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dicaculus · 8 months

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Title: A Pile of Hot Metal and Dirty Dishes Artist: Crankyfossil Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/ Alec Lightwood Wordcount:42,462 Summary: Magnus Bane is the Head Chef at Encanto and doing just fine. Or that’s what he tells Simon the therapist, his boss Raphael, orders him to go to. Magnus is a genius in the kitchen, his food is art, but if he starts a fight with one more disrespectful customer, he’s gone. Simon is useless though, going on about Magnus using work as a means to distance himself from meaningful relationships, and emotional walls that could rival a fortress. What does he know? Magnus is fine. Then everything goes wrong. His best friend, Catarina and her daughter get into an accident. His eight-year-old niece, Madzie, is the only survivor and Magnus finds himself going from cool uncle Magnus to the only parent Madzie has left. To make matters worse, Raphael has replaced him while he’s on leave. Alexander Lightwood is a menace. He’s careless, breezy, and annoyingly good at everything he does. Magnus can’t stand him, but with Madzie refusing to eat his cooking and his hands full, Magnus needs all the help he can get. Along the way, Magnus begins to realize there’s more to life than seared cod and lemon dressing, and maybe, just maybe, it’s a life that he wants Alexander Lightwood in.

This fic was created for the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2023.

READ ON AO3

CHAPTER TWO

The world stops for Magnus as Dr. Roberts talks in his ear. Despite the chaos in the kitchen, the clanging on dishes and utensils, the familiar sound of Clary calling out orders and chefs calling back with times, Magnus only hears the doctor’s voice.

“T-boned…she didn’t make it…we did everything we could….I’m so sorry”

“A-and Madzie?” Magnus asks, barely holding back his tears, gripping onto the steel counter like a lifeline so he doesn’t crumble to the floor.

“She’s stable, we need you to come down”

“I’ll be right there.”

Magnus hangs up the phone and leans on the pillar behind him. He closes his eyes, trying to collect himself and willing himself not to cry in his kitchen. A gentle shake of his shoulder brings Magnus back to the kitchen, his eyes landing on a concerned Clary.

“Magnus, is everything okay?”

“I- I have to go”

The drive to the hospital is a blur. Swirling in Magnus’s head is the memory of the last time he spoke to his best friend. It had been just this afternoon as he drove to the restaurant after his appointment with Simon. Catarina was checking in, telling Magnus about how their long drive was going and sharing her annoyance about other drivers.

“Traffic is insane as per usual. I swear a little snow on the ground and everyone forgets how to drive. “

But now, only a few hours later, she was gone. Just like that, his best friend dead. It was hard to wrap his head around. Magnus couldn’t think of a time when Cat wasn’t in his life. They’d grown up together, lived on the same street, went to the same schools, were in the same classes and had sleepovers most weekends. Cat was there when his mother passed away as a teenager when all of his other friends shied away, unsure what to say to their friend. At Cat’s house, there was always a place at their dinner table for Magnus and the guest room was his if he needed to get away from his father. After his wife’s death, his father became isolated and cruel‌. A dramatic change from the man Asmodeous used to be, the man Magnus at one time wanted to become. She was there when Magnus was figuring out his sexuality, his first relationship and first heartbreak. When Magnus decided to become a chef, she was there to support him by looking at culinary schools and trying his dishes without hesitation no matter how odd they might been.

After high school they’d gone their separate ways, going to schools hours apart. But despite the distance, they were always in contact, phone calls, texts, video chat, even the occasional weekend visit. When Magnus got the chance to train in Europe, he’d jumped at the chance and Cat had been so proud of him. Not wanting to go alone, Magnus begged Catarina to come with him, she been hesitant at first of course. Catarina was always the practical one of the two and setting of to Europe for an unplanned trip was anything but practical. So she said no, instead they settled on Catarina coming for a visit in a few months. Filled with pride Catarina drove Magnus to the airport and hugged him goodbye with tears in her warm brown eyes. When Catarina found out she was pregnant, Magnus was with her every step of the way. He went to all of her appointments and was even present at Madzie’s birth. They were always there for each other and Magnus was sure he’d found his soulmate in his lifelong friend, which made her death that much harder to grasp.

A woman at the hospital entrance gives Magnus directions to the ward Madzie is in. After taking the elevator up a few floors and going through a maze of white hallways that never seem to end, he finds himself in the unit Dr. Roberts told him over the phone.

“I’m looking for Dr. Roberts. My niece admitted here, she was in a car accident with her mom. “

The nurse at the desk nods and gestures to a couple of chairs for Magnus to sit and tells him Dr. Roberts will only be a moment. Magnus sits but nervously fiddles with his fingers and lets his leg bounces as he waits. Time seems to slow down and every minute that passes feels like an hour to him. Images of the worst swirl through his head. Madzie covered in bruises, broken bones, connected to machines and surrounded by various wires. Magnus shakes the thoughts from his head and tries to breathe; the doctor had said nothing about Madzie’s injuries being life threatening, infact if he remembers correctly she’d said Madzie was stable.

