The Business Trip

Chapter 9

They were watching a movie called "The Book of Life" in Spanish class. Magnus and Alec were sitting next to each other, holding hands under the desk like pre-schoolers. Most of the class wasn't paying attention, drawing, talking, throwing things at one another. Magnus and Alec didn't need to talk because everything had already been said, well everything that they could say here. They still needed to have a conversation about Magnus' past, but that could wait until they got home. They just sat there and enjoyed the fact that they were no longer in an argument.

They were enjoying the moment until Magnus felt something hit the back of his head. He had a pretty good idea of what it was too. He had seen the torment that Kurt had gone through, and just because Karofsky wasn't there anymore didn't mean that they were off the hook. Magnus waited a moment to be sure that Alec didn't notice the crumpled paper ball that had been thrown before reaching down and picking it up. He sat with it still crumpled in his hand until Alec was completely engrossed in the movie, then opened it. The note simply said "GAY" in big, horribly written letters. Magnus almost laughed. They couldn't have come up with anything better than that? Though he knew if Alec saw this, it would have made him upset, so maybe Magnus just had thick skin. After all, he had been taunted more times about his perceived sexuality than he had been in relationships, which was a lot. Magnus almost laughed again at the situation, he was the High Warlock of Brooklyn, he had lived for over 400 years, seen everything, been apart of most major events they learn about in history, and yet this one mundane thinks he can bully him. It was really quite amusing.

Magnus quickly made the note disappear, burning it in a dumpster somewhere. He turned slightly so that his eyes met those of his "tormenter" and smiled, letting his glamor fall for a moment until the other boys face was horror-struck. Magnus turned back to the movie with a satisfactory smirk on his face, once again grasping hands with Alec.

Magnus and Alec got up when the bell rang and walked together out of the class and to there next one, history. The whole way there they got looks, some disgusted, some just curious, but all of them invasive. Alec's hand quickly detached itself from Magnus', much to his disappointment. Magnus was used to getting strange glances and he had learned to embrace it. Alec was still new to all of this and he already got enough glares from shadowhunters for being in a relationship with a downworlder. He put his head down and walked quickly to their history classroom, his angelic grace and agility showing as he carefully and effortlessly weaved his way through the horde of teenagers, Magnus trailing behind him.

"Hey," Jace said from his seat as Alec and Magnus walked into the room. Alec said nothing as he sat down behind Jace, Magnus to his left, "You ok buddy?" Jace asked tentatively, the amount of times he had said that in the past few days was ridiculous.

Alec just nodded giving him a small smile. Magnus took this as his cue, "We've gotten a lot of... looks," He told the blonde boy.

Jace suddenly looked angry, "What kind of looks," he said through gritted teeth, his hands balling up into fists. He would defend Alec against the world until the day he died, and even that wouldn't stop him from haunting anyone who would be stupid enough to insult his parabatai.

Alec swallowed, "It doesn't matter," He said looking at his parabatai. It was true, as much as Alec hated being starred at, it didn't matter what any of these mundies thought, or what the nephilim thought. The only opinions that mattered to him were from the people he cared about, and they all accepted him, for the most part.

"The hell it doesn't. Who? I want names," Jace said, more exasperated than truly enraged.

"Jace, I knew what I was subjecting myself to when I came out. I don't expect people to change for me, or for the world to be kind. I can ignore the glares and comments, be the bigger person. If it starts to be more than that, then i'll do something about it. But right now all I can do is hope that the world changes for future generations, that we can change it so that all of our children don't have to grow up with the prejudice and expectations that were thrust upon us," Alec said.