#alec is a gray tabby cat and magnus is a black cat

[magnus-the-maqnificent]

This 👌 close to snapping and writing a Kitty Malec AU.

[theshadowmalec]

City of Ashes

Kissed

source: Cassandra Clare's website

The story of Malec's first kiss, and how Alec asked Magnus out on a date.

It was printed on thin paper, nearly parchment, in a thin, elegant, spidery hand. It announced a gathering at the humble home of Magnus the Magnificent Warlock, and promised attendees "a rapturous evening of delights beyond your wildest imaginings."

— City of Bones

Standing in the stairwell of Magnus’ home, Alec stared at the name written under the buzzer on the wall. BANE. The name didn’t really seem to suit Magnus, he thought, not now that he knew him. If you could really be said to know someone when you’d attended one of their parties, once, and then they’d saved your life later but hadn’t really hung around to be thanked. But the name Magnus Bane made him think of a towering sort of figure, with huge shoulders and formal purple warlock’s robes, calling down fire and lightning. Not Magnus himself, who was more of a cross between a panther and a demented elf.

Alec took a deep breath and let it out. Well, he’d come this far; he might as well go on. The bare lightbulb hanging overhead cast sweeping shadows as he reached forward and pressed the buzzer.

A moment later a voice echoed through the stairwell. “WHO CALLS UPON THE HIGH WARLOCK?”

“Er,” Alec said. “It’s me. I mean, Alec. Alec Lightwood.”

There was a sort of silence, as if even the hallway itself were surprised. Then a ping, and the second door opened, letting him out onto the stairwell. He headed up the rickety stairs into the darkness, which smelled like pizza and dust. The second floor landing was bright, the door at the far end open. Magnus Bane was leaning in the entryway.

Compared to the first time Alec has seen him, he looked fairly normal. His black hair still stood up in spikes, and he looked sleepy; his face, even with its cat’s eyes, very young. He wore a black t-shirt with the words ONE MILLION DOLLARS picked out across the chest in sequins, and jeans that hung low on his hips, low enough that Alec looked away, down at his own shoes. Which were boring.

“Alexander Lightwood,” said Magnus. He had just the faintest trace of an accent, something Alec couldn’t put his finger on, a lilt to his vowels. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Alec looked past Magnus. “Do you have — company?”

Magnus crossed his arms, which did good things for his biceps, and leaned against the side of the door. “Why do you want to know?”

“I was hoping I could come in and talk to you.”

“Hmmm.” Magnus’ eyes raked him up and down. They really did shine in the dark, like a cat’s. “Well, all right then.” He turned abruptly away and disappeared into the apartment; after a startled moment, Alec followed.

The loft looked different without a hundred churning bodies in it. It was — well, not ordinary, but the sort of space someone might live in. Like most lofts, it had a big central room split into “rooms” by groupings of furniture. There was a square collection of sofas and tables off to the right, which Magnus gestured Alec toward. Alec sat down on a gold velvet sofa with elegant wooden curlicues on the arms.

“Would you like some tea?” Magnus asked. He wasn’t sitting in a chair, but had sprawled himself on a tufted ottoman, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

Alec nodded. He felt incapable of saying anything. Anything interesting or intelligent, that was. It was always Jace who said the interesting, intelligent things. He was Jace’s parabatai and that was all the glory he needed or wanted: like being the dark star to someone else’s supernova. But this was somewhere Jace couldn’t go with him, something Jace couldn’t help him with. “Sure.”

His right hand felt suddenly hot. He looked down, and realized he was holding a waxed paper cup from Joe, the Art of Coffee. It smelled like chai. He jumped, and only barely escaped spilling on himself. “By the Angel —”

“I LOVE that expression,” said Magnus. “It’s so quaint.”

Alec stared at him. “Did you steal this tea?”

Magnus ignored the question. “So,” he said. “Why are you here?”

Alec took a gulp of the stolen tea. “I wanted to thank you,” he said, when he came up for air. “For saving my life.”

Magnus leaned back on his hands. His t-shirt rode up over his flat stomach, and this time Alec had nowhere else to look. “You wanted to thank me.”

“You saved my life,” Alec said, again. “But I was delirious, and I don’t think I really thanked you. I know you didn’t have to do it. So thank you.”

Magnus’ eyebrows had disappeared up into his hairline. “You’re . . .welcome?”

Alec set his tea down. “Maybe I should go.”

Magnus sat up. “After you came so far? All the way to Brooklyn? Just to thank me?” He was grinning. “Now that would be a wasted effort.” He reached out and put his hand to Alec’s cheek, his thumb brushing along the cheekbone. His touch felt like fire, training tendrils of sparks in its wake. Alec sat frozen in surprise — surprise at the gesture, and surprise at the effect it was having on him. Magnus’ eyes narrowed, and he dropped his hand. “Huh,” he said to himself.

“What?” Alec was suddenly very worried that he’d done something wrong. “What is it?”

“You’re just . . .” A shadow moved behind Magnus; with fluid agility, the warlock twisted around and picked up a small gray and white tabby cat from the floor. The cat curled into the crook of his arm and looked at Alec with suspicion. Now two pairs of gold-green eyes were trained on him darkly. “Not what I expected.”

“From a Shadowhunter?”

“From a Lightwood.”

“I didn’t realize you knew my family that well.”

“I’ve known your family for hundreds of years.” Magnus’ eyes searched his face. “Now your sister, she’s a Lightwood. You—’

“She said you liked me.”

“What?”

“Izzy. My sister. She told me you liked me. Liked me, liked me.”

“Liked you, liked you?” Magnus buried his grin in the cat’s fur. “Sorry. Are we twelve now? I don’t recall saying anything to Isabelle . . .”