“Mr. Bane?”

Magnus shoots up from his chair, his foot tangling with leg, making him stumble. Magnus clears his throat as he catches his balance, smoothing down his coat with his hands. He smiles at the doctor and approaches her, slower this time.

“Yes, hi, that’s me. I came as fast as I could”

Dr. Roberts smiles softly and squeezes his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I’m Dr. Roberts. We spoke on the phone. Thank you for coming so quickly.”

“H-How is she?” Magnus stutters. “Can I see her?”

The doctor nods and gestures for Magnus to follow her. “Madzie’s doing great.” She says. They walk down the hall, passing a few rooms until they stop at one. They stand in the doorway and Magnus sees Madzie curled up in the hospital bed, facing away from the door. He lets out a sigh of relief that she’s not hooked up to tubes and machines like he’s imagined. “Some bruises, a mild concussion and some stitches on her face and arm from where we had to pull out glass. Other than that, she’s gonna be fine.”

Physically, yes…but her mother is dead. She’ll be anything but fine.

“Has anyone told her yet?”

The doctor shakes her head. “We thought it would be best for her to hear it from someone in the family. Do you know how we can reach Madzie’s father? You’re her emergency contact, but we couldn’t find anything about her father.

“Oh um,” He sniffs, wiping a tear from his cheek. “He’s never been involved” Memories of Cat travelling to Europe to visit him while he was training flood to the surface. Specifically, a night when they’d gone dancing and had maybe a little too much to drink. She’d danced with a man that night. He was beautiful and charming, knowing how to treat a woman and knew all the right things to say. They had a holiday fling only for his friend to find out she was pregnant when she went home. “I don’t even know his name.”

Dr. Roberts to Emergency, please. Paging Dr. Roberts...

“I’m so sorry. I have to go, but I’ll be back to check on her‌.”

She turns and walks back down the hall, leaving Magnus alone in the door. Finally, he steps into the hospital room. It’s quiet other than the beeping of a monitor. He walks around the bed and smiles softly when he sees that she’s sleeping. As quietly as he can, he makes his way over to the chair in the corner and pulls it closer to the bed to sit. Madzie looks small in the hospital bed, blankets up to her chin and he can see the bruising and stitches the doctor spoke of.

“She’s changed so much since the last time you saw her”

And how right had Catarina been? Madzie always resembled her mother, but even now at only eight years old Magnus could tell she was going to look just like her mother. He reaches forward to move some hair from her face, and it’s then that her eyes flutter open.

“Magnus?”

“Hi sweetpea” He caresses Madzie’s cheek with his thumb for a moment, smiling softly.

“Where’s mom?”

Magnus’s heart clenches in his chest all over again and lets out a deep breath.

“Is she dead?”

He squeezes one of her hands as tears well up in her dark brown eyes and, for the first time that day, Magnus lets the tears fall from his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, sweetpea, but she didn’t make it. “

Tears fall from the child’s eyes and she sobs, full body sobs that make her little body shake. Magnus pulls the chair closer, kisses his niece’s head and holds her as she cries. They fill the room with tears and whimpers as they cry together until Madzie falls asleep from exhaustion.

As promised, a few hours later, Dr. Roberts comes to check on Madzie. She explains that while she’ll recover; they want to keep her for a couple of days because of her head injury. Magnus stays with Madzie until the visit hours are over and a nurse kicks him out.

“Get some sleep,” He tells her with a kiss on her head. “I’ll come by tomorrow. How about I bring you dinner?”

Madzie agrees with a nod and waves a tired goodbye to him.

It’s not until Magnus gets to his apartment that night and crawls into his bed next to his cat and has a moment to check his phone that he realizes he has a voice mail. He goes through all his texts from various coworkers, deleting most of them except the few from Clary and Raphael. He updates both of them, getting sympathy from Clary and Raphael, telling him he understands if Magnus needs time off. When he checks his voicemail, tears fall from his eyes and sobs himself to sleep.

You have one new message.

Hi, it’s me.

And me!

We just wanted you to know we’re running late. Traffic’s insane. We’ll get there, eventually. Bye.

End of messages.

Magnus sleeps in the next morning having given the early morning market duties to another coworker, only rousing when his cat, Chairman, demands breakfast. He feeds the animal and begins a slow morning, enjoying his coffee rather than gulping it down, even taking a bubble bath before deciding to get ready. But when Magnus walks in the restaurant, he’s met with silence and stares from all of his coworkers in the middle of their meeting.

“Did you know he was coming in?”

Magnus ignores the whispers and stares, holding his head up high, and continues to his kitchen. Magnus puts his coat in the office, puts on his chef’s whites and steps into the kitchen, grabbing an apron and tying it tightly.

“Magnus, what are you doing?” Raphael barges into the kitchen with his perfectly tailored suit.

