#i really do not know how to shut up about magnus bane huh ! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

alecmagnuslwb · 4 years ago

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Isn’t It Demonic

(There’s a bit at the end of this all for @izzymalec who gave me an interesting fic idea that sadly I couldn’t make into a whole fic, but I wanted to give a shout out to it. Without further ado, enjoy Demon Alec and Ghost Warlock Magnus.)

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“You son of a bitch!”

Alexander stands at the edge of the house just inside the door, rage and fire burning through his veins. The warlock who’d summoned him stands outside a smug grin on his face.

“Did you really think I would be stupid enough to not recognize the wording you used in our deal,” Lorenzo says standing there with a pompous attitude he’s nowhere near earned. Alexander is good at what he does, he’d very carefully worded their deal, a series of hard to find ingredients for freedom on earth, no time windows, an open-ended stay. In hindsight now he’s realizing he technically left an opening; an opening that sadly this prick has taken full advantage of. It’s still a broken deal though, free reign this isn’t. “You wanted free and free you are.”

“Maybe you caught on to my slip up, but that doesn’t mean you’re smart. You still broke a deal with a demon, I said free reign, not just free,” Alexander snarls. “This isn’t free, this is a trap, you violated the deal. I’ll come for you.”

“Good luck with that,” Lorenzo says straightening his jacket and slipping away with a smug grin unbothered. The door to the house he’s stuck in slams shut and Alexander seethes. He’s not sure how long he stands there kicking at the door and yelling, but he knows no one is going to hear him. The little bastard isn’t that powerful definitely not powerful enough to kill him, but evidently he’s powerful enough to bind a house and Alexander’s powers and he’s done it well.

It’s going to take some time and some work to get out of here and kill Lorenzo. Luckily Alexander has all the time in the world.

Alexander turns around stalking through the house and into the library. There’s dust everywhere, he doesn’t know who this house belonged to, but they had taste. Clearly it was never actually Lorenzo’s place.

He finds a dusty old drink cart and picks up a well-aged whiskey drinking directly from the bottle. He goes over to the wall of books picking ones off the shelf and tossing the ones that don’t interest him over his shoulder.

“Could you not do that,” a voice says from behind him. “I’m no neat freak and I’ve been known to toss around a book or two, but I do hate to see quality first editions thrown about.”

Alexander turns around and there in a deep red sitting chair is probably the most attractive man he’s seen in his many centuries of existence. The man is sat lazily across the chair like a lounging cat, a very attractive lounging cat. His lean, chiseled chest and arms are a vision in a black button up mesh shirt with a floral pattern, his strong legs in a pair of well-tailored navy pants send Alexander’s eyes trailing up and down his form.

He’s not shy about his interest and the man clearly isn’t either as he gives Alexander’s all black suit ensemble an appreciative up and down glance as well.

Alexander is so thrown by the man’s appearance that it takes him a full minute to realize he doesn’t know who he is or how he’s here.

“Who are you?” he says with a teasing smirk before turning to put the book in his hand back on the shelf properly.

“I should be asking you that question,” the man says suddenly right by Alexander’s side. He didn’t even hear him move. “You are in my house.”

Alexander hums in understanding eyeing the man up and down once again now that he’s standing, he’s only a bit shorter than Alexander and up close he can now admire the sharp line of his dark eyeliner and the deep blue streak at the front of his dark hair. He looks around the room next, the style matching.

“That makes sense,” he says stepping closer, but not quite touching the other man. “Lorenzo must be a pretty good friend if you’re willing to have a demon roommate.”

The man makes a disgusted face, his brown eyes switching to bright yellow cat eyes that glow with anger. He’s a warlock too.

“Never call Lorenzo Rey my friend,” he says stepping away from Alexander. The suspenders dangling from his waist move tantalizingly as he goes and Alexander has to hold in a growl at the view. He may be a demon, but he also likes to be a bit of gentlemen which is the only thing that keeps him from grabbing the suspenders and pulling the man close.

“The bastard did kill me after all,” the man says with unbridled rage. He bends down, Alexander appreciating the view for a moment despite his surprise at the man’s words, and attempts to pick up the book on the floor. His hand goes right through it.

Alexander sits his drink aside and bends down beside him picking up the book. He reaches over the man sitting it on the table beside the chair.

“I’m Alexander,” he says holding out his hand.

The man looks at it skeptically.

“You know I’ll just go right through that right?” he says gesturing at Alexander’s offered hand. “Plus, I wasn’t born yesterday, never shake a demon’s hand you never know what deal they’re cooking up in their heads.”

Alexander smirks drawing his hand back. He had no ulterior motives, this time, other than to hope that maybe a ghost of a warlock and a demon can touch.

“Smart and beautiful, huh,” he says standing to his full height. The man joins him an imperceptible bit of flustering in his cheeks that he recovers from quickly.

“I’m Magnus Bane,” he says walking with grace back over to the chair and draping himself across it once again. “And the only thing I can touch is furniture.”

Alexander unbuttons his jacket and takes a seat in the opposing chair.

“Nice to meet you Magnus Bane,” he says grabbing for his bottle again. “So, you hate Lorenzo too?”

Magnus snorts at that. “Hate is an understatement; he was a thorn in my side for centuries and then when he couldn’t win over enough people to take my High Warlock post he killed me, which for the record had he not caught me off guard by weaseling into my home after I’d been on a night out drunk off my ass and stabbed me in the neck from behind he would have never pulled it off. Then he trapped me in my home with no magic and no way out.”

Alexander tosses the last of the whiskey in the bottle back.

“Well he just trapped me here,” Alexander says crossing his legs.

“You aren’t the first,” Magnus says running a hand through his hair. It draws Alexander’s attention to his biceps. “He’s used my home for this before, you must be stronger than the others though because he just killed them to get out of his deals.”

“I am,” Alexander says with bravado, the bravado that he uses to intimidate, but not to scare, a bravado that clearly doesn’t intimidate Magnus if the way he rolls his eyes are anything to go by. Alexander likes that he’s not intimidated, it’s different from everyone else’s reactions. “I’ve worked very hard to make sure warlocks think me a lower level demon without a face, not a demon somewhere in the middle with this killer physique.” He finishes gesturing to his body; his eyes slip to their natural black seductively.

“And yet you’re still trapped here,” Magnus says with a sardonic smile and Alexander can’t help but grin in response.

They talk for a little while longer. Trading basic information about the house and how they got here. As far as the outside world is concerned Magnus died in a horrible potion gone wrong accident nearly two years ago, the once vibrant potion room still blown to smithereens.

Where Lorenzo lacks in technical skill or raw power he makes up for with dirty tricks, leaving no trace of anything for anyone to find. Even Magnus’ closest friends who’d worked hard to poke holes in the story couldn’t find a single thing to question about his death.

“As far as I can tell only demons can see me, Lorenzo only figured out I was still lingering because the first demon he trapped here had a big mouth,” he explains wandering in circles around the room passing through the walls occasionally. “He worked up a spell to bind my spirit hear just in case after that.”

Alexander tests his powers coming up with almost nothing at every snap of his fingers, it’s a far too damn good binding. Lorenzo had to have had some help, there’s no way someone with a ponytail that slimy could do this by himself. When Alexander poses the theory Magnus is already ahead of him with a list of possible accomplices.

“He’s built up enough dirt to blackmail plenty of people over the years, but those three are the prime suspects, the weakest in backbone, but strongest in power,” Magnus says.

Night turns into day and into night again as they talk, neither the ghost nor the demon requiring sleep. It’s after all those hours that Alexander feels it’s time to pose a deal.

“Make a deal with me,” he says and he can see the no on Magnus’ lips already. He continues quickly before Magnus can fight it. “I’m sure I can muster up enough power to seal a deal, make you corporeal again and grant you access to your magic, all you’ll have to do for me is get me out of here in exchange.”

Magnus looks like he’s considering it for a moment, like the prospect of having his magic again is enough to make him say yes.

“Not a chance,” he says, putting his hands on his hips and for the first time in hours not pacing. “There’s always a catch when you deal with a demon. Especially one as pretty as you.”

Alexander smiles, a real smile at the pretty comment, but doesn’t love the rest of what he said.

“There’s no catch,” he says as genuinely as he knows how to sound. Magnus doesn’t buy it though.

“Bullshit, there’s always a catch,” he says and with that he’s out the door, or through it more so off to some other part of the house.

Alexander lets out a frustrated groan, pushing his hands through his hair.

***

Alexander determines quickly that pushing the deal idea will only make Magnus more opposed to it, so he steps back. If Magnus is hesitant to help him well he’s just going to have to bide his time.

He doesn’t mention getting out of the house or Lorenzo at all, instead he just asks about Magnus. It starts as a game, a game to get Magnus to go along with his plan, but quickly he finds himself interested in who Magnus is not just how he looks and how he could help him.

He tells Magnus about himself in return, about his style of being a demon, how he’s called on more often by bad people than good and he happily takes their souls. How he’s kinder to the kids who stumble on things and call upon him for vengeance or something of the sort. He’s not trying to soften himself to Magnus necessarily, but he’s trying to show him how he deals, how Magnus lands on the side of good and he wouldn’t screw him over.

“What are you playing at?” Magnus asks him late one evening when Alexander starts off the night trading off stories of deals gone wrong. Magnus doesn’t flinch when he tells a story about a mundane that asked for a pet hellhound that ultimately ate him, so Alexander pushes and asks for a little more than just the surface Magnus and gets a few stories in return. Stories about how he grew up, about some of his wilder adventures in the 50’s and 60’s, even one about the 1480’s which Alexander is fairly certain isn’t true.

“I’m not playing at anything,” he says meaning it, he’s really not anymore. Or if he is it’s on the backburner of his mind. “Well, I do play piano though.” He says swerving the subject and gesturing to the piano at the corner of the library, he’s explored a bit, but in the two weeks he’s been stuck here he’s rarely left this room.

He walks over to the piano and sits down playing his fingers over the keys.

“Do you play?” he asks as he plays out a quick short melody.

Magnus joins him sliding over to sit on top of the piano and lay across it on his side. He leans over between where Alexander’s hands are and goes right through the keys. Alexander’s hands move in closer to Magnus’ and he quickly jumps his hand back. He keeps doing that, never letting Alexander get close to even see if they could touch, like he’s scared what it would mean if they could.

“Nope, not even when I could touch the keys,” he explains. “A friend of mine does, I bought it for him when he was staying here for a while.”

“A good friend?” Alexander asks playing another soft melody. He’s a little jealous at the mention of a man who lived here, he’s figured out Magnus is bisexual by now so there could be an implication there. It’s ridiculous even if they were more than a friend it’s not like Alexander has any right to be jealous of an ex, he’s not exactly a blushing virgin demon himself or that he and Magnus are anything more than unwilling, ridiculously good looking roommates.

“More like a brother,” he says and Alexander feels a little relieved. “Or a son I guess considering how young he was when he was turned.”

Alexander raises an eyebrow in question.

“Vampire,” Magnus explains. “He struggled a bit with the change and I took him in.” He sounds sad thinking about the people he’s left behind, Alexander has a feeling this vampire he’s talking about is one of the friends that fought to question if Magnus was really dead.

Alexander nods in understanding, he’s always been a fan of vampires, they’re smart enough to never coming calling on the likes of him for favors.

He goes back to playing, a melody he only barely knows from at least four centuries ago the last time he spent longer than a few short days on earth. This time is far more enjoyable though, that had been a few days of watching the mayhem mundanes caused without any divine intervention, this has been an admittedly frustrating time of being trapped, but being trapped with a man who intrigues him to no end.

***

Weeks pass and Lorenzo never dares show his face in the house again. He makes do though, spending time with Magnus, reading some of his favorite books both in the quiet alone and occasionally aloud just to see Magnus smile.

Despite contrary belief, demons do feel emotion, not easily and not often, but they do feel. Alexander has a fondness for another demon he thinks of as a sister, he’s cared for lovers in the past even if he’s never truly fallen for them, but Magnus Bane makes him feel even more.

Demon’s fall in love rarely, but when they do they fall hard. Their names get echoed in whispers forever about the things they gave up for mere love. The more time he spends with Magnus the more he thinks he’s going end up being one of those whispered names.

Magnus is tough to get a read on sometimes though, he’s open as a book with no binding one moment and then locked as tight as a safe that no one knows the combination to the next. Alexander understands it though, end of the day he’s a demon and getting close to a demon is always to be done with caution.

It doesn’t stop Alexander from flirting to his heart’s content and hoping that his more genuine side shines through.

He spends the time he’s not wooing Magnus wandering through the house, he never goes anywhere Magnus asks him not to, respecting his privacy, but he searches around nonetheless. He even cleans, getting the two years worth of dust off of every surface.

Today he finds himself in the basement, a large empty space it seems aside from the big freezer off to left. He sighs, running his hands along the freezer before lifting it open.

His eyes go wide when he looks inside, there nestled between a few bags of ice is Magnus, or Magnus’ body at least, eyes closed, the hole in his neck from where Lorenzo stabbed him unmissable.

“Holy shit,” he says staring down.

“Such a cliché right?” Magnus says suddenly appearing over his shoulder. “Murdered and tossed in a freezer.”

“This fucker is a regular Hannibal Lector, huh?” Alexander says looking at Magnus now, not his frozen body.

Magnus chuckles. “Blissfully, he��s never cooked any part of me,” he says with a smile.

“Why’d he keep your body?” Alexander asks cocking his hip and leaning against the freezer.

Magnus shrugs mirroring Alexander’s position.

“Not sure, at first I thought he was going to use my blood for some ritual or something, it’s not every day you get your hands on the blood of the son of a greater demon,” he pauses eyeing Alexander like he’s trying to gauge his reaction about the casual reveal. Alexander’s a demon himself, he’s not about to judge. “But instead he just keeps me down here instead of getting rid of the evidence, he doesn’t even bother with glamouring the freezer anymore.”

Magnus stares down at his frozen form longingly. Alexander could probably muster up the power to get rid of it if Magnus asked him to, but he also knows that if they ever plan to get their revenge on Lorenzo having Magnus’ body still here could be an advantage.

There’s also the completely selfish reasoning that if Magnus’ body still exists Alexander could possibly touch him one day.

He shuts the freezer tightly, careful of Magnus’ fingers even though he wouldn’t even feel a pinch if they landed on him and slides down to sit on the floor his back against it. Magnus joins him keeping a good distance between them, but not nearly as much as he usually does.

They sit quietly for a while just sharing space.

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Alexander says after a while. He’s genuine and he can tell from the look in Magnus’ eye that he recognizes that now.

Magnus isn’t a perfect person, there’s a darkness in him, in his past, but he’s good down in his core. Far too good to end up dead and stuffed in freezer, trapped as a ghost in his own home spending his days with a demon.

“You’re awfully nice for a demon, Alexander,” Magnus says tilting his head back against the freezer and then towards Alexander.

Alexander huffs. “I wouldn’t exactly call me nice.”

Magnus shakes his head. “You are,” he says lifting his hand like he wants to reach out but can’t. Which technically he can’t Alexander guesses. “You try to hide it, but you’re not one of those demons who just kills indiscriminately. You’ve said it yourself you take deals with bad people and take everything you can, you take deals with good people and go a little easy. You may be a demon, but there’s a good heart in there.”

Alexander doesn’t know what to say to that, he’s always considered himself a demon with a conscious at best, not one with a heart, so he just lays a hand on top of Magnus’ that sits on the cold floor in thanks. Magnus’ hand flickers for a moment almost like it wants to be solid, a brief rush of warmth passing through them both before Alexander’s hand hits the cold floor.

“Well I’ll be damned,” he says knowing from the surprise on Magnus’ face he felt that too.

Magnus meets his eyes, the yellow cat ones always present now, and a smile pulls at his lips just barely concealing his amusement at the unintended pun.

***

They don’t really talk about the moment in the basement. The physics or magic behind how it could feel almost like touch between them probably isn’t recorded anywhere anyway, it’s not like demons and ghosts of warlocks historically spend a lot of time together.

They’re probably the first duo of their kind in history.

But it is like a silent agreement has been made, a barrier has been broken. Magnus doesn’t shy away anymore or disappear for hours on end without a word, he talks a little more, telling stories that don’t feel like they’re made up and Alexander does the same in return.

They get each other, and it’s clear that not many have ever gone out of their way to get who Magnus is, Alexander wants to find them all and curse them. A plan that he knows Magnus wouldn’t judge him for, he’s a demon there’s no getting around that he’s done diabolical things and he likely will again, but Magnus seems to understand him. To understand his motivations and the fact that he’s not all bad, he’s more gray than anything else.

He warms up a little more to Alexander once he understands how he operates, especially when he tells him he loves to give counteroffers to people who are the targets of other vicious dealers.

“Just because I’m designed to be wicked, doesn’t mean I think other people should be allowed to be,” he says one night lying on the floor, Magnus draped across a nearby couch.

“Kind of like the way they say Lucifer doesn’t make man evil, he just punishes the ones who do it,” Magnus says in thought and Alexander smiles a real smile, because he gets it.

Through it all he almost forgets about the fact that he’s trapped, that they’re both still looking for revenge until Magnus brings it up again one day.

Alexander steps out of the bathroom attached to Magnus’ bedroom, a room he’s now been granted access to. The water still runs, and even though he doesn’t necessarily need to he loves a good shower from time to time in the same way he loves a good nap even if it’s not needed either.

He steps out his hair still wet wearing the same pants he’s been wearing since he got stuck here and a dark red shirt with a gold embroidered collar that is actually Magnus’, a little big in the arms he rolls up the too short sleeves when he spots Magnus lying flat on the bed one leg bent up.

His eyes trail down his form, aside from the few pictures he’s been shown and seen around the house, he’s only ever seen Magnus in this one outfit and damn is it a good outfit. The lines of his abs are visible underneath his sheer shirt and Alexander loves to soak up the image.

Magnus lifts up when he notices Alexander standing there moving to sit cross legged with a smile.

“You never asked?” he says out of nowhere no context provided.

“Asked?” Alexander questions moving to sit next to him on the bed.

“About my father, I said the whole blood of a greater demon’s son thing and you just never asked,” Magnus explains.

Alexander shrugs. “To be frank, I don’t give a fuck who your father is, I give fuck who you are,” he says letting that emotion he feels more and more of these days slip through. It’s probably doomed to fall in love with a ghost, but he’s gone and done it anyways. “Plus, honestly most greater demons are assholes.”

He says the second part as a joke, but Magnus doesn’t laugh. He just looks at Alexander stunned and if he’s reading him right grateful.

“Asmodeus,” he whispers and Alexander purses his lips in thought.

“Yup, absolute asshole,” he says with a smirk.

Magnus laughs finally, the laugh that Alexander was hoping to get out of him.

“So you’ve met then,” he says still laughing.

Alexander shakes his head, they’re from different hell dimensions so they don’t exactly run into each other at bars.

“Sort of, only in passing once about three centuries ago when I got into a bit of a scuffle with one of Lilith’s lackeys, and I wasn’t impressed,” he says. “I’m far more impressed with his son.” He adds with a smile reaching out and running his hand along Magnus’ jaw. The same thing that happened in the basement happens, a moment of solid warmth that’s almost real before his hand falls through and back to his own side.

Magnus stares at his fallen hand his face twisted in thought before he lifts his eyes back up.

“What exactly would your terms for a deal be?” Magnus asks and it throws Alexander for a second. He’s barely thought about the idea of a deal between them in months. “Could you really make me corporeal and put my magic back?”

“Well, when I first posed it I’ll admit the second part was a theory, your magical essence lives in your body not your spirit,” he explains. “But, that was before I knew your body was still here, it’s even easier, I just put you back where you belong.”

“You mean like raise me from the dead?” Magnus says skeptically. It’s good he’s skeptic, necromancy is no joke for anyone.

“Not exactly, I don’t fuck with necromancy it always goes bad in the end. But your body and your spirit could reconnect, as could your magic,” he explains, he’s done it once before, so long ago he barely remembers. A deal made for a young warlock who’d lost her adoptive warlock mother. As far as he knows they’re still happy and alive-ish.