“Jace said it too.” Alec was blunt; it was the only way he knew how to be. “That you liked me. That when he buzzed up here, you thought he was me and you were disappointed that it was him. That never happens.”

“Doesn’t it? Well, it should.”

Alec was startled. “No — I mean Jace, he’s . . . Jace.”

“He’s trouble,” said Magnus. “But you are totally without guile. Which in a Lightwood, is a conundrum. You’ve always been a plotting sort of family, like low-rent Borgias. But there isn’t a lie in your face. I get the feeling everything you say is straightforward.”

Alec leaned forward. “Do you want to go out with me?”

Magnus blinked. “See, that’s what I mean. Straightforward.”

Alec chewed his lip and said nothing.

“Why do you want to go out with me?” Magnus inquired. He was rubbing Chairman Meow’s head, his long fingers folding the cat’s ears down. “Not that I’m not highly desirable, but the way you asked, it seemed as if you were having some sort of fit —”

“I just do,” Alec said. “And I thought you liked me, so you’d say yes, and I could try — I mean, we could try —” He put his face in his hands. “Maybe this was a mistake.”

Magnus’ voice was gentle. “Does anyone know you’re gay?”

Alec’s head jerked up; he found he was breathing a little hard, as if he’d run a race. But what could he do, deny it? When he’d come here to do exactly the opposite? “Clary,” he said, hoarsely. “Which is . . . Which was an accident. And Izzy, but she’d never say anything.”

“Not your parents. Not Jace?”

Alec thought about Jace knowing, and pushed the thought away, hard and fast. “No. No, and I don’t want them to know, especially Jace.”

“I think you could tell him.” Magnus rubbed Chairman Meow under the chin. “He went to pieces like a jigsaw puzzle when he thought you were going to die. He cares —”

“I’d rather not.” Alec was still breathing quickly. He rubbed at the knees of his jeans with his fists. “I’ve never had a date,” he said in a low voice. “Never kissed anyone. Not ever. Izzy said you liked me and I thought —”

“I’m not unsympathetic. But do you like me? Because this being gay business doesn’t mean you can just throw yourself at any guy and it’ll be fine because he’s not a girl. There are still people you like and people you don’t.”

Alec thought of his bedroom back at the Institute, of being in a delirium of pain and poison when Magnus had come in. He had barely recognized him. He was fairly sure he’d been screaming for his parents, for Jace, for Izzy, but his voice would only come out on a whisper. He remembered Magnus’ hands on him, his fingers cool and gentle. He remembered the death-grip he’d kept on Magnus’ wrist, for hours and hours, even after the pain had passed and he knew he would be all right. He remembered watching Magnus’ face in the light of the rising sun, the gold of sunrise sparking gold out of his eyes, and thinking how oddly beautiful he was, with his cat’s gaze and grace.

“Yes,” Alec said. “I like you.”

He met Magnus’ gaze squarely. The warlock was looking at him with a sort of admixture of curiosity and affection and puzzlement. “It’s so odd,” Magnus said. “Genetics. Your eyes, that color —” He stopped and shook his head.

“The Lightwoods you knew didn’t have blue eyes?”

“Green-eyed monsters,” said Magnus, and grinned. He deposited Chairman Meow on the ground, and the cat moved over to Alec, and rubbed against his leg. “The Chairman likes you.”

“Is that good?”

“I never date anyone my cat doesn’t like,” Magnus said easily, and stood up. “So let’s say Friday night?”

A great wave of relief came over Alec. “Really? You want to go out with me?”

Magnus shook his head. “You have to stop playing hard to get, Alexander. It makes things difficult.” He grinned. He had a grin like Jace’s — not that they looked anything alike, but the sort of grin that lit up his whole face. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Alec drifted after Magnus toward the front door, feeling as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders, one he hadn’t even known he was carrying. Of course he’d have to come up with an excuse for where he was going Friday night, something Jace wouldn’t want to participate in, something he’d need to do alone. Or he could pretend to be sick and sneak out. He was so lost in thought he almost banged into the front door, which Magnus was leaning against, looking at him through eyes narrowed to crescents.

“What is it?” Alec said.

“Never kissed anyone?” Magnus said. “No one at all?”

“No,” said Alec, hoping this didn’t disqualify him from being datable. “Not a real kiss —”

“Come here.” Magnus took him by the elbows and pulled him close. For a moment Alec was entirely disoriented by the feeling of being so close to someone else, to the kind of person he’d wanted to be close to for so long. Magnus was long and lean but not skinny; his body was hard, his arms lightly muscled but strong; he was an inch or so taller than Alec, which hardly ever happened, and they fit together perfectly. Magnus’ finger was under his chin, tilting his face up, and then they were kissing. Alec heard a small hitching gasp come from his own throat and then their mouths were pressed together with a sort of controlled urgency. Magnus, Alec thought dazedly, really knew what he was doing. His lips were soft, and he parted Alec’s expertly, exploring his mouth: a symphony of lips, teeth, tongue, every movement waking up a nerve ending Alec had never known he had.

He found Magnus’ waist with his fingers, touching the strip of bare skin he’d been trying to avoid looking at before, and slid his hands up under Magnus’ shirt. Magnus jerked with surprise, then relaxed, his hands running down Alec’s arms, over his chest, his waist, finding the belt loops on Alec’s jeans and using them to pull him closer. His mouth left Alec’s and Alec felt the hot pressure of his lips on his throat, where the skin was so sensitive that it seemed directly connected to the bones in his legs, which were about to give out. Just before he slid to the floor, Magnus let him go. His eyes were shining and so was his mouth.

“Now you’ve been kissed,” he said, reached behind him, and yanked the door open. “See you Friday?”