Magnus raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Working? What does it look like?”

He grabs an onion from the basket and begins the daunting task of dicing pounds of onions for the night.

“I thought you were gonna take a few days off.”

“No.” Magnus says, pointing the sharp end of his knife at Raphael. “You thought I was going to take a few days off” Magnus goes back to dicing. Here Magnus could be busy, there was food to be cut, sauces to make, and things to do. At home, it would be him, his cat, and his thoughts, and the last thing Magnus wanted right now was to be alone with his thoughts.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Magnus lies

Lunch service is busy, the kitchen is hot, making Magnus sweat and loud with clanging of dishes, chefs calling to one another, servers asking where their table’s food is and Magnus barking orders.

Give me one duck, two beef rare, and a rack of lamb.

I’m still waiting for those beef tenderloins.

Pick up for 10

I need a quail and a Dover sole for table nine. Okay, let’s go, guys.

It’s demanding and never ending, a perfect distraction from thinking of anything else, exactly what he needs. While Magnus pretends everything normal and perfectly okay, he’s aware the chefs around him and the servers know better. He sees the worrying glances Clary gives him from the corner of his eyes, Raphael hadn’t interrupted him or asked him to speak to a customer once tonight. He gets very little talk back from his other chefs. Not a single eye roll when he’d forced someone to refire something.

Come on, let’s move it.

Lucas, I need more pans, now!

Fire one rare steak on the fly.

Two duck breasts, two racks of lamb. Let’s go, people!

Magnus is usually demanding and expects the best from his staff. However, tonight he sounds even sharper than usual. There’s an edge to his voice that leaves no room for argument and the chefs simply shrug and look at one another, unsure of what to say.

“Why is there no food on the counter?” He barks exasperatedly, “Come on, we got tables and there are too many servers in my kitchen!”

“Where’s my souffle for 14? Eleanor, where the souffle?!”

“Chef?”

Magnus turns around and it’s Lucas, finally with the pans he asks for, which he takes, but then he’s given an envelope. Magnus takes it and looks at the young man with a question written all over his face.

“A man in a suit came in during our meeting and wanted to give this to you. He said it was important. He left a number to call him at as well. You told us never to bug you in the kitchen during prep so—”

Magnus thanks Lucas, but his voice sounds strained when he recognizes Catarina's handwriting on the envelope. He shoves the envelope in his trouser pocket and turns to Clary who somehow is already looking at him, “I’m going for a short break, you okay taking over?”

“Of course”

Magnus steps away from the kitchen and opens the metal doors to the large walk-in fridge. The walk in was his safe space, his refuge since no one really likes being in the cold too long. But with the heat of his kitchen, Magnus finds it nice, refreshing even. He sits on a wooden crate against a wall and takes the envelope from his pocket. He smiles sadly, running a finger over his friend’s familiar script and wonders what he’s about to open. Magnus assumes the man must have been a lawyer. He assumes the family would have gone through her will by now. As a nurse, she’d always known the importance of having a will, her desire for burial and a power of attorney, just in case.

“You’re never too young, Magnus,” she’d lectured him one day, “Accidents happen, and if the worst should happen, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life attached to a machine”

Dear Magnus, the baby is gorgeous.

I’ve called her Madeleine, a French name for a baby made in France. But I think I’ll call her Madzie for short. Now she’s here, I’m beginning to get what a huge thing it is I’m doing on my own.

So I want you to know if anything should ever happen to me. You are the only person I would want to have her. I know you’ll love Madzie as if she was your own and you’ll teach her everything she needs to know and maybe a few things she doesn’t.

If something should happen to me, Magnus, don’t let her forget me and don’t push your memory of me away like you’ve done with all the other things that make you hurt inside.

And maybe when she’s older, when she asks about me, you can tell her about France, maybe tell the PG version.

I love you, Magnus, the brother I always wanted, my best friend and soulmate

Catarina.

Magnus’s tears dribble from his cheek onto the paper, making it wet. Him, she wanted and trusted him to care for her daughter? It’s a little too much for him. Magnus lets the tears flow and cries. His sobs echo through the walk in, he cries for his friend; he cries for Madzie, losing the only parent she’d ever known, and he cries for the future. The unknown and uncertain future that lay before both him and Madzie.

“Magnus?”

It’s Raphael. Magnus quickly wipes his tears and tries to plaster on a smile for him in an attempt to keep up his ‘I’m okay’ facade. But Raphael sighs and crouches in front of of Magnus, placing a hand on his knee, giving it a squeeze seeing right through it.

“I want you to take a week off. That’s not a suggestion, it’s an order.” He says when Magnus protests.

“But the restaurant..”

“Will be fine for a week. Clary can handle it for a week and your staff aren’t clueless. You’ve trained them well.”