“And since he only bound my spirit in these walls, put it back in my body and he can’t hold me or my magic here anymore,” he says, then pauses. “Is it permanent?”

“It can be,” Alexander nods, hoping Magnus wants it to be. He deserves to be as alive as he can be for as long as possible. “It’s not exactly like being a vampire or a zombie, but somewhere in between. You’d essentially be like me, blood in your veins, heartbeat in your chest but no need to live by the rules of any downworlder or mundane anymore. Your immortality will return, but let’s just say it’ll take a lot more than a sneak attack to kill you. Food, sleep, all these things become optional.”

Magnus considers him for a moment scrunching up his face adorably in deep thought.

“What would you need in return?”

“Nothing,” Alexander says. It’s completely unconventional, but it’s true. Revenge against Lorenzo is still important, but Magnus has become far more important.

“Nope,” Magnus says and Alexander goes to defend himself. Magnus cuts him off a finger hovering above his lips. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, I do, but a deal needs to be just that a deal.”

Alexander rolls his eyes, but concedes.

“Fine, dinner, you and me, one dinner, one date, no requirements except I’m buying,” he says with a wicked little smile.

“Just dinner?”

“Yup,” he says popping the p and licking his lips. He’d also like a few things after dinner, he’s spent many a night thinking about getting his hands under that sheer shirt and into those tight pants, but he’s confident enough to believe those things can be given freely and willingly whenever Magnus is ready.

“Okay, then we have a deal,” Magnus says after a few long moments of silence and consideration. He holds out a hand and Alexander takes it best he can, the almost touch must be enough, because Alexander feels the ties that bind a demon’s deal lock into place.

He stands from the bed gesturing for Magnus to follow and goes to the basement swinging open the freezer. Magnus looks down at his frozen form and gulps.

“Ready?” Alexander asks summoning all his accessible power to one point. He hasn’t used a bit of his available power this entire time, saving it for a moment like this. Magnus nods gripping the edge of the freezer. Alexander wishes he could hold his hand. He snaps and Magnus’ spirit disappears, for a deafening few second he’s worried it didn’t work until slowly the color returns to Magnus’ face the ice on his eyelashes and fingertips melting away and the gaping hole in his neck healing back together.

Magnus sits up gasping in a deep breath of air that he no longer technically requires.

Alexander reaches out placing a hand on Magnus’ jaw, there’s no flickering, just solid, freezing cold skin beneath his hand. He runs his hand down to where the neck wound had been, now just a slightly raised white scar against tan skin.

“I’m fucking freezing,” Magnus says reaching up a hand to grip Alexander’s. He laughs pulling back and holding out his hands for Magnus to take. He helps him out of the freezer. Magnus shivers as Alexander closes the freezer tight before pulling Magnus into a hug. They stay there for a long time just holding onto one another, reveling in the touch before Magnus declares he absolutely needs to change his clothes.

“I love this outfit, and clearly you do to,” he says with a shivering smirk. “But I’ve been wearing it every day for two years and I’m over it.”

He snaps his fingers tentatively, uncertainty in his eyes at the prospect of his magic working again, and the outfit Alexander has enjoyed the view of for months now disappears replaced with a whole new equally as stunning ensemble.

He looks down at himself with an unbelievable smile that turns into a wicked smirk on his lips that Alexander wants to kiss when he meets his eyes.

“So, revenge or dinner first?” he asks cheekily.

It takes everything in Alexander not to say dinner first.

***

Watching Magnus work his magic is more mesmerizing than Alexander could have ever imagined it to be.

His arms move swiftly, an entrancing spell of their own and Latin spills from his lips easily, the dep lilting tone of his voice executing each word more perfectly than the demons who invented the language eons ago.

Two years of not a single spell and it’s like it’s only been a few days since he last casted. Magnus eyes are alight with power, his strong shoulders carrying the weight of it all beautifully and with total grace. Alexander watches in awe as Magnus works his way into the walls breaking down the binds that hold Alexander here and limit his power.

A wave of blue magic spirals over the walls of the house and then cascades across Alexander’s skin. The burn against his skin soothes instantly, like Magnus’ magic is healing him even as it burns.

Magnus staggers a bit for a moment after he’s done and Alexander is instantly at his side. He rights himself quickly, his body clearly still acclimating to all being united once again.

“You okay?”

Magnus smiles at him and holds out a hand, “Better than ever. Shall we?”

Alexander takes his hand, now all warm to the touch with magic and blood flowing through him once again. Alexander gives a wicked smirk as he feels his own power flow through him and he snaps his fingers.

***

On the other side of his snap they land in Lorenzo Rey’s living room. His house is more like a castle and it’s hideous, Alexander is not surprised.

They don’t have an exact plan, per se, but they’ve agreed that he deserves a long game of torture, a miserable life trapped as something humiliating, not an easy death.

Lorenzo must feel the disturbance in his wards, he immediately rushes in hands glowing with balls of yellow magic. Magnus and Alec just roll their eyes, he’s no match for the two of them at full power.

“How the hell are you two here?” he says throwing a ball of magic at each of them. Alexander reaches out in front of Magnus and himself and catches the two balls easily in his hands. He shoots them back at Lorenzo’s feet causing him to yelp and jump back.

Magnus smiles and steps forward binding Lorenzo’s hands and feet in burning ropes. He tips over no longer able to keep himself standing. Magnus and Alexander walk over to where he struggles against his burning bonds, each of them standing on one side of Lorenzo.

Magnus twists his hand the ropes getting tighter.

“You really should have gotten rid of my body,” Magnus says crouching down. Alexander joins him.

“And you should have gotten some friends together to kill me,” he says with a no doubt evil smile. It’s a reminder that they still need to figure out who was helping him, he adds it to his mental checklist somewhere after this revenge show, dinner with Magnus and if he’s lucky some other fun with Magnus. “Not that you have any friends.” He adds, a little sharp burn just for fun.

“You can’t kill me, you kill me and the warlocks won’t ever let you have your position back,” Lorenzo spits out.

“Laws don’t apply to me, I can still kill you,” Alexander says gripping Lorenzo’s jaw in a painful hold. His eyes slip into their natural black from the hazel they often sport and he outright growls in anger. Fear lights up Lorenzo’s face.

“Alexander,” Magnus says softly reaching out to circle his wrist. He loosens his grip on Lorenzo and sighs.

“You’re right,” Magnus says diverting his attention to Lorenzo. He tightens the ropes once more just a little, tears forming in the corner of Lorenzo’s eyes. “I can’t kill you, at least not directly, but that’s okay, because I know for a fact that despite your murderous powerplay, Catarina still got the votes for High Warlock and I think she’s better suited for the job than anyone.”

“So no,” Magnus says going to his full height. “You won’t die today, not even by Alexander’s hand. Even though he doesn’t have some of the qualms I do about it,” he pauses smiling at Alexander who’s still crouched on the ground. He lifts a hand floating Lorenzo upright. “But you do have to pay, and I don’t think anyone warlock or otherwise is going to disagree with that.”

Magnus snaps his fingers again and Lorenzo screams. His body convulses, the scales he must hide behind a glamour showing through and then he drops to the ground. His bonds fall the burning ropes settling around a small ugly looking little lizard on the floor.

Alexander stands.

“Hm, he doesn’t look all that different,” Alexander muses eyeing the lizard on the floor. He tries to scurry away and Alexander steps out a foot catching him by the tail. Lizard Lorenzo shrivels back in pain.

Magnus chuckles and waves his hands a cage appearing before him. Magnus picks Lorenzo up and tosses him in unceremoniously, sealing the lid with a small gap for air. He waves his hand again sending Lorenzo off to the basement of his house, right on top of the freezer where he left Magnus’ body all this time.

“So, dinner?” he says stepping back over to Alexander and slipping an arm around his waist.

“Don’t you want to do a dramatic, I’m alive again reveal to your friends?” Alexander asks, knowing Magnus loves a thrill of dramatics every now and then.

“Sort of alive again,” Magnus corrects. Alexander waves the correction away, semantics. “And while I do love the idea, I want to seal this deal first.”

Magnus moves so he’s standing in front of Alexander. Alexander is back in his all black suit and Magnus reaches out fixing the collar of his jacket. He stays put cat eyes looking up directly into Alexander’s still black pools.

Alexander takes the silent invitation and leans in. Their lips meet and Alexander feels like he’s on fire in the best possible way, and he would know he’s been on fire literally before. Their lips and tongues do a dance that feels practiced like they’ve been doing this for centuries not just kissing for the first time. It’s crazy to realize this is only the fourth maybe fifth time they’ve even fully touched.

He’s not sure how long it takes for them to pull back but Magnus’ cat eyes are dilated and he’s sure if he went back to his own hazel ones they’d look much the same.

“Maybe we should skip dinner,” Magnus breathes leaning in to peck Alexander on the lips on more time.

Alexander shakes his head and even though it pains him to say his next words he does.

“Nope dinner first, a deal’s a deal,” he says with a smirk.

***

Six Months Later

Despite the deal being a mess Alexander’s deal with Lorenzo is still technically in place. Alexander does have free reign to stay on earth and stay he does. Dinner with Magnus is great, just being outside of the house is a freeing thing for both of them, but ironically they can’t wait to go back.

He ravishes Magnus’ body that night surrounded by deep red silk sheets and resolves to never sleep anywhere else. Not that either of them have to sleep anymore, it’s just nice to indulge in the act every now and then.

Magnus reveals his rebirth to his friends in particularly dramatic fashion, Alexander’s fairly certain that if a vampire had a still beating heart Raphael’s would have stopped dead in the moment. They welcome him back easily and welcome Alexander in a little more hesitantly.

He gets it, he still is a demon. He still makes deals and collects favors and souls from wicked people along the way there’s good reason to be wary.

They eventually warm up to him though, if for no other reason than the way Magnus looks at him.

They get to work on finding the warlock that helped Lorenzo. Ragnor turns out to be the one with the best lead. They don’t give Malcolm Fade the same fate as Lorenzo though, Lorenzo who last Alexander checked had been turned into a rat for a change Magnus torturing him a bit with a wheel and a treat on a stick he couldn’t reach. A good threat from a demon and a powerful warlock is more than enough to put Malcolm in his place.

Touching Magnus, being able to feel him, not just hear him and see him is like a revolution. Alexander just can’t get enough, life as a demon has left him touch starved and he craves Magnus like a plant craves the sun.

“Morning,” Alexander grumbles reaching out across the sheets. Magnus is already alert sitting up in bed with a book in his hand. Alexander’s fairly certain he didn’t sleep at all.

“Good morning, love,” Magnus says running a hand through Alexander’s messy black hair. He sits up settling next to Magnus and resting his head on his shoulder.

“I had a weird dream,” Alexander says once he’s settled in comfortably. He doesn’t sleep often and he dreams even more rarely, but the more time he spends on earth the more dreams come. “You were a cyborg and I was a merman and we fell in love, but because you couldn’t get wet without malfunctioning we had to find a way to make it work, so we could be together.”

Magnus makes a face and twists away a bit, he grabs Alexander’s chin lightly and examines him. Alexander drops the hazel eyes and goes to full black and Magnus’ breath hitches just a bit, but always one to tease right back he drops his own glamour cat eyes shining with mirth.

“Because being a demon with a conscious and a ghost warlock, turned into an undead warlock isn’t a weird enough love story,” Magnus says, he leans in kissing Alexander once quickly before letting go of his chin. “No more late-night b-movies for you.”

“But I love them,” Alexander grumbles putting on his best big black puppy dog eyes, literally rolling the hazel ones he sports for the world away.

Magnus just rolls his eyes before tossing his book to the side and maneuvering himself so he’s sat on Alexander’s lap. His legs bracket his hips and he leans in pressing his forehead to Alexander’s.

“I love you,” he says bringing his arms up around Alexander’s neck.

“I love you too,” Alexander says, a feeling he never thought he’d feel like this. He pulls Magnus closer, locking their bodies tight together, forever.

#my fic #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters

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alma-berry · 5 years ago

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Timeless Horizons

A sweet little Kitty fic, with a special surprise! This is a collaboration with the amazing @toka-sketch, who made two beautiful illustrations for this story.

Here’s a little sneak peek of Dru and Ty! You can see the full illustrations of them and Kit down at the bottom, as they are filled with spoilers!

Enjoy ❤

Dru is hiding.

Yes, it’s practically comical by now. She’d spent far too much time trying to avoid closing herself from her family and be more present, but today… she can’t help herself. The institute is just swamped with people, with preparations, with the shadow of old ghosts. The only ghost she actually wished to see was Livvy, who by all means should have been present for her brother’s engagement party. Instead, she dreads of meeting the more corporal ghosts of her past… plenty of whom was invited.

Hens, the hiding. Dru wasn’t stupid enough to do it inside the institute, where early guests and the battalion of her siblings were probably itching to make her fold napkins or whatever if any of them laid eyes on her. She was hiding outside the sanctuary, running her bare toes over the sandy concrete stairs that lead to a road connecting the highway.

In a mundane scenario, this wouldn’t have been the brightest choice for a hiding spot, but everyone uses portals these days anyway… it’s not like Magnus Bane would make a road trip out of it and drive all the way from New York to Los Angeles. Dru was sure he doesn’t even drive to the grocery store, not that he even needed to when he could just snap his fingers and voila!

Dru sighed in frustration, she would have loved to be able to summon up some Carmel corn right about now… hiding is dull work.

A loud sound of something like crackling grew closer to where she sat.

Dru sprang to her feet, not intending to be caught in a welcoming party of any sort. But when she started to head back into the institute, a single dark figure became visible right in front of her.

It was a man, climbing down off his motorcycle. There was something familiar about the fluid movement of his body that made her stop in her place and stare.

Long, strong thighs wrapped in tight dark gear stretched as they lifted themselves off the massive bike. Dru arched her eyebrows and let her gaze linger over the soft leather of the rider’s jacket with quiet appreciation, and latched onto the strands of fair hair that peaked out of the helmet that still lay on his head.

A ring of recognition went through her, and it wasn’t long before she connected the dots. This was Jace Herondale.

She ran towards him, avoiding the questions that his abrupt appearance brought up - where was Clary? How did he bring his motorcycle from New York? And most importantly, was it the one that could fly?

Before she could call for him, the man lifted his helmet and a curtain of long, golden curls fell on his neck. Dru’s breath caught in her throat as long, elegant fingers pushed back the tangle of hair and made way for two lucid blue eyes.

This was not Jace Herondale. This, Dru realized with a sharp pang in her chest, was Kit.

“What,” her voice pitched, “the hell are you doing here?”

The shock made her words sharp and shrill. She blushed with sudden guilt, and it was a moment until she remembered she was more than entitled to be upset to see Kit Herondale.

Dru wasn’t supposed to be so surprised to see him. Jem, Tessa, and their cute little peanut, Mina, were already there, but when they said Kit would probably be joining them later, Dru assumed it was just an excuse for Kit to bail on them. Again. She was angry with him, for leaving them, for lying to her. And above all, for leaving Ty.

She cleared her throat and sharpened her gaze on his eye, but the look she found in them silenced her. Kit looked at her like he was afraid she’ll put a blade between his teeth. He also looked like he would have let her. Maybe that look, of a convicted criminal, was what made her soften her expression… and when she did, Kit visibly relaxed, but kept his distance from her all the same.

“I was invited,” Kit said. His voice was husky, hard, but his body was all discomfort. He looked at his boots, his hands twisting down his front like a complicated pretzel.

“I didn’t want to come, I know you probably don’t want to see me,” Dru could feel the acid, eating away the iron of his voice. “But Emma threatened to shave my head while I sleep if I missed this, so… yeah. I didn’t have much choice.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Said Dru.

Kit’s brows rose alarmingly high, his body closing in on itself. Dru knew animals from years of watching her older brother bringing all sorts of creatures inside the institute, so she had seen her fair share of cornered animals. Kit looked like one, so Dru schooled her face into a soft, neutral expression.

“Listen I’m, I’m sorry about-“ He was panting, fighting so hard to get the words out. From his expression, every syllable was a knife to the chest.

Dru silently took back every bad thought she had about Kit. If even after all of this time he reacted like this to the mere sight of her, he couldn’t have been so cold and indifferent like she convinced herself he must be. She hated the times when she caught herself doing the things she criticized most in others, like twisting the truth into an opinion. Like ignoring facts, knowledge, experience, and boxing them into a mold born of hurt.

Searching Kit’s half-shut eyes, Dru let herself remember the boy who lied to her only to keep her brother’s secret safe. The boy who lied only because he had to, not because he wanted to.

“I’m sorry I ditched you and-“, Kit’s voice was small and his face was a patchwork of pale and blotchy. Dru couldn’t take it anymore.

“It’s okay, Kit. I know why you left, it’s…” Dru swallowed hard. “I understand.”

“You do?” Kit paled. He looked honestly startled before his face settled into a frozen non-reaction.

“Yeah… I know about Livvy, and how it, umm, didn’t work out.”

Kit’s blank expression didn’t change, it was as empty as the desert’s sky. Something pulled up Dru’s stomach. She opened her mouth, but between one blink of an eye to another, Kit’s stone face washed under by a strange reservation, and he mumbled “Yeah, okay. Umm, thank you.”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He was scanning the institute behind them so intensely she wondered for a minute if someone was approaching, and then she realized - he must be thinking about Ty.

Kit radiated with coiled-up energy, tense and unforgiving. Dru wasn’t sure if he was afraid, expectant, or both.

“He’s not here.” She said in a small, soothing voice.

Kit stayed still, but Dru detected a slight tightness in his jaw. Was he disappointed? It must be confusing for him, being here after so long, in his hometown, in the first place he learned about being a Shadowhunter. He must be completely overwhelmed. She remembered how pained Kit seemed to be when he tried to apologize to her just a minute ago, and it was just her. He probably would’ve had a fit if it was Ty here in her place.

“He’s still at the Scholomance.” She said into the silence. “They have this super-secret, highly sensitive, just for elected few stupid mission.” Dru let out the exasperated mixture of pride and annoyance her brother’s stories usually made her feel, and although Kit has just nodded once, she was sure his lips had twitched upwards a tiny bit.

“So... a motorcycle, huh?” She smiled at him. “Very Herondale of you.”

Kit let out a full-fledged smirk at her comment, and Dru felt a familiar tap on her heart. This was the Kit she remembered, and the feeling made her push a little more. “I knew they called it Grand Theft Auto for a reason. I can’t wait to hear what else you managed to steal from the head of the New York institute.”

Her taunt was a downright success. Kit barked a laugh so genuine, Dru felt thirteen all over again. She would poke him some more if it made him this cheerful. “It’s not considered theft if it was given you freely... just don’t tell that to anyone. I don’t want people to think I lost my touch.”

Dru felt her eyes widen in surprise. “So it is Jace’s motorcycle? I knew it!”

“Yeah…” Kit rocked on his heels and glanced over at his bike lovingly. ”He gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday.”

That is one legendary gift, Dru concluded. She wouldn’t mind a cousin that gifts sexy automobiles, but the thought of Julian approving to let her near a thing like that was less likely than her becoming the youngest consul in Shadowhunters history.

“So... how did you get it here?” Dru asked. “It’s not exactly a short ride from New York or Devon.”

“Magnus,” Kit answered with a shrug. “He portaled us and then just... did that thing he does where he poofs things out of thin air, like chocolate-chip cookies or... tents. Magic is so...”

“Yeah.” Dru sighed in agreement, thinking about that caramel corn.

“So where were you?” They began to trail back towards the institute. She could feel Kit tensing up with every step. She didn’t know if it was just because it brought up memories, or if it was something else. She still debated herself whether to pry into that subject, while she pried into others.

“Umm... I just,” Kit’s fingers roamed through his long curls in a somewhat nervous gesture. “I thought I’d check out my dad’s old place. See if there was anything left.” His sky blue eyes seemed clouded with memories, and from the little she knew or remembered, they weren’t all good. “I didn’t really get a chance last time, after, umm,” Kit cleared his voice. “After he died.”