Alec cleared his throat. He felt dizzy, but he also felt alive — blood rushing through his veins like traffic at top speed, everything seemingly almost too brightly colored. As he stepped through the door, he turned and looked at Magnus, who was watching him bemusedly. He reached forward and took hold of the front of Magnus’ t-shirt and dragged the warlock toward him. Magnus stumbled against him, and Alec kissed him, hard and fast and messy and unpracticed, but with everything he had. He pulled Magnus against him, his own hand between them, and felt Magnus’ heart stutter in his chest.

He broke off the kiss, and drew back.

“Friday,” he said, and let Magnus go. He backed away, down the landing, Magnus looking after him. The warlock crossed his arms over his shirt — wrinkled where Alec had grabbed it — and shook his head, grinning.

“Lightwoods,” Magnus said. “They always have to have the last word.”

He shut the door behind him, and Alec ran down the steps, taking them two at a time, his blood still singing in his ears like music.

[thesunsetshope]

That Catfe Kinda Love

For @maztri ♥

Read on Ao3.

Alec cooed at the white kitten in his arms, stroking its back gently. “The next cat we bring in, I’ll allow you the honors of giving the name.”

Magnus clapped his hands in excitement. “Purr-fect! I already have a name in mind.” Alec let out a small groan at Magnus’s pun, prompting about the name.

“Furddie Purrcury,” Magnus said, biting the insides of his cheek to hide his grin.

Magnus Bane always sought out the history behind a life - a story. The reason of course was that the history built the foundation of that life. While it is true that a person’s backstory does not always define who they are, at least one part of their history, one small detail, took them on the path that led them to be who they are today. History is what makes the future. It is what can make a person judge another without much thought.

Often times, Magnus feels like the same could be said, in a sense, for cats. Within a group, one would likely find that at least half the group prefer dogs over cats. Why? The answer always seems to be the same: because cats are arrogant creatures. Cats are not loyal or loving. They’re just too difficult to understand. It is what history has shown, according to society.  

And quite honestly, it was disappointing.

Understandably, people will have their preferences. Not everyone likes oreos, so why does everyone have to like cats? And, well, Magnus himself couldn’t deny that there were a few cats he’d come across in his lifetime that definitely left behind a scar or two. But he understood them. He understood the mysterious creatures everyone couldn’t.

So when he heard about a position at Brooklyn’s Cat Cafe that was available, Magnus jumped at the opportunity. Brooklyn’s Cat Cafe was one of the most popular attractions in New York, owned and managed by the Lightwood family. Maryse Lightwood was the founder of Brooklyn’s Cat Cafe, famous for her work as an animal rights lawyer. Her husband, Luke Garroway - who worked in humane law enforcement - helped oversee the operations of the cafe along with her children, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood.

It was surprising, really, about the Lightwood family. Maryse had been married to Robert Lightwood, a New York judge who was one of the cruelest people Magnus had ever heard of. The things the man had allowed as a judge sickened Magnus. And when it had been discovered the man was cheating on his wife among other things...well, it’s a story not worth repeating. It had been five years since the story broke out, so Magnus was just glad that Maryse and her children were able to turn it all around.

And now here Magnus was, standing in front of the cafe. It was his first day and a mix of nerves and excitement filled him. He could see the cafe was already flowing with people bonding with the cats, smiling and giggling as some of the cats chased after toys. The scene before him was enlightening, making his heart leap with joy.

Inhaling a deep breath, Magnus opened the door and stepped inside. A gray and white tabby was lying on a cat tree a few feet from the door, meowing at Magnus. Magnus read the name tag that hung around its neck and chuckled to himself at the name: Chairman Meow. Chairman Meow purred as Magnus scratched under his chin, closing his eyes in content.

“Wow, he seems to like you,” a voice said from behind Magnus.

“Hm, of course he does. All cats love me,” Magnus commented, turning to face the stranger. The stranger was a beautiful man with dark, messy hair and hazel eyes that made Magnus weak in the knees.

“Yeah, well, you’re the first person that Chairman Meow has allowed near him,” the stranger noted.

“Am I now?” Magnus raised an eyebrow, turning to face Chairman Meow again. “It looks like you and I are going to be best friends.”

The stranger let out an amused laugh, moving to stand beside Magnus. “Are you looking to adopt?”

“Actually, I’m here to work. I’m Magnus Bane.”

“O-oh, I’m so sorry,” the stranger stuttered out, extending out a hand to shake. “I’m Alec Lightwood. I’m, uh, supposed to help you out today.”

“You’re Alec Lightwood?” Magnus asked, shaking Alec’s hands. “Huh. I’ve always wondered how you looked like and I have to say, I am definitely not disappointed.”

Alec let out a jittery laugh, releasing Magnus’s hands. “T-thank you?”

“You’re welcome,” Magnus said, eyeing Alec up and down just for extra measure. Alec’s confident demeanor seemed to have changed to a more nervous one at Magnus’s attention, and Magnus couldn’t help but to smirk a little to himself.

“Right. Let’s get you set up. Follow me.”

Magnus followed Alec to the backroom of the cafe which Magnus presumed was an area reserved mainly for the cats. Everything for cat care was set up around the room, from litter boxes to food bowls. In one corner of the room was a crate containing a small group of kittens.

“How many weeks old are they?” Magnus asked Alec, pointing towards the kittens.

“Close to six weeks. They’re actually from the Brooklyn shelter a few blocks from us, but the shelter asked us to take them in for a few days since they’re setting up a new area for kittens,” Alec explained. “We usually do not have kittens otherwise.”

“Oh? Why not?” Magnus inquired.