Reluctantly Magnus agrees. He finishes the lunch service but leaves quickly after. He goes to his apartment, pets Chairman his large fluffy cat and hugs the cat to his chest despite him probably not enjoying it nearly as much as Magnus. Then he takes a shower, scrubbing the smell of the kitchen off of his skin and decides tonight he’ll prepare food for Madzie when he visits her. Perhaps something sweet as well. Maybe dessert will be a good way to soften the blow of telling Madzie she’s moving.

This visit to the hospital is less chaotic than the last, but seeing Madzie laying down in the small bed looking so fragile still makes Magnus’s heart clench. Magnus watches her from the door, leaning against the frame for a moment. The bruising on her face somehow looks worse than yesterday, but he supposes it’ll look worse before it gets better. There’s a table on a wheel that looks like she pushes from her bed at one point with a plate on it. From where he stands, Magnus sees some kind of food on the plate, but he doesn’t recognize what it is. He’s not even sure the lumps of green and orange things are food. Madzie doesn’t appear to notice him, absorbed in a cartoon playing the small television near her bed. He steps into her room, deciding to make himself known.

“Hi Madzie.”

She turns her head and a soft but exhausted smile appears on the young girl’s face. “You came back”

Magnus’ heart shatters in his chest, she must have thought he’d abandoned her. He holds back the tears that want to fall and walks to her bedside. He gently kisses his swollen and bruised cheek, caressing the other unharmed cheek.

“I promised I would sweetpea, I’ll always come back for you” Magnus sits himself in the same chair he sat in last time and pulls it as close to Madzie’s bedside as he can. “I made us something to eat”

“I’m not hungry.”

Magnus nods “Okay.” He pulls her portion of the steak sandwich and chocolate chip cookies he’s made earlier and sets it on the bed. “I’ll leave here for you later, then. I can’t imagine the orange and green coloured mess on the plate over there tastes very good.”

Madzie looks towards the door, then looks back at Magnus, beckoning him closer, so he leans forward. “It’s disgusting, Magnus,” she whispers to him, as if the hospital’s chef is around the corner. “I think they’re trying to poison me”

Magnus chuckles, his heart warm with a glimpse of the silly Madzie he remembered.

“So the doctors tell me you’re being discharged on Friday”

“Yeah,” she shrugs, turning back to the TV.

“Madzie,” Magnus reaches for the remote on the hospital bed and turns off the tv, ignoring the looks Madzie sends him “You and I have to talk about what’s gonna happen on Friday.”

“I’m going home aren’t I? Can I go back home?”

“I’m afraid not, sweetpea?

“Why?” Madzie asks, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Madzie, you’d be all alone and you’re too young to be alone,” Magnus wipes the tears from Madzie’s cheek and squeezes her hand closest to him. “Your mom asked me to take care of you if anything ever happened to her. So on Friday, you’ll come home with me.”

The rest of the week Magnus spends the days getting his apartment ready for Madzie’s arrival and the evenings visiting with her and coaxing her to eat something. He cleans the entire apartment from top to bottom, even going as far as scrubbing the walls and the baseboards, which is something he realizes he should do more often when the paper towel come off covered in dirt mixed with fur. Magnus tidies up the rarely used guestroom and freshens up all the bed linens, then closes the door to keep it neat, much to Chairman’s dismay.

“You’re only going to cover it in your fur,” he scolds the cat, who sits outside the door glaring at Magnus.

Magnus buys more towels, extra cutlery, dishes and bath and body products with cartoon characters advertised for children.

“Don’t laugh at me, Clary!” he’d hissed at her over the phone while out shopping. “I don’t know what children like or need. It’s been quite a while since I was one, and you have two..well, almost two kids.”

With Clary’s advice, he doesn’t buy Madzie a new wardrobe, but he does pick three outfits for her to wear, one for her to leave the hospital in, a second one for Catarina’s funeral and pyjamas for that night. Friday morning arrives much too quickly for Magnus. He readies himself to pick up Madzie, then spends far too much time wandering around his place, making sure everything is ready. But the only things missing are Madzie’s and it would deliver them Saturday morning, an arrangement Magnus had made earlier that week.

Magnus makes his way to the hospital and for the first time that week his heart doesn’t feel like it’s beating out of his chest as he drives and his heart doesn’t clench walking down the white hallways. He easily finds Madzie’s room and is greeted with her sitting up on the bed in the outfit he bought her the night before, a simple pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, with her feet dangling over the edge.

“Hey sweetpea,” he wraps his arms around her in a warm hug and kisses the top of her head. “Ready to get out of here. “

Madzie nods against Magnus’s shoulder and mumbles, what sounds like a ‘please’ into his jacket.

Madzie is more than ready to leave not only this room but the hospital entirely. She’d barely slept the past week, despite whatever the nurses had given her to help her sleep. Between the beeping machines, the uncomfortable hospital beds, nurses coming in at odd hours of the night and no matter how many blankets she was given, she was still cold. So saying she was looking forward to a real bed would be an understatement.