He sounded stiff, and a bit drained. She almost forgot he was an orphan, like her. Of course, she had Julian, which was an amazing brother-father, and Kit has Jem and Tessa. She didn’t know Johnny Rook at all, but from what she heard, the Carstairs were definitely an improvement.

“And did you find anything?” She asked, carefully.

Kit took a long moment to answer her. They were already at the sanctuary’s doors when he finally answered.

“No. There was nothing left.”

Kit’s appearance didn’t make her want to join the herd of party planners all of a sudden, and by the looks of him, Kit wasn’t up to a large reunion yet. So she offered him to go practice in the training room and was pleasantly surprised when he agreed.

Kit wasn’t a regular Shadowhunter, in the way that he didn’t have to endure rigorous training for his entire life the way Dru was. So when she picked up her favorite misericord and gotten into a fighting stance, she felt rather confident that she could give Kit a run for his money, even with all of his bulging muscles and chiseled arms.

She was absolutely, painfully, wrong.

Kit might not have been raised as a Shadowhunter, but whatever it was they were feeding him in Devon, it made him a beast in a fight. Well, maybe not so savage as it sounded, but he whooped her ass in a matter of seconds, flipping her on her back without breaking a sweat.

“Damn it, Herondale.” She gasped. “Aren’t you supposed to be inexperienced? Why are you so good at this?”

Kit’s face lit up like a campfire. “Am I?”

Dru blew out a whine. “Don’t get all modest on me, you’re ruining your brand.”

There was nothing modest in the grin Kit shot her back. He flashed his teeth wide, like a Cheshire cat, and ran up to climb the training room’s pitched roof until he balanced himself lightly on the highest of the rafters. He didn’t pause to look at her and just jumped gracefully, somersaulting in the air like he was a goddamned acrobat.

Right before he straightened up, his black shirt, which had a Deadpool logo, a fact that made her enormously happy, having it being another thing that looked like the Kit she knew, rose up a little and flashed the tip of a black pattern that was inked into his lower back. Dru wondered which rune it was, and who put it on him. It was such a strange location for a rune, not somewhere you can mark yourself. It must have been Jace, but that left the question of which rune Kit needed Jace to mark him with, that he couldn’t do himself?

“Was that sufficiently Herondale?”

She stared at him, completely dumbfounded until she caught herself and shut her gaping mouth. “I’d say so… yeah. You caught in quickly, haven’t you?”

Kit brushed the dust off his gear pants and shrugged.

“Jace. That man is… relentless.” Kit flopped on one of the training mats, making a loud poof when he did. “You know, he almost threw me off a tree once, when I refused to jump? Twisted my ankle three times. He said if I won’t make it, he’d disown me. Still not sure what I was supposed to be disowned off, his rusty collection in the armoire?”

He had a British lilt to his voice. The way he pronounced certain words, round and elongated, was something he didn’t used to do back then. It was charming, Dru thought. He was charming. A bit self-conscious, still, with the way he occasionally tugged down his shirt or bite his lower lip, scrunching it to one side.

Dru always thought that if she ever met Kit again, she’d let him have a piece of her mind. But he was so… Kit. Quiet, sarcastic, familiar. The things about him that felt foreign to her weren’t really foreign, but more of an enhancement of what he used to be. There was something bright about him, almost luminous. He wasn’t particularly happy at the moment, so she couldn’t blame it on his mood. But there was something in his features… they were fine, delicate. He was all muscle, but the way his hair fell on his skin, gold on gold, felt fragile, almost monochromatic.

Kit must have sensed her staring, and his eyes narrowed at her in a silent question.

She put the misericord back on its hanging and placed her hands over her hips.

“So, wanna sneak down to the beach?”

The infinite stretch of water in front of her was shining bright like there was a blanket of diamonds spread all across it. The sun was low, and every ray hugged the waves with bright whispers.

They weren’t so sneaky as she hoped. Giving Kit a sideways glance, she hid a smile, remembering how Emma crushed him in a tight embrace.

“You are so big, Kit! I haven’t seen you in a year and you became Godzilla. I do not approve, Jem. He’s not allowed to be stronger than me.”

Kit choked out a bruised laugh. “You don’t have to worry about that, Em. Just… lay off with the hugging, you’ll crack a rib if you won’t let go of me.”

Mina’s answering giggle was more than enough to break the two apart. She reached her arms for Kit and he tugged her to him without a second’s hesitation.

He reminded her of Jules so much, of how he used to hold Tavvy when he was her age, nuzzling his baby hair and murmuring soft words to his ear.

There was something so vulnerable about this Kit, but when he was with his baby sister, she could see how he simply glowed. The love that he felt for that little girl was so evident, so undeniable, it made Dru’s heart play a low, painful beat.

He seemed troubled now, his brows screwed together, as he stared into the sunbathed horizon.

“How is he?”

It was almost a whisper, but Dru heard.

“Alright.” She answered. “Tall. Taller than Julian.”

Kit’s shoulders hunched inwards, and the grip on his arms was so tight, she could see his knuckles whitening.

“But, how is he? With Livvy, and,” he choked on the last word. “With everything.”

Of course he wanted to know about that. She almost forgot he knew at all. Dru was so accustomed to having to keep the slight shifts of Ty’s attention to herself, knowing he must interact with Livvy in a way that was reserved to them alone, even after death.

“He’s okay, she’s… okay.” She said. “Not that I could really say for myself. He doesn’t say much about her. He’s better now, with me.”

Dru loved her brother fiercely. All of her siblings, but Ty… Ty was something else. She didn’t love him more, but she loved him differently. In him, she could sometimes see her Livvy, and wondered whether it’s a twin thing, or was it just her presence, revealed and kept only by him. They were better, now. There were things he only said to Dru, like the story of how they found his Lynx.

“Oh, he has a cat! Well, she’s not really a cat. She’s a Carpathian lynx. Scary as hell, doesn’t like anyone other than Ty.” Dru said with her nose screwed. She liked cats and didn’t appreciate Irene’s snobby attitude, even if she gave her the creeps.

Kit muffled a laugh. “Sounds like Church. That cat gives all other cats bad reputation, devil creature.”

Dru’s hands flew to her mouth. “Church! Awww I miss that furball!”

Kit snorted. “You can have him.”

Dru let herself look at Kit’s eyes. The smirk on his lips didn’t reach them.

“And you? How are you, Kit?”

Kit seemed startled by the question. For a second, the guard he kept up slid off him, and an endless sorrow spilled away from him like ink, staining his face with shadows. It didn’t linger, but it didn’t really keep away.

“I’m okay, Drusilla.” He put a calloused hand on her arm and squeezed. “So are you, it seems. I’m happy to see you again.”

The smile Dru gave him was wide, silently trying to convey that so was she.

She patted his arm and rose to her feet, dusting sand off her black velvet overalls, which were an unfortunate choice for the beach.

“I’ll head up to see if they need some last-minute help. Can’t pull the hostess trick for much longer, I suppose.”

Kit only nodded and fixed his gaze back onto the sinking sun.

When Dru was halfway to the institute’s doors, she noticed a tall, dark figure headed her way. Her breath caught in her chest, and she ran towards him, blessing the sand for muffling the sound of her feet.

It wasn’t long until she reached him, her eyes tingling with excitement and apprehension. Ty reached for her shoulder, grabbing hard. He didn’t even look at her, her face set ahead, on the black and gold figure sitting a breath from the water.

“Ty! When did you get here? I thought you weren’t coming, Jules and Em almost called this thing off!” She was jabbering, she knew it, but she wanted to distract Ty so she could wage his mood, see if he could handle Kit’s presence.

“The mission was over,” Ty answered. “I texted Julian a few hours ago. When did he get here?”

Dru stared at her brother until she realized he was talking about Kit. “Oh! Umm, a few hours ago? We trained together a bit and then we just… hung out here. I was just heading back, do you…” she hesitated, “do you wanna come with me?”

Ty averted his gaze to his left hand, which was when Dru noticed the agitated movement.

“No.” He said. “Did he, umm,” Dru wasn’t used to seeing her brother so hesitant, one of his hands fluttering, one clutching her shoulder in an iron grip. “How is he?”

His tone, his words, the exact mirror to what Kit had asked her moments ago. Ty didn’t try to mask his feelings, Dru guessed he wasn’t aware enough of her presence to try.

So she weighed her words carefully, before answering. “Sad. I think he’s sad.”

Ty’s breath hitched, and for a moment, she thought it was a reaction to her words. But when she looked into his stormy eyes, she saw that he was looking down at the waters again. At Kit.

Dru turned to see Kit has risen to his feet. He was chucking his jacket away, unbuckling his pants. She’d never seen him swim when he was staying with them, but the salty smell of the ocean and the light breeze was intoxicating enough for her to understand the urge to plunge inside the ocean.

Kit reached for the hem of his shirt and started to lift his shirt up. Dru tensed, suddenly remembering the rune she glimpsed back at the training room. She straightened her back, readying her eyes to catch the mark from the large distance. But when Kit’s shirt rose up over his neck and his fair hair slid sideways, she could hear the air escaping her lungs, echoed in the stunned gasp that came from Ty’s direction.

Kit’s entire back was inked with an intricate pattern, looping from the nape of his neck, down his shoulder blades, and all the way to his lower back. A beautiful arrangement of vines, tracing the dips and ridges of his muscled back, the black, thin shapes draping his skin like skeleton feathers. It wasn’t a rune at all, it was a tattoo.

“Thorns.” She whispered, disbelief marking every syllable.

“Blackthorns.”

She turned back to look at her older brother and was startled to find a fierce smile blazing through his lips.

His hand left her shoulder, and he was walking slowly towards Kit, who had already lost his gear pants and was paddling through shallow waters.

Dru just stood there, her thoughts an incoherent tangle inside her head. She watched Ty making his way towards Kit, and found that her heart understood before her mind did. It was unexpected, to say the least, but it also wasn’t.

Memories washed over Dru as she watched Ty closing the distance between them, three years worth of distance, and felt the past washing over her at once. It was the way it was always supposed to be, the two of them together.

With one last glance towards the strange painting of past and future, Dru turned her back to the sunset and headed back home.

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purplebass · 4 years ago

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Holograms

This is something new that I’ve written for @lucieblckthorn 💜 I know there are some good TLH/TDA time travel one shots out there, but I also wanted to write mine, so here it is.

Ship/Characters: TLH gang, Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn, Mina Carstairs Rating: T Prompt: Kit, Ty and Mina find themselves in 1903 and meet the TLH gang

“Jamie? Matthew? Thomas?”

Christopher’s voice echoed through the stairs that led to the laboratory in the basement. James and Matthew were at the Institute, and they run downstairs to check on him once they heard him call for their help.

“Are you okay, Kit?” James asked, looking around the room that used to be Henry’s lab once upon a time. Relief filled him when he realized that there wasn’t anything on fire. “I thought you were hurt.”

Christopher shrugged and adjusted his glasses. His hand left a black mark on his cheek but he didn’t seem to care. “I’m good, thanks for asking. Don’t you notice something wrong?”

“It seems all in order to me,” Matthew commented with a smirk. “Considering that there are no broken chairs or tables or glass on the floor. That’s a new achievement for you, Kit.”

“Christopher is right, though,” James interjected, moving closer to the furthest wall in the room. “Someone has been through the portal.”

Both heads turned and examined the area James had just pointed out. “It’s true, Jamie. The portal has been activated. Was there an Enclave meeting or something that you know of?” Christopher wondered as he untied his protective jacket that he only used when he was in the lab.

“My parents are here. I’ve just seen papa, so I doubt it.”

“Then who could have…?” Matthew began, but then something caught his eyes in the portal. “By the angel, who is that?”

James and Christopher were as speechless as Matthew when a little girl who could have been around two strutted into the laboratory.

“James! It’s a baby!” Christopher said.

“We can see that,” Matthew remarked. “The problem is, who is she and what is she doing here?”

James ignored the two and walked to the little girl trying not to scare her. “Are you lost, little one?”

The girl was petite and had deep dark brown eyes and dark hair. She didn’t say anything, she just put her finger in her mouth and clutched on the teddy bear she was carrying.

“I think we should cross the portal and take her back,” Matthew offered.

“What? No. We can’t do that! What if we go somewhere and we can’t go back?” Kit said.

“Christopher is right. What if we cross the portal and it closes on us and we’re the ones who are stuck?” James noticed, trying to take the kid’s hand. The little girl gripped her hand around James’ really hard, then she looked up at him with adoration as if he was the most beautiful thing on Earth. “Oh, she trusts me,” he added.

“James, she seems to have a thing for you.”

“Gross,” Christopher commented.

Matthew glared at Kit and rolled his eyes. “My comment didn’t have a double meaning.”

“This is not the time to argue. Shall we take her to Lucie before I ask my parents how we should handle this?”

“I think it’s a great idea.”

James, Christopher and Matthew found Lucie in the training room with Cordelia.

“Do you want something, James?” Lucie asked as she tried to duck because Cordelia was aiming her sword at her.

“We have a guest,” Matthew said, but neither Cordelia nor Lucie stopped their practice fight to look at who the guest was.

“Would you please not ignore us, Luce?” James shouted to get her attention. The little girl held on his hand with such strength he thought she might not be human.

Lucie and her parabatai halted their movements and grabbed a towel from a bench nearby to wipe the sweat off their faces. It was Lucie who noticed the baby. “By the angel, Jamie!!! Where did you steal a child? Do you know that kidnapping a mundane is punishable by law?”

“Calm down, Lu,” James reprimanded his sister, who usually imagined the most creative scenarios when it came to their lives. “We did not kidnap this kid. We found her in the lab in the basement.”

“She’s adorable,” Cordelia commented, crossing the room to get closer to her. She lowered to her height so that they were at the same eye level. “What is your name, baby?”

Everyone in the training room waited for the girl to say something, anything. “Mi-mi, Na-na, Mi-mi,” the baby girl replied.

“She’s just blabbering nonsense,” Matthew concluded.

“Maybe she’s just shy, don’t you think?” Lucie noted, crossing her arms on her chest expectantly.

Matthew was about to reply to Lucie when two people barged inside of the training room and closed the door behind them. They hadn’t realized they weren’t alone.

“I told you to get that Magnus Bane to help us,” the blond guy said.

“He was having a vacation with his husband! And you know that we can’t use the damn portal just like that. We can’t do like that time we tried to revive…” said the second guy, who had a mop of black hair which reminded the people present in the room of somebody else.

“Who the heck are you?” asked the one with golden hair. He had a set of deep blue eyes, but that wasn’t the trait that Matthew, Christopher, Cordelia, Lucie and James noticed first.

Matthew advanced towards them. “What is that expression? Heck? What does it mean?”

“Math, that’s not the problem here,” James interjected. “Who are you?”

The two guys exchanged a glance and whispered something in each other’s ears before speaking. “Look, dude, you are in no position to ask the questions here. And why are you dressed as if you were in the Victorian era or something?”

“Edwardian, we’re in the Edwardian era,” Lucie corrected him.

“Are you kidding, right?” The guy with black hair wondered in astonishment, then tugged on the other guy’s jacked and pointed at the little girl next to James. “Your sister is here!”

“What the flying -! How did you come here, kiddo?” he said, running towards the baby girl and hugging her. She hugged him back but she still wouldn’t leave James’ hand. The teenager glared at James, but James grinned smugly at him.

“Now you’re going to tell us who you are, okay? And why are you here.”

“Speaking of, where are we? I mean, which year is this?” the other one asked.

They all seemed confused as they gazed at each other. “Could they be from the future?” Christopher wondered out loud. “It’s not impossible, you know? Uncle Henry and Magnus Bane created the portals, what if the shadowhunters who come after us shall create even greater things?”

Some of them nodded in agreement.

“Do you also know Magnus Bane?” Blond guy asked.

“He’s one of our allies and one of my parents’ old friends,” James explained. “Speaking of…”

The door of the training room opened to reveal James’ father William, who was holding some papers in his hand. He looked at the young girls and boys scattered around the wide space with skepticism, tilting his head when he focused on the strangers.

“I heard someone run and came to check. Is someone hurt?”

“We’re fine, mister Herondale. Thank you for your concern,” Cordelia offered.

“You’re William Herondale?” The blonde guy guessed.

Will examined the young boy from head to toe, frowning at his weird clothes. “That would be me.”

Blond guy turned to black-haired guy as if he had just remembered that he had something on the stove and had forgotten to turn it off. “It’s him, Ty. Him! What the heck, wait till I tell my-“

“I guess you’ve come here through the portal, haven’t you?” Will stopped their exchange.

“Yeah? We come from 2015. We activated it because we wanted to go back to a specific moment in the past because the book we’ve stolen from Magnus Bane’s house said so- “blond guy put a hand on Ty’s mouth.

“Would you shut up, Ty! He doesn’t need to know all of these things! And he’s the director of the London Institute, he will call the Clave and we’ll go to jail and we’ll lose our marks.”

“Stop being dramatic, Kit! Ugh!”

“Kit and Ty, huh? Shadowhunters from the future thanks to a portal. Interesting,” Will commented with a grin. “Shall we make an agreement? I’ll help you go back to 2015 or something – does the world live until then? Amazing! – but you have to promise me that you won’t do it again.”

“But my sister –“ Ty said, but stopped abruptly. His whole features darkened. Kit patted his shoulder and they looked at each other. A look of understanding and affection.

“Dude, we agree, uhm, William Herondale,” Kit said, offering his hand to him. “Agree handshake?”

“What? Ha, okay, Kit,” he agreed, and he and Kit shook hands. “Alright. I think I should call Magnus now, because what do I know about going back to the future, huh?”

Their moment was broken by a: “by the angel!” uttered by Cordelia, which made everyone turn towards her. “You’ll cut yourself, dear,” she told the baby, who was gripping her hands on Cortana’s handle but she still couldn’t hold it properly since she was not strong enough. They were sitting on a bench. “Cortana isn’t rejecting her,” she added, awed by the fact that her sword was not pushing the child away.

“Maybe because she is a child?” Lucie offered, but Cordelia shrugged.

Will stared at the little child with dark hair and dark brown eyes and smiled. He had just thought that the baby reminded him of someone, but he wouldn’t say out loud nor he would ask Kit and Ty whether his suspicion was true. He could hinder the future of these kids or he may just delude himself that she was… “It’s time to go, kids. Come with me. I’ll take the baby if you like.”

Kit and Ty agreed and they left the training room with Will holding the baby in his arms.

“Wait until I tell them,” Kit said to Ty, and at that, Will grinned again.

A few hours later, after Magnus Bane had come and blamed Will for not letting him sleep his beauty sleep since he was still adjusting to the London time zone, he was able to create an enchantment that would bring Kit, Ty and the little baby girl to their time.

“I don’t know if it will work, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I’m actually enthralled by this!”

“You just like that the future you are able to cast such magic,” Kit commented, at which Magnus glared at him.

“If the guys from the future are all so conceited and direct, I don’t know if I want to live forever.”

“Trust me, you do,” Kit winked, and Magnus had no idea of what he was talking about.

As Kit and Ty and the girl were about to cross the portal to hopefully get to their future, Tessa arrived to the basement.

“Will, bach, you’re here.”

“Tessa,” the guy named Kit murmured. Will shot him a glance and smiled like a fool, which made Kit uneasy.

“It’s time for you to go back or to go forward as you please,” Will urged them. “Your parents may be worried for you.”

“My parents are dead,” Ty said. “But his parents…”

Kit elbowed Ty. “Yes, yes, I agree. They’ll be super worried because me and my sister have disappeared. We better go. Ty?”

Ty rolled his eyes and grabbed Kit’s hand, then they turned one last time and crossed the portal and they were gone.

“Do you think they’ve made it?” Will asked Magnus.

Magnus shrugged, unbothered. “I guess only time will tell. By the way, I’m suing you for all the time you’ve made me lose all of these years, William.”