“A variety of reasons, but one is the issue of diseases. Since they’re younger and smaller, it can just be harder to manage diseases and treat them. We want them grow strong and healthy, so we work with the shelter when it comes to kittens.”

“Hm, makes sense.”

Alec gave a small smile, grabbing a shirt from one of the cupboards. It was the same one Alec was wearing - a black t-shirt with the cafe’s logo on it. “This is the shirt we all wear. Don’t worry, you can do layers if you want and you don’t have to wear it every day. It’s mainly for when we have big events and all that stuff.”

Magnus nodded, grabbing the shirt. Alec gave him the tour of the room, explaining how the cafe ran. For now, Magnus would handle serving the customers and help maintain the cat room. He could also bond with the cats during break or after closing if he wanted to.

“Hey, Alec,” a young curly, brown-haired woman greeted, walking into the room. “Who is this?”

“Maia!” Alec beamed. “This is Magnus. Magnus, this is Maia. She pretty much manages the ‘cafe’ part here, so she’s the one to go to if you need any help.”

“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Maia revealed. “You seemed to have impressed Alec over here.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, looking over to Alec who was glaring at Maia. “I’m intrigued. How exactly have I impressed you when we just met minutes ago with you thinking I was a customer.”

Maia snorted, walking over towards Magnus. “He read the letter you sent in along with your application. I’ve honestly never seen him so engrossed with something before. He wanted to hire you on the spot.”

“I see,” Magnus said, smirking at Alec. “I was wondering why I received a call back so soon and why the interview took place over the phone. It’s you I have to thank, hm?”

“Seriously Maia?” Alec groaned, obviously flustered. Maia winked at Alec, flashing a smile. “I was impressed by your letter. I mean, you only had to write one page but you wrote five, front-and-back. And the whole idea with the history compared to humans and cats...it was amazing.”

“Thank you. I had worried that I’d gone overboard, but I guess not,” Magnus said, smiling softly at Alec.

“You’re welcome,” Alec said, smiling back.

Maia let out a small chuckle, gathering a few items. “I need to hurry back to Leonardo DaPussy. I promised him a treat and I can’t leave him hanging any longer or he’s going to hate me.”

“Leonardo DaPussy?” Magnus asked, amusement in his voice.

“Yup. He’s the black and white cat that always has the mock-up Oscar toy we made,” Maia said. “He never lets that thing go.”

Alec hums in agreement, muttering something along the lines of ‘he loves that thing too much’. Maia leaves the room, calling out the cat’s name. Magnus snorts to himself, imagining the faces of visiting customers. Magnus returned his focus on Alec, who had made his way over to the kittens.

“Maia is the one who named Leonardo. Each of us here have given names to some of the cats, most of them a pun of a celebrity name,” Alec told, picking up a small, white kitten from the crate.

“And which cat had the fortune to be named by you?” Magnus inquired.

“Catsanova, a Sphynx cat that we had up until a few weeks ago,” Alec said with a grin. Magnus let out a loud laugh, shaking his head in amusement.

“Oh, my god. What was your inspiration, might I ask?”

“The movie. Catsanova was a sly one, just like Casanova from the movie. Seriously, he wooed all the ladies.”

“Hm, I would’ve loved to have seen that.”

Alec cooed at the white kitten in his arms, stroking its back gently. “The next cat we bring in, I’ll allow you the honors of giving the name.”

Magnus clapped his hands in excitement. “Purr-fect! I already have a name in mind.” Alec let out a small groan at Magnus’s pun, prompting about the name.

“Furddie Purrcury,” Magnus said, biting the insides of his cheek to hide his grin.

Alec stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, shaking his head at Magnus. Alec carefully returned the white kitten to the crate, his laughter still bright and loud. “T-that’s hor-horrible.”

“No it’s not!”

“Magnus...please. You know damn well it is.”

Magnus tried to hold back his laughter but soon gave in, agreeing with Alec that the name was indeed horrible. The two of them laughed for a good few minutes, clutching their stomachs. After the laughter calmed down and they caught their breath, Magnus couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. Alec was grinning too, his cheeks a bright pink.

The front door of the cafe let out a loud ding, a reminder that there were customers to tend to.

“Come on, we can’t waste your first day laughing about your terrible cat pun,” Alec said, urging Magnus to follow him as he exited the room.

Magnus felt warm inside, a feeling of content settling in. He was going to love it here.

--

It had been a month since Magnus started working at Brooklyn’s Cat Cafe and honestly, it had been the best month in his life. He befriended Maia easily as they were often working the same shifts. Maia never failed to cheer Magnus up, always helping him out when he struggled with remembering the orders correctly. He also befriended Isabelle, whom he met a few days after starting at the cafe, and her boyfriend, Simon. Magnus enjoyed it when Isabelle would tell him stories about Alec, especially the stories of Alec when he was younger. Alec would sometime jump in to deny certain parts of a story, but usually he’d watch in silence with a small smile on his face.

Then there was Chairman Meow whom Magnus had developed a close bond with. Magnus would take the time to cuddle with Chairman during his breaks, whispering secrets that he knew would be safe in Chairman’s paws. Chairman was as much of a great listener as he was a great cuddle buddy.

Of course, there had been miserable days in which there were customers who did not understand the common decency of being nice and the college life would get to the best of Magnus. However, rarely did he go home at night without a smile. Alec always said or did something that left Magnus in a state of overwhelming joy.

The door of the cafe dinged, snapping Magnus out of his daze. Alec came rushing through with his backpack nearly falling off his back, customers looking at him with bewilderment as he stumbled, muttering apologies.