The drive to Magnus’s place is quiet and uneventful. Madzie spends the start staring out the window, then she nods off in the backseat, lightly snoring. When they finally arrive, she’s still sleeping, with her chin resting on her chest and his heart aches, thinking about how exhausted this child must be. Not just physically from her injuries, but mentally. A car accident, losing her mother, a hospital stay and moving to a new city where she knows no one but Magnus. She’d also be starting in a new school soon. One of those things would be a lot for anyone, but to an eight-year-old, it’s like her world was turned upside down.

Despite how peaceful she’s sleeping, Magnus gets out of his car, opens her door and caresses her shoulder to wake her up.

“Come on sweetpea, you can have a little nap in your room. “

Magnus holds the girl’s hand the whole way up, opening the heavy wooden doors for her, and smiles when Madzie’s eyes go wide at the spiral staircase in the foyer. He points out the neighbours as they pass their doors, being sure to point out his nearest neighbours who have children around her age.

“... They have three daughters. One is a teenager, but they have a daughter your age and you’ll probably see her at school. Maybe you can be friends.” Magnus says, pausing at another door, “And this is mine.. well, ours now.”

He unlocks the door and lets Madzie step in first. She takes in the room as she places her shoes on the shoe rack. She stands in place with her arms crossed. Magnus can tell she feels awkward and out of place and he wishes he knew what to say to the girl, but nothing sounds right. Instead, he smiles warmly and decides a small tour would be nice.

“So,” He says, standing beside Madzie. “The kitchen is just to the right there. It has everything really–”

“Chocolate chip waffles?”

“No, but we’ll get you some,” Magnus promises. “Now, let me show you the apartment. This is your home, too. I want you to feel welcome and maybe one day at home.”

Magnus shows her the living room, showing her where the remotes are for the tv and for the electric fireplace. He shows her the bookshelf filled with her hundred cookbooks and other books, making sure Madzie knows she’s welcome to everything.

“There are board games in the ottoman,” he says gesturing to the furniture

Next, he takes her down the hallway and points out one of the two bathrooms. It’s the smaller of the two bathrooms, only having a sink, toilet and shower, unlike Magnus’s ensuite. Magnus makes sure to point out where he put the toiletries he bought her.

They pass a closed door going for the next open door showing her his bedroom.

“My bedroom.” He says, “And the ball of fur is chairman. Don’t be surprised if he comes to sleep with you or sits on your lap. He likes to cuddle.

Madzie giggles, “I like cats” She steps into his bedroom and gently scratches between the feline’s ears. He makes a surprised chirp but quickly leans into Madzie’s touch and purrs.

After a couple minutes of petting the cat, Magnus opens the closed door they passed.

“This will be your bedroom.”

Magnus’s former guest room, now Madzie’s room, is the smaller of the two bedrooms. The room is carpeted with a plush grey carpet that’s soft under the feet and the walls painted white. On the far side of the room is a large bay window that faces the park. There’s a large bed on top of a white metal bedframe and covered with a fluffy duvet and multiple pillows.

“You also have a closet and the dresser is empty so you can fill it with your clothes when your things arrive tomorrow”

“It’s pretty,” she turns and a round face Magnus, a small smile on her face. “Thank you, uncle Magnus. I’m tired. I think I’ll lie down for a bit”

Magnus nods and tucks her into the bed, pressing a small kiss to her forehead before gently closing her door behind himself. He leans against the door and closes his eyes, letting out a deep breath.

“I don’t know what I’m doing Cat” He whispers, looking up to ceiling as if she Catarina could hear him “I wish you could tell me what to do”

Saturday morning comes far too quickly and with it comes a busy day. Together Magnus and Madzie go to Catarina’s funeral, it’s a small service filled with close family and friends. Magnus holds Madzie’s hand the entire time, holding his own tears and ignoring the pain in his chest when he looks at the large picture of her on display to be strong for his niece. After the service, they attend her burial. Again he holds her hand, pulling her close when he feels her tremble.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” Magnus says on the drive home. “Death isn’t easy for anyone, Madzie, but you’re handling it well. Much better than I did when my mom passed.”

They spend the rest of the day directing men with boxes into his apartment. His once grown up apartment where everything had its place and everything was in order was now filled with boxes, bikes, and various children’s toys. When the moving truck finally leaves, Magnus helps her unpack boxes and put things away. Soon the once nearly empty room, mostly white room, is filled with colours, toys, books, games and more stuffed animals than Magnus thought one girl could own.

Eventually, he leaves her to finish unpacking the last few boxes. He checks his text messages for the first time that day, replying to everyone wondering how he’s doing. Once he’s replied to Clary and reassured that yes, he’s fine and its early days, but Madzie seems to be adjusting slowly. The smells coming from the kitchen pull Madzie from her bedroom nearly an hour later.

“You’re just in time sweetpea, go sit down” he says gesturing to the dinner table “Bon appetite” he says their plates on the table.