“Let’s say we believe you, Magnus,” Will smirked, then Magnus started climbing the stairs to leave the basement.

He and Tessa were alone now, and she was confused. “Who were those people?”

Will took her hands in his and he kissed both palms. “Just people from the future.”

“Just people from the future? I wonder who they were and why they ended up here,” Tessa said, squeezing her husband’s hand and leading him towards the stairs so they could leave.

Will smirked but tried not to appear too excited because of the recent events. “I wonder that too, but we shall never know. Ugh, I’m hungry, Tess. Aren’t you?”

“That’s why I went to look for you. Dinner has been ready for ages, Will.”

“You should have eaten without me. You shouldn’t starve because your silly husband is dealing with dudes from the future,” he said with a jovial tone.

Tessa’s face contorted in confusion again. “Dude… what?”

“I heard those fellas say it. No idea what it means.”

“Then you shouldn’t say it, Will. What if it’s a bad word?” Tessa admonished him with a smile, not entirely convinced that was a bad word in the future.

“I doubt it or I’m going through that portal to scold those two.”

#tlh #the last hours #tsc #tsc fanfiction #tsc fan fic #james herondale #matthew fairchild #christopher lightwood #kit herondale #kit rook #ty blackthorn #mina carstairs #lucie herondale #cordelia carstairs #will herondale #tessa gray #magnus bane #tweety.writes

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faejilly · 5 years ago

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@shadowhunterbingo square: only one bed

But on purpose! Because Magnus! (the fact that they all work for the FBI is deeply irrelevant to this fic, but whatever, they all work for the FBI. And are in a cheap hotel. Thx Magnus. Also there are feels, rather than smut, because I apparently do not know How To Trope atm. 😅)

“Mine,” Jace stated before Alec had even managed to catch up to see which door he’d opened. “You two can share the other one.”

Considering that was exactly what Alec wanted to happen, he wasn’t at all sure why he didn’t keep his mouth shut. “Shouldn’t Magnus get the single? He’s the one with all that gear.”

Magnus shot Alec a sideways sort of glare, clearly also wondering why Alec didn’t keep his mouth shut.

“I got here first.” Jace grinned over his shoulder. “I have to enjoy that when it happens, since I’m always stuck out in the field with an awkward giraffe who never takes into account my normal person sized stride.”

“Hey,” Alec managed.

Jace stuck his tongue out at him, stepped into the hotel room, and shut the door behind him.

“Why were you arguing with him?” Magnus raised an eyebrow when Alec finally managed to stop blinking at the shut door and look at him.

“I always argue?” Alec shrugged. “I guess I don’t know how not to. Pretty sure he’d be suspicious if I didnt.”

Magnus snorted softly, but leaned into Alec’s side as Alec slung his free arm over his shoulders. “Pretty sure he’s already suspicious.”

“Oh yeah, he knows.” Alec grinned. “But we’re both pretending he doesn’t. Not sure why.”

“Because as soon as you’re both in the same room you turn into twelve-year-olds?” Magnus suggested, even as they managed a slightly off-kilter walk the few steps necessary to reach the next door.

Alec shrugged again, and kissed Magnus’ temple before straightening up so he could get the keycard out of his back pocket. “I will neither confirm nor deny that theory.”

Magnus snorted again. “Hurry up, these cases are heavy.”

Alec rolled his eyes, and pushed open the door. He stopped in the doorway at the sight of the room on the other side.

The room with one bed rather than the FBI’s usual basic double.

“Come on, Alexander.” Magnus nudged the back of Alec’s knee with the edge of one of his cases. “You really are being an awkward giraffe today.”

Alec side-stepped enough to keep the door open but not block the entrance, so Magnus could get himself, his suitcase, and his two strapped together hard-shelled boxes of computer gear he’d brought with him from the field office, into the room.

“Jace isn't going to be able to pretend if he gets over here before we head down to breakfast.” Alec let the door swing shut, then pushed to make sure it was completely shut before he engaged the security locks. He turned around as Magnus finished setting everything down in a neat row under the window. “One bed?”

“I’ll have you know,” Magnus spun around, his tone deadly serious for all there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. “I was simply being fiscally prudent. Two singles is cheaper! I’m saving the government on our per diem.”

“Uh huh.”

Magnus placed a hand on his heart, and leaned back onto his heels in very fake shock. “I swear! Are you saying you don’t trust me, Special Agent Lightwood?”

"I would never, Tech Analyst Bane." Alec's lips curled up into a smile, and he stepped closer to Magnus. "I am offended you would even ask such a question."

"However will I make it up to you?" Magnus' voice was deeper, softer, the tone warming something in Alec's chest.

"I might have an idea or two."

Magnus tilted his head, alluring and teasing, and the warmth in Alec's chest ached with how lucky he felt. "Do these ideas of yours have anything to do with that single bed I got us?"

"They do now." Alec leaned in, and just as Magnus started to mirror him, leaning in close enough their lips could touch, he tugged and fell, causing them both to tilt sideways land on the bed with a whumpf of impact, the pillows bouncing and the bedspread wrinkling beneath them as they settled.

Magnus sputtered out a laugh, head thrown back, and he was so damned beautiful.

"I love you."

Magnus' laugh stopped, and he blinked, clearly startled, and Alec realized that he'd said that out loud.

Not that it hadn't been true for awhile, but he'd been worried...

Magnus smiled, warm and wide and fond, and Alec forgot everything he'd ever been worried about in his entire life.

"I love you, too."

#hmdiscord #shadowhunters #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #jace herondale #briefly #for spice!#or something #jilly writes #my sh fic #behavioral evidence

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hopesilverheart · 4 years ago

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Title: I loved your colours (before I loved you) Artist: @calliartss Rating: Explicit (Chapter 10 only) Pairings: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Clary Fray, Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood Word Count: ~95k Summary: Magnus Bane is a journalist who's always dreamed of modelling for Lightwood Fashions. When the CEO Alec Lightwood starts looking for new models for their spring collection, he jumps on the occasion.

In the meantime, Alec Lightwood is struggling with the idea of finally announcing his role as co-designer. When Magnus Bane strolls into his life, Alec is torn between keeping his secret or throwing all caution to the wind.

This fic was created for the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2020.

Chapter 10: You’ll be flushed when you return

“So… Magnus.”

Alec wasn’t even sure who had spoken; it could have been Maia just as easily as it could have been Helen. However, he was sure that nothing good ever came out of a conversation that started with those two words.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like talking about Magnus, because he loved talking about his boyfriend and telling everyone about how lucky he was. He just didn’t necessarily enjoy discussing his private life in the middle of the work day when he was supposed to be focusing on the photo shoot happening in front of him.

“Do we have to do this right now?” He sighed, turning towards Helen – he could recognise that blond hair anywhere – immediately groaning when he caught sight of her mischievous smile. “I don’t know if you noticed, but we are a little bit busy with this Vogue shoot. You and I both know we need this to be as perfect as possible. And as much as I would love to talk to you about my boyfriend, I’m not sure now is the time.”

“Now is the perfect time!” Maia exclaimed from his other side, looping one of her arms around his shoulders and winking conspiratorially at Helen. “Don’t think it’s escaped our attention that you’ve been avoiding every single Fashion team bar night since you started dating Magnus. We thought you’d come more often now that you have someone to show off, but you’ve managed to disappoint us once again.”

“My dating status has never, not once, influenced my lack of interest in bar nights,” Alec pointed out. “I don’t like going out with large groups of people just to get drunk and having Magnus at my side won’t change that.”

Besides, he had definitely gone to a bar night less than a month ago, right before he and Magnus had started dating. He had hated every second of it and had only attended because Clary had dragged him there kicking and screaming, but he had still been present. That had to count for something. The unofficial rule was that every member of the team had to attend a bar night at least once a month, and Alec had filled his quota for February.

“The last time you came was in January,” Helen said wryly, raising her eyebrows at him and smirking smugly when he snapped his mouth shut, realising that she was probably right. Damn it. “So we expect you to come next week, alright? No pressure or anything, but we’re celebrating my three years with Aline, so…”

“I’ll be there!” Alec threw his hands in the air, hoping his word would be enough to placate his friends. “I can’t promise that I’ll bring Magnus, because heaven knows he can get very busy with all the work he has to do, but I’ll be there. I’ll clear my night, let Clary choose my outfit, and hang out with you for the four required hours. Does that sound nice?”

“That sounds perfect,” Maia grinned, high-fiving Helen behind Alec’s back. “Although that’s also not what we wanted to talk to you about. I mean, I’m glad we got that promise out of you, but we really did want to have a little conversation about Magnus. Lydia is worried that your relationship might have an impact on his efficiency on the job.”

“Has it caused any problems so far?” Alec frowned.

To be honest, he hadn’t really thought about what it meant for him to date his colleague – employee, technically – when he and Magnus had started going out. He had talked about intra-company relationships with his bosses and teams before, but he had never thought that it would apply to him, and he had… Well, he had been so caught up in Magnus that he had forgotten about that little detail.

However, he hadn’t had reason to believe that his relationship with Magnus would impact the way his boyfriend worked. Magnus was nothing if not a hard-worker – and a bit of a perfectionist – and Alec couldn’t imagine him slacking off just because he was dating the company’s CEO.

“Not so far, no,” Maia answered, waving over at Aline as the model sidled up to them and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “But you know how Lydia is. She likes to think about all the possibilities so she’s prepared were the worst case scenario to arise. She’s probably thinking about your break-up or whatever other nonsense situations she likes to create in her mind.”

“Well, Magnus and I aren’t going to break up any time soon,” Alec brushed their concerns off, fighting back a blush as he realised how true that statement was. Magnus and he hadn’t really talked about the future of their relationship, but Alec knew without a doubt that they were on the same track. “You both know I don’t do casual hook-ups, and I don’t think Magnus does either. We’re committed to each other and I don’t see how this could go wrong.”

“No one ever sees how things could go wrong,” Helen pointed out smartly. “That’s often how break-ups happen. They hit you right when you think you’re safe. It’s dangerous Alec, and you shouldn’t let your romantic ideals get in the way of reality.”

“Alright, well that got depressing,” Aline clapped her hands together. “How about we focus on something a little more light-hearted, huh? Like how gorgeous the models look today. And yes, I’m including myself in that category.”

“Well of course you are,” Helen smiled softly at her girlfriend, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before curling a possessive hand around her waist. “Prettiest girl in the room. Although Emily and Diana are looking quite stunning today, too. Have you seen them? They finished their shoots ten minutes ago and said they were going to change, but those outfits were spectacular. You really outdid yourself, Alec.”

“Thank you,” he blushed, glancing around the room to try and catch a glimpse of the models. Magnus had just stepped up to the photographers and was handling his poses expertly, but the women were nowhere to be seen. He could have sworn Izzy had been talking to Emily less than five minutes earlier, but-

“Emily!” Aline called out, waving the brunette over with a reassuring smile. The young woman looked vaguely terrified, but Alec knew that was mostly his fault. He had been so busy with life and work and his family that he had forgotten to spend time with the new models. Magnus had told him that he intimidated them, and he should have fixed that as soon as he had heard about it. “Hey, Em.”

“Hey guys,” the brunette said softly, grinning at Maia and Helen before flushing darkly as her eyes landed on Alec. “Hello, Mister Lightwood.”

“Oh, lord,” Helen breathed out. “This is worse than I thought.”

“Please call me Alec,” the designer insisted, grimacing at Emily’s obvious deference. “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to talk to you before this, but my schedule has been even more packed than usual and I completely forgot about my usual CEO-model talk.”

“That’s a thing?” Aline’s eyebrows flew up. “How did I not know that was a thing? I’m pretty sure I never got a talk like that when I started working for you. Was I not good enough for it?”

“Aline, you’re my cousin,” Alec sighed tiredly. “You didn’t need a talk because you already knew me and had stopped being afraid of me long before you joined Lightwood Fashions. I assure you, Magnus didn’t – and won’t – get the talk either.”

“You sound like you’re talking about sex.” Lydia’s voice came out of nowhere and, before Alec could blink, the blonde woman was standing in front of them, looking at them with judgement in her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re talking about sex whilst we’re trying to get work done. It’s no wonder the models have been a little less concentrated lately.”

Emily made a small noise at the back of her throat, almost as though she was afraid Lydia was talking about her and was about to fire her or something equally as ridiculous, but Aline and Maia were quick to pat her on the back comfortingly.

“Sorry, Emily, I just mean that Isabelle, Meliorn, and Andrew have been harder to handle than usual today,” Lydia explained, pointing at the trio of models waiting to the side, looking down at the floor sheepishly. Clary was standing with them, arms crossed over her chest as she valiantly tried to act like she was scolding them, even though they all knew she was just staring at them menacingly whilst waiting for Lydia to come back.

“Well, we definitely weren’t talking about sex,” Maia shrugged. “Those three, however… We all know Izzy has finally caught her girl, so I wouldn’t be surprised if something was happening there. Meliorn is always distracted when we have evening shoots, and Andrew… You didn’t hear this from me, but I think he’s been sneaking around with a boy from another company. Very scandalous, if you ask me.”

The rest of the group blinked at Maia blankly. Alec had never understood how the woman managed to get so much information from people she barely knew, but it was a talent he reluctantly admired. Maia had all the gossip, all the time, and although the fashion team liked to act as though they didn’t care about scandals and other such nonsense, it wasn’t a secret that they all thrived on the drama.

“I’m still not completely convinced Izzy and Clary didn’t get up to something even before they were together,” Aline hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side as she let her gaze rake up and down the two women in question. “There’s always been so much tension between them, and they spent a lot of time in close quarters, so…”

“So nothing,” Alec shook his head, chuckling at his friend’s subsequent pout. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but those two were strictly platonic until they started dating. Since they have only been official for a few weeks, I’m not even sure they’ve slept together yet.”

“Does Clary not tell you these things?” Helen frowned. “Isn’t that what best friends are for?”

“Clary is currently dating my little sister,” Alec pointed out, grimacing at the mere thought of having to listen to his best friend talk about Izzy like that. “I’m very happy for the both of them, and I’m sure their romantic and sexual chemistry is off the charts, but I really don’t want to hear about it. I’m sure Clary will use one of you as her confidant when she finds herself in desperate need of sex talk.”

“I hope it’s me,” Aline sighed dreamily, earning herself a sharp nudge in the ribs from her girlfriend. “What?! I mean, just like, as friends. Besides, you have to admit those two are absolutely gorgeous. God, if they could have children…”

“Ours would be prettier,” Helen pouted. “But enough about Clary and Izzy. Those two are old news, even if their relationship is pretty new. I want to hear about this mysterious lover Andrew is sneaking around with. Do you have any details, or did you just conveniently overhead a conversation?”

“Sorry,” Maia shrugged. “I’ve got nothing.”

“I do.”

At once every single pair of eyes turned towards Emily, who was looking both embarrassed at being the centre of attention and smug at having more information than any of them. Which made sense, since she and Andrew had grown quite close since they had been hired.

“But I don’t want to say anything if it’ll get Andrew in trouble,” she bit down on her bottom lip, glancing over at her friend worriedly. “It’s not against the rules to date someone from another company, right? Even if that person is technically a Lightwood rival?”

“Ooh, is Andrew pulling a Romeo and Juliet?” Aline cackled gleefully, only calming down when Alec and Lydia sent her matching disapproving looks.

“No, Emily, it isn’t against the rules,” Lydia assured the model, a gleam of excitement entering her eyes when Emily perked up. “So, do you have a story for us, or are we going to have to go digging?”

“It’s Lorenzo Rey!” Emily blurted out, clapping her hands over her mouth as soon as she spoke and sending a panicked glance in Andrew’s direction, as though the man could have heard her from all the way across the room. “Please tell me you do this with everyone and that I didn’t just reveal one of my closest friend’s secrets for nothing.”

“Relax, Emily,” Maia chuckled. “We do this every time someone new joins the company, just to know whether or not we should be trying to set up dates or not. Someone would have stumbled upon him and his secret lover eventually, so you just saved us a lot of time and trouble. But seriously… Lorenzo Rey?”

“I always thought the guy was a complete dick,” Alec furrowed his brows. He had only met Rey a few times, and none of their meetings had been particularly pleasant. So to think about a man as sweet as Andrew dating someone as arrogant and self-absorbed as Fade Media’s Head Editor… It was a little disconcerting. “How on earth did it happen?”

“I have no idea,” Emily shrugged. “But he seems to really like Rey, even though he calls him an egotistical idiot almost every single time I bring him up. I don’t claim to understand what the hell they have going on.”

Alec and the girls all took a moment to ponder over the model’s words, but it wasn’t like they didn’t have their own improbable romances going on within the office. Izzy and Clary, for one, had one of the strangest relationships. Just because Alec didn’t see how Andrew and Rey could possibly fit together didn’t mean they didn’t care about each other.

“Hey, um…” Emily interrupted their collective moment of silence, shuffling her feet nervously. “Does this mean you guys also know about my love life?”

“Are you asking if we know about your little writer girlfriend?” Helen grinned, winking at Emily as the younger woman blushed brightly. “Yes, Em, we know that you’re going out with a girl from the media department. Izzy was the first one to catch you in the act, and then it was easy enough to put the pieces together. Good on you, though, I’m sure she’s a great person.”

“Yeah, she is,” Emily smiled softly, her eyes widening as she looked over Alec’s shoulder. “Oh my god.”

Next to her, Aline and Maia whistled in tandem, snickering quietly as Alec remembered just what was going on behind him and spun around, coming face to face with a shirtless Magnus. Well, technically his boyfriend was still a few feet away, finishing up his shoot with Raphael and the Vogue people, but he was also shirtless, and Alec…

Alec was a weak man. He swallowed reflexively as Magnus flexed his muscles and smirked at the camera, winking straight at the lens.

“Is now the right time to talk about sex?” Lydia murmured, grinning wickedly at Alec. “Because you know, it’s not every day a man as handsome and well-sculpted as Magnus gets to do a shirtless photoshoot right in front of us. Please tell me you’ve already gotten a piece of him.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Lydia?” Helen gaped, staring at the other blonde as though she had never seen her before. “I thought we weren’t supposed to discuss sexual relationships when there’s serious business going on.”

“We aren’t,” Lydia shrugged unrepentantly. “But Alec is far too easy to tease, and since he refuses to show up to bar nights, this might be our only chance to get something out of him. So if you have any questions for him, feel free to go ahead. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear any of this.”

Alec groaned loudly as three pairs of eyes – Lydia was too busy staring at Magnus, and Emily still looked a little uncomfortable around him – turned towards him. He loved his friends, but he had never been a fan of oversharing, and discussing his and Magnus’ sex life definitely felt like oversharing to him.

“Just tell us if you’ve slept with him,” Maia pleaded. “That’s all we want to know. I don’t care about the details, I just want confirmation that you finally took it upon yourself to sleep with the damn man.”

“Fine!” Alec exclaimed, lowering his voice when half of the room turned to look at him curiously. “Fine. Yes, we’ve slept together. No, I’m not telling you how many times or where or how it was. You got your answer, and now you’re going to kindly act as though I didn’t say anything out of the ordinary, alright?”

“That’s fine by me,” Aline snickered. “But you go, cousin! Seriously, congrats on landing one of the hottest men in the world. If I weren’t so in love with Helen and so into women, I might have even asked if you were open to sharing. Although I have a feeling Magnus really isn’t into that.”

“Why do you think that?” Alec asked, his voice breaking slightly as he remembered the possessive way Magnus had marked him the other night, breathlessly calling him mine over and over again.

“One, you’re not as good at covering up hickeys as you think you are,” Helen smirked. “Two, every time the photographers give him a break, his eyes are drawn to you and he looks like he’s a second away from marching over here and claiming you or something. I’m honestly impressed at how well he’s keeping it together when the cameras are on. He’s handling this a lot better than those three deviants over there.”

“I’m sure you’re exaggerating,” Alec huffed, although he pointedly didn’t look in Magnus’ direction, not wanting to add more fuel to the fire. “Besides, he’s almost done, isn’t he? I’m sure the pictures will turn out just fine and then we’ll be free to leave.”

