História The Fall - A Futile Resistance

 

Magnus was lost in thought, barely registering the mountains he flew over. He hadn’t realised where his wings had taken him until he saw the moonlight reflecting off a large lake below him. He banked left, continuing his flight over the lake, heading for the next mountain range.

 

The outcropping loomed up, his stomach dropping as his eyes landed on it. He touched down on solid ground, landing on the mountainside he had visited the week before. A small sigh escaped him as he looked around. Why am I even here?

 

Magnus settled on the edge of the outcropping he had taken his freefall from, letting his legs hang in mid-air. The feeling of hard rock beneath his hands grounded him as he sat, trying not to dwell on the swirling mess in his head, desperately trying not to think of his father's last words to him and failing miserably.

 

“I will not mate her,” Magnus screamed into the pervading silence. I will not mate her. I have a mate, if I can’t have him, I’ll have no one!

 

The thought had been repeating over and over in his head, trying to override the harrowing image of one of his feathers in Camille’s mottled grey and black wings.

 

A shudder ran through Magnus just at the thought of it. The image of one of her feathers in his own wing was even worse. He tried to banish the image, staring out over the lake in the distance, wondering how his life had come to this.

 

A rustle of wings above him had Magnus’ mind going blank, his stomach dropping when he heard a light thud. He didn’t need to turn to know who had landed on the cliff behind him, he could scent his Alpha.

 

Alec tucked his wings in close to his body when he landed, staring down at Magnus, sitting not five foot in front of him. He took a moment to admire the sight, moonlight glinting off the bronzed speckles in Magnus’ black wings before stepping forward. The hollow feeling in his stomach seemed to fill up when he scented his mate as he took a deep breath

 

Alec took a seat on the edge of the cliff, his lurching heart settling into place when his right wing brushed Magnus’ left one. A small spark of disappointment shot through him when Magnus’ wings disappeared into his body.

 

Alec silently took Magnus’ hand in his when Magnus turned his hand over between their bodies, his fingers naturally sliding into place and interlocking with Magnus’, as if they had done it a thousand times before.

 

Magnus’ eyes slammed closed when Alec’s right wing wrapped around him, he didn’t have the strength to keep them open, not with how right it felt. He turned his head when he felt Alec shuffle closer, burying his face in Alec’s neck when their bodies pressed together.

 

The proximity of his Omega, the breath warming the skin of Alec’s neck had his own eyes closing. This is how it should be. How can it be so wrong when it feels so right? He felt it in every cell of his body, the rightness of Magnus being so close, the way they fit so perfectly together.

 

“Magnus, I…”

 

“My father wants me to mate someone else,” Magnus interjected, wondering why he felt the need to say it, to make Alec as miserable as he felt. Loneliness. The need not to have to suffer the knowledge alone. His brain supplied. The growl that erupted from Alec had him pushing his face further into Alec’s neck, inhaling the calming scent of his wingmate.

 

“Are you going to?” Alec asked when he had gotten control of himself, he felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He dreaded the answer to his question, hating himself for asking but needing to know. He met Magnus’ gaze when Magnus wrenched his head back.

 

“No! I can’t… I could never...! Even the thought of it makes me feel sick,” Magnus gasped out, knowing his eyes were flashing as his emotions spun out of control. He could barely breathe at the thought of taking someone else as his mate, especially Camille, she was pure poison.

 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I know I could never take someone else as my mate,” Alec said, unable to stop himself from raising his free hand. His breath caught when Magnus leaned into his palm, his thumb brushing over Magnus’ cheekbone as he stared into those astonishing amber eyes.

 

“You have every right to ask,” Magnus said, brushing his thumb over the back of Alec’s hand, holding it just that bit tighter. “The… woman he wants me to mate, we have a history, a bad one. Even if I were able to bring myself to take another, it certainly wouldn’t be her,” he said.

 

“Why does he want you to mate her?” Alec asked, kicking himself for torturing them both with the question. Does it even matter why?