For dinner, Magnus grilled whole branzino with a lemon gremolata and a lemon, parmesan kale salad. Magnus quickly starts eating, branzino being one of his favourite fish and, in his opinion, eating fish on the bone was the best way to eat it. But Magnus notices after a couple bites of his own that Madzie isn’t eating and instead staring at her plate.

“Everything all right?” He asks.

Madzie nods and picks at the salad, but when all her greens are gone, she puts down her fork.

“What’s the matter?” He asks again, “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Can I go back to my room?” she asks instead of answering Magnus’s question

“Sure.”

He watches as his niece disappears down the hallway. Magnus sighs and eats dinner alone. He wants to be upset with her, but she’s going through a lot, so he lets it go. Magnus knows it’s going to be a change for both of them getting used to living together, but Magnus wishes she would just tell him what he could do. He gives Madzie space that night, deciding not to take it personally knowing the past few days hadn’t been easy.

“At least she ate her vegetables,” He mumbles to himself before taking a mouthful of fish.

Magnus’s phone buzzes in his pocket. He groans to himself, seeing Raphael’s name.

Will you be in Monday?

Magnus sigh, spinning the phone in his hand. He should go in Monday, he really should. Magnus had never spent this much time out of Encanto’s kitchen before, and he can only imagine what a mess was waiting for him. He should go in to discuss menus for the week, specials, supplier’s lists, but then he thinks of Madzie. Madzie, who would start at a new school on Tuesday, Madzie, who was in pain and need someone while she mourned.

No, I’m taking another week. Madzie needs me.

Magnus doesn’t get a reply from Raphael until early the next morning.

Of course. Could you come on Monday night for an hour? I want to discuss menus.

Magnus rolls his eyes. Why they couldn’t discuss menus over the phone is beyond him, but regardless, he agrees.

—-

“So you’re sure you’ll be okay here on your own for a little while?”

“Yes.” Madzie reassured Magnus. “My answer won’t change if you ask me for the hundredth time”

Magnus looks at his niece with a faux glare as he shrugs on his jacket. “I only want to be sure you are much more important than a restaurant menu. Now if you need for anything, you have my phone and the number for restaurant is in there okay?”

Madzie nods, a small smile on her face.

“Encanto isn’t far, so I can be back quickly if you need me, okay?”

“Okay.”

Magnus hugs her goodbye with a kiss to her forehead, telling her there’s food in the fridge if she’s hungry and reminding her he won’t be long. He’s so anxious about leaving Madzie alone. His heart beats in his chest as he takes the stairs down and he nearly turns around three times on the way to Encanto. But Madzie assured him she’d be okay and won’t be long…hopefully.

By the time Magnus makes it to the restaurant dinner service has started. He walks through the doors and is hit with the familiar smells of the food and sighs happily. As Magnus walks towards the kitchen, unbuttoning his coat as he goes, he realizes as nice as it was to sleep in and have some time off despite the circumstances. He really did miss this place. Everything appears the same as he left it until he passes the archway that leads to the kitchen. He hears music, and not radio top10 music. It’s opera…is that Italian? A server leaves the kitchen. She’s smiling and giggles as the door closes behind her.

Noticing Magnus, she immediately stops and clears her throat. “Hi Magnus” She carries on out to the dining room with the plates in her hands.

This isn’t how he left his kitchen. He places his hand on the door, making a fist with the other and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for what he’s about to witness. Magnus pushes through the door, his eyes wide at the spectacle in front of him, tossing his jacket to the side. Other chefs thankfully have their heads and do their jobs, but Clary stands beside a chef he doesn’t recognize. His back turned to Magnus, giggling while this man speaks in a terrible Italian accent, pretending to conduct with a pastry brush in his right hand.

“He says, “Look! Look at the stars! Gaze at the stars which tremble with love.”

Clary takes notice of Magnus’s entrance and stops the giggling, any trace of a smile leaving her face. “Hi chef”

The chef beside Clary turns around and Magnus gets a glimpse of the intruder in his kitchen for the first time. He’s tall, with broad shoulders that test the fabric of his chef whites. His hair is a dark brown like a chocolate ganache, his hands are large, making the pastry brush in his hand look like a number 2 pencil. His eyes sparkle with excitement when he turns, noticing Magnus for the first time, and a big smile covers his face.

“Oh, my God, it’s you!” The chef exclaims with a deep but smooth voice. He walks over closer to the station’s closest Magnus but still stays behind the metal tables. Magnus now notices the raw quail breast in his left hand. I am begging you, will you please tell me the secret of your saffron sauce?”

“Excuse me?”

The chef seems to ignore him and spins around and continues to pretend to direct his kitchen.

“Listen to this, guys. Listen to this right here. Listen. He’s saying, “Fade the stars, fade all the stars.” He gestures to a few chefs who look enamoured with the man. “So you guys are my string section…”

Magnus stands there in disbelief as the dark-haired chef conducts his kitchen in song. Clary stands with at least the decency to look remorseful, but everyone else goes along with it. Magnus feels his body fill with anger and an immediate dislike for whoever this chef is, he him gone and he wants him gone now.

