Two Dads, One Family

11

After breakfast, the adults let the boys do their thing as Alec washes the dishes. Magnus nurses his second cup of coffee with just a hint of Brandy while leaning against the counter, waiting for his boyfriend to finish.

"So, what went down?" "Oh, you know how boys can be. You have a brother." "Yes I do, which is why I was weary of leaving them here with you alone in the first place. They're more comfortable around us now and they're getting older so they're pushing boundaries. What happened?" "Well, the boys yelled at me to start. When I tried to talk to them, they ran into our bedroom and locked it. Once I got the door unlocked, I tried to wrangle them both up and ended up with Max biting my hand hard enough to break the skin." "What?! He bit you?!" Alec looks at Magnus in shock as the older male refuses to look at the other, focusing on his spiked coffee. Alec turns off the sink and dries his hands, gently taking the mug away and looking at Magnus' face.

"Babe, he bit you?" "Yes, but it's fine." "No it's not fine! He's never done that before, what's gotten into him lately?!" "Alexander, darling, breathe. He felt guilty and remorse for his actions, he's forgiven. He called me papa as well, everything is okay." "Mags, this isn't okay. He's never acted out that badly before." Magnus swallows hard, hating the fact that Max is behaving his absolute worst ever with him. His own son was acting out against him, both boys went from the sweet crazy kids he loved to little devils who lashed out more aggressively than they ever had. Alec catches the change in his boyfriend's mood and tilts Magnus' chin upwards with one finger, causing direct eye contact.

"What's up?" "It's nothing, dear. My mind is merely drifting off. Don't fret. I'm gonna check on Madzie." "She's fine. I put her in her walker. What's wrong?" "Nothing, Alec. I have some work I need to do, I have a big appointment with an entire wedding party next week and I have so much to plan. Excuse me for a bit." Magnus gently kisses Alec before gently pushing past him, heading to the bedroom to get dressed. Alec watches him, concern for his boyfriend overwhelming him. Magnus picks his clothing out after locking the door, minding his sore hand as he gets dressed. He applies his eyeliner and grabs his shoulder bag with his work materials. Magnus sighs once before heading for the door, putting his shoes on and smiling at his family when he has three sets of concerned eyes on him.

"I'll be back in a few hours, I have quite a bit to get done and I want to stop and get some of our things from our old home. I'll keep you posted." "Magnus-" "I love you, darling." Magnus gives Alec a quick peck on the lips and ruffles both boys' hair before leaving the house. Raphael looks nervous, sitting on the floor and hugging his knees a bit. Alec takes in the change in demeanor and kneels beside him.

"What's up, buddy?" "Papa never does big jobs at work, he does them at home because he knows they take a long time. He's upset..." "He doesn't have any work stuff here, bud. He can't get work done with no work stuff." "He looked sad! He always gives me a squeezey hug and a head kiss before he goes to work but he just messed up my hair and left! Not okay, papa's not okay!" "Raph, honey, breathe. Deep breath, everything is fine." Raphael shakes his head and kicks Alec in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him when he tries to hug him, running off and hiding in a closet. Max watches, eyebrows shot upwards. Alec gets back to his feet and rubs the area that was kicked, exhaling slowly before deciding to give Raphael a moment to cool off. The adult then looks down at his son, eyebrow raised.

"So what's this I hear about you biting?" "I wanted down..." "You're almost six, as you constantly remind me. You're old enough to use words and you know better than to bite people. You hurt Magnus and it made him very upset. Hearing that made me upset too. Why are you showing Magnus your worst?" Max stares down at his feet, refusing the say anything. Alec sighs and crouches down, waiting for Max to look at him. The five year old finally meets his dad's eyes and shrugs, not wanting to talk about it.

"Maxwell, answer me please. Why are you behaving like this? Did Magnus upset you?" "No..." "Then what? You need to talk to me, honey." "I don't want to, daddy..." "Why not? Are you afraid I'll be mad?" Max nods and Alec sighs, pulling him into a hug. Alec has an inkling of why Max is acting like this, but wants to make sure before assuming.

"Max, I promise that I'll still love you just as much even if I get mad. I'll never not love you, you're my son." "It's just... What if Magnus leaves too?! Last time you got super sad and you said you were gonna get married and he left! You can't talk about marrying and you can't get sad again!" Max starts crying and Alec holds him tighter, kissing his head as he rocks them slightly. Raphael emerges from his hiding spot when he hears his best friend sobbing. Madzie's walker stops in the hallway, looking at everyone in curious confusion.

"Max, what happened last time was different. Andrew and I agreed that being together while so far away didn't work. Magnus doesn't want to move away and if he does, we move with him. It's different because Magnus is a dad too and he knows how it works when you have kids, Andrew didn't. Being sad is a part of life, sweetheart. A part we cannot avoid. I promise we will be fine." Alec cradles Max close to his chest and shakes his head affectionately, touched that his son is looking out for him but saddened by him feeling the need to intervene. Alec shoots Magnus a quick text when Max is calm enough, noticing Raphael against his side.

A: "Figured out why Max was putting you through the ringer. He got scared that you were gonna hurt me like my ex boyfriend before you did and wanted to scare you off before we talked about marriage so I wouldn't get hurt again. Hate to rush you but Raph is really upset about how you left and he's decided I'm not his friend so I don't know how much longer he'll put up with me"

M: "PHEW! That's actually really adorable that our little Maxwell is protecting you, such a sweet boy. As for Rapha, I'll be home as soon as I can! The bride-to-be is coming in with her bridesmaids for some adjustments to the original guidelines. Did he actually say you're not his friend? He used to when he was little."

A: "No, but the kick to the stomach I received spoke VOLUMES"

M: "HE DID WHAT?!?!?!"

A: "Consider us even. My son bit you, yours kicked me. All is balanced."

M: "Fucking hell. Alexander, darling, I'm so sorry"

A: "It's fine. I'm big strong man, little feet don't hurt"

M: "But Raphael used to be in soccer, he knows how to kick."
"My clients just arrived, I'll call you after!"

Magnus places his phone down as he hears a group of giggles heading in his direction. The bride steps forward and is greeted with a hug from Magnus.

"Claire, how are you? Excited for your big day?" "Words can't even describe it! These are my bridesmaids, I'd love your thoughts for the shoot next week regarding our ideas." "I'd be more than happy to assist you ladies." Magnus smiles at his client before looking at the other women, his heart stopping and anger immediately flooding his veins. The reason behind the sudden fury looks shocked before laughing a bit, causing everyone to look at the two of them specifically and Magnus to lose all professionalism and awareness.

"Well, today just got better! Hi, Maggy!" "It's Magnus. Hello, Camille. I'd say it's a pleasure to see you again, but I'd rather keep dishonesty out of my business." "Oh c'mon, don't be so cold. You used to love me." "And I regret it to this day. The day we divorced I celebrated as if I won the lottery." "I heard you ended up with a man. My mother warned me you's leave me for a man, said you can't trust a bisexual man." "Jealous? Raphael loves him too, he's amazing and with him as we speak. I'd say he's a better parent to our son than you were but, and let's be real, anyone who doesn't abuse their two year old is a better parent than you. I heard prison doesn't cater to child abusers, how'd it go?" "Wait, what?!" In that moment, Magnus came back to his senses and realized where he was.

He just fought with a member of his client's group in front of her. He can see Catarina trying to hide her laughter from his peripherals. The bride is furious and Camille is trying to hide behind two other women.

Shit.