“Sorry I’m late,” Alec breathed out, dropping his backpack on the floor. “I hope you weren’t on your own for too long.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright. Everyone’s been too endeared with Luke Skywhisker to really pay me any notice,” Magnus explained. Luke Skywhisker was a gray Siberian that Simon had rescued from an alleyway a week ago. Simon had already named the cat when he brought it in, obviously endeared with him too.

“Good, good,” Alec said, looking over towards where the customers were gathered. “Has he been doing his one trick?”

“Yup. I’m honestly amazed that cat even knows how to do that,” Magnus commented.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Hm. So, did you get held up again by Professor Assface?”

“I did. He’s so infuriating, I swear to god. When will he realize that I’m not going to introduce him to my mother?”

Magnus chuckled, shaking his head. Alec was studying Animal Welfare, wanting to expand his horizons some more. Most of his professors adore Maryse, asking Alec about her on a daily basis. Honestly, Magnus didn’t understand how Alec was dealing with it. The professors should be enlightened with the fact that they have Alec in their classes. He was a genius, as far as Magnus was concerned.

“What about you? Any professors annoy you lately?” Alec asked.

“Other than shoving fifty exams in one day? No,” Magnus said. Honestly, being a history major could be a pain in the ass sometimes. There was too much history to cover.

The rest of their shift went smoothly, Magnus and Alec making small talk whenever possible. A few of the cats found their forever home, news that Magnus never tired of hearing. Magnus made his way over to Chairman Meow, sitting down next to him. Chairman perked up at Magnus’s presence, letting out a purr as he rubbed his head against Magnus’s thigh.

“Have you thought about it some more?”

Magnus looked up to find Alec staring at him with a soft gaze. Looking down at Chairman, Magnus smiled. Alec had once mentioned to Magnus if he ever thought about adopting the tabby and Magnus had. There were times where Magnus felt lonely, sometimes avoiding his empty loft. Often times, he’d end up staying at the cafe long after his shift ended; either hanging around with the cats or Alec.

Alec had a cat of his own, something he didn’t know until recently. As it turns out, Alec had adopted a Persian he rescued in an abandoned church about a year ago. The cat was named Church, of course. Alec explained that Church wasn’t exactly fond of people and usually liked to be left alone, similar to Chairman Meow. Though, Alec mentioned that Church seemed to sense when Alec had a long day, letting Alec pet him until Alec fell asleep. Magnus wanted something like that.

“You know, I have. And I think I’d love it if the Chairman moved in with me,” Magnus said, picking up Chairman and cradling the tabby in his arms.

“That’s great!” Alec beamed. “You two are a perfect fit for one another. I know Chairman will be happy with you.”

“Hm, I hope so. You know, maybe the Chairman and Church can have a playdate. They could be grouch buddies and meow about how annoying humans are while you and I have our own playdate,” Magnus suggested with a wink.

Alec stared at him with his mouth agape for a few seconds before quickly clearing his throat, nodding his head. “Y-yeah. I think we could arrange something like that.”

“Perfect! Now, let’s signs some adoption papers, hm?”

--

The past week had been one of the craziest and busiest weeks Magnus experienced. Firstly, there was the new addition to his household, Chairman Meow. Moving to Magnus’s loft was not a smooth ride for the poor thing, obviously not used to having such a huge space all to himself. The tabby found many places to hide, places that left Magnus wondering how the hell he even fit in such a small space. On top of that, Chairman had an obsession with Magnus’s socks, taking pairs with him to these hiding spots. Magnus had spent an entire morning looking for a pair of his favorite socks and ended up late for his civilization class in which he had a presentation.  

Then there was the cafe. Maryse decided to organize a huge adoption day event, leaving everyone scrambling to get the word out. Magnus was assigned the task of the promoter, and while he had no trouble promoting, it was tiring. Despite the cafe and its connection with the Lightwoods, there were many people that wanted nothing to do with cats. One person had asked Magnus if there were going to be puppies at the event and really, Magnus had to fight the urge to smack the person.

Magnus sighed with relief as he served the last customer, waving goodbye to David Meowie, the cat the customer just adopted. He plopped down onto a chair, letting out an exaggerated moan. Everything hurt. His back, his legs, his feet. It was absurd at how long he had been standing during the entirety of the day.

“Well, that was a success, wasn’t it?” Maia asked, plopping down next to Magnus.

“Indeed,” Magnus said, closing his eyes.

“You guys were amazing,” Isabelle praised. She wasn’t at the cafe often, usually working behind the scenes. Though with how big the event was, she came in to help.

“Yeah, seriously. The way you two moved, it was like lightning fast,” Simon commented.

“Thank you. You guys were amazing too. Though, I can’t say Simon singing was a great idea..” Maia said, referencing to Simon deciding to break out into a song, jamming his guitar. Simon had a good voice, but the cats were not fond of the guitar.

“Right, yeah, that was horrible,” Simon agreed. Isabelle let out a laugh, pointing out at how the cats collectively let out a hiss at the same time. They were like hyenas.

“Alexander did wonderful,” Magnus joined in. “I thought you were going to lose your shit when that lady’s child picked up the cat by its tail. Instead, you handled it with such grace and professionalism.”

Alec groaned at the memory, shaking his head. “Children need to be taught to handle animals carefully. They’re stronger than they look.”

Magnus has had way too many unfortunate encounters with children to know just how true that was. Their hands may be small, but their strength can be deadly. At least children make up for it by being adorable cute.

“Do you think you have it from here, Alec? Mom’s making me handle some papers so I need to get a head start,” Isabelle asked.

“And I have to study for my Biology exam tomorrow,” Maia said.

“Yeah, I should be fine,” Alec said, looking around the room. “Cleanup doesn’t look so bad.”

“I can stay and help,” Magnus offered. He had an hour or two to spare, and even though his feet are burning, he didn’t want to leave Alec alone.