“That sounded an awful lot like you’re about to leave this building and immediately have sex with your boyfriend,” Maia snorted. “You should be a little more careful with your words, Alec, it’s far too easy to misinterpret them.”

“Maybe there was nothing there to misinterpret,” Emily piped up, earning herself a look of deep respect from Lydia and Aline, as well as a betrayed glance from Alec. “I’m just saying, those words seemed to speak for themselves. Not that there’s anything to be ashamed of, sir- Alec! You’re allowed to sleep with your boyfriend whenever you want to.”

“Well said, Emily, well said.”

Six heads snapped around as Magnus walked towards them, a smirk curling at his lips and sweat dripping down his chest. He looked like he had just stepped out of one of Alec’s fantasies, and it took all of Alec’s self-control for him not to jump his ridiculously handsome model boyfriend right there and then.

“Right, I think we should leave,” Emily winked at Magnus, looking far more comfortable and confident around him than she had around the rest of the group. “I should go find Andrew, and the rest of you probably have work to do, so we should leave these two lovebirds alone.”

To their credit, none of the girls protested as Emily led them away from Magnus and Alec, smirking at Magnus one last time before sauntering off towards Andrew.

“Since when are the two of you such good friends?” Alec raised his eyebrows, pecking Magnus’ lips obediently when his boyfriend leaned forward. “I knew you enjoyed her company, but I wasn’t aware the two of you were on good enough terms to discuss your love and sex lives.”

“What can I say,” Magnus shrugged, looping his arm through Alec’s and not even bothering to put on a shirt as he headed towards the elevator. “She’s quite bold once you get to know her, and she’s never afraid to ask for details when I talk about the things I want to do to you. In fact, she gives as good as she gets, and our conversations are always rather interesting.”

“I really don’t think I needed to know that,” Alec blushed, a relieved sigh escaping when the elevator doors closed without anyone else stepping in. “Also, you do realise we can’t go out if you don’t have a shirt on, right? I’m all for sharing your wonderful body with the world, but I’m pretty sure it borders on illegal to go around looking like that.”

“You take all the fun out of life, Alexander,” Magnus pouted, although the mischievous glint in his eyes made Alec feel as though he were walking straight into a trap. “Why don’t we stop by Clary’s office? I know she keeps extra outfits in there from all her failed attempts at designing, and I seem to recall you telling me you had a few shirts hanging around there too.”

“Fine,” Alec sighed. “But if we’re going there, you’ll have to wait for me whilst I find the papers she was supposed to fill in two days ago and never gave in. You’re only delaying your own enjoyment by doing this.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Magnus grinned, letting one of his hands trail down Alec’s bicep teasingly and pressing a light kiss to the designer’s inner wrist when Alec’s breath caught in his chest. “You look delightful today, darling. Have I told you that already?”

“You-” Alec croaked, clearing his throat and trying again once he felt a little more collected. “You mentioned it, but I don’t mind hearing it again. Although I feel like you have me at a disadvantage, since you’re only wearing half of an outfit.”

“That’s easy enough to remedy,” Magnus grinned. Less than a second later, Alec’s shirt was being torn apart at the seams and he was being pushed out of the elevator and onto the fashion team’s main floor.

Luckily for them, the place was completely empty, everyone far too busy with the photoshoot to spend time in their offices. Still, Alec shivered at the thought of someone being able to walk onto the floor and be greeted by the sight of Alec and Magnus grinding against each other, their hands grappling for support in between them.

“Mag- Magnus,” Alec whined as his boyfriend tugged him towards Clary’s office, keeping one hand on the small of his back as the other drew meaningless patterns up and down his stomach. Heat pooled low in Alec’s gut, and he had to bite back a moan as Magnus finally pushed them into his best friend’s office – his best friend’s office, for god’s sake – and slammed the door shut behind them.

He was back in front of Alec less than a second later, smirking dangerously as he slipped the shirt off Alec’s shoulders and leaned in to bite at his collar bone hard enough that Alec knew that would leave a mark later. The mere thought of such a bruise had Alec keening and bucking his hips towards Magnus.

“What was that, Alexander?” The man purred, toying with Alec’s belt as he waited for the designer to give him instructions.

They had been over this the second time they had slept together; Magnus liked it when Alec told him what he wanted, and Alec got off on giving Magnus control over their interactions. Still, he bit down on his lip in an effort to keep in his desperate little noises for a while longer. There was no need for Magnus to know how eager he was to get taken apart in the middle of Clary’s workspace.

God, he should have been embarrassed. He should have been blushing and pushing Magnus away, telling him everything about this was completely inappropriate. Instead, he was shifting his hips so that his clothed dick brushed against Magnus’ every time one of them breathed, and he was seconds away from begging his boyfriend to do something.

“You’re going to have to speak if you want us to go any further than this, my lovely boy,” Magnus hummed lowly, shaking his head at Alec when the taller man let out a needy sound. “I know, I know you want this, but you need to use your words. I know you can do it, so come on. What do you want, Alexander? What do you want me to do to you? What do you want to do to me?”

“I want to blow you,” Alec blurted out, a tear rolling down his cheek as Magnus pressed up closer against him, sending his senses into overload. “Please, Magnus, I just want to taste you.”

“All you had to do was ask,” Magnus grinned wickedly, leaning away from Alec and unbuckling his belt in one smooth movement before pulling his pants down and revealing nothing but smooth skin. Because of course he hadn’t been wearing anything underneath his photoshoot outfit. Alec moaned loudly at the thought of Magnus posing for the photographers with nothing but those thin pants on.

Alec whined at the praise, bending down to press a swift and hungry kiss to Magnus’ mouth before spinning them around, slamming Magnus against the wall hard enough to have the model wincing slightly at the sudden burst of pain. Alec would have asked after him, but Magnus had told him in no uncertain terms that he had nothing – absolutely nothing – about being manhandled and bruised a little bit.

“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you, Magnus,” Alec whispered against Magnus’ neck, slowly lowering himself to the ground and looking up at his boyfriend from underneath his lashes, wondering if he looked even half as alluring to Magnus as Magnus did to him. If the steady darkening of Magnus’ eyes was anything to go by, he probably did.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Magnus breathed out.

Feeling more confident by the second – and more desperate, his dick aching to be let out of its confines – Alec licked his lips and breathed in Magnus’ heady scent for a moment before leaning in to lick a strip down the man’s cock.

“Alexander,” Magnus cried out, his hands coming up to grip Alec’s hair tightly, pulling on the strands harshly when Alec repeated the gesture, slowly but surely slicking Magnus up with his own spit. “Darling, I’m going to need you to go a little faster than that if you don’t want us to get caught.”

Half an hour earlier, Alec would have panicked at the thought of someone walking in on them and catching them in the act. Now, though, he could only gasp wantonly before fighting against Magnus’ grip and swallowing the head of his boyfriend’s dick, swirling his tongue around a few times before popping off, smacking his lips loudly as he bit softly at the inside of Magnus’ thigh.

The hands in his hair tightened even more, and Alec wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Magnus involuntarily snapped his hips forward, bucking towards Alec’s mouth as though he couldn’t resist him any longer.

“Either do something about this,” Magnus hissed, the sound turning into a moan as Alec hummed and nuzzled at the cock in front of him. “Or I’m going to take care of myself.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Alec breathed out, and then he was taking Magnus’ cock as far down his throat as he could manage.

His movements were precise and his right hand found the base of his boyfriend’s dick easily as his left fingers gripped Magnus’ hip tightly, stopping him from completely ravishing Alec’s face. He could tell Magnus wanted to, could tell he was trying to pick up the pace and make Alec lose control, but Alec wasn’t about to give in that easily.

He sucked Magnus off as slowly as he wanted to, relishing in his boyfriend’s taste and letting his rhythm pick up a few times only to slow it back down at the last second, turning Magnus into an unintelligible mess of words and desperate whines.

“Alexander, please,” Magnus begged. “Please let me fuck your mouth, please. You’ve made your point, I- I know you- You’re fantastic at this but- ah, Alec, fuck. Please.”

His words sounded so wrecked, so weak against the assault of Alec’s mouth, and Alec was only so strong. His boyfriend was pleading now, his thighs trembling as he tried to stay upright, and Alec had never seen anything quite as pretty as that.

His cock was throbbing in between his legs, still stuck in his pants and as eager for relief as Magnus clearly was. So instead of drawing it out for either of them any longer, Alec let go of Magnus’ hip, nodding at his boyfriend once with an encouraging smile before he went back down on the man, his now free hand unzipping his own fly as Magnus bucked into his mouth far more quickly than Alec had anticipated.

He choked on his own spit as Magnus somehow switched their positions around again. Alec was still on his knees, looking up at Magnus as he stroked his own dick with his left hand, but his back was now to the wall, pressed up so he had almost no way of getting away from his boyfriend’s grasp.

He should have been slightly terrified, should have felt trapped, but instead he whimpered enthusiastically and quickened his pace, bucking into his own hand as Magnus used his mouth for his own pleasure. They lost themselves in a sea of wrecked noises and pleas, Alec breathing heavily as Magnus praised him and tugged at his hair repeatedly, barely giving him enough time to catch his breath before he was fucking him again, and again, and again.

They reached their climax almost at the same time, Alec moaning loudly as he came and sending vibrations through Magnus’ body, making him spill into Alec’s mouth less than a second later. They both shook with the effort and the pleasure of finally having gotten what they wanted, and Alec milked every drop he could swallow before collapsing against the wall, taking deep breaths and looking up at his boyfriend dazedly.

“That was…” Alec started, cutting himself off as he realised he didn’t think a single word could encompass what had just happened. “Yeah, I- Thank you for that.”

“And thank you,” Magnus smiled, helping Alec up and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, his temple, his nose, before finally kissing him on the lips, the gesture warm and caring and making Alec fall a little bit more for the man. “You were incredible, Alexander.”

“You weren’t too bad yourself,” Alec blushed, kissing Magnus once more before pulling away and quickly straightening his clothes, chuckling as Magnus did the same only to smile wryly at his half-nude state. “There really are shirts in here, you know? She usually keeps them in the closet over there, so I’m sure you’ll find something to your tastes. In the meantime, I’m going to try and find those papers.”

Magnus hummed absent-mindedly, already skipping over to the closet Alec had pointed at and going through the many shirts Alec had left behind on the nights he and Clary had spent in the building, pouring over designs and falling asleep at sunrise.

Just as Alec reached Clary’s desk and started going through her drawers, hoping she hadn’t lost the papers – again – the door to the office flew open and Clary stormed in, looking harried and a little crazy.

“Where did I- Holy shit!” She yelped, bringing her hands up to her heart as she spotted Alec. “What the hell are you doing here? Everyone told me you had gone home with Magnus to do tons of terrible things to him, so what are you still doing around… here.”

Her eyes widened as they settled on Magnus, who was in the process of tugging a shirt on over his head. Alec grimaced as his best friend turned back towards him with betrayal written all over her face.

“I can explain, okay, this isn’t what it- I mean, we didn’t- It’s not-” he stumbled over his words, knowing he was only making things worse. “I’m sorry?”

“I can’t believe you! I can’t believe this! I thought we had rules, Alec! I thought we respected each other enough not to- Nope, I don’t even want to think about it. I don’t want to know what happened, I don’t- Oh god, please tell me you didn’t do anything near my desk. Alec, please tell me my favourite desk has not been compromised by… Whatever the hell it is you were doing,” Clary scrunched her nose up in disgust, staring at her desk with horrified eyes.

“Your desk is fine,” Alec winced, realising what his words implied as soon as they were out of his mouth. “Everything is fine, I swear. Maybe just… The wall near the door might need a little disinfecting. Maybe the door too, just to be safe.”

“The door?” Clary yelled, glaring at Alec and Magnus dangerously. “You two are the absolute worst. But now that I know our offices aren’t off the table, I’d double check before stepping into yours.”

“Clary!” Alec cried out as Magnus looked on, clearly amused by the turn of events. “That’s completely different! You’re talking about my sister. You cannot have sex with my sister in my office! That is completely out of the question. If you really want to get revenge, please stick to Magnus’ office.”

“Magnus’ office is mostly made of glass walls,” Clary crossed her arms over her chest, looking distinctly unimpressed. “And if you didn’t want to have to think about Isabelle and I sleeping together in your office, maybe you shouldn’t have slept with your boyfriend in mine first!”

That being said, she grabbed a file from her desk, narrowed her eyes at Alec one last time, and walked back out of the room, shimmying past the door without touching it.

“Is she really mad at us?” Magnus asked once she was gone, lacing his fingers with Alec’s and gently guiding them out of the room, shutting the door behind them carefully. “Because if so, I’m sorry for putting you in that situation. I wasn’t really thinking about the consequences when I led us here, and…”

“She’s cool with it,” Alec rolled his eyes. “She just wants me to sweat a little as I wonder whether or not she’ll go through with her plan to take Izzy to my office for unspeakable acts.”

“Unspeakable acts?”

“This is my sister we’re talking about,” Alec reminded Magnus. “I’m not going to call it anything other than that or else I may be scarred for life. Now, enough about Clary and Izzy. How about we go back to your apartment?”

“Already up for round two?” Magnus grinned cheekily. “Why Alexander, I had no idea you were so eager to get your hands back on me. I might even start thinking you’re only using me for my body if we keep on going like this.”

“I was thinking more of a movie date, maybe dinner? But you know, whatever pleases you,” Alec chuckled. “After all, I’m happy no matter what we do as long as I’m with you.”

Magnus beamed brightly at him, leading him back to the elevator and chattering on about his day and the movies they could watch and how much fun he had had during – and after, he added with a wink – the photoshoot. And all along, Alec just watched him and smiled softly, feeling happier than he had in a very long time.

Not even Izzy’s late night call filled with screaming, squealing and an unhealthy amount of threats was enough to dampen his mood.

#malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #fanfic #my writing

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malecsecretsanta · 5 years ago

Text

Merry Christmas, @akai-coat!

Read on AO3

******

Be Still my Foolish Heart (Don't Ruin this for me)

Chapter 1

Alec stared at the green and gold invitation with the words ‘You are invited to the wedding of Lorenzo Rey and Andrew Underhill’ written in cursive in front of him with contempt. It seemed to be the source of all his suffering since he got it exactly 14 hours and 23 minutes ago. Oh God, he would have to go, wouldn’t he?

Most of the people in the coffee shop stayed away from him. He did look quite intimidating with his piercing blue eyes that looked like they were going to burn a hole into your heart and all black clothes (but don’t blame him—he was having a bad day, okay?).

Ah, yes. His coffee. He needed his coffee. He sighed, even though he’d ordered it over fifteen minutes ago, it still wasn’t here. He could barely keep his eyes open without it, and for a good reason. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night, stressing over the invitation and a mostly useless conversation with his sister and her girlfriends. (“What should I do, Izzy? Lorenzo invited me to his wedding. To Underhill.”

“Andrew Underhill and Lorenzo Rey?” She had asked incredulously over the phone. “Your ex and your former best friend? They’re together?” He confirmed it, hoping she wouldn’t freak out. Instead, she laughed. “Maia, Clary!” she had yelled “Get over here!”)

He loved his sister (he was still getting used to Clary though and Maia was pretty cool) but he hadn’t needed her telling him that he needed to get a date or he was just going to look pathetic. He already knew that, thank you very much.

But he didn’t know anyone who could be his date. The only other gay or bi/pan man he knew was Simon Lewis. And both Lorenzo and Underhill knew that Simon was still going strong with his brother, Jace.

Or he could, you know, just not go. “And look like you’re still hung up on Lorenzo?’ A voice in his head said. “Suck it up, Lightwood. You’re going.” By the Angel, his life sucked.

“One caramel Frappuccino for Alexander Lightwood! Extra sugar!” The woman called.

Magnus Bane was not having a terrible morning. His ex, Lorenzo Rey, had just invited him to his wedding (and he didn’t have anyone to go with), his cat ran away (third time this week but it was frustrating) and he was suffering from a monster hangover. And he couldn’t even magic it away because it was wolfsbane he took in at Cat’s last night. And wolfsbane makes magic weak.

He doesn’t even remember why he chose it.

So yes, he was in a bad mood. And, yes, he was currently in line to get coffee at an actual coffee shop because, again, he couldn’t magic some into his hands. “Your order sir?” the lady at the counter asked. He gave her a blank stare. Why was he here again? “You’re holding up the line, sir,” she said, annoyed.

“Ah yes!” he said, snapping back. Coffee. Hangover. He remembered now. “One black coffee for Magnus Bane, please.”

She gave him a tight smile. “Coming right up, sir. That’ll be five dollars.”

He fished for his credit card, just as the woman shouted, “One caramel Frappuccino for Alexander Lightwood! Extra sugar!”

Magnus’ blood froze. Alexander Lightwood? The Alexander Lightwood? In this coffee shop? Probably with his life together, married to Lydia something with three kids, judging Magnus for the dark circles and shitty apartment? That one? No, no. It could be some other Alexander lightwood. He tried not to turn, staying frozen. And, yeah, he’s not weak, he can handle another ex. He’s Magnus bane for god- He turns. What can he say—he’s weak. Yeah it’s definitely that Alexander Lightwood.

Well, shit.

Alec stood up to get his coffee, taking the paper with him so he could throw it away. Finally. No more tired…? Was that a sentence? She handed it to him, and he took it gladly. He took a sip and-

“Uh, hey Alec.”

He recognised that voice. But it couldn’t be-

“Magnus,” he said, “how are you? Why are you here?” He internally winced. That came out wrong. “I-I meant, uh, can’t you just… magic coffee into your hands?’ Magnus gave him an awkward smile. “Yeah, usually, but, um, wolfsbane.” “Oh, yeah, that sucks.” It was silent and just as Alec was about to go back to his table, Magnus spoke up. “So I noticed the invitation in your hands…”

Magnus felt his face heat up. ‘I noticed the invitation in your hands’? How had he ever been with someone like Alec if he couldn’t even manage to not embarrass himself every five minutes. This was a mistake. A big mistake. But, at least, even if Alec said no, nothing would change. They would go back to pretending the other didn’t exist.

“I got one too.”

Alec looked confused. “That’s nice?”

“I don’t have a date and I assume that you don’t either.” This was going worse than he hoped. It just sounded like he was mocking him. Someone kill him. Now. And then he said it.

“What I’m saying is, can you go with me?”

Alec blinked. What. Was. Happening.

“Uh... could you repeat that?” He asked.

“Can you be my fake date?” Magnus repeated. His heart sank. Of course Magnus had meant it that way. He didn’t have feelings for Alec (even if Alec did). This would just be pretend. But this was the closest he was going to get on ever acting out on those. He should think this through, instead he just said, “Yeah, sure. Do you have my phone number?”

His headache forgotten, Magnus smiled. His heart was doing strange things. It jumped around in his chest, did a little jig, probably died for a few minutes and then came back only to squeal.

Somehow, his immense stupidity hadn’t scared off the (former) love of his life. He’d blurted out a completely random suggestion in the heat of the moment, and ALEXANDER FREAKIN LIGHTWOOD took him up on it. He had managed to secure a date to his ex’s wedding with another one of his exes. It was a fake date, of course, and would only last for the duration of that wedding, but still. This was the closest he would get to being with the only person he's ever been truly serious about.

He beamed at the man in front of him. “Uh-huh, text you the details later? I gotta leave right now…”

Alec smiled back. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes YES. He could barely contain his excitement. “That’s cool. Bye!” he said, trying to not sound like he was going to die of happiness any moment now as Magnus gave him one last wave before walking out.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Magnus: Hi

Magnus: it's me

Magnus: bane, I mean

Magnus: wanted to ask; are we still up for the fake dating thing?

Alec: Hi

And yeah, lol

Magnus

Cool! Want to go suit shopping tomm? I get free at five.

Alec: Yeah, that's fine with me! Luke's shop?

Magnus: sure!

