Max refers to Alec as Abah (often shortened to just Bah), an Indonesian word for father.

Clary jumped at the the loud metallic crash echoing down the hall, jerking her out of her daydream. She unfolded herself on the dining bench and searched the room. The pendulum of the old grandfather swished back and forth against the far wall but the room was otherwise silent. She blew out a slow breath and returned to her seat but kept a suspicious eye on the hall. Crashes like that were usually followed by loud yelling a lot of running. She waited and then her lips curled into a smile when she recognised the quick pitter-patter of light footsteps. A head of blue flashed around the corner and then just as quickly disappeared under the table. She leaned down to find her favourite toddler looking up at her shyly.

"Hi, Max," she greeted him with a wide smile and patted the bench beside her. "Do you want to come draw with me?"

Max's face lit up and he scrambled quickly to her side. She tore out a page blank page from her sketch book and handed him a pencil. Then she leaned close and whispered, "Did you break something?"

The little toddler shook his head. "No," he said, unconcerned. Max grasped the pencil in his hand tightly and began to draw, his tongue peeking out the corner of his mouth in heavy concentration.

"Are you sure?"

"He's sure," said Alec entering the kitchen. He had Max's backpack slung over his shoulder and was looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know what that was but it came from upstairs." He rounded the table and gave Clary a kiss on the cheek.

Clary grinned and leaned in conspiratorially, keeping her voice low. "Does Isabelle know you're here?"

Alec chuckled. "No. Mom's expecting us though. There was something she needed to discuss."

"What about?"

"She didn't say," Alec said with a shrug. "Do you mind watching him? Magnus is already in the library with her.

Clary grinned. "Trying to make a quick exit?"

"Before his aunt realises we're here," Alec admitted. "We're on our way to the park. If Izzy finds him first, we'll be here for hours."

She nodded in understanding. The last time Alec and Magnus had brought Max to the Institute, they almost needed to resort to kidnapping to get their son back. She looked at Max, completely engrossed in his drawing, and smiled. "Izzy is going to kill you when she finds out."

"I think I'll take my chances." Alec kneeled beside Max and ruffled his son's hair. "Abah's going to go talk to Grandma and Daddy for a little while okay? Will you be good for Aunt Clary?" At Max's nod, he kissed the top of his boy's head and handed the small yellow backpack to Clary. "He's got snacks and"– Alec paused when Max tugged on his shirt.

"Bah, c– can I have juice?"

Alec raised a single brow.

"Please?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Alec dug into the bag and pulled out a small juice box. He stuck the straw in and handed it to Max, who mumbled a quick thank you and started sipping. He zipped the bag back up and left it on the chair before turning to Clary. "There are snacks and books if he gets hungry or bored. You sure you're okay to watch him?"

"We'll be fine." Clary chuckled at the slight worry on the young father's face. She had babysat Max ever since he was an infant but Alec always worried. He worried about Max no matter whom he left him with.

Alec said a quick goodbye and then disappeared up the stairs.

They sketched together in companionable silence, the room filled with the scratches of pencil on paper. The yellow backpack caught Clary's attention and she, curiously, pushed her things side and pulled Max's bag into her lap. She found an assortment of picture books, all neatly sorted, and then pulled out a small lunchbox holding what Clary could only describe as the most identically cut set of carrot sticks she had ever seen in her life. No doubt that was Alec's doing. Magnus had the tendency to shape his snacks into little animals and then made them race around the table. She handed one to Max and grabbed one for herself when Jace came in.

Jace shot her a confused look until he took notice of his adopted nephew sitting beside her. "Hi Max," he greeted jovially, popping a carrot stick in his mouth.

"Hi, Uncle Jace," Max shyly replied. Despite being magical and blue, he was so much like Alec.

"So did you tell him?" Clary asked as she casually flipped her pencil between her fingers. She smiled when Max's pencil clattered on the floor when he had tried to do the same and then handed him another pencil.

Jace sat down in a huff. "No," he said in annoyance.

"But you went to see him this morning, didn't you?"

He groaned loudly and began repeatedly hitting his head against the table.

"What's with him?" Simon asked as he bounded down the stairs, Isabelle breezing in silently behind him.

Isabelle's entire face lit up when she saw her young nephew. She flung her arms out wide and yelled, "Max!"

Max jumped in surprise and then excitedly ran underneath the table to his favourite aunt. "Hi Aunt Izzy," he said quietly as they hugged. Magnus had once joked that Max had used up all his volume crying as a baby.

Simon ruffled Max's hair and then sat on the table next to Jace. "Oh, congrats by the way. We're going be best-buds-in-laws."

