#Over 750 hours deep and I’m still just barely before the halfway point of the current main story

[takamoris]

Final Fantasy XIV really just is the most goated game of all time

[demonic-activity]

Love the player, hate the game

Malec fanfic // read here on AO3 // based on this brilliant ask // brilliant beta @brooklynxmagic

Because Alexander Lightwood would never cheat ♥ 

“You’re cheating.”

Magnus’ voice cuts icily through the loud and excited chatter in the loft. His eyes are narrowed, flashing with anger and betrayal.

Alec feels his heart stop for one second before it starts beating furiously in his chest.

“Wha… Magnus, no I would never.”

“Oh you can drop the act Alexander,” Magnus hisses, and he leans forward over the table, something dangerous and predatory to his expression and the way his body moves.

Around them, the room has gone quiet and his siblings and friends shift uncomfortably in their seats. Jace clears his throat and almost imperceptibly shakes his head.

Fuck. Alec desperately wants to wipe his hands on his trousers, since they’re sweating out a seemingly infinite supply of perspiration, but he’s afraid it would immediately give him away, what with Magnus’ unrelenting gaze focused on him so closely. For a fleeting, almost hysterical moment he wonders if it’s possible to get dehydrated just from sweaty palms.

He tries his best placating voice, “Magnus don’t be crazy,” shaking his head as if he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “I’ve never even done this” he gestures between them “before and by the Angel, I barely know what I’m doing!”

“Typical shadowhunter,” Magnus says, mockingly, “Such hypocrites. Oh I think you know perfectly well what you are doing. I’ve been counting your every step and there’s definitely foul play. Don’t give me that incredulous face, you’ve been having a little something on the side, haven’t you?”

“Babe, c’mon, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Liar,” Magnus huffs, jabbing his finger accusingly. “I saw you stuff it in when you thought nobody was looking.”

Alec’s mind is going a hundred miles per hour; he doesn’t know if he can keep this up any longer. He inhales once, deeply, trying to keep a steady voice. “Why? Why would I do that, betray you like that? It’s all just for fun, right?” Alec meant for that last part to be a rhetorical question, but Magnus latches on to it.

“Funny. That’s not the impression you gave when I landed on Marvin Gardens with two of your hotels.”

Alec scoffs, “You earned that back thrice over by now!”

Magnus’ eyes gleam as he says, sweetly, “Exactly, my dear Alexander, which begs the question…How are you still afloat, especially considering those taxes that hit you pretty hard last round?”

The rest of the group watch their exchange with increasing nervousness, eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them.

Alec swallows, hands pretty much dissolved into puddles at this point, “Beginners luck?”

“Right. So if I were to search your trousers right now I would find nothing?”

“Well, not nothing.” The reply comes automatically and he blames in on gin and gin alone.

Simon coughs loudly, barely keeping from suffocating mid-margarita.

Alec can’t help the left corner of his mouth turning up as he continues to hold Magnus’ gaze, but he can see a similar twitch on Magnus’ face and Alec thinks he might be saved.

That turns out to be a serious miscalculation. (Not like the “miscalculation” of paying Jace with a couple of tens instead of hundreds; it’s not his fault if they’re similar shades of yellow and Jace is generally too eager to count).

Suddenly, Magnus leans back in his chair, leisurely folding his hands over his chest. “Alright,” he simply says.

Alec quirks an eyebrow at this sudden change of demeanor.

Magnus smiles at him and it’s somehow so much more terrifying, “So what you’re saying is that you aren’t able to repay my $750 loan yet?”

“See for yourself.” Alec gestures at the meager amount of bills before him. “What you see is what you get.” And Alec flashes him a grin, “I’m a simple man.”

“Hmm,” Magnus hums noncommittally.

“No worries, it’s a, how do you say this? An IOU?” He quirks his head, “You trust me – to pay you back – right?”

Jace is shaking his head even more vehemently now and Izzy and Clary are whispering amongst each other, Simon has gone completely - unnaturally - still.

Magnus gives him another one of his smiles, alarming in its sugar-coated sweetness. “Of course.” And as he drums his fingers lightly on the oak table, he continues, tone casual, “Since we’re in such a trusting and transparent relationship, I feel obligated to point out that you just rolled a five right before this conversation. Now I’m sure you can do the simple math, but let me help you out. I believe that five puts you on Boardwalk. My Boardwalk.” He quirks his head, as though in deep thought, “Hmmm rent, plus a hotel, oh dear, oh dear, I do believe that would mean you’ll be paying me $2,000.”

This is met by a chorus of gasps from the room.

Alec can only just bite back a loud groan and Magnus himself is still sporting a neutral expression, but his eyes belie him - they always do - and now they shine wickedly as he looks down at Alec’s sad little stack of cash. Magnus tuts, “Except, oh no, it looks like you won’t be able to afford that after all.” His eyes snap back up to Alec’s, “That is… if that truly is all you have?”