“Really? Thanks.”

Isabelle clapped her hands in satisfaction, turning to grab Simon’s hand. “Okay. And don’t forget to let me know who you’ll be bringing, Alec. It’s very important!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alec mumbled, waving as Isabelle and Simon left. Maia soon followed behind, Magnus wishing her luck on her exam in the morning.

Both Magnus and Alec got to work right away, sweeping the floor and cleaning the tables. They ushered the cats that hadn’t been available for adoption yet back into the cat room, giving them food and water. They also checked inventory, marking what needed to be refilled and such. Alec let out a yawn, leaning against the counter.

“I can’t wait to go home and crawl into my bed. I’m so tired,” Alec said.

“Me too. I just want to make a nice cup of hot chocolate and snuggle into my bed next to Chairman,” Magnus said with a yearning.

“Hot chocolate sounds amazing.”

“I know. Though now that I think about, do I really want to be the one who makes it? I’ve been making and serving drinks all day and really, I just don’t even want to think about it.”

Alec chuckled, humming in agreement.

“So, what was Isabelle talking about? About informing her of who you will be bringing?” Magnus prompted with curiosity.

“Oh, that,” Alec huffed. “It’s nothing, really. She just wants me to bring a date to Simon’s gig this Friday.”

“Ah, I see. Have you thought of anyone?”

“There is someone...but I don’t know. I’m not sure he’s interested anyway.”

“Please, that’s absurd. I’m sure he’s very interested.”

Alec looked at Magnus with a pointed look, mumbling a ‘yeah, right’. Magnus rolled his eyes, walking over towards Alec. Seriously, who wouldn’t be interested in Alec?

“Look, even if he doesn’t end up interested, it never hurts to ask, does it?” Magnus pointed out. “Ask him out right now. Text him or call him, whatever. If he says no, which I doubt, then I will gladly take his place.”

Alec sputtered, a strangled laugh escaping his mouth. “There’s just one problem with that: the guy I want to ask out, is standing right in front of me.”

Magnus stared at Alec, shock settling in. Oh. Honestly, how dim was Alec? Did he really think Magnus wouldn’t be interested? For heaven’s sake, Magnus had plainly asked him out last week, though it seems as if Alec didn’t take that seriously. It would explain why he never took up on the offer.

“Alexander,” Magnus finally managed to choke out, “of course I’d love to go out with you. I was serious about that whole playdate thing, you know?”

“Seriously?” Alec asked with wide eyes. “I thought you were just joking.”

“No, never. Maybe I should’ve been clearer, but my offer was very real,” Magnus said, brushing his thumb across Alec’s jawline.

Alec swallowed thickly, his eyes flicking down to Magnus’s lips before returning back to Magnus’s gaze. “M-maybe I can take you up on that offer right now? I think Church would enjoy it very much. And well, I could make us some hot chocolate.”

Magnus smiled, biting his lips. “That sounds lovely.”

And it was indeed lovely. Chairman Meow and Church hit it off great, immediately running off and hiding somewhere. Magnus and Alec ended up falling asleep on the couch, arms entangled, spent from their heavy makeout session. Magnus couldn’t help but to smile to himself as he imagined the future, him and Alec with their two children and fifty cats. They’d be the crazy cat family.

--

Thank you to @icymalec for looking this over ~

[my-nameless-bliss]

for the meme: Malec + adopting kittens with the kids

Thanks!

This was clearly a mistake. A trip to the humane society had seemed like a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon, but it’s becoming clear that it was a severe lapse in judgement. Because now they’re holed up in a little room, with four cats all to themselves, and Magnus is quickly realizing that this isn’t going to be as ‘casual’ of a visit as they’d planned. Max is trying to climb a multi-tiered scratching post to befriend the grumpy old tabby sleeping on top of it, and Magnus has to gently pull him away and set his feet back on the floor. “This whole time, I’d thought that George and Meow were enough for us.” He sighs as Max immediately picks a different cat to bother. “Do we really need another cat?”

Rafe looks up from his spot in the corner, where he’s been sitting with a fluffy gray kitten this whole time. For the moment, he’s taken off his stim bracelet, and he’s trailing it back and forth across the floor while the kitten gives a furious chase (Magnus makes a mental note to switch out that bracelet for a clean one before Rafe puts it back in his mouth). “Papa,” he says plainly, “we don’t need any cats.” The kitten gets all of its limbs wrapped around Rafe’s arm, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

It may be a last resort, but Magnus looks over to Alec, hoping he might be able to give Magnus a bit of support- But Alec is sitting cross-legged on the floor, hunched over himself, and there’s a skinny black cat perched carefully on his shoulders, purring away happily. When he sees the look on Magnus’s face, he just gives him an apologetic little shrug. “Rafe’s got a point.”

-send me a character or pairing, and a prompt, and I’ll write a three-paragraph fic for you!-

[theshadowmalec]

City of Ashes (Cut out scene/ Extra)

Kissed

The story of Malec's first kiss, and how Alec asked Magnus out on a date.

It was printed on thin paper, nearly parchment, in a thin, elegant, spidery hand. It announced a gathering at the humble home of Magnus the Magnificent Warlock, and promised attendees "a rapturous evening of delights beyond your wildest imaginings."

— City of Bones

Standing in the stairwell of Magnus’ home, Alec stared at the name written under the buzzer on the wall. BANE. The name didn’t really seem to suit Magnus, he thought, not now that he knew him. If you could really be said to know someone when you’d attended one of their parties, once, and then they’d saved your life later but hadn’t really hung around to be thanked. But the name Magnus Bane made him think of a towering sort of figure, with huge shoulders and formal purple warlock’s robes, calling down fire and lightning. Not Magnus himself, who was more of a cross between a panther and a demented elf.