“He says, “In the morning I am going to wake. This is our love. Now, everybody. “Win our love!”

Then the entire kitchen is singing in Italian, except for Clary, who looks like she’s in pain knowing exactly how Magnus is feeling. He doesn’t doubt his displeasure at the spectacle, for the man is written all over his face, but Magnus doesn’t care enough to hide it.

The music ends with a crescendo and the chef holding the pastry brush and the quail above his hand spinning slowly, holding the final note of the song. The kitchen erupts in applause and the chef takes a bow.

“Alright, alright, back to work everyone,” Clary says, trying to put some kind of order back into Magnus’s kitchen.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Magnus snarls at the chef

“Alexander Lightwood,” He said with a small bow “And may I just say the world would be a dark and depressing place without your quail in truffle sauce.”

The smirk on Alec’s face fills Magnus with rage. He wants to smack it off the man’s pretty face then smash his face into steel counter tops. Instead, he turns to Raphael, who came up behind him during Alec’s little performance.

“We need to talk.”

Raphael leads Magnus to his office and closes the door behind them.

“You could’ve at least asked me!” He exclaims the second the door shuts

“I’m sorry, Magnus. I couldn’t wait.” The man shrugs, sitting at his desk. Alec was available, and I had to act quickly.”

Magnus leans against the wall, displeasure clear on his face. “The last thing I need right now is some lunatic in my kitchen.”

“He’s not a lunatic. He’s exuberant. We could use that around here.” Raphael says pointedly.

“Exuberant?” Magnus says shocked by while trying not be offended by his boss’s accusation, “Are you kidding me? Is that what you’re calling his little performance in there? The man thinks he’s Pavarotti!”

Raphael goes to speak again, but Magnus stops him. “The only demand I had when I took this position was I get to choose who I work with. Clary would have been just fine—”

“Clary is so pregnant she can barely stand up anymore!” Raphael says “What would you have me do, have her give birth behind the stove?”

“No, that would be a health violation” Magnus pouts

Raphael sighs, “Give him a chance, Magnus. Alec is an excellent chef”

“I know nothing about him,” He sniffs. “ I have no idea what–”

“Give me some credit. I know how to run my restaurant. He was the sous-chef at ll Treviso.

“Italian?” Magnus is shocked for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. “You bring a sous-chef from an Italian restaurant, and I’m the one in therapy?”

“We were lucky to get him. Peninsula offered him executive chef.”

Magnus is taken aback. Peninsula was an incredible restaurant. Magnus had nearly worked there himself before he got his position.

‘Why didn’t he take it?”

Raphael stands up, signalling an end to their meeting. He places a hand on Magnus’s shoulder and looks at him. “Because he said he wanted to work with you.” Raphael opens the door and leaves Magnus standing alone in the office, still feeling a little angry but with a side dish of guilt.

Magnus arrives at this apartment much later than he meant to. He curses Alec and his performance in his head as he makes his way up the spiral staircase. Suddenly he’s glad he took another week off. It’ll give him time to get used to the idea of him.

“Madzie,” He calls, stepping into the living room. He looks around and it’s empty. Even Chairman is strangely missing from his favourite pillow. Magnus looks in the kitchen and it’s empty. When he looks in her bedroom and notices, the bed is empty, he panics.

“Madzie!” He calls out louder

Then he hears the faint sound of voices further down the hall. He peers into his room and there, laying on his bed asleep, is Madzie with Chairman curled around the top of her head. Magnus sighs in relief and turns off the tv in his room. He picks up the plate with crumbs on it and sets it aside. Magnus sits on the other‌ side of the bed. He could wake her, but he decides against it, noticing how peaceful she looks. He chuckles to himself, noticing a photo album on his bed. Apparently Madzie had done a bit of snooping tonight. But his heart shatters all over again when he sees which album by her side. Open are two pages filled with pictures of him and Catarina. Magnus picks up the album and smiles sadly at the pictures, pictures of them when they were children, when they graduated from high school, university, culinary school and even a picture of them with baby Madzie cradled in Catarina’s arms.

“I miss her too,” He whispers, running a finger over his friend’s picture. Magnus closes the photo album and places it on the bookshelf in Madzie’s bedroom beside the framed picture Cat, her mother, and his best friend.

Magnus doesn’t remember crawling back into his bed, and yet he’s woken up by Madzie’s high voice and her shaking his shoulder.

“Magnus, wake up! Magnus!”

Magnus looks at his niece with squinted eyes. “What is it, Madzie?

“School starts at 9, and it’s 8:20.”

Magnus curses and throws his covers off and out of bed. “Okay, get dressed, come on.” He looks at Madzie, who hasn’t moved. “Oh, you’re dressed, give me ten minutes”

Ten minutes later, he’s brushes his teeth, washed his face, run a brush through his hair and thrown some clothes on. Madzie stands by the door with her boots now on and her backpack on.