 

“He wants an alliance with another realm. The realms... the demons that rule over them... it’s a constant battle. One has to be ruthless to keep one's realm. One of my best friends, Simon, his father was slaughtered when another demon decided she wanted what Simon’s father had, forcing the rest of his family to seek refuge in our realm,” Magnus said with a sad shake of his head.

 

“Angel’s aren’t the only ones we battle, we fight and wage war amongst ourselves more often than not. With an alliance, with two realms tied to one another, my father secures his hold on his own realm and has the denizens of another to call upon should another demon decide to come for what is his,” Magnus said, shaking his head. Who gives a shit about ruling over them?

 

“So he just expects you to mate this woman, to stay in power? Why doesn't he just mate her himself?” Alec gritted out, fury washing through him at the thought of someone being forced to mate against their will for politics, especially his mate.

 

“I asked the… Alexander, you’re glowing,” Magnus said, pulling back to stare at Alec. Every inch of his mate was glowing, Alec’s silver wingtips and the golden runes on his skin impossibly bright. The glow would crush any mortal that happened to look upon Alec at that moment, only his own power saved him from fading into obscurity.

 

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it, it's not right!” Alec growled, pulling his power back, the need to pay Magnus’ father a visit was almost all-consuming. He probably would have if Magnus hadn’t moved closer just then.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Magnus said, staring into Alec’s pretty eyes, watching Alec gain control of himself. “What is your place within The Host?” he asked. He already had his suspicions, just from the way Alec had reacted the week before when he had mentioned hiding from his father.

 

“I am The Avenger,” Alec said, noting the barely perceptible nod of Magnus’ head as he fought his power back.

 

“The Avenging Angel, the seeker of justice. You have been tasked with protecting those that have been wronged, to seek justice for those that can not seek it themselves?” Magnus asked. The nod of Alec's head had pride blossoming in his chest.

 

“Tell me more,” Magnus said. He knew that he shouldn't be asking but he wanted to know everything about Alec's life, even if he wasn’t allowed to have the angel himself.

 

“My sister, Isabelle, is The Protector of Lost Souls. She is amazing, powerful, strong-willed, the most caring angel I know. We were created together, along with our brother. Jace is The Defender of the Innocent, powerful and charismatic and completely aware of himself. The three of us were created to protect those that can not protect themselves,” Alec said, not even trying to hold back the love he felt for them.

 

“They sound amazing,” Magnus said, hearing the pride and love in Alec’s voice, it had his own pride welling up, that his Alpha was such an important part of The Host along with his family. He was happy that his mate had people he cared for, that Alec wasn’t all alone up there.

 

“They are. What about you? Do you have any other family, besides your father?” Alec asked, intrigued by his mate. He had always thought of demons as the enemy, having never once thought that one could be his mate. The battle between their people had raged since the fall of the first Angel.

 

“My father is the only blood family I have. My mother… my mother, a mortal, killed herself when I was a child. She couldn’t abide the idea of spawning a demon,” Magnus said, the old ache for his part in his mother’s death rearing up once more. He looked up when Alec’s wing tightened around him.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Alec murmured, tightening his hold on Magnus when he saw the pain on his mate’s beautiful face. Why did I even bring it up?

 

“It’s fine, it happened centuries ago,” Magnus said, breathing Alec’s scent in as he pushed down his guilt and sadness. “Asmodeus sent his demons after me, taking me into his realm off of the streets, informing me that the mortal realm wasn’t for demon prince’s,” he said.

 

“What about other family?” Alec asked, remembering the emphasis Magnus had put on the words “blood family”.

 

“Clary and Simon. I’ve already told you about Simon, he talks non stop and has terrible taste in clothes but he is as loyal as they come and quite witty when he wants to be. Clary is my other best friend. Her father, Valentine, was banished from The Host aeons ago, forced to live as a demon. The three of us grew up together, they are my family in all but blood,” Magnus said.

