone other than Magnus, and in that moment he meant them more then anything.

"You love him? You love a-" he stopped talking, as if he were shocked. "You don't mean that, you're just acting out-"

"I'm not a child who's acting out. I'm a man who has fallen in love with another man, and I'm not afraid to tell you or anyone else."

Robert glared at Alec. "Get out. Get out of my office. And I don't want to see you in this Institute again until you've come to your senses."