The Men Who Rule New York

Unlife and Undeath

Magnus Bane exists in the murkier regions of death and life, one foot over the edge of the cliff and one foot planted on terra firma. He has no doubt in his ability to stop himself from from falling or in his ability to land on his feet should he eventually slip. He is, after all, a well practiced and qualified survivor. Falling will not be the death of him. He struggles to maintain that as a mantra looping through his brain as he peers over the edge of the very literal precipice he has found himself precariously clinging to. It may not be a cliff but the fastest way down from this ten story building is equally steep and, doubtless, equally fatal.
The feral vampire snaps at him, taking advantage of his distraction and he struggles against the instinct to take a step backwards. His hands are slightly too engaged in helping him maintain balance on the rain soaked ledge to allow him to do more than shoot occasional poorly aimed blasts at the fledging. Thus far it has dodged all with ease but was hanging back, evidently wary of his magic. Whatever absolute idiot had turned the thing and left it to run completely wild would be hearing from him soon enough. Right now, though, he needed to get away from the edge and subdue the vampire before he either fell or was left, drained of blood, for some poor mundane to find.
He launches another shockwave of power and just manages to clip it, driving it back enough for him to move away from the edge. His hands are now up and as the vampire shakes itself off and prepares to go back on the attack he catches it with his magic and drains out its energy. It slumps and Magnus follows with a little more dignity, settling into a squat as he looks at it and takes a second to think. He's got blood bags in his apartment for when vampires visit but given that he left Alexander there it'd be wisest to take it elsewhere. Especially given the trail of destruction it had left before he'd caught up with it. Raphael left town weeks ago and hasn't been in contact. He's unsure of who else would be willing to handle some rogue fledging.
He stretches out as he stands, opening a portal back home. Alec's snoring can be heard from the spare bedroom. He's left the door open. Magnus considers closing it for a second but the risk of waking his... whatever they are now seems too high. He goes to the kitchen and retrieves some blood bags before portaling back to the rooftop where the sleeping vampire awaits. He puts one of the bags down in front of it before he wakes it, standing at the ready in case it attacks. Thankfully it doesn't, opting to tear messily into his offering. It drinks it down quickly and he tosses it two more. They're also gone soon and he gives it the last of the few he'd grabbed. It doesn't seem as violent and he crouches again.
"What's your name? I'm Magnus- Magnus Bane."
It looks at him and he can make out what seems to be fear in its face. "Are you l-like-" it taps its chest.
"I'm a warlock. A Downworlder." It doesn't look like it understands. "A Downworlder is something with demon blood or a demonic infection of some kind. Warlocks, seelies, werewolves and vampires. You're not the only one, there's a good number of vampire clans dotted around New York alone."
He knows what it's like to not understand this world and the vampires expression - childlike lostness - is one he's seen many times before.
"I'm Aaron. I have a wife. Kids. Please, you have to be able to undo this please I can't be a vampire."
"I'm sorry, Aaron. I'm sorry."
The vampire isn't making any noise anymore, just stuttering half formed words. He doesn't want to touch right now but he pulls him into a hug, holding the man as he cries bitterly. He's been avoiding tears as best he can since - since Valentine probably but he feels some escape now. Just a few, though. This is about Aaron right now. Aaron and his family.
"Come on. I'll find you somewhere to stay for the time being. With time and luck, you should be able to find some way to connect with your old life. Even if it's not like it used to be, I've known vampires manage it. It doesn't have to be a completely clean break."
Aaron nods and allows Magnus to help him to his feet. Dawn will come soon enough and he needs to get the fledgling somewhere though he's not sure if he knows of any clan who'd be willing to take some stranger with no clear sire.  It's messy and complicated and a welcome distraction. He'll need Raphael's help here for sure but that can wait. They're on top of a hotel he's stayed in before but he can't really trust Aaron in a building full of mundanes so it seems his only option is to portal the pair of them out of there. He knows an empty warehouse where the vampire can spend the day. He'll find somewhere for him while he sleeps.
"Hold on to me and don't let go," Magnus says and Aaron hesitantly grips his arm. He creates a portal and pulls him through it, the fledgling's hands tightening until he's certain he'll have bruises - another addition to those he accumulated when Aaron pushed him down a flight of stairs. They emerge into a cage of grey concrete. The thick iron doors are chained shut on the outside and there's nothing here Aaron could use to break out. It's not fair on him, there's a high chance he won't need to feed anytime soon but Magnus can't take the risk.
"You can let go now"
Aaron releases his arm and looks around him. They've both got night vision to some degree but Magnus goes to the wall and turns on the lights anyway. There's a few crates stacked in one corner but they mostly contain old clothes. Nothing of sentimental value - he wouldn't leave things that mattered to him locked up like this - but he's never been much one for throwing things away. Even if they're meant to be irrelevant.
He pulls his phone from his pocket, slightly cutting his finger on the cracked screen. He heals that, open wounds aren't a good plan with an out of control vampire around, and calls Raphael. He's not really expecting an answer.
"Magnus? I was just about to sleep."
"I'm afraid I need your help. I have a vampire with no clan and no obvious sire. There's every chance the clave is after him already. And - no - before you say anything, I'd have already spoken to Alexander if it would help."
Raphael doesn't say anything for an overly long moment. Aaron is very clearly listening in.
"Did he break up with you?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. Just, well, I'd hate to make him conflicted over something like this."
"Don't want to know which side he'd choose? I've got the beginnings of a clan in a house a way out of New York. I'll send you the address. He can come when ever."
"Thank you, Raphael. It's good to hear your voice."
"Wait!" he interrupts, just as Magnus is about to hang up.
"What?"