 

“Clary is Valentine's daughter?” Alec asked, raising his eyebrow when Magnus nodded. “The Harbinger of Death. As important as his role was, the heavens don’t mourn the loss of him, although, his mate choosing to go with him was a blow we still feel. The Keeper of Hidden Truth’s was irreplaceable,” he said.

 

“Jocelyn hates Edom as much as Valentine but she chose her lot,” Magnus said with a shrug. He had always thought Jocelyn was crazy for following Valentine but he understood now. I’d follow Alexander to the lowest realm of hell or the highest peak of the heavens… if I were allowed to mate him.

 

“Clary could have been an angel if her father’s arrogance hadn’t forced him to face the fall,” Alec said, musing on the twist of fate that had laid out the demon’s future for her.

 

“We all could have been angel’s... if we were not forced to pay for the sins of our fathers,” Magnus mused, wondering what his life would have been like growing up with The Host instead of The Horde and what his place there would be. I would be able to take my mate, if not for my father’s fall from grace.

 

“Clary is just as loyal as Simon. She has a tendency to act first and think later but I couldn’t ask for two better friends. They offered to mate me, to save me from an eternity of misery with Camille,” Magnus said, chuckling at his friend's offers.

 

“They would have given up their chances of finding their own true wingmates?” Alec asked, not particularly liking the thought of Magnus mating one of them either but thankful Magnus had people willing enough to make such a sacrifice for him, it spoke volumes about Magnus and the people he counted as family.

 

“They too think the idea of true wingmates is a myth. Although, it does make sense why Jocelyn followed Valentine into the depths of hell. They must be true wingmates,” Magnus said, finally truly understanding Jocelyn’s decision.

 

“What about your brother and sister? Are they mated?” Magnus asked, turning so that he could face Alec. He caught the smile and the roll of his mate’s eyes.

 

“My sister is still holding out for her true mate. I think my brother is horrified by the idea of mating. He’s been a bachelor for aeons and still hates the idea of being tied down. He’s gone through half of The Host, they both have, but ask him to settle down and he would fight you to the death,” Alec chuckled.

 

“They have been worried about me, I’ve been avoiding them over the last week. They tried to ask me what was wrong. How do I tell them?” Alec asked, searching Magnus’ eyes for the answer to his impossible question.

 

“I don’t know. Clary and Simon did the same. I’ve never hidden anything from them before but what’s the point of talking about something that can’t happen?” Magnus asked, wishing desperately that things could be different.

 

“I hate it, not being able to talk to Izzy and Jace, I’ve never kept anything from them before either,” Alec said, sighing at having to pretend with them. It didn’t sit right with him. “They wouldn’t understand though. They keep trying to set me up with random angels. They don’t mean any harm but even the thought of it…”

 

Magnus gripped Alec’s hand harder, pulling his Alpha closer as a growl built in his chest, hating the idea of Alec mating anyone else. He’s my Alpha!

 

The wave of possessiveness that washed through Magnus was both surprising and felt utterly right all in the same breath. He moved closer as images of Alec with random feathers in his wing ran through his mind.

 

“Believe me, I have no desire to mate anyone else,” Alec said as he pulled Magnus flush against him, smiling when Magnus practically crawled into his lap. His fingers found the soft strands of Magnus’ hair when his Omega’s head found its way into his neck again.

 

“Sorry, I just… I don’t like it,” Magnus mumbled into Alec’s neck, inhaling Alec’s scent. His eyes closed when a rune on Alec’s neck glowed, too bright for him to look at. This feels so right. Like this is my place. I just want to stay here forever.

 

Magnus knew that they were dangerous thoughts, thoughts that promised misery when they had to part ways again but he couldn’t find it in him to care.

 

“Me either,” Alec said, wrapping both of his wings around them, wishing they could hide from the rest of existence behind them. A shiver ran from the tips of his wings and shot down his spine when he felt tentative fingers brush through his feathers.