Jace deflated in his seat. "You told him?" he asked, his voice sad with betrayal.

"Of course I did," Clary replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

Confused, Simon threw Isabelle a questioning look.

"Alec doesn't know yet," Isabelle answered. She was playing a game of patty cake with Max and didn't event bother looking at Jace.

Simon made a face. "Ooh."

"Go ooh somewhere else," Jace growled and shoved Simon in the leg.

Clary patted Jace on the arm. "You have to tell him. Soon. If he finds out from someone else he's–"

"Going to kill me," Jace finished. "Don't remind me, I know."

Simon snorted. "Alec? He's not going to kill you. No, he's going to give you that fatherly I'm so disappointed in you look that makes you want to crawl into a hole and die."

"What happened?" Clary asked. "I thought you went over there this morning to tell him."

"I was– I mean I did," Jace said slowly. "But then I started thinking about actually getting married. Did you know that at first Magnus wouldn't marry him until they could do it in gold?"

"That's why you haven't told him?" Simon asked. "You think he's going to be upset that you can and he can't? Because that's stupid. They gave the Clave the big middle finger and got married anyway – and in so many shades of magnificent blue."

"They still can't marry in gold," Isabelle said bitterly. Always protective of her brother, no one had fought harder for Alec's happiness than Isabelle. It had been no secret to any of them that beneath the facade of acceptance and understanding, the majority of the Clave, at best, tolerated Alec and Magnus' relationship; despite everything that they had achieved, the Clave had remained firm: the law would not change. "Not that it matters to either of them anymore." And that was true. Magnus and Alec were now fast approaching their third year of marriage and aside from Luke and her mother, they were one of the happiest married people Clary knew.

"Nothing kicks you in the ass like watching your boyfriend get speared by an undead tree," said Simon. "One second Alec's got a major splinter sticking out of him – and I swear Magnus was going to turn one of those old-timers into a lamp post for getting in his way – then poof, next thing I know, I'm in my Sunday best and trying to figure out whose guest I was and on which side of the aisle I was supposed to sit."

Clary smiled at the memory. "That was a good day."

"It was," said Isabelle happily then returned her attention to Jace. "And now they're one big happy family. What does any of this have to do with you not having told him yet?"

Jace busied himself with the table. "I got distracted," he muttered.

Simon prodded him in the shoulder.

"Fine." Jace exhaled loudly and relaxed his shoulders as if he was readying for a fight. "I went there okay? But he was sleeping. Magnus was busy colouring his furniture or something – I don't know – but I told him I'd wait, that it was important. Just wake him up then, he said. I didn't want to wake him up – you know how crabby he can be in the morning – but Magnus was doing his magical thing and I didn't really want to be accidentally turned into pink throw for his couch or something so I went into the bedroom."

"You hid in the bedroom," Simon corrected.

Jace ignored him. "Have you seen it lately? It looks like it came right out of one of those magazines Jocelyn had when they were remodelling. All glass and wood."

Clary laughed at Jace's air quotes and vividly recalled her mom's last house project. Apparently remodelling involved making all her Shadowhunter friends lift very heavy things.

"And that's not all that's changed. He's changed. Have you noticed the way he dresses? He wears shirts now. Plaid. And well-fitting jackets. No more faded black sweaters and oversized hoodies with more holes than you can count."

"I–" Clary was failing to see Jace's point. She couldn't believe Jace was just noticing when it had been years since she'd last seen Alec's old sweaters. "So he dresses better. What does–"

"And his hair's different."

Simon hummed. "He pulls off the whole 'I just rolled out of bed' look better than you ever did."

Jace shot him a glare then turned to Clary. "So I went in, and there he was – sleeping – and he looked…" Jace scrunched his face. "Different. He looked different."

"Different how?" Clary asked. She thought Alec hadn't looked any different when he dropped off Max earlier.

"He didn't have any clothes on," Jace said. The tips of his ears grew red. "And he was barely under that sheet, but there was–" he gestured confusingly with his hands, "hair and abs. Did you know how cut he was under all that plaid?"

Clary blinked at Jace in surprise – Jace who was the embodiment of confidence even at the worse of times – and stifled a laugh when he wistfully looked down at himself. Isabelle was staring at him too, with such astonishment that even the tiny toddler playing patty cake with her was forgotten.

"He's quite the stud muffin."

Three pairs of eyes landed on Simon. He shrugged and casually leaned back with his hands behind his head. "I'm secure enough in my masculinity to admit that Alec is a very attractive man."

Isabelle continued to stare at her boyfriend.

