He filled Magnus in on the message Jem Carstairs and Tessa Gray had sent: the family they were searching for, the Shadow Market they could not enter without his help. As Alec spoke, Magnus gave a little sigh and leaned against him, one of the small unconscious gestures that meant the most to Alec. It reminded him of the first day he’d ever touched Magnus, drawn close to and kissed another man, someone even taller than he was, his body lean and lithe and right against Alec’s. At the time, he’d thought he felt dizzy with relief and joy because he was finally touching someone he wanted to be touched by, when he’d thought he might never have that. Now he thought he’d felt that way because it was Magnus: that even then, he’d known. Now the gesture spoke of all the days since the first.

When he felt Magnus relax against him, he felt like he could relax too.

Whatever this strange task Jem and Tessa needed him for, he could do it. Then he would come home.

As Alec fell silent, Chairman Meow made a break for freedom from Max’s loving stranglehold, streaking across the floor, through the door Alec had left open, and into Alec and Magnus’s bedroom, where Alec suspected he would be hiding under the bed for the rest of the night. Max stared sadly after the cat, then looked up and grinned, his teeth tiny pearls. He launched himself at Alec as if he had not seen him for several weeks. Alec always got the same enthusiastic greeting, whether he was back from a trip, back from patrolling, or had simply been in the other room for five minutes.

“Hey, Daddy!”

Alec took a knee and opened his arms to scoop Max up. “Hey, my baby.”

He stood with Max curled against his chest, a warm soft bundle of ribbons and round limbs, Max’s gurgling laughter in his ears. When Max was tiny, Alec used to marvel at how neatly his little body fit into the crook of Alec’s arm. He’d scarcely been able to imagine Max getting bigger. He needn’t have worried. Whatever size his kid was, he was always a perfect fit for Alec to hold.

Alec tugged at the front of Max’s sailor suit. “That’s a lot of ribbons there, buddy.”

Max nodded sadly. “Too much ribbons.”

“What happened to your sweater?”

“That’s a fine question, Alexander. Allow me to unfold to you the tale. Max rolled his sweater in the cat litter,” Magnus related. “So he could ‘look like Daddy.’ Thus he must wear the sailor suit of shame. I don’t make the rules. Oh wait, yes, I do.”

He waved a reproving finger at Max, who laughed again and tried to grab for the glitter of rings.

“It’s really inspiring to see you crazy kids making it work,” chipped in Elyaas the tentacle demon. “I don’t have much luck with romance. Everyone I meet is treacherous and heartless. Well, we are demons. Comes with the territory.”