Alec took a deep breath and let it out. Well, he’d come this far; he might as well go on. The bare lightbulb hanging overhead cast sweeping shadows as he reached forward and pressed the buzzer.

A moment later a voice echoed through the stairwell. “WHO CALLS UPON THE HIGH WARLOCK?”

“Er,” Alec said. “It’s me. I mean, Alec. Alec Lightwood.”

There was a sort of silence, as if even the hallway itself were surprised. Then a ping, and the second door opened, letting him out onto the stairwell. He headed up the rickety stairs into the darkness, which smelled like pizza and dust. The second floor landing was bright, the door at the far end open. Magnus Bane was leaning in the entryway.

Compared to the first time Alec has seen him, he looked fairly normal. His black hair still stood up in spikes, and he looked sleepy; his face, even with its cat’s eyes, very young. He wore a black t-shirt with the words ONE MILLION DOLLARS picked out across the chest in sequins, and jeans that hung low on his hips, low enough that Alec looked away, down at his own shoes. Which were boring.

“Alexander Lightwood,” said Magnus. He had just the faintest trace of an accent, something Alec couldn’t put his finger on, a lilt to his vowels. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Alec looked past Magnus. “Do you have — company?”

Magnus crossed his arms, which did good things for his biceps, and leaned against the side of the door. “Why do you want to know?”

“I was hoping I could come in and talk to you.”

“Hmmm.” Magnus’ eyes raked him up and down. They really did shine in the dark, like a cat’s. “Well, all right then.” He turned abruptly away and disappeared into the apartment; after a startled moment, Alec followed.

The loft looked different without a hundred churning bodies in it. It was — well, not ordinary, but the sort of space someone might live in. Like most lofts, it had a big central room split into “rooms” by groupings of furniture. There was a square collection of sofas and tables off to the right, which Magnus gestured Alec toward. Alec sat down on a gold velvet sofa with elegant wooden curlicues on the arms.

“Would you like some tea?” Magnus asked. He wasn’t sitting in a chair, but had sprawled himself on a tufted ottoman, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

Alec nodded. He felt incapable of saying anything. Anything interesting or intelligent, that was. It was always Jace who said the interesting, intelligent things. He was Jace’s parabatai and that was all the glory he needed or wanted: like being the dark star to someone else’s supernova. But this was somewhere Jace couldn’t go with him, something Jace couldn’t help him with. “Sure.”

His right hand felt suddenly hot. He looked down, and realized he was holding a waxed paper cup from Joe, the Art of Coffee. It smelled like chai. He jumped, and only barely escaped spilling on himself. “By the Angel —”

“I LOVE that expression,” said Magnus. “It’s so quaint.”

Alec stared at him. “Did you steal this tea?”

Magnus ignored the question. “So,” he said. “Why are you here?”

Alec took a gulp of the stolen tea. “I wanted to thank you,” he said, when he came up for air. “For saving my life.”

Magnus leaned back on his hands. His t-shirt rode up over his flat stomach, and this time Alec had nowhere else to look. “You wanted to thank me.”

“You saved my life,” Alec said, again. “But I was delirious, and I don’t think I really thanked you. I know you didn’t have to do it. So thank you.”

Magnus’ eyebrows had disappeared up into his hairline. “You’re . . .welcome?”

Alec set his tea down. “Maybe I should go.”

Magnus sat up. “After you came so far? All the way to Brooklyn? Just to thank me?” He was grinning. “Now that would be a wasted effort.” He reached out and put his hand to Alec’s cheek, his thumb brushing along the cheekbone. His touch felt like fire, training tendrils of sparks in its wake. Alec sat frozen in surprise — surprise at the gesture, and surprise at the effect it was having on him. Magnus’ eyes narrowed, and he dropped his hand. “Huh,” he said to himself.

“What?” Alec was suddenly very worried that he’d done something wrong. “What is it?”

“You’re just . . .” A shadow moved behind Magnus; with fluid agility, the warlock twisted around and picked up a small gray and white tabby cat from the floor. The cat curled into the crook of his arm and looked at Alec with suspicion. Now two pairs of gold-green eyes were trained on him darkly. “Not what I expected.”

“From a Shadowhunter?”

“From a Lightwood.”

“I didn’t realize you knew my family that well.”

“I’ve known your family for hundreds of years.” Magnus’ eyes searched his face. “Now your sister, she’s a Lightwood. You—’

“She said you liked me.”

“What?”

“Izzy. My sister. She told me you liked me. Liked me, liked me.”

“Liked you, liked you?” Magnus buried his grin in the cat’s fur. “Sorry. Are we twelve now? I don’t recall saying anything to Isabelle . . .”

“Jace said it too.” Alec was blunt; it was the only way he knew how to be. “That you liked me. That when he buzzed up here, you thought he was me and you were disappointed that it was him. That never happens.”

“Doesn’t it? Well, it should.”

Alec was startled. “No — I mean Jace, he’s . . . Jace.”

“He’s trouble,” said Magnus. “But you are totally without guile. Which in a Lightwood, is a conundrum. You’ve always been a plotting sort of family, like low-rent Borgias. But there isn’t a lie in your face. I get the feeling everything you say is straightforward.”

Alec leaned forward. “Do you want to go out with me?”

Magnus blinked. “See, that’s what I mean. Straightforward.”

Alec chewed his lip and said nothing.

“Why do you want to go out with me?” Magnus inquired. He was rubbing Chairman Meow’s head, his long fingers folding the cat’s ears down. “Not that I’m not highly desirable, but the way you asked, it seemed as if you were having some sort of fit —”

“I just do,” Alec said. “And I thought you liked me, so you’d say yes, and I could try — I mean, we could try —” He put his face in his hands. “Maybe this was a mistake.”