"How's-"
"I doubt she'd want you to ask. She's fine."
He hangs up. He'd rather not think about the Lightwoods right now, not if he can avoid it.
"You said I could still see my wife!" Aaron is glaring at him.
Magnus spreads his hands placatingly. If Aaron knew him he would be aware that Magnus was also putting his hands in the best position to fend off any potential attack. "I'm sorry Aaron. You need to find some kind of stability first. Just rushing in there with no kind of control? Your wife and children will die."
It's harsh but it's true. Aaron still looks murderous.
"Have you ever been in love? You and your magic? Would you give up love for your powers? You don't know how-"
Magnus sedates the vampire mid sentence. This is one conversation that they are not having.
He crosses over to the boxes of clothes, leaving the other man lying on the ground and begins digging through. There's a nice variety - he's been just about everywhere in his life and next door is full to the brim of boxes like these. He pauses at a child's loose dress. It's from the early 19th century, from London. He didn't think he'd kept any of this. He's met with an urge to call Alec, to tell him about London and about Peru and George and Camille and the countless years of the life he's lived and never been able to share. He doesn't though. He knows how Aaron feels, knows the pain of loss better than anyone and still he has no solution. He doubts there is one.
"Who's Alexander?" Aaron is evidently awake.
He decides on honesty. "My boyfriend."
"Is he a demon thing?"
"No. He's - he's a shadowhunter. A mortal."
Aaron says nothing. He's evidently trying not to show emotion but just looks strained, and not in a good way. Magnus could definitely best this guy at poker. For some reason, that makes him feel infinitely better.
"So he's going to die someday? And you're not?"
"That's the life you'll also live, Aaron. It hurts the same every time. It's why you should go with Raphael - he's far from perfect but he's constant."
Another pause.
"So I shouldn't talk to my wife because I 'can't control myself'," he says, putting the last three words in slightly obnoxious air quotes. "What's stopping you talking to your boyfriend?"
"Fear, mostly."
"You're scared or he's scared?"
"I think, both of us. I don't know what I'm doing or how to handle him. I've forgotten how to be in love and he's never been in love." Magnus sucks in a breath. He won't cry. Not over this. He's telling this stranger far too much as it is.
"Doesn't seem to me like you care all that much. Like you say you're scared. Guess what? I'm scared too. I have no idea what's going on, some random wizard just told me I'm a vampire and locked me in a warehouse and now I'm not allowed to see my wife or even tell her I'm fucking alive?!"
Magnus opens a portal back to his apartment and leaves.
Alexander is taking a shower. No doubt he'll come out smelling of Magnus's shampoo, wrapped in one of Magnus's towels. His stomach tightens at the thought.
"Oh hey!" Alec's head appears round the door. "Where were you?"
"Out." He walks towards his bedroom then stops and turns around to look at Alec. "We should talk."
"Ok."
He nods in a vague attempt at looking decisive. "Why did you stop pushing?"
"I- I. It wasn't working out. You didn't want to talk and so I guess I thought it was the only way to stop fighting?" Alec says. He sounds as unsure as Magnus feels.
"I don't know how to fix this. Us."
Alec offers up a half smile, his phoney smile. "Me either. I'm not immortal, you're not mortal."
"I love you. This conversation, this existence scares me because I don't know how to be something I'm not and I don't want you to be something you're not. I have lost so much, Alexander. My family, my friends. Past loves, yes, but also past enemies. I've outlived so many people and I can't go back, I can't replace them. That's not what I'm trying to do."
Alec runs his hand through his still wet hair. "If we both died now and there was an afterlife. Who would you choose?"
"You." He doesn't hesitate. His boyfriend is the only person he could be with right now. The future, the past. It's all still there and nothing is fixed but Alec is his present.
"I'm glad you're talking to me. I think this is good. I think we're good." He pauses. "I'd choose you, too. I know I don't have so many options but it'd be you."
Magnus laughs at that. He hadn't even expected to hear it, hadn't wanted to hear it, but he'd definitely needed to hear it. Alec smiles and it's a proper smile this time.
It's then that Alec looks at him properly. "Hey, Magnus. What happened to your forehead?"
He stops laughing. There's always some other part of him he needs to share.
"Magnus?"
"These past few weeks, they haven't been easy on me. I'm not very good at dealing with fights, with this kind of conflict. I've been helping out rogue downworlders, getting them to packs or clans, getting them off the streets."
"That's not a bad thing? I thought - Raphael?"
"Normally I don't take so many risks. I was trying to help out a fledgling vampire, burned out of magic too quickly. He tossed me around. Nearly had me off the edge of a building before I managed to get him to calm down. A few nights ago a Seelie stabbed me in the arm, last week another vampire nearly drained me."
It's an effort to stop. He's said what he needed to, he's done the mature thing here. At least to some extent. Any more and he'll be crossing back to guilt tripping and immaturity. He's giving Alec an open door here and hoping his boyfriend walks through. He's not sure if-
"Hey, it's OK. You don't have to do all that. Take risks you don't have to. I love you and it hurts me to see you hurt."
"I love you too." He needs to say it before Alec says anything else.
"I know. I'm sorry, too. I have my own issues and I pushed them at you and upset you. Things don't have to make sense now - and I do want to spend as much of my time as you'll let me spend with you, with you."
"I'll never not want you around me."
Alec hugs him and he lets himself be held, let's himself be comforted. He's not holding back tears now. The vampire can wait for now. He's very firmly back on solid ground and there's no way he'll fall right now. Not with Alec holding him this tightly. He's pretty sure he even means it, knows it. There is no way he can fall right now, not with those arms keeping him safe from the danger of the lives they lead.