Magnus lifts a single elegant eyebrow and Alec grits his teeth. Well damnit. Catch, meet 22.

“Fine.” Alec bites out, hating his own stubborn ass, as he pushes his last few bills over to Magnus and flips over all his cards, mortgage side up. He plucks a few more bills for that from the bank – with a little more aggression than necessary – and gives Magnus a look as to say You happy? But Magnus’ gleeful look as he counts his obscene pile of fake money is just…all telling and quite disturbing if Alec is completely honest.

Next to him, Simon groans excessively loud. “Alec, noooo! Now he’s going to be absolutely invincible.” And insufferable Alec adds in the privacy of his own mind. He gets up and mumbles, “I’m gonna get another drink.”

It is all downhill from that moment on.

Alec sits next to Jace slumped low on the couch, watching it all unfold. It’s just Simon, Clary, and Magnus left in the game and it’s not lost to Alec that they all had a mundane childhood (never mind that Monopoly had not been invented yet when Magnus was born). How Simon hasn’t declared bankruptcy yet is anyone’s guess, but Clary is tenacious and almost as fanatic as Magnus. Izzy, it turns out, is a pretty disastrous choice for bank. His sister may be crazy talented in many, many things, but finance isn’t one of them. The rate at which she’s downing margaritas is not exactly helping either. Chaos is soon ensuing, Jace has started shouting unhelpful comments at Clary, second-guessing her every decision. Izzy is pretty much asleep at the wheel – almost literally, just dozing off before snapping to attention and just doling out money left and right, completely arbitrary. Simon is making a lot of money from Clary, profusely apologizing while doing so, which just seems to be increasingly irritating her. And there is Magnus, with still that crazy almost maniacal gleam to his eye, desperately trying to determine Simon’s strategy, which seems to be altogether absent.

Alec is just observing it all from a far. “You know,” he comments nonchalantly to no one in particular, sipping his gin, “Monopoly was created to show that unchecked capitalism was a bad thing. Not to mention,” he adds, “the game is actually named after a mundane financial crime. Quite bizarre if you ask me.”

From the table he can hear Magnus mutter under his breath “Barely know what I’m doing, my ass.”

Not much later, when the shouts are getting louder and the chances of serious bodily harm higher, and someone somehow managed to flip the board, Alec sighs and finally gets up.

Everyone is long gone when Magnus and Alec have found their way to the couch together, halfway lying down, curled up and making out enthusiastically. Apparently, capitalistic board games get Magnus excited in more ways than one, but Alec isn’t exactly complaining this time. Magnus presses him further into the couch and Alec grunts when something painfully pierces his side. He plucks a pewter battleship token out from under him, tossing it away without bothering to open his eyes. His head is swimming, his senses full of MagnusMagnusMagnus and he vaguely registers Magnus’ touch darting lower and lower down his front, till it reach his belt buckle and Alec makes a needy little noise, lifting his hips off the sofa. Alec is so grateful for Magnus’ nimble fingers as he works his belt open with one hand, moaning when he feels Magnus’ hand finally skimming the waistband of his boxers, only to dazedly open his eyes in confusion as Magnus’ weight is suddenly lifted off of him.

“AHA! I KNEW IT!” Magnus exclaims, frantically waving three $1,000 bills through the air and Alec drops his head back in defeat.

“Alexander Lightwood, you are a liar and a cheat. And I don’t know whether to feel proud of abhorred that you took to the rotten heart of this game so quickly.”

Alec licks his lips, “You’re not… mad?”

“What makes you say that darling? Oh but we’re definitely done here,” Magnus says as he gestures between their two half undressed bodies.

Alec squints his eyes close and groans as he mourns the lost prospect of tipsy couch sex. “Fuck, Magnus.”

“Oh come on Alexander.” Magnus grins. “You and your siblings weren’t exactly going soft on me either.”

“We’re shadowhunters, we give no quarter.”

Magnus scoffs in reply.  “Next weekend then?”

“Magnus! You’re crazy if you think I’m ever letting you play that game with us again. You’re lucky I’m not burning that board to a crisp this very second.”

His boyfriend raises a hand to his chest in mock affront, though Alec fears it is only half in jest.

They just lie quietly for a moment, too tired to do anything else but still too high on adrenaline to fall asleep.

“Sooo,” Alec tries one more time, “You sure there wasn’t still an IOU I can cash right now?”

“Oh, I think we’re way past IOUs.” But Magnus’ expression has turned fond and he’s caressing Alec’s cheekbone, settling closer to him on the couch.

Alec yawns. “You’re right. I already owe you so much, it would seem silly to keep count.”

To that, Magnus gives a little whine of disagreement. Alec drops an uncoordinated kiss to his head. “Way too much to ever repay. But it’s a debt I gladly accept, and will carry with me wherever I go.”