 

“So soft, just as soft as I thought they would be. And beautiful. I think you have the most beautiful wings I’ve ever seen,” Magnus said, swirling his fingers through the soft down, close to the quills of Alec’s feathers. He pulled his hand back when the wings beneath his fingers started to shake. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it,” he said, staring into Alec’s eyes.

 

“Don’t apologise, it… it feels amazing,” Alec said, breathing hard. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Sure, others had touched his wings before but never like that, so close to his quills. All it would have taken was one quick yank to remove one of… don’t go there! He banished the thought before it could take root.

 

“Anyway, my wings are nothing compared to yours. Can… can I see them?” Alec asked, ignoring Magnus’ scoff. He was hoping the question wasn’t too personal, that he wasn’t going too far. A smile lit his face up when Magnus scooted back and turned around, unfurling his wings.

 

Alec watched Magnus’ wings push out through his skin, wanting to reach out and touch the long vertical scars on either side of the red leather material of Magnus’ vest. He would have if Magnus’ wings hadn’t pushed out at that moment.

 

Alec scooted closer to Magnus’ back, bending his head close to inspect the beautiful wings. His eyes wandered over each feather, marvelling at the bronzed feathers, close to where they joined his back, and the large speckles of bronze, so close to the colour of Magnus’ eyes, that got smaller as they radiated out in lines to the tips of Magnus’ wings, like little starbursts of colour in the dark feathers.

 

Magnus had thought Alec’s breath on his wings was pleasurable but it was nothing compared to when Alec touched them. He clutched his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in his knees as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Small bursts of pleasure travelled over his feathers, sending shivers through his entire body.

 

Alec traced the edge of Magnus’ wings, his fingers running from the place where they joined with Magnus’ skin right along the edges, as far as his arms would reach. So beautiful and soft. I could touch these wings for the rest of my life. He had to fight every instinct in him not to lean the last inch or so to kiss the soft feathers.

 

A soft, stuttering sigh, escaping from Magnus, had Alec pulling his hand back. They were playing a dangerous game, one where there were no winners. Just two losers that would inevitably end up hurt. He accepted it when Magnus retracted his wings once more.

 

Alec presence moving away from him had Magnus leaning back and catching Alec's arms, needing to be close to him. He didn’t want Alec moving away, knowing that they shouldn’t be getting close but unable to help himself. His heart leapt when Alec moved closer again, a long leg falling either side of his own as Alec pressed up against his back.

 

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Alec murmured, even as he pulled Magnus closer and wrapped his arms around him. His mate’s warm back, pressed up against his chest, felt too nice to let go of.

 

“I know,” Magnus said, staring out over the vista as he settled against Alec. He watched a night bird, probably an owl, dip low over the lake far below them as Alec’s warm breath tickled his ear, sighing in contentment. He pushed down the fear that had been gnawing at his insides to enjoy the moment, knowing that it couldn’t happen again once it was over.

 

Alec settled his chin on Magnus’ shoulder, wrapping his arms tighter around his mate and inhaling the calming sandalwood/Omega scent that seemed to be working some kind of magic over him. His thoughts and the churning of his stomach settled as he relaxed into Magnus’ back, watching a bird dip low over the lake and scoop something up before flying away.

 

“Do you think there’s any corner of the universe that we could hide in?” Magnus asked, imagining a life with Alec, a life where they were mated and happy.

 

“Maybe, perhaps we could hole ourselves up on one of the planets? We probably could if The Keeper wasn’t such a party pooper,” Alec said, smiling when a small chuckle escaped Magnus. “The Keeper of the Stars is a snitch, he would probably tell on us if he found us hiding on one of his stars,” he said with a shake of his head.

 

“Shame, I’ve heard Uranus is nice this time of year,” Magnus chuckled, turning his head to look at Alec. He wiggled his eyebrows when Alec let out a full on belly laugh.

