Chapter Text
Lover, lover, lover
You don't treat me no good no more
Magnus has been helping Alec and the other Shadowhunters with almost every mission they’ve had recently. He’s made potions & portals, written spells, and summoned demons all without a Thank You from anyone, least of all Alec. The one person he doesn’t anticipate getting a Thank You from but the one who he thought cared enough about him to say it. He used to feel like all of his efforts were appreciated; now he feels like they’re expected.
But now all you do is just treat me cold
Ain't gonna take it no more gonna walk out the door
Magnus receives an urgent text from Alec:
9-1-1. Portal to Institute ASAP. Demon hunt. Need spell and portal.
Magnus thinks to himself, “Wow. This must be a really bad demon for Alec to be that terse. He must have a lot going on.” Magnus quickly ushers out his current client, apologizing profusely for the interruption and promises to call tomorrow to reschedule. He portals into Alec’s office at the Institute and is immediately met with Alec’s, “Finally. We need a portal to Romania and a stunning spell. Can you handle that within the next 10 minutes?”
“I could yes, but I want and need some background information first.”
“We don’t have time for that. I’ve told you what we need. If you can’t handle it we’ll call another warlock.” Alec’s tone is angry, curt and frankly, hurtful.
“Then call another warlock.” Magnus reopens his portal and leaves the Institute without another word or backward glance.
Well I wait up for you almost every night
And I'm hurtin' so bad 'cause you don't treat me right
It’s been almost twelve hours. No call, no text, no fire message. Nothing. Magnus assumes Alec isn’t concerned that Magnus is worried about him and everyone else. Who knows what kind of demon they were rushing off to Romania to fight. Did the “other warlock” know the proper spell? Did the portal take them to the right location? Magnus has worn a path in his favorite Oriental rug with his incessant pacing. At last, Alec comes home… very late.
Magnus meets him in the hallway to the bedroom. He throws his arms around him and hugs him in close to make sure he’s alright. “What happened with the demon? Did the portal take you where you needed to be? Did the spell work? Were you injured? What about everyone else?”
Alec doesn’t return his embrace. “If you were so concerned about all of it you should have stayed. I need a shower, food and sleep.” Alec breaks Magnus’ hold on him and heads to the en suite bathroom, leaving Magnus standing speechless in the hallway.
Lover oh lover
I know you used to love me in every way
But now I'm giving up
And I'm tired of crying babe
The next night, when Alec comes home late again, Magnus tries to talk to him. “You know, I was worried about you all last night. Anything could have gone wrong. One of you could have been hurt. I would have appreciated a quick note letting me know everything was fine.”
“When do you think I had time to send you a note? We were deep in Romania, fighting a greater demon. I’m sorry I couldn’t convince him to pause the battle so I could send you a smiley face with a thumbs up emoji.”
“It was a greater demon? Why didn’t you tell me that when I was at the Institute?”
“Would it have made a difference? You seemed pretty determined to have your way and because you didn’t get it, you left. I figured you were done with the subject. Plus, I had to make other arrangements so we could get to Romania in time.”
“My God, of course it would have made a difference, Alec! All I needed to know was a little bit of information before we all went running blind into a battle we weren’t prepared for. One little miscalculation in the portal or spell could have had catastrophic consequences. The more information I have, the better I work. You should know that by now, after everything I’ve done to help you with your missions. For free, no questions asked, I might add.”
“Oh, were you looking for payment? Maybe credit for all you’ve done to help the poor Shadowhunters who couldn’t have done it without you? I didn’t realize your assistance came with strings attached.”
“No strings, Alec. A thank you every now and then would be nice. That's all.”
“Well, thank you…for causing us more problems yesterday. The mission would have gone much smoother if you would have just followed my orders.”
“I’m not a Shadowhunter that has to fall in line with every word you say.” Magnus’ lip begins to tremble and his eyes start to well up with tears. “I’m your boyfriend. I thought we were a team. I thought you cared about me and valued our relationship.” He tries to hold the tears back but they spill over and down his cheeks anyway. Alec appears unaffected. “You never ask about my day anymore. Never talk about anything other than work and how much stress you’re under. I get that, I really do. I just wanted to be the safe haven you came home to. Where you could let all of that go and just be Alexander. I think I was, for a long time. But something has changed. I’m starting to feel like I have so many times before. Like you’ve gotten tired of me and could care less if I was around or not…unless you need a warlock.”
“Magnus, you know that’s not true. I-“
Magnus cuts him off. His tears are streaming down his face now. “I don’t want to hear it. You can sleep in the guest room tonight. Maybe we can work this out tomorrow.” He goes to his bedroom then shuts and locks the door behind him.
I can't stand it no longer
It hurts me to say
But I'm packing up my bags and going far away
Alec didn’t sleep at all that night. The realization of how he’d treated Magnus for the last several weeks was a pain in his heart he couldn’t overcome. He thought about going to Magnus’ room, knocking on the door (beating it down if he had to) to sincerely apologize to Magnus. To tell him how much he loves him and how much he means to him. To grovel at Magnus’ feet, do anything he could to make it up to him. He knew though that Magnus needed the night to be alone. Alec was the last person Magnus wanted to see last night.
This morning was different. Alec was going to make this right. He goes to Magnus’ bedroom (their bedroom under different circumstances) and knocks on the door. There’s no answer. He tries the knob and the door opens easily. Magnus is not there. The only thing Alec finds is a note on Magnus’ pillow:
I’m done. I won’t allow myself to be treated like this again. I thought you were different. How wrong I was. You’re just like all the others. Don’t try to find me. You won’t be able to anyway.