Magnus sighed. It was time for suit shopping.

“Well, how do I look?” Alec questioned, straightening his tie in front of the mirror. He was wearing a white dress shirt and fitted dark blue pants along with a navy blazer. He didn’t look quite bad, if he said so himself.

(Honestly, he wished he didn’t have to spend money on these suits but he didn’t really have any at home and no way in hell was he asking his father for one.)

He turned, showing it off. “Magnus?” he asked. The warlock hadn’t replied yet, staring at him intently.

“Huh?” said warlock asked. “What?”

Alec wondered if maybe Magnus had been admiring him, and then told his mind to shut up because of course he wasn’t.

“I asked if this was fine?” he repeated.

“You look good,” Magnus said. “Really good. I think this is the one.”

He grinned and Magnus gave him his sunshine smile in return the one that could light up the whole room.

“You’re not buying one?” Alec wondered as they walked out.

Magnus shook his head. “Nah,” he said. “I have one at home. If I add a bit of glitter to it, it’ll be perfect.”

Alec laughed and Magnus almost banged into a sour looking businessman. He missed that laugh. That wonderful laugh.

“I assume that ‘a bit’ means a lot?”

“Always,” Magnus said. “Glitter forever.”

Alec snorted. “That sounds like one of those slogans you’d find on a top from H & M.”

“Hey! I like H & M. Most of their dresses are my size and don’t get me started on those soft sweatshirts.”

“Okay,” Alec said. “Okay.”

Oh my god, he was in a rom-com, wasn’t he?

Magnus:

We need a story

Alec;

What

Magnus:

In case anyone asks how we got back together

Alec:

Can’t we just tell them that we never broke up???

Alec:

Pretty sure rey and underhill didn’t even realise

Magnus:

I dont think thats how it works.

I've read a lot of fanfiction, you know, you should trust me

Alec:

Fine. but you come up with it

Magnus:

We met at a coffee shop and rekindled our love for each other???

Alec:

That works

Magnus:

Alec:

Magnus:

hey i’ve gotta go right now cat’s calling

Magnus:

Bye ;)

Alec held the phone to his heart. His heart was beating way too loudly over something not even remotely romantic or important. He was such a fool.

Magnus:

Hey

Magnus: So I just realised

Magnus:

That the date is actually the 27th

Alec:

Ummm, yeah???

Magnus:

Which is tomorrow

Alec:

and?

Magnus:

I thought it was on the 2nd

Of jan

Alec:

But you don’t have any plans tomm right???

Magnus:

No??? But it’s surprising?

Alec stared at the phone with a small smile. Gods, Magnus was cute. And he missed him, really missed him. But that didn’t matter, because it was never going to happen.

Magnus had made that very clear when they’d broken up. But, if he was being honest, he would go through all of that pain again just got to say “I love you” to Magnus once more.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Alec:

I’m outside your apartment

Magnus:

So come inside?

Alec:

I can't

Magnus:

It's only polite

“Welcome,” Magnus said, gesturing around, “to my humble abode.” It was messy, to say the least. Clothes were thrown around everywhere, Alec could hear meowing from… somewhere. The vents, maybe?

But Magnus- Magnus was gorgeous. He was, as promised, covered in glitter. He had some blue paint around his hair, but not the face paint kind but stripes. He had had his beard trimmed and his eyes weren't concealed like they usually were. No, they were the gold cat eyes that Alec had fallen for.

And would fall for again, a million times over.

“Drinks?” Magnus asked, pouring a glass for himself.

“Don’t you want to save it for later?” Alec smirked. “I don’t think either of us will get through the wedding without a few shots.”

“If we can survive through that in an hour,” Magnus said, “we can survive this right now.”

That was dumb, but fair.

Okay so maybe it was more dumb than fair.

Alec was drunk. Very drunk. And they were late. Very late.

“Alec, Magnus,” Lorenzo greeted them, a huge grin on his face.

Magnus tried to smile back vut Alec tripped, falling on Lorenzo and then giving him a hug.

“Hey,” he said, his voice was weirdly high-pitched. “I’m happy for you, man. Happy. Very happy. That you both are getting married.” He paused. “I mean, I would have been happier if the reason you two had gotten together wasn’t you cheating on me with him, my best friend since I was three years old, on christmas, two years ago, but still. It’s in the past.”

Lorenzo visibly paled and Magnus wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or be mortified.

A mix of both, maybe.

“I’ll, uh,” Magnus said. “Just take him outside, he needs some air.” Lorenzo nodded mutely and Magnus couldn’t be happier to do just what he said.

“What was that?” he hissed. “That was a long time ago and you know it!”

Alec stared at him from under his eyelashes, and, for some reason, Magnus couldn't bring himself to be angry at him.

“Not long enough,” Alec said, finally.

“Oh,” Magnus said bitterly, hsi heart sinking. “So you’re still hung up on Lorenzo. That’s what this is?” Maybe he wasn’t going to get the guy this time either.

Alec shook his head. “Lorenzo?” he asked, maybe to himself. “No! No, no, no!”

“Then what?” Magnus asked. “What could have possibly possessed you to do that.”

Alec sat down on the stairs. “You?” he said, feebly.

Magnus didn’t reply. “You’re not in the right mind,” he said, sitting down on the stairs next to him.

“But I am!” Alec protested. “Can’t yousee?”

“See what?”

“I’m still in love with you!”

“What?”

Alec sighed. “It broke me, Magnus, when you said we shouldn't be together anymore. I know it would’ve been heard to maintain a long distance relationship, especially since my college was in London, but we could’ve managed. Somehow. I almost quit after my first semester, because I could barely get out of bed. I didn't have any friends, and I didn't talk to anyone anymore. Izzy had to drag me out, and she made me okay again. But I still loved you. And I do right now too. And it hurts me so much that you don’t.”

“Who says I don’t.”

Alec laughed coldly and stood up, walking away, hsi hands in his pockets. "Yeah right," Magnus heard him say.

Magnus reached out towards him. “Alec, wait.”

“It’s fine,” Alec said, and Magnus almost swore that he wa crying. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. I’ll get Izzy to pick me up.” And Magnus could only watch as the love of his life left him.

#akai-coat #malecsanta19 #*fics19 #*art19 #*gifts19

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theonetruenorth · 6 years ago

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3x12 Coda: Original Sin

So this connects somewhat to my ‘people who run the Institute from the sidelines’ musings you can see HERE.

I’m still going with the idea that Underhill’s name is Steve, until we learn what it actually is. And I’m headcanoning him in relationship with the head of the IT department, who’s name is now Rhys. Rhys is Chinese American and had transferred to New York not long after Underhill did. They hit it off immediately and their relationship is based on snark and mutual love of coffee. Underhill is so besotted with him it’s not even funny anymore.

Also, Underhill is the biggest fan of Malec. You can’t convince me otherwise.

It was supposed to be another dull evening of reviewing daily security footage from the Institute.

Sitting alone in his office, Underhill couldn’t help but to feel just a tiny bit of resentment towards his colleagues. It was supposed to be his and Rhys’ date night, but apparently people at the Institute were incapable of not clogging the official servers with unholy amount of Seelie porn, so Rhys, as the head of the IT department, had been called in to clean up their mess.

And he was here, at almost ten o’clock, instead of the cozy Italian place he made a reservation for nearly two weeks prior. Instead of drinking expensive wine with the man he adored, he was sipping a barely-lukewarm tea from the slightly chipped mug that said ‘I’m not bossy. I have leadership skills’ on it in a big, blocky font - courtesy of Rhys, of course.

So all in all, he was feeling frustrated, bored and more than a little unhappy about browsing through a full catalog of daily recordings. Especially since he knew nothing exciting had happened - otherwise he would have known about it already.

Wait.

Hold that thought.

Steve placed his mug on the desk and pressed rewind on the recording, not sure he actually saw what he thought he saw.

Huh.

Apparently their esteemed leader had visited the Institute on his day off. But unlike Steve - poor, lonely Steve - he had his boyfriend by his side.

No, Steve thought, not entirely by his side. The two of them seemed to in the middle of a training session. Which made sense, if you thought about it. Everyone who knew anything about the Downworld was aware that Magnus Bane didn’t have his powers anymore. So it made perfect sense for him to learn other ways of defending himself.

Though maybe lessons were not necessary, Steve mused, as he watched Magnus twirl and twist away from the staff attacks that Alec sent his way. His fighting style looked more like a dance, but nevertheless, it was very effective. Steve watched, fascinated, as the couple bickered and teased each other as they traded blows, finally switching from staff combat to hand-to-hand. And Magnus overpowered Alec again.

Magnus was good - more than good, actually - but Steve could tell that Alec was not giving it his all. There was a reason, after all, why Alec was chosen for the leadership and that wasn’t just because filling up paperwork didn’t bother him in the slightest. Alec was a hardass, who trained every day and was one of the best fighters of the current generation and—

Oh.

Oh hell.

Well, that was definitely not the sight that Steve was expecting to see this evening.

Alec had pushed his warlock against the pillar of the training room and the couple were then busy making out like a horny teenagers. When they separated after a long moment and left the room (Magnus trying to keep a dignified pace for all of five seconds before failing miserably and jogging after Alec) Steve quickly switched to corridor cameras, tracking their route.

He didn’t bother hiding a fond smile as he watched his usually stoic leader and his boyfriend laugh and stumble down the seemingly-empty corridor, too busy kissing and touching each other to pay attention to surroundings. They eventually made it to Alec’s old room and disappeared inside, the door shutting off with a bang.

It was refreshing, really. Alec used to be so closed off and distant at first and now he looked genuinely happy. There was less of that lingering darkness in him, less burdens resting on his shoulders and Steve was glad. Alec deserved to be happy. He deserved to walk the corridors of the Institute while holding his boyfriend’s hand. He deserved the chance to sneak into his room for some quality time alone with the man he loved.

Steve’s cell rang suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. He quickly shut down the video feed - as if he was caught doing something forbidden, not just watching his boss as he was about to get some - and picked up his phone.

“So, I know it’s too late to go to that restaurant now.” Rhys’ tired voice in his ear caused Steve to perk up. “But do you have any idea how fucking hard it is to get rid of a demonic trojan horse? I’ll be giving Lightwood my report tomorrow, with a strong recommendation to send all of those irresponsible assholes to Wrangel Island.” Rhys huffed and the sound really shouldn’t be as adorable as it was, but Steve realized long ago that he was helpless fool when it came to Rhys.

“It’s okay,” he said, “we can go some other time.”

“Let me make it up to you. Meet me in my room in fifteen? I just need to finish ripping someone a new one and then I’m all yours.”

Steve smiled, looking at the monitors once more. It was supposed to be his night off. Reviewing the security footage could wait till morning.

Besides, he had a feeling he had already seen the only interesting thing that had happened at the Institute the entire day.

“I’ll be there in ten.”

#malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters #malec headcanons #headcanons #episode coda

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ninwrites · 6 years ago

Text

your heart is my home

Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood

Words: 3619

Summary:

magnus and alec go house hunting.

written for a prompt by the wonderful @kindaresilient ❤

Read on AO3 or below the cut xx

“I love you,”

Alec’s hands cup Magnus’ face, trembling slightly from the excitement rocketing through him. He hadn’t thought that asking again would have worked, just took the chance whilst it was there because then nobody could say that he didn’t try.

He hoped, of course, that Magnus would say yes, but he could never have expected it.

“I love you, too.” He whispers, awestruck and sweet.

It’s a novelty he hopes never wears off - the way his heart skips at knowing that he has this, really, truly has a love all his own, the way Magnus’ heart lights up when he hears that Alec loves him too, as though there’s any universe where Alec wouldn’t be madly and deeply enchanted with the man before him.

“Come here,” Magnus murmurs under his breath, pulling Alec forward by his hips, as though he’s the one that’s been touch starved for what feels like weeks, as though Alec is being unfairly reserved.

Alec would lock his office door and quite happily cuddle with Magnus by the fireplace in a heartbeat, if he were permitted. He misses being close with Magnus, just grounding himself in Magnus’ presence, his touch, his warmth.

It was something that not even Asmodeus could take away from him, something that was all his own, not tied to his magic or his title but him. The true Magnus Bane, the soul that Alec fell for.

“If you insist,” Alec whispers against the corner of Magnus’ mouth, his palms warmed against the stretch of Magnus’ smile.

It’s the little moments like this that he lives for. The tease of Magnus’ fingertips over his shirt, dancing over his abdomen, the little intrigued hum he makes when Alec slides his fingers against the nape of Magnus’ neck, bending his head slightly to deepen the kiss, Magnus’ steady heartbeat pounding against his chest.

Intertwined and inescapable and impossibly in love.

“So, how does this work?” Alec brings up, later, once the lights are off and Magnus has tucked his head into the space of Alec’s neck that feels like it was made for this.

“Snuggling? I think you’re a gold star student myself, Alexander, but if you need some tips-“

Alec gently pinches Magnus’ side. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“My apologies,” Magnus purrs, though there’s a sharp smile hidden in the kiss he places against Alec’s clavicle. “How does what work, darling?”

Alec waves his free hand above his head, aware of how much amusement Magnus will get out of his floundering, yet not minding it. When Magnus teases him about talking with his hands, there’s too much warmth behind it for Alec to be offended, and too much trust between them for Alec to be uncomfortable.

“Finding a new apartment. If you even want to look for an apartment, I mean I know you loved living in the loft, and I did too, but maybe you want a house, or a mansion like Lorenzo has, though probably less gaudy, or even a farm-“

Magnus kisses Alec before he can finish his sentence, pulling back with a blinding grin, his cat eyes alight in the dim room. Alec’s cheeks flush, but he finds himself grinning along too.

“I have far better taste than a gaudy mansion like Lorenzo’s.” Magnus points out. “As for the finer details, an apartment, or house or even a farm - that’s something that we can both decide.”

Alec hums. “I don’t think I’d mind living on a farm. We could get chickens and sheep, and a dog to round up the sheep, and even a little goat we could name Jace.”

“I’m sure he’d love that.” Magnus points out, imagining the conflict on Jace’s face between the delight of being a namesake and the horror of the recipient being a goat.

“You never know.”

Magnus rests his palm against Alec’s chest, tracing the love rune against his skin - one of few he’d bothered to learn. “We can go looking tomorrow, if you’re free. I’m rather, indisposed at the moment myself. It might give us an idea of what we both like.”

Alec frowns. “So, you just, walk around other people’s homes? Are they there? Do they glare at you to stop you from touching their stuff?”

Magnus hides his grin against Alec’s skin. He’s a little worried that one day, and soon, his cheeks will split from smiling so widely. “Sometimes there is people there, but usually it’s either empty - like, a blank slate - or furnished with the idea that people will be able to see themselves living there. But they don’t usually glare.”

“Huh.” Alec idly traces Magnus’ ribs. “I know there are Shadowhunters who’d buy mundane homes, but in Alicante all of the houses are family owned. I’ve never even thought about looking for somewhere to live before.”

“This will be a new first for you then.” Magnus points out, simultaneously charmed by Alec’s outlook and astounded by the distance Shadowhunters put between themselves and others.

Alec drops a kiss to the top of Magnus’ head. “I seem to be accumulating them a lot, these days. Thanks to you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Magnus promises, because for him, that is how it feels. It’s a privilege to see Alec grow into the man that he was always meant to be, to support him in his journey towards true, and uncompromised happiness.

If there is anybody who deserves it the most, it is Alec.

Magnus loves Alec, more than anything in the world, but there is only so much a person can take before they’ve reached their breaking point.

“Alexander,” Magnus grits his teeth. “I love you, believe me, but if you don’t shut that damn alarm off, I will have to break up with you. It’s a matter of life and death.”

“It’s half-past ten.” Alec points out, smoothing his hand across Magnus’ back. “Not that I would hold you accountable for your actions whilst you’re so dreadfully sleep-deprived, but it is the time we agreed upon waking...”

Magnus shoves his face further into the pillow. It smells like Alec’s cologne, the one he wears on date nights, and it’s the warmest place in the entire Institute - well, second, to Alec’s arms, of course, but he’s dragging himself from the bed and so Magnus is revoking his cuddling privileges in retaliation.

“We’ve already missed breakfast.” Alec states. As though he’s sad about it.

“Shame,” Magnus mumbles into the pillow.

He can hear Alec bustling around the room, his socked feet brushing against the carpet, the low whistle that sounds like a generic top 40’s hit, though Alec would steadfastly deny it if asked. It’s simple, and easy, and even when everything else in Magnus’ life feels like it is crashing down around him, he’s grateful to have Alec at the center of it, keeping him stable and picking up any pieces that chip off, holding them carefully until Magnus is ready to put himself back together again.

“We could do brunch,” Alec suggests, his voice echoing from the bathroom. “If you get your ass out of bed.”

Magnus huffs a laugh into the pillow and rolls onto his back. It is a surprisingly comfortable bed, considering where it’s located, but he supposes that’s a perk of being the Head of an Institute and not just another soldier. They have an odd sense of hierarchy, here.

“I happen to have it on good authority that you love my ass,” Magnus points out, glancing at Alec through half-lidded eyes.

Alec leans against the door-frame of the bathroom, sweatpants resting low on his hips, arms folded across his bare chest. “I love all of you.” He shrugs, his eyes trailing low and then back up with a slow smirk. “Including your … assets.”

“Alexander Lightwood,” Magnus pulls himself up onto his elbows, the sheets slipping down to pool around his waist. “Did you just make a pun?”

Alec grins. “I flirted too. Can you believe it?” He spreads his palm flat against his chest. “I’m growing up so fast.”

Magnus is grateful that the moment is so light, for there’s a depth to Alec’s words that would bring a stronger man to tears; he has come so far from when they first met, he’s blossomed and he’s glowing and happier than Magnus could have ever wished for, and he’s done it on his own.

Magnus supported him, cared for him and loved him through it all, but Alec did all of the hard work on his own - it was his own strength and determination to carve out a better life for himself that saved him.

Magnus is just grateful that he’s lucky enough to witness it firsthand.

Alec’s stomach grumbles, and Magnus is brought careening back to the present. “Okay, this growing man needs some food. I have to sign off on some paperwork but after that, I’m all yours.”

Magnus smiles warmly. “Brunch, then. I’d best pretty myself up whilst you’re gone.”

Alec crosses the room, leaning down to draw Magnus into a slow kiss. He tastes like peppermint and doesn’t seem to mind that Magnus’ doesn’t. “You’re already the most beautiful person in the world.” He states, pulling back just far enough that Magnus can see the smile in his eyes.

“You’re biased.” Magnus contends, his heart fluttering when Alec smooths his hand over Magnus’ chest.

“Perhaps.” Alec drops a kiss onto the tip of Magnus’ nose. “That doesn’t mean that I’m wrong.”

Even if it did, Magnus found it hard to believe that Alec’s mind would change - and what a spectacularly unfamiliar delight that was, to feel the faith a person had in their opinion of you, that nothing would be able to sway them.

Alec is everything to Magnus - and he’d even dare to believe, that to Alec, he is too.

“Magnus Bane, in the flesh. I almost wouldn’t believe it if not for the truth of my own gaze.”

Magnus squeezes Alec’s hand, almost sensing his confusion, before letting go to bring the real estate agent into a warm, yet politely distant hug.

“You did such a good job with the last place, I thought I’d see what properties you’re dabbling in these days.” Magnus reaches back for Alec’s hand, encouraging him to step forward. “Eudora, meet Alec Lightwood. Alexander, this is Eudora, the best realtor I’ve had the pleasure of acquainting with. Her style is impeccable.”

Eudora glances at Alec, slyly. “He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he? A silver tongue if I’ve ever met one-” Eudora tucks a stray indigo lock behind her ear, revealing the sharp point. “As a Seelie, I’ve run into a few.”

“He’s spellbinding,” Alec agrees, leaning into Magnus’ shoulder. He hadn’t expected a Seelie realtor, but then, it’s not exactly a stretch either. “I think it’s the genuineness, he really makes you believe what he’s saying.”