"What? And those eyes. So blue. He's totally got the whole 'tall, dark and handsome' thing going for him." Simon grinned. "Magnus must be a happy man."

"I am very happy. Thank you, Simon." Magnus descended into the room in a flurry of smiles and glitter. "What are we talking about?" He spotted Clary and beamed. "Hello Biscuit."

"Daddy!" Max squealed. He leapt off Isabelle with all the force of an explosion and ran as fast as his little feet could carry him into his father's arms.

"My little blueberry," Magnus laughed as he lifted and twirled Max in the air. "Have you been good?"

Clary watched as a weary Alec slipped in behind Magnus, kissed Max on the cheek and then wandered over to collapse on the bench beside her. "You've been found out," she whispered and he smiled back weakly, completely ignoring Jace's deer-in-headlights look.

"We still have time," he said looking hopefully at Magnus.

Across from them, Max was excitedly babbling to Magnus, his hands flying every which way in animated expression. He looked happy and carefree, a far cry from the concern she found on Alec's face.

"What's wrong? You look worried," asked Clary. She leaned close, keeping her voice low. "What did Maryse want?"

Alec frowned. "Remember that rogue wolf?"

Clary nodded.

"Maia's officially asked assistance from the Clave," Alec sighed. "She's doing her best but six vampires have already been killed in the last three days. The Clan is angry and Lily thinks she's on the verge of a mutiny."

"Just one werewolf? How is that even possible?"

"That's the thing," Alec said, clearly troubled by the situation. "We don't know how it's managing to evade both the Pack and the Clan."

"And you." Clary squeezed his shoulder in silent support. She knew from Magnus that he had been out almost every night hunting. She also knew that the growing tension between vampires and werewolves was undermining the years of work that Alec, Maia and Lily had put towards Downworld peace in their city.

"Anyway," Alec straightened and plastered on a tired smile. "I'm not supposed to be thinking about any of that. We're going to the park and we're going to eat ice cream and feed the ducks." He glanced at Jace, no doubt expecting a retort for mentioning waterfowl in his presence. But instead, he found his parabatai and Simon staring curiously at him. He furrowed his brows and leaned over to Clary, his voice low."What are they doing? Why are they staring at me?"

Clary looked at the men, the two most important people in her life: her fiancé and her best friend, and bit back a laugh. "Don't freak out," she whispered back, "but I think they're mentally undressing you."

Magnus hummed nonchalantly. "I do that all the time."

Clary snickered. She'd forgotten how good Magnus' hearing could be when he was paying attention – and he always paid attention whenever Alec was involved.

Alec looked surprised. "They're– what? Why are they doing that?"

"Why else? They think you're hot."

"I can't fault them for that," said Magnus. "For once I agree with them."

Alec shot his husband a dirty look. "Jace thinks I'm hot?" he looked at Jace strangely, like he didn't know what to with the information he had just been given. He eventually got to his feet and shot a smile at his two friends as he walked over to Magnus. "While that's very flattering, I'm happily married." He leaned in and kissed Magnus on the cheek, who hummed happily in response. Then he gave his parabatai a hard pat on the shoulder and said with a grin, "You missed your chance, buddy."

Clary laughed. She could see Alec's wedding band glinting on Jace's shoulder. It was made of pure electrum and blessed by Tessa Gray as a gift to her dear old friend. The band was simple, yellowish-white with wedding runes engraved on one side and the appropriate half of the alliance rune on the other. The first time Simon had seen the rings, he had commented that Alec could now kill demons with the symbol of his love for Magnus by punching them in the face.

Jace looked so scandalised that Clary couldn't help the laughter that escaped her.

"See?" he said loudly, gesturing madly at his parabatai. "No more blushing and mumbling lame comebacks. Now he just takes things in stride and says things like 'you missed your chance, buddy'." Jace shook his head. "I don't know him anymore."

"He's become the cool dad of the group," Simon said playfully, which prompted a loud hey! from Magnus.

Alec looked perplexed. "I…don't know what either of you are talking about and I don't think I want to know. And now we're going to go before Simon inevitably tells me anyway."

Simon perked up. "We were–"

"Nope." Alec silenced him with a raised finger. He gathered Max's things and then paused, turning to Clary. "Oh, before I forget." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Congratulations," he said with a smile.

While she wasn't as close to Alec as she was to the others, Clary could see how genuinely happy he was for her. For them. "Thank you," she said, returning his smile two-fold when Jace suddenly lurched to his feet, surprise registered across his face.

"You knew!" he blurted loudly and his eyes darted between Clary and Simon accusingly. "Who told him?"

Alec rolled his eyes and slapped Jace on the shoulder. "It sure wasn't you."

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