 

“Really? You’re going to make butt jokes right now?” Alec asked, laughing at the ridiculous wiggle of Magnus’ eyebrows. He laughed harder when Magnus joined in, his stomach jolting when he saw the carefree expression on his mate’s face.

 

“I never joke about butts, Alexander. I take them very seriously!” Magnus said, wiping the tears from his eyes, happy that he could make his Alpha laugh. He realised he hadn’t seen Alec’s butt, wondering if maybe he should have a look. For observational purposes, of course.

 

“You’re ridiculous,” Alec said when a pensive look settled in Magnus’ eyes, watching the way his mate’s cute lips tugged up at the corners. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of him leaning down and claiming those lips.

 

“I’m witty,” Magnus corrected his Alpha with a chuckle. The laughter died on his lips when he looked at Alec, finding those pretty hazel eyes glued to his lips. It had his own eyes wondering to Alec’s imagining pressing his own lips the plump, soft looking lips of his mate.

 

A screech, cutting through the silence, had Alec jumping, his eyes darting from Magnus’ lips to scan the otherwise silent mountains that surrounded them. His heart rate started to settle when he realised it was just an owl, feeling Magnus’ rapidly beating heart, through his back, do the same.

 

Magnus, realising what he had been about to do, cleared his throat. He gave Alec’s hands, wrapped around his stomach, a small squeeze before removing them and climbing to his feet. He turned to look down at Alec, hating the hurt, confused look on his Alpha’s face.

 

“Come, fly with me?” Magnus asked, holding his hand out for Alec, hoping that he wouldn’t take it, praying that he would. The way they had flown together the week before had been playing on a loop in his head all week, the memory working to sustain him and leave him wanting more the entire time.

 

Alec reached up, letting Magnus pull him to his feet. He shuffled on the spot, his fingers fluttering nervously when Magnus let go of his hand, unsure of what to do with his hands. He wanted to reach out and pull Magnus close again but he knew that he couldn’t.

 

Magnus watched Alec’s every move, sighing when Alec turned with a frustrated sigh of his own and went for the edge of the outcropping. His eyes slid from the pure white feathers of Alec’s wings, where they joined his body, to the impossibly bright silver tips before darting down to check out Alec’s ass.

 

Round, firm looking, biteable in that tight black leather. A small chuckle escaped Magnus before he clawed it back, his breath catching when Alec fell forward over the edge of the cliff, the beautiful white wings spreading out either side of him. He darted to the edge and looked over, seeing Alec’s wings catch him.

 

Magnus smiled at the sight of Alec rising before he bent his knees and launched himself out over the edge. He kept his wings tucked inside his body, laughing at the somersaulting of his stomach as he plummeted headfirst towards the ground before unfurling them at the last minute.

 

Alec darted after Magnus, his arms outstretched as he watched his mate fall. His heart stopped beating, somewhere back up on the cliff where he had left it when he saw Magnus’ freefall again. He pulled up just in time when Magnus’ wings shot out.

 

“Please stop doing that!” Alec almost yelled, wrapping his arms around his stomach as the sick feeling he felt there rolled through him.

 

“Sorry,” Magnus called out, not sorry in the slightest, it was fun. He felt awful when he saw the worried look on Alec’s face, realising that he maybe should have thought the manoeuvre through before acting. “Alexander, I have been flying for centuries, I know how to do it,” he said when Alec drew close.

 

“I know, its just… I panicked,” Alec said, hovering as close to Magnus as his wings would allow. He rolled onto his back to look up at his mate when Magnus flew over him, smiling a tight smile when Magnus was barely a few inches away.

 

“It is fun, you should try it. You get this… free, weightless feeling throughout your entire body. Gravity punches you in the gut and steals the air from your lungs and its… phenomenal!” Magnus said, grinning at Alec when a smile played over the edge of his Alpha’s lips. “Watch,” he said before taking off.