“I can’t tell if you’re both agreeing that I’m a liar,” Magnus intervenes. “Or bonding over my honesty.”

Eudora winks at Alec, and for a second, he sees a glimmer pass across her skin, a hint at turquoise scales beneath a mundane glamour. It’s a sign of trust, he knows, and he’s grateful for it - Eudora is clearly important to Magnus, even if it’s more on a professional level than a personal one, and her trust means a lot.

Eudora claps her hands together, shimmering blue nails clicking lightly. “Right. The two of you came to view houses - first up is a darling Victorian townhouse, with original features and a modern twist that perfectly blends multiple eras together…”

Alec trails off, still listening but finding difficulty in making sense of any of the words that Eudora is saying. Fortunately, Magnus seems perfectly enrapt with the conversation, volleying questions back at Eudora that, from the outside, seem to be the right ones. Magnus keeps his hand intertwined with Alec’s whilst Eudora leads them through the house, and Alec is content to trail behind.

It really is a beautiful house.

The outside is an elegant white, as are the walls inside, but Alec can see where Magnus would put his own flair on the place; the hallway where he’d display a delicately woven rug, the living room that would have sprawling loveseats and couches, a glass coffee table to rest fresh flowers upon, a fireplace mantel to display mementos from their trips, and framed photos. He’d put the grand four poster bed in the main bedroom upstairs, and use the opposite room as a bedroom for Madzie whenever she’d visit, the remaining bedroom down the hall for guests who decide to pop by. His office, connecting to the kitchen would be filled with various books, science and literature and modern romance that he’d refuse to admit to anyone else he loves, a sprawling desk to work on spells and potions and writing his next magical tome.

Alec could hang his keys from a little hook near the front door, his boots under the entryway table. He could have a little garden out the back, see if his green thumb is truly as black as his mother’s; they could adopt a cat, and make doors for easy access so it could come and go as it pleases. He could have a reading chair by the fireplace, to curl up in when it’s cold and Magnus is busy puttering away in his office. They could cook together in the marble-topped kitchen, Alec on one side of the breakfast bench with a silly apron, Magnus on the other with the food that they intend to eat while he instructs Alec to stir this, or taste that, or just look his handsome self because that’s help enough.

They could host barbecues in the summer and dinner parties in the fall, share tall tales of their day over takeout as they sink into the couch, take days off to watch movies in their own home theatre in the den and wake up each morning knowing that this was a place that they shared together.

Magnus and Eudora are too distracted talking about mouldings or skirtings or something else that Alec has no concept of, and he’s struck with gratitude for the lack of attention on him. He slips his hand from Magnus’ and offers a tight smile in response to Magnus’ questioning gaze, darting through the kitchen to the back patio.

The feeling of fresh air whistling against his face is a cool reprieve from the heat that had been pricking his skin inside. He knew that this wasn’t a casual date, it was an important trip and at the end of it, there’d be an important decision to make, but nowhere in his train of thought had it truly sunk in what they were discussing here.

Yes, he’d asked Magnus - essentially - to let him move with Magnus, and he doesn’t regret it. He loves waking up next to Magnus, and hates going to bed without him, considers it a specific and terrible form of heartache when Magnus is gone because missing him hurts, even if he returns only an hour later. He knows, has known for longer than he’s even realised, that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Magnus - but the weight of it feels heavier now than it ever had before.

This is the first real step they’ve ever taken together; before, it was all abstract conversation and wishful thinking, but this is tangible and real and entirely possible and Alec hadn’t prepared for the shift, hadn’t even expected it.

It’s a small grace that he’s having this, admittedly minor, freak-out before any big decisions have been cemented. It’s nice to know that he can learn from his past and not repeat the same mistakes.

His next wedding won’t be a mistake. He’s going to make sure that he’s doing it for love, and for himself, and Magnus, and not anybody else.

“Alexander?”

The French glass doors don’t make a sound when they slide open, giving Magnus the chance to hover behind Alec, close enough to touch if he so desires, before Alec notices that he’s there.

“It’s a beautiful view, huh?” Alec’s voice cracks on the final word. He fiddles with the collar of his jacket, his wrist resting against the erratic pulse of his chest.

Magnus knocks his shoulder against Alec’s. “Yes. Yes it is.”

Alec shakes his head, glancing over at Magnus. He’s beaming, smirking in that subtle way that means he knows exactly what Alec is thinking, and is far from ashamed about it.

“I was genuinely talking about the view,” Alec gestures towards the backyard half-heartedly.

Magnus shrugs. “I prefer mine.”

Alec sighs, but there’s hardly any exasperation to it. He’s far more charmed than he’d like to admit, and even just this blip of conversation has chipped away at a little of his nerves. Magnus has this uncanny ease at grounding Alec, and making him feel comfortable no matter the situation around them, like an anchor at sea.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Free of charge, for you.” Alec scours the back of his hand across the cut of his jaw. “I have to warn you, though, it’s kind of stupid.”

Magnus rests his hand against the small of Alec’s back. “I find that hard to believe.”

Alec lets his head drop against Magnus’ shoulder, wrapping his arm around Magnus’ waist. Magnus kisses Alec’s temple, squeezing him close, hand curved against Alec’s hip. Alec feels bad for wasting their time - for wasting Eudora’s time, too - but he can’t seem to get his brain onto a different train of thought. It’s determined to ride this one out until it crashes and burns.

“It could just be me,” Alec acknowledges. “I’m not exactly well-versed in relationships, and I’ve certainly never considered any kind of future as much as I have this, but it all just feels very … I don’t think that I really thought about how big of a deal this is, before, and now it’s suddenly very real.”

“We don’t have to go through with this if you’re not ready.” Magnus soothes circles against Alec’s skin, his fingers hooked beneath Alec’s shirt. “Today is just, house hunting for fun. Getting you out of those shadows you’re so fond of chasing.”

Alec angles his head so that he can look up at Magnus without moving from what is quite a comfortable position. “That’s the thing. I am ready, and I know I’m ready, I just didn’t think past that? It’s easy for me to say that the only future I want is the one with you in it, but acting on that is completely different. I don’t know how to tell what the right house is. I don’t even know how to live on my own! I’ve always lived in the Institute, where there are like, hundreds of other Shadowhunters at a time. I’ve been coddled and now when it comes to making important life decisions, I’m lost.”

Magnus cups the side of Alec’s cheek. “You’re not alone in this, Alexander. I’ve never moved in with somebody before - but then, I’ve also never loved anybody as much as I love you. Both of those are utterly terrifying to me because they’re so new, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t the right thing for me. We don’t have to choose a new house today - we don’t even have to choose this one. There’s no pressing time schedule that we have to adhere by, we just take it at our own pace.”

“We live in a world that could end at any moment,” Alec points out, somewhat petulantly, because he knows that Magnus is right, and that it is a fact Magnus is well aware of.

“So why are we wasting time staring at a pristine backyard that costs more than the Institute’s annual food budget alone, when we could head down to Coney Island and eat ice-cream before dinner like the crazy kids we are on the inside?”

Alec pouts. It can be difficult dating a warlock - not because of the stark differences in their people, but because he’s a smart-ass who disguises his omnipotence within sugar-coated promises that he knows Alec can’t turn down, without actually coming out and just saying ‘I told you so’.

“I do like ice-cream.” Alec admits.

“I know.” Magnus kisses Alec’s temple. “Come on, let’s thank Eudora for her help before she makes me promise her more werewolf fur than I actually have.”

“Werewolf fur?”

Magnus guides Alec back towards the house. “I don’t ask questions, Alexander, I just retrieve the ingredients. Werewolves shed more than dogs, it’s not difficult to acquire, I just don’t feel comfortable keeping stock in the Institute - no offence.”

Alec shakes his head. “None taken.”

“We’ll be okay, Alexander. We’ll figure it out, together. That’s kind of what sharing a future with somebody means.” Magnus frowns. “Apparently.”

It’s a peculiar sense of calm that washes over Alec. As big and impossible as this feels to him, is only matched by Magnus; they’re both in this rickety little lifeboat together, holding onto keep themselves afloat, but if worse comes to worst, they’ll capsize together.

If it doesn’t? They’ll find a house that they both love, where they can take the next steps - together. Alec has no doubt that he and Magnus have a bright future ahead of them. He just needs to be patient, and let it come to them.

“You really have that much faith in our future?” Magnus asks as they pass the threshold. “You just, know, that we’ll have a good one?”

Alec cups Magnus’ face and pulls him in, kissing him through a blinding grin. “I have faith in us. That’s all I’ve ever needed.”

#malec #malec fic #sh fic #my fic #shadowhunters #3x15 #ish #house hunting #tooth-rotting fluff #communication #like in everything i write tbh #shfanficnexus #my writing #gift fic #for carla

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bytheangell · 6 years ago

Text

Dreaming Wide Awake - Ch 2

(Read on AO3) (Read from the start)

Magnus hangs up the call from Alec with a frown.

“What was that about?” Ragnor asks, and Magnus turns to his roommate lost in thought, biting at his lower lip without realizing he's even doing it. He just stands there by the balcony door he wandered towards during the conversation, leaning against it while he runs back over the exchange he just had with Alec. Once he’s certain he has it all processed he finally answers Ragnor.

“Alec wants me to go to Italy with him and his family for a month.” Now that he says it out loud there’s no way this sounds like a good idea. And judging by the look on Ragnor’s face his best friend agrees.

“Wow. That’s… huh.” Ragnor is at least attempting not to say something that sounds as judgmental as the look he can’t keep off of his features, but Magnus still rolls his eyes because he knows what he’s thinking, even if he doesn’t come right out and say it. And then he does just that. “I thought you two were just-”

Ragnor’s choosing his words very carefully, and Magnus doesn’t blame him. This is a conversation they had more than once since his arrangement with Alec began earlier that year... and by ‘conversation’, he’s being kind. Magnus doesn’t want this to turn into another argument so he cuts Ragnor off.

“-we are. Just friends.” Magnus finishes the question off in firm denial, knowing exactly where Ragnor is going with that thought.

“So you’re going on vacation with him as just friends. With his family. To Italy. For an entire month.” Ragnor emphasizes his disbelief more with each additional point.

“Not… exactly.” He isn’t going to lie about it but he knows how this is going to go over. “Only family and significant others are invited.” Magnus hesitates. “He’s going to tell his family we’re dating.”

“...but you aren’t.”

“No.” Magnus confirms, and there’s a hint of disappointment and a touch of longing behind the single syllable. “We’re just going to pretend to be. If I can even go.”

Ragnor nods once and for a moment Magnus things he might get out of this conversation in one piece... then Ragnor snorts out a laugh.

“Please tell me you know how terrible of an idea this is.”

“Of course I do.” Magnus snaps, walking over to the sofa and throwing himself down onto the worn cushions with a heavy sigh of defeat. “But I can’t let Alec know that because then he’ll realize…” Magnus trails off, unable to vocalize the end of that thought without squeezing his eyes shut in frustration.

“...that you’re hopelessly in love with him?” Ragnor fills in, the slightest bit of a smirk betraying his ‘helpful’ intentions.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Magnus pouts. “That’s my job.”

Ragnor laughs again.

“It’s a mild crush. If that .” Magnus defends, as if that makes things any better. And they both know that’s a lie, or at least turning into one the longer this year goes on. “So this should be fine. It’s just pretending, and heaven knows I’ve been dong a convincing enough job at that so far.”

“Yes, but that’s pretending you don’t care. The problem here is that you won’t be pretending to care .”

Magnus considers this for the first time with a deep frown. “Well, it’s too late either way. I said I’d go. He doesn’t want to go alone and I wasn’t really looking forward to spending a whole month stuck here without him, anyway.”

“For starters, ouch , I’m right here. And apparently not good enough to spend a month of summer with.” Ragnor raises an eyebrow. “At least I know where I stand now.”

“What did I say about being dramatic?” Magnus repeats.

“And second, yes, that sounds like an entirely normal, healthy reaction to separation from ‘just a friend’ that you clearly have no deep attachment to whatsoever.”

Magnus hates how right Ragnor is but he isn’t about to admit it.

“It probably won’t matter. I’m sure they won’t want someone new coming this last-minute anyway. And you know what? I take back what I said about it being too late. I can always change my mind and say no.”

“You could,” Ragnor agrees, and for the briefest moment Magnus thinks he’s won. “But will you?”

“Of course I will. I’ll sleep on it, and if it still seems like a terrible idea in the morning, I’ll turn him down.” Magnus says it with such forced conviction that Ragnor, thankfully, drops the subject for the rest of the night.

---

“Guess what?!” Alec’s voice sounds from behind him before he enters Magnus’ line of sight to cross in front of him and take the seat to his right, as usual. As he passes by Alec leaves a latte on the corner of his limited desk space; it’s a ritual at this point, though Magnus isn’t sure when Alec stopped asking if Magnus wanted him to bring him a coffee and when he just started doing it.

Magnus takes the warm cup in both of his hands and allows himself a moment to bask in the warmth of the caffeine that’s about to pass his lips, doing his best to take comfort in this very needed addition to the middle of his day while trying not to think about the reason he can barely keep his eyes open in the first place.

After his late-night chat with Ragnor, Magnus had too much on his mind to fall asleep at any reasonable hour before he had to be awake for his 8 am class. Well, if he didn’t wake up a full hour and a half early to shower and style his hair and do a full face of makeup, that is. If he rolled out of bed and came to class in sweatpants and a baseball cap to hide any noticeable bedhead then he could sleep a passable number of hours. He has his priorities, though, and nothing is going to change that any time soon.

So instead of sleeping he spent hours laying awake for half the night fretting over whether or not he should take Alec up on his offer, if it came down to it. He already said yes but that was in the moment. He could come up with some excuse to get out of it if he has to, he’s certain - a concert he forgot he has tickets to, or a summer internship he should sign up for that just happens to run the month Alec’s gone. He knows it’s the responsible thing to do. He knows he should be distancing himself from this plan as much as possible. And at some point he drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning convinced that he could make that call, for the best interests of both of them.

But when Alec sits down next to him, beaming like he’s the goddamn sun itself, Magnus knows that was all foolish optimism and he never stood a chance.

“There are actually 30 shots of espresso in this cup and my heart’s going to give out before I have to suffer through my foreign economics exam later?” Magnus guesses, taking a sip of his drink before shaking his head. “Nope. Alright, I’m out of guesses, what is it?”

He definitely doesn’t need the caffeine to make his heart race now - the look on Alec’s face could only be about one thing. Alec confirms his suspicion almost immediately.

“They said yes. You, Mr. Bane, are joining the Lightwoods for a month in Italy.”

The inner conflict he feels at this news must show on his face because a second later Alec’s entire expression changes.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, frowning. “I thought you’d be more excited?” Magnus shakes his head, a slow smile crossing his features. “I am. Really, that’s amazing. I think I’m just in shock because I didn’t want to get my hopes up on them saying yes.” At least that isn’t a total lie. He really didn’t expect them to say yes, but maybe his hopes were flip-flopping a bit for selfish reasons.

“Honestly? Me too. But they had the extra ticket because Izzy and Meliorn broke up, and they didn’t want it to go to waste.” There’s something strange in Alec’s tone, like he’s keeping something more about the whole situation from him, but Magnus can’t pinpoint just what about it doesn’t sit right with him. Maybe it’s the way Alec skirts around mentioning how his parents feel about that ticket going to use for Alec’s sudden, surprise boyfriend. Before he can ask Alec is already chiming in with another question.

“But you still want to go, right?” Alec asks. “Now that it’s official?I know you said yes before but I kinda sprung the idea on you out of nowhere, and it was just a hypothetical.” Alec smiles over at him before hiding his face behind his coffee cup to take a long, satisfied sip, relaxing visibly afterward. And just like that Alec shrugs, his previous enthusiasm gone. “It’s fine if you’d rather not. I’m sure you already had plans in mind for the start of your summer and I’ll have plenty to keep busy with on my own if I have to.”

Magnus can tell that Alec is going out of his way to give him an easy out and realizes he hates the idea that Alec might actually be totally indifferent to the idea of him going or not going. Like he's just something fun to have around, if he can. Magnus has to remind himself, once more, that they’re just friends. There’s not supposed to be any serious emotional attachment here, and he can’t blame Alec for keeping to his end of that bargain. Two can play at that game… even if Magnus is the only one playing the part of the carefree, detached friend. “And miss a free trip to Italy? I do believe I was promised wine.”

Alec’s easy smile is back instantly. “Great! Because I know you’ve always wanted to visit. I already did a bit of poking around, and it’s just a seven hour bus ride from Rome to Matera if I can convince my parents to let us overnight by ourselves in...”

They don’t have time to continue any vacation planning when the Professor dims the lights and pulls up a powerpoint, and Alec’s words drift into silence while he shifts to pull out his usual composition book and pen to start taking notes with.

It takes a lot for Magnus to keep his focus straight ahead. Even when he manages to keep his gaze planted firmly ahead at the front of the room, he isn’t really hearing a single thing the Professor says. The decision he needs to make, one way or another before the next hour is up, takes over entirely. He doesn’t know why… or maybe he does, and he just stubbornly refuses to admit it, even to himself. Because now that he has the idea in his head that he can do all of the things with Alec he’s wanted to do for weeks, for months , now, he can’t shake it. Magnus wants it. And he knows that’s exactly why he should say no.

He nearly misses the end of class, but in what feels like the blink of an eye Alec is gently nudging his arm.

“Earth to Magnus,” he says, tilting his head just a bit.

“Sorry. Looks like I need more than a latte to keep myself focused today.”

Alec just laughs. “I’ll make it a double shot next time.” Alec shoves his notebook back into his bag, standing to leave. “So you’re definitely in for the trip, right? I can tell my parents so they can finalize the travel arrangements and switch over the names?”

He should say no. He really should.

Magnus can already hear Ragnor’s voice in his head, repeating that this is a terrible idea and he should back out now before Alec has a chance to tell his parents to expect him along. He knows it’s selfish, and foolish, and probably a recipe for disaster to go along with this.

But he also pictures himself visiting the Italian countryside hand-in-hand with Alexander - even if it’s just for a month - and he can’t imagine anywhere else he’d rather be.

“Absolutely.”

...Ragnor is definitely going to kill him.

#malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #ragnor fell #shadowhunters #And a little bit of Magnus POV to set the tone a bit #before we get into the heart of the fic #elle writes a few deadbeat lines

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khaleesiofalicante · 3 years ago

Note

okay uh, chapter 5 first!

I finally got around to reading it Wednesday night/Thursday afternoon so yeah

ok lets goooo

nooo, dreams :((

oh shit invu by Taeyeon came on wow beautiful

the song wow

ew don't go back home stay with Magnus

There is an ache in his chest.

Not the bad kind he is used to, but the good kind.

He wants to feel it forever.

He doesn’t want to let go.

babe I hate to break it to you-

Alec wanting to comfort Magnus 🥺

Magnus definitely wants to be held

HOLD HIM YOU COWARD

sleepy Magnus is so cute omg

He has noticed this about Magnus. He is particularly needy in the morning - especially if he had a nightmare the night before.

y'all adorable

He wants them to ask those questions. And he wants to respond with “Sorry I can’t make it. I’m busy with my boyfriend.”

well, you will be able to do it after the next chapter so-

hehe

How can Alec call Magnus ‘baby’ so naturally and yet have a fucking existential crisis over calling him ‘boyfriend’?

Y'all fucking adorable

also yeah he definitely wants to be your boyfriend

oo jace

they're so cute omg

oo gifts

“But I have been a good boy, haven’t I?”

I CHOKED-

oh nooo

oh shit he said it's instinctual

that is quite worrying

ah yes Peru

I mean we still have no clue what happened

oh no no too much shit there shh no one's going back to Cambridge shush

Magnus doesn't share anything Bane and Alec oversharer Lightwood

y'all-

ooo nice

Albany is so quiet and for what?

AYYY THEY ARE AT THE PLACE

YKNOW

THEIR FUTURE HOUSE

ahem

alec's future house

“Oh,” Magnus says and looks at the place. “So, like, someone’s house?”

