“Hush,” said Magnus. “Don’t cry. Yes, of course we will, my darling.”

Rafe put his face down onto Magnus’s shoulder and sobbed his heart out. Magnus patted his shaking back until he was quiet.

“I’m sorry,” Magnus said at last, and rocked Rafe in the curve of one red-silk arm. “I really do need to talk to Alec. I’ll be right back. I promise you.”

He stood and tried to move forward, then cast a rueful glance downward. Rafe was still holding on to his robe.

“He’s very determined,” Alec explained.

“So, completely unlike any other Shadowhunters of my acquaintance, then,” said Magnus, and swept off his robe.

Underneath he was wearing a tunic shirt shimmering with gold thread, and loose ratty gray sweatpants.

“Are those sweatpants mine?”

“Yes,” said Magnus. “I missed you.”

“Oh,” said Alec.

Magnus settled the robe around Rafe’s shoulders, wrapping him up so he was a red silk cocoon with a startled face on top. Then he knelt down by Rafe again and lifted Rafael’s hands in his, holding them together. Inside Rafe’s cupped palms, a tiny fountain of glitter leaped in a shining loop. Rafe gave a hiccuping laugh, full of surprised delight.

“There, you like magic, don’t you? Keep your hands together and it will keep going,” Magnus murmured, then made his escape while Rafe was watching the fountain.

Alec took Magnus’s hand, pulling him out of the new room into the main loft and through into their bedroom. He shut the door and said, “I can explain.”

“I think I might understand already, Alexander,” said Magnus. “You were away a day and half and you adopted us another kid. What happens if you go away for a week?”

“I didn’t mean to,” said Alec. “I wasn’t going to do anything without asking you. Only he was there, and he’s a Shadowhunter, and nobody was looking after him, so I thought I could take him to the Institute here. Or to Alicante.”

Magnus had been smiling, but now he stopped. Alec felt even more alarmed.

“We’re not adopting him?” Magnus asked. “But … can’t we?”

Alec blinked.

“I thought we were,” Magnus said. “Alec, I promised him. Do you not want to?”

Alec stared at him for another instant. Magnus’s face was tense, intent but confused at the same time, as if he was baffled by his own vehemence. Suddenly Alec was laughing. He’d thought he was waiting to be sure, yet this was better, as all the best things in his life were better than any dream that had come before. Not Alec knowing right away, but seeing Magnus know right away. It was so sweet, and so obvious that this was exactly the way things should be: seeing Magnus experience the instant instinctive love as Alec had with Max, as Alec learned with Rafael the slow, sweet, and conscious way of love that Magnus had learned with Max. Opening a new door in their familiar beloved home, as if it had always been there.