 

Alec watched Magnus go, his mate rolling and flipping through the air. He had never seen anything more exhilarating and terrifying and beautiful in his life. Magnus looked truly free, flying this way and that, as though he didn’t have a care in the world. He took off with one thought. I want that!

 

Magnus stopped his aerial display to watch Alec, seeing his mate soar through the air. His jaw went slack, his mouth flopping open when Alec’s wings drew close to his body, his mate spiralling down through the air in a whirl of white and silver that was breathtaking.

 

If Magnus didn’t know any better, he would swear Alec was flying a mating dance. The way his Alpha spread his wings at the last minute, rising up on a thermal to soar beneath him was something else. He hovered in mid-air, turning on the spot to watch Alec fly in ever-widening circles around him as he rose.

 

Alec laughed, great peals of laughter bursting from him at the freedom he felt as he circled Magnus, occasionally somersaulting or twirling through the air. He wasn’t an angel, a warrior, a brother or a member of The Host. He was just a man, dancing around his mate. Maybe he was showing off a little for Magnus. Who wouldn’t?

 

Magnus decided if Alec could display his most impressive moves then he could too. He beat his wings, rocketing after Alec, a grin spreading over his face when Alec glanced over his shoulder, stopping in mid-air. He flew circles around Alec, laughing when his Alpha spun to keep him in sight.

 

Not one to be outdone, Alec copied Magnus’ movements, flying closer to his Omega by the second as they circled one another. He reached out, taking Magnus in his arms when Magnus was an arm's length away from him.

 

“Your skills are impressive,” Magnus murmured breathlessly as his hands came to rest on Alec’s shoulders, grinning when Alec’s hands found his waist. They continued to twirl in the air, their wings working in tandem to keep them afloat.

 

“So are yours, you look so happy, so beautiful when you fly,” Alec said, seeing the utter joy as he stared into Magnus’ eyes, watching the way they sparkled in the moonlight, fluctuating from the deepest amber to the brightest gold. His breathing hitched in his chest, unable to pull his eyes away from them.

 

“These are beautiful,” Alec said, raising his hand to trace the edge of Magnus’ cheekbone. The small bursts of air against his wrist, blowing from Magnus’ mouth had his hand dropping, brushing his thumb over Magnus’ lower lip, his eyes darting to the soft lips beneath the pad of his thumb.

 

“These are the eyes of a demon,” Magnus said, his self-depreciation clear in his tone. He winced, mentally kicking himself when Alec’s hand left his face, both of them had forgotten themselves in the moment. They were both clearly remembering now.

 

“They are still beautiful,” Alec said before pulling back slightly. No point in hiding from the truth. He smiled a tight smile when Magnus stared at him before looking away.

 

“We can’t do this again,” Magnus said, staring over Alec’s left shoulder. He realised it was the wrong move when he stared right at Alec’s wing, wanting to reach out and touch it. Maybe it's the right move. He is an angel and I am a demon. He is not meant for me.

 

Alec saw the moment it once again dawned on Magnus that they couldn’t be together. He let out a frustrated sigh, hating the situation but wanting to make it easier on Magnus.

 

“I know. We have to stay away from one another,” Alec said. He gave in for one moment, pulling Magnus into a hug and pressing his lips to Magnus’ cheek before pulling back. “We can resist each other,” he said, even as his lips tingled.

 

“Goodbye, Alexander,” Magnus said, refusing to look into Alec’s eyes as he turned away. He broke from Alec’s hold and flipped in mid-air, heading for the ground head first, unable to stop his hand from pressing against his tingling cheek. He envisioned a pentagram to take himself back to his own realm.

 

“Goodbye, Magnus,” Alec whispered, watching his mate fall through a fiery portal with a lurch of his gut. The empty feeling returned as he pulled his eyes away from the charred remains of the portal when it closed, and set his sights on the heavens, flying a little slower than he normally would.

 

I can resist him. Floated through his mind as he flew.