Magnus’ voice was gentle. “Does anyone know you’re gay?”

Alec’s head jerked up; he found he was breathing a little hard, as if he’d run a race. But what could he do, deny it? When he’d come here to do exactly the opposite? “Clary,” he said, hoarsely. “Which is . . . Which was an accident. And Izzy, but she’d never say anything.”

“Not your parents. Not Jace?”

Alec thought about Jace knowing, and pushed the thought away, hard and fast. “No. No, and I don’t want them to know, especially Jace.”

“I think you could tell him.” Magnus rubbed Chairman Meow under the chin. “He went to pieces like a jigsaw puzzle when he thought you were going to die. He cares —”

“I’d rather not.” Alec was still breathing quickly. He rubbed at the knees of his jeans with his fists. “I’ve never had a date,” he said in a low voice. “Never kissed anyone. Not ever. Izzy said you liked me and I thought —”

“I’m not unsympathetic. But do you like me? Because this being gay business doesn’t mean you can just throw yourself at any guy and it’ll be fine because he’s not a girl. There are still people you like and people you don’t.”

Alec thought of his bedroom back at the Institute, of being in a delirium of pain and poison when Magnus had come in. He had barely recognized him. He was fairly sure he’d been screaming for his parents, for Jace, for Izzy, but his voice would only come out on a whisper. He remembered Magnus’ hands on him, his fingers cool and gentle. He remembered the death-grip he’d kept on Magnus’ wrist, for hours and hours, even after the pain had passed and he knew he would be all right. He remembered watching Magnus’ face in the light of the rising sun, the gold of sunrise sparking gold out of his eyes, and thinking how oddly beautiful he was, with his cat’s gaze and grace.

“Yes,” Alec said. “I like you.”

He met Magnus’ gaze squarely. The warlock was looking at him with a sort of admixture of curiosity and affection and puzzlement. “It’s so odd,” Magnus said. “Genetics. Your eyes, that color —” He stopped and shook his head.

“The Lightwoods you knew didn’t have blue eyes?”

“Green-eyed monsters,” said Magnus, and grinned. He deposited Chairman Meow on the ground, and the cat moved over to Alec, and rubbed against his leg. “The Chairman likes you.”

“Is that good?”

“I never date anyone my cat doesn’t like,” Magnus said easily, and stood up. “So let’s say Friday night?”

A great wave of relief came over Alec. “Really? You want to go out with me?”

Magnus shook his head. “You have to stop playing hard to get, Alexander. It makes things difficult.” He grinned. He had a grin like Jace’s — not that they looked anything alike, but the sort of grin that lit up his whole face. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Alec drifted after Magnus toward the front door, feeling as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders, one he hadn’t even known he was carrying. Of course he’d have to come up with an excuse for where he was going Friday night, something Jace wouldn’t want to participate in, something he’d need to do alone. Or he could pretend to be sick and sneak out. He was so lost in thought he almost banged into the front door, which Magnus was leaning against, looking at him through eyes narrowed to crescents.

“What is it?” Alec said.

“Never kissed anyone?” Magnus said. “No one at all?”

“No,” said Alec, hoping this didn’t disqualify him from being datable. “Not a real kiss —”

“Come here.” Magnus took him by the elbows and pulled him close. For a moment Alec was entirely disoriented by the feeling of being so close to someone else, to the kind of person he’d wanted to be close to for so long. Magnus was long and lean but not skinny; his body was hard, his arms lightly muscled but strong; he was an inch or so taller than Alec, which hardly ever happened, and they fit together perfectly. Magnus’ finger was under his chin, tilting his face up, and then they were kissing. Alec heard a small hitching gasp come from his own throat and then their mouths were pressed together with a sort of controlled urgency. Magnus, Alec thought dazedly, really knew what he was doing. His lips were soft, and he parted Alec’s expertly, exploring his mouth: a symphony of lips, teeth, tongue, every movement waking up a nerve ending Alec had never known he had.

He found Magnus’ waist with his fingers, touching the strip of bare skin he’d been trying to avoid looking at before, and slid his hands up under Magnus’ shirt. Magnus jerked with surprise, then relaxed, his hands running down Alec’s arms, over his chest, his waist, finding the belt loops on Alec’s jeans and using them to pull him closer. His mouth left Alec’s and Alec felt the hot pressure of his lips on his throat, where the skin was so sensitive that it seemed directly connected to the bones in his legs, which were about to give out. Just before he slid to the floor, Magnus let him go. His eyes were shining and so was his mouth.

“Now you’ve been kissed,” he said, reached behind him, and yanked the door open. “See you Friday?”

Alec cleared his throat. He felt dizzy, but he also felt alive — blood rushing through his veins like traffic at top speed, everything seemingly almost too brightly colored. As he stepped through the door, he turned and looked at Magnus, who was watching him bemusedly. He reached forward and took hold of the front of Magnus’ t-shirt and dragged the warlock toward him. Magnus stumbled against him, and Alec kissed him, hard and fast and messy and unpracticed, but with everything he had. He pulled Magnus against him, his own hand between them, and felt Magnus’ heart stutter in his chest.

He broke off the kiss, and drew back.

“Friday,” he said, and let Magnus go. He backed away, down the landing, Magnus looking after him. The warlock crossed his arms over his shirt — wrinkled where Alec had grabbed it — and shook his head, grinning.

“Lightwoods,” Magnus said. “They always have to have the last word.”

He shut the door behind him, and Alec ran down the steps, taking them two at a time, his blood still singing in his ears like music.