“Do you need supplies or anything?” Magnus asks, throwing his coat on. “Like pens or paper? I just realized we never bought anything.”

“They usually have those things.”

Magnus curses again and jogs to the kitchen, yanking the fridge open and pulling out a bag with Madzie’s name on it. “I made your lunch yesterday.” Magnus says, holding up the bag, “I hope you like duck.”

Magnus toes his shoes on, grabs his keys from a dish near the door and they’re out the door. Thankfully, the elementary school is only a short drive. Once there, they walk around groups of kids with friends and saying goodbye to their parents until they find the entrance. Inside, the school is overwhelming, big hallways, loud voices of children echo against the walls.

“We need to go to the office. Now where would an office be, Madzie,” He says.

Madzie points to the left and Magnus notices the small sign saying ‘Main Office’ with an arrow pointing left.

“Just making sure you’re paying attention,” He says with a wink

In the office, they’re greeted by the secretary at the front desk, who gives them a warm smile.

“This is my niece Madzie. She’s starting here today.”

She tells them to take a seat, only a moment later a tall woman in a well-fitted suit and a blunt brunette bob greets them.

“Mr. Bane?” She shakes his outstretched hand. “I’m Ellen Parker, the principal”

“Magnus,” He pleads. Mr. Bane always made him feel old and reminded him of his father. “And this is Madzie”

“Hello” Madzie says in a small, shy voice and shakes the principal’s hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you both. I’ll take Madzie to the classroom and we’ll meet your teacher.”

Madzie gives Magnus a hug, and he squeezes her back, then he watches suddenly feeling a little sad as Madzie Ms. Parker walks down the hallway together. For once, Magnus is glad he’s seeing Simon today. He needs to talk to someone about Madzie, about the entire situation, and how clueless he feels about it all.

“There has to be someone better suited for this,” Magnus exclaims with a shake of his head as he paces Simon’s office. “I don’t know what to do with a kid, especially one who’s lost her mother.” He stops behind the couch and grips the back of it with his hands. “I don’t know how their minds word. Catarina was the smartest woman I knew, but this was a stupid decision for her.”

He wipes a few tears from his cheek. “I’m so out of my depth Simon, everything I do feels wrong.” Magnus’s voice breaks as more tears fall. “I can’t get Madzie to eat anything I make. What am I supposed to do, force her?”

“She probably misses her mother’s cooking. There are tissues on the table Magnus,” he says, gesturing to the box.

Magnus walks around the couch and sits on the edge of the couch, taking a tissue to wipe his tears. “Catarina never cooked.” He lays back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. “She reheated”

“Well, that’s the point. Maybe Madzie needs something more familiar, less sophisticated. For example, did you eat when you were a kid? I’m assuming it wasn’t–” Simon looks down at his notes “Seared scallops, apple and quinoa salad with a butternut squash puree”

“It’s not the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mother was an amazing cook.” Magnus remembers fondly, “She taught me everything I know”

“And after your mother passed away, did your father take over the cooking?”

“No.” He grumbles, “He didn’t take over anything. I was lucky if I even saw him at dinner.”

“So, who took care of the two of you?”

“Can we not get into this right now?” Magnus pleads. He hated speaking about his father. It was a sensitive subject. He supposes this would be the place, with Simon, to work through all those feels of hurt and anger he has built up inside. But not today, maybe another appointment.

“One day we’re going to talk about your father Magnus, but okay”

Magnus hears the man scribbling on his notepad. Magnus images it’s just ‘daddy issues’ in all uppercase letters.

“What about fish sticks?” The therapist says suddenly, “Kids love them.”

“Fish sticks?” Magnus questions sitting up on the couch.

“Yeah, you know, they’re frozen and breaded–”

“I know what fish sticks are.” He assures Simon, “I just can’t believe I’m paying for these suggestions.”

Despite the shocking suggestion from his therapist, after he picks Madzie up from school, he finds himself in the frozen section of the grocery store with his niece picking out a box of fish sticks. He buys a bag of potatoes to make fries at home, picks up some chocolate chips for the waffles he’d promised Madzie, but draws the line at store bought tartar sauce when she tries to put it in the cart.

“I promise the one I make at home is much better”

She looks at Magnus doubtfully but agrees to put the bottle back.

A few hours later they’re sat at the table, Chairman curled up on the chair beside Madzie purring. Magnus feels relieved when he notices Madzie eating and immediately thinks of what else he could make with the surprisingly delicious fish sticks that she’d eat. Fish tacos? Maybe a sandwich like a po’ boy or simply wish some mashed potato and other roasted vegetables. Madzie is nearly finished with her plate, and it makes Magnus too happy to see. Maybe Simon was right? Less sophisticated, simpler food. He could do that.

“So Madzie, other than fish sticks, what other foods do you enjoy?”

#malec fanart #magnus bane #alec lightwood #malec #malec fanfic #malec fic rec

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