Yes

ayy they're gonna go in

"Giving tours," Magnus clarifies. "This is someone's home. It feels like we are intruding."

"Well, technically, this is government property," Alec elaborates. "Also, isn't it cool to share your home with others? To share this important part of yourself?"

no wait I agree with Magnus

honestly if a bunch of random people just walked into my house I would be very uncomfortable

I hate this trope. the whole "pretending to be friends when we're dating because we're gay"

fuck people

hi Leslie!

it's really cute that he drove here every week

“So,” Magnus rocks back and forth on his feet as they head to the main balcony. “Why did you bring me here? What’s your secret, Lightwood? You have a fantasy about banging someone here?”

Alec chuckles and shakes his head.

Although the banging bit doesn’t sound that bad either. Alec files it away for later.

it definitely comes true

ew American politics

so complicated and for what??

mhm sure mumbo jumbo

okay this makes sense

“Because New York is home,” Alec replies. “I want my job to be realistic, Magnus. I know New York like the back of my hand. I know what it needs, and I know how to make it better. If I am a senator, I’ll be the state’s representative in the federal government. I’ll get to vote on bills and work with the Senate – which is very important, of course. But I want more than that. I want to be able to pass the bill, not just vote on it. I don’t want to be a representative of my state. I want to run it.”

BABY, YOU WILL GET THERE

I LOVE YOU

I have no clue what the fuck you are saying

but okay

“So,” Magnus whistles. “Governor Lightwood, huh?”

Lightwood-Bane*

you're welcome ❤️

okay the world is shit

ALEC I WOULD VOTE FOR YOU

I AM NOT AN AMERICAN CITIZEN BUT I WOULD VOTE FOR YOU

But he wants the mansion to be a home to him as well.

A home.

With a husband. Maybe even children.

One.

Maybe two.

DUDE-

YOU-

FUCK I-

okay yeah srsly though WHY does anyone need 40 bedrooms??????

Alec laughs. “The governor doesn’t have to live here. I just want to.”

“Rich people,” Magnus mumbles.

jhuduihcdfcuhyhudfvhufvu

fuck choosing

be a bitch ❤️

He gently reaches with his hand and touches Magnus’ pinky finger with his own.

ALRIGHT, YOU BITCH-

SHUT UP

THEY ARE HOLDING HANDS

“I’m used to feeling so powerless,” Alec confesses, the words spilling out of him. “So, I want this. I want all this power, Magnus. I want it so I can use it. I want it so no one will ever feel this powerless again. I know it’s idealistic. But I will do my best to change it.”

you..

you are fucking amazing

“I have this feeling,” Magnus says with a smile. “One day, you are going to make the world a better place.”

And Alec takes those words out of Magnus’ mouth and locks them inside his heart. He is going to keep it there. He is going to listen to it every day.

OMG

THEM

THIS

SO ADORABLE

THEM

SHUT UP ALEC KISSED HIS HAND

OH SHIT

But how are you supposed to make someone happy if you are not happy yourself? How are you supposed to make others feel safe if you are terrified on the inside?

THIS

YOU FUCKING AMAZING HUMAN BEING I COULD HUG YOU

He wants Magnus here.

In this mansion.

And he wants to wake up here every day to the sound of Magnus calling him ‘Alexander’.

I could cry

holy shit they are kissing

oh my god oh my god

IT'S HAPPENING

But he wants this.

He wants to be Magnus’ Alexander more than he wants to the governor.

It’s so weird how a single word or a single gesture can rearrange your past and rewrite your future.

I am emo

this is beautiful

Because he doesn’t want the mansion.

He wants a home.

DUDE-

STOP FUCKING WITH ME

oh ew Robert is calling him

okay I have a dress rehearsal tomorrow so I'm gonna go sleep now

gonna continue this in the morning

oh wow today was tiring

I did very well today during the rehearsal, especially with my knee

okay middle part now

wait a sec I'm stalking my programming teacher's Instagram

oh wow okay his following took a turn-

ANYWAY

How are you supposed to miss something you never loved?

oh-

I saw someone saying how this could happen in canon if malec moved to Idris because alec is the consul and all

and like I totally agree!!

I read something about that in the books (not the exact thing ofc) and like

yes.

Leslie is still here omg

oh wow this hurts

It hurt him when he realized how easy it is to move out. It's almost as if he had never lived here.

For it had always felt like he had moved into someone else’s home.

It feels like he had been nothing but a guest here.

A guest who had overstayed his welcome.

This is not his home anyway. This is not anyone’s home.

Oh wow this hurts

I...that...this feeling

it truly sucks. I hope he...I hope he finds it y'know? a home. an actual home. because he deserves it more than anyone

SHUT UP MAGNUS STILL MAKING SURE ALEC EATS???

FUCK

oh, max...

okay, but elyaas being an amazing friend to max 🥺

MAGNUS ASKING ELYAAS TO MAKE SURE MAX HAS HIS INHALER

FUCK THIS SHIT I'M OUT OF HERE

"My"

oh hell no

Magnus didn’t know his heart could get shattered by a possessive pronoun. But here they are.

dude same

shut up this is THE balcony

y'all fucking heartbreaking

Magnus knows Rafael is closer to him. But there is something between Rafael and Alec he has never been able to put a finger on.

They have a thread that connects them.

Magnus doesn’t know what it is. But he hopes it keeps them connected forever.

THEM

FUCKING THEM

I CANT-

He doesn’t want the kids to suffer because of all of this.

I-

oh god you have to be kidding me

“I’m gonna be there, okay? Whatever you need, I’m gonna be there,” Alec says with a softness that Magnus hadn’t heard in a long time.

oh wow okay it's fine I'm fine

Magnus...give him space

give max space

he'll come to you. he always will

dude this isn't about you right now okay??

god I don't even know why this is pissing me off

He remembers the first time Alec had given Rafael a beer. They were in Cannes.

The boy had been 16. Rafael had liked it but had promised not to drink until he is 18.

Max who had been 14 at the time had demanded beer too. He had thrown a bloody fit until Alec had allowed a single sip.

Max had choked on the beer and thrown the bottle into the ocean.

okay thoughts

first of all, MAX THROWING THE BOTTLE IN THE OCEAN IS SO FUCKING HILARIOUS

LIKE-

HE JUST THREW IT

secondly, LBAF alec is currently rolling-

sorry continue, please

SHARED MEMORIES

SHUT UP

A moment of peace.

For they’ll never lose this.

All the memories they have created together.

this makes me 😭

damn y'all

And despite all the pain and drama, there is a tiny part of Magnus, a sliver of his soul, that wishes Alec would ask him not to go.

head in hands

why tf do you want that-

I don't get it, dude

you asked for this??? now you wanna stay???

sigh

deep breaths

“Don’t believe a word he says. He loves you,” Alec smiles crookedly. “What does Rafe say? Max is a slut for affection.”

“Don’t call him that,” Magnus manages a laugh.

“He has called both of us so much worse,” Alec reminds him. “Remember the night we accidentally deleted the progress on his video game?”

“I still have nightmares,” Magnus shudders. “I’ve never heard so many profanities in a single minute. Not even from you.”

aww, this is so-

ALSO, MY BROTHER IS THE SAME-

oof yeah I get it.

Alec is…Alec was not just his husband. Alec was always more.

Alec is always more to everyone. That’s just how Alec loves.

He loves as much as possible - and then he loves you some more.

Magnus doesn’t want to miss this.

He needs this.

He needs Alec’s love. In any capacity he can get.

He needs it, for Magnus knows he will die without it.

head in hands again

I'm in fucking tears WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT DUDE MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND

MAGNUS FOR FUCK'S SAKE I REALLY DON'T GET IT

"friend"

oh god, you-

you-

Magnus, you asked for this remember? you asked for a divorce (not accusatory) and now you're like "oh let's be friends"

that's not...that's not how it...

i...

dude, I don't get it. what do you want??

divorce isn't so simple. it's...why do you keep expecting alec to like...still act like it's fine

god i don't even make sense

“I don’t want to lose you,” Magnus says because those words are true and he needs Alec to know. “I still need you in my life.”

???????????????

DUDE I CAN WITH YOU

“You don’t get to call me that anymore,” Alec says - no, commands. “From now on, I am just Alec to you. Do you understand?”

I...I honestly don't have any words

just...

holy shit wtf

ooo the end

RAFAEL'S POV

oof cannot relate to the routine part

okay this bitch cute

He loves the idea of waking up to her. He loves the idea of her waking up to him even more.

❤️

he's so...methodic

i...I have no clue how y'all function like that but I've always found people like this very comforting

Bapak never uses an alarm. He is one of those people who wakes up all on their own right on time. How bapak does that every day Rafael has no idea.

oh look it's me

OH NO MAGNUS-

:((

anxiety pills??

hugs him

okay alec wants to talk

these bitches (affectionate)

“Treat your skin like you would treat a newborn baby,” Bapak had told him over breakfast one day.

“So,” Max had said. “Ignore it?”

I CACKALED

also 12 steps??????? wow okay-

Family shouldn't feel special.

It should feel normal.

oh wow pain

he's right...it shouldn't

oh ew shinyun

shoo go away

sprays holy water everywhere

shinyun leave

Rafael kick her out

okay fine, she can stay...BUT ONLY BECAUSE MAGNUS IS DATING HER AND I RESPECT HIS DECISION

but babe you can do so much better-

nope no I support him

please leave her

Alec Lightwood in Max’s words was ‘a stubborn asshole’.

accurate

Rafael not wanting max to be at his workplace because it's his safe space is relatable

we all have that one place

and it's so fucking annoying when someone else intrudes

But there are some spaces, a handful, where he fits in and falls into place without having to try.

So, when he finds those places, he clutches onto them.

Like Anjali’s arms.

Like PolSci lecture room in Columbia.

Like Senator Rosales’ office.

hugs him

I got wafers

It’s not easy for him to socialize. It’s not easy for him to find places where he is comfortable.

yeah...same

ANJALI OMG

Y'ALL CUTE

He knows if he keeps this job and performs well, he can reach his goal of getting into Congress after his master's.

I am so proud of him

so fucking proud

istg shinyun stop pointing out the obvious shit

OH WOW, SHE GOT BTS TICKETS???

THOSE ARE VERY HARD TO GET

HOW TF-

okay but she's definitely trying very hard to win them over

what the fuck is your plan here bitch?

I'm making iced coffee

“You don’t think I should be dating Magnus,” she observes again. “You don’t think I am good enough for him.”

“Someone once told me we shouldn’t decide is good enough for other people,” Rafael replies.

Her light brown eyes almost twinkle at his words. “Then what is your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem!” Rafael says tersely as he walks to get more coffee. “And it doesn’t matter what I think, Shinyun. Bapak is not a child. If he wants to date you, he can date you.”

Rafael doesn’t understand why other people don’t get this. Especially dad.

yup

if Magnus wants to date her then well...sigh

sure babe.

I'm here for you though. through all the bad choices

shinyun wtf is your problem

“Because I don’t like to meddle,” Rafael replies. “But don’t mistake my indifference for apathy. I’m watching you.”

YES

BITCH DON'T TRY ANYTHING

“I’m asking you to treat my father the way he treats you,” Rafael clarifies. “Because what you will get from him in a week or a month is more than what you will ever get from anyone else in a lifetime.”

THIS!!!

HE'S SO RIGHT

COUNT YOUR FUCKING DAYS SHINYUN

Rafael is so amazing

max just chilling

LMAO, THE TEXTS-

aww they are talking

goddamn it alec

SO WHAT IF HE'S MAKING A MISTAKE WITH HER

IT'S NOT YOUR PLACE TO COMMENT ON IT

IT'S NOT YOUR PLACE TO OBJECT

sigh

I know heartbreak's different for everyone and you were married to him you knew him a long time

so it sucks

but you cant stay hungover him forever

Rafael takes a deep breath. “I meant what I said yesterday. This isn’t about Shinyun. Or you or me. This is about bapak.”

^^^^

“I understand where you’re coming from,” dad says eventually. “But it’s different for me, Rafe. Magnus is…Magnus was my husband. It’s not easy for me to move on like it’s for you or Max.”

“I know,” Rafael says quietly. “I’m sorry I asked you to move on. I mean. I do want you to move on. I meant what I said. But I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

the communication is strong in these two

noice

but yeah.

“I just,” dad says and rubs his beard tiredly. “I just want things to go back to the way they were, Rafe. Is that too much to ask?”

“Dad,” Rafael whispers. “Things can never go back to the way they were. That’s where you are wrong. We are all different now. All of us. So much has changed. We can never go back.”

It can never go back alec

it's your reality now

rafe's right

“We need to find a new place together. The four of us. Whoever we are now, we need to work with that. We can’t go back, dad.”

THIS!

i don't know how you're gonna go forward but you can't be stuck in one place forever

“No. If he comes back to you, then what are you going to do? How are you going to protect him? What are you going to do differently this time?”

Dad looks taken aback by all the questions.

“You want him back but you don’t know how to keep him,” Rafael chuckles sadly. “This is why I am telling you to back off. Because even if bapak comes back, you are going to lose him all over again.”

he's right

you have to do better. you have to do more the second time around if he comes back

It’s one of the most powerful and well-protected places in the entire state.

But then he had come to realize, it’s just like any other place.

It doesn’t stand for shit.

Not when the people inside it were hurt and broken and lonely.

It doesn’t mean anything when it can’t protect the people who took care of it.

there is so much pain here

it breaks me

so much pain and suffering

it hurts

What’s the point of mansions and governors and senators and all this power then?

What’s the point of power if you can’t protect people?

you keep trying

you look around and you keep tyring

that's really it, isn't it?

“People are always suffering, Rafe,” dad whispers. “But you can’t lose faith. Not in this job. If you don’t believe you can make things better, then you won’t get to where you want to be.”

Rafael frowns at that.

“Hey. Look at me,” dad says and holds his face with a hand. “I know it’s hard to keep going sometimes. When we look around us, there is so much pain and it’s hard to believe there is a point to anything. But we need to keep going, okay?”

Rafael gives a little nod.

“Faith is what keeps people alive, Rafe. Faith in God. Faith in themselves. Faith in our loved ones. People need to believe in something. Otherwise, it’s impossible to make it through. And people need to believe in systems. So, we need to work hard to prove we are worth believing in.”

^^^^^^^^^^

ooo they are both gonna be in London

are y'all gonna hook up in a bathroom again?

Yass them ganging up to annoy max hwuhduhf

I have a very low coffee intolerance I should not be drinking it my throat feels clogged up now

I’m going to be sharing TLND tiktoks with you as a reward for these beautiful (and hilarious) reactions lol.

This is Max pranking Rafael

#tlnd

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malecmidnights · 6 years ago

Text

Magnus had lived through countless New Years’. He’d seen all the parties, drank champagne until the stroke of midnight more times than he could recall. He’d made thousands of promises to make the New Year his bitch, only to fall flat within a month. After around the 400th, they began to become dull. He didn’t really see the point in celebrating a New Year anymore. Just another year of everyone around him aging. Dying. Leaving him. Another year of loneliness, heartache and alcohol- lots of it.

Still, this New Year was different. It felt special in all the wrong ways. He had minimal left, seeing as his time on Earth was now painfully limited. He hadn’t really celebrated the New year in 60 years, only shared a glass of champagne with Ragnor and Catarina and recalled all the shitiness from the past year, promising to make a difference this time. This year, though, that couldn’t happen, Catarina had Madzie to care for and Ragnor- well- Ragnor was still insistently pretending he was dead.

Tonight, though, he would not dwell. Tonight, he would invite over the people he cared about and some people he didn’t, get ridiculously smashed and wake up with a hangover from Hell- the best way to bring in the New Year.

The party, Izzy decided, was everything she ever imagined from a Magnus Bane party that wasn’t thrown for a child. Filled with gorgeous faces she could only conjure up in her Wildest Dreams, 100 different types of alcohol at an open bar, candles, glitter, music, laughter, feigned smiles of recognition and her brother standing sullenly in the corner.

“What’s up, Alec?”

He looks up, seemingly pulled from deep thought.

“He’s faking it, you know that, right?”

He nods over to Magnus, who’s sauntering around with a champagne flute and a painfully wide fake smile, speaking to every guest, some of whom he hugs, some of whom look at him in awe.- which, fair enough, he does look a little like a God. Still, Alec could see through the smiles, saw that every time Magnus downed a glass, it wasn’t for fun. He saw the way Magnus would cringe slightly whenever someone did magic. He saw through Magnus’ enthusiasm while planning the party, too, though said nothing as to not burst his bubble. He just didn’t want to see Magnus hurt, but Magnus had to stop pretending not to be.

“Talk to him.” Izzy pulls him out of his thoughts with a comforting grip on his arm and that smile that never fails to make him feel a little better. He wanted to talk to him, but he was terrified of it turning into a fight. He was terrified of losing Magnus because of his stubbornness and resentment of sharing how he feels.

“I know it’s scary, but it needs to be done. He can’t go on like this and neither can you.”

It’s a sort of daze in which Alec pulls himself from the wall after that conversation, long after Izzy had left him to get another drink. He finds Magnus relatively quickly in the next room, entertaining a group of strangers with a no doubt exaggerated story. He looks beautiful, and Alec decides he will talk to Magnus because he looks so much more beautiful when his smiles are real.

For now, though, he’ll just be by his side.

He comes up beside Magnus, wrapping a casual arm around his waist with a soft smile in his direction. Magnus slows his talking to smile back and leans into Alec’s touch and somehow, Alec knows they’ll be okay. They have a lot to work through, but they’ll be okay. He knows he can’t take anymore of Magnus’ faked happiness that attempts to disguise the 3am cries in the other room or the nightmares or the excessive drinking. He knows that Magnus isn’t used to opening up, that he may not do so immediately, but he needs to make sure Magnus knows that he’s in a safe space to do so.

Magnus had never realized how much he’d regret throwing a party in his loft. Usually, it could all be cleaned with a flick of his wrist in a matter of seconds, but when he woke up alone on the sofa, surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol and glitter, it was like a kick in the face. He didn’t even enjoy the stupid party, everyone was drunk and he was drunk and the whole thing was pointless, because it’s now January 1st and he still feels like crap and he has a wicked hangover and an apartment to clean.

Not the best way to start to the New Year but hey, at least he made it.

But at what cost?

Deciding it was too early for those kind of thoughts, he pushed it to the back of his mind in favor of heading to the kitchen for a coffee. Luckily, someone (assumingly and hopefully Alec,) had changed him from his party outfit to sweatpants and a robe.

When he hears a noise coming from the bedroom, he decides to check it out, assuming it’s a leftover guest who needs to be shooed out. What he doesn’t expect, however, is Alec on his knees, picking up bottles and bits of broken glass.

“You stayed?”

“Fucking christ, Magnus.” Alec startles, jumping at the sudden sight of Magnus by the door, though he’s quick to reply.

“Of course I stayed, why wouldn’t I?”

Magnus opens his mouth, but shuts it again with a self-deprecating sigh. Alec’s eyes follow him as he fully enters the room, feeling a stranger in his own home. Hesitantly, he sits on the edge of his bed, his hands folded in his lap. He sees Alec’s concern etched onto his face, to which he sighs once more. He just can’t stop hurting people, huh?

“I just- I’m a mess, Alexander. I know you can see it, and I’m surprised you haven’t run for the hills by now. I don’t know what I’m doing, truth is, I don’t remember the last time I felt so ridiculously useless. I don’t mean to burden you with this, but I can’t keep it in any longer.”

“I know.”

Alec rises from his knees, joining Magnus and brushing their knees together, both of them staring ahead with something akin to anger, but not at each other, at the situation- at the world.

“I’m not going anywhere, Magnus. I just need you to talk to me.”

“I will.”

They sit in silence for a few moments, though it’s far from tense. In a way, it speaks more than words ever could. It’s a moment of acceptance, in which Magnus realizes he can’t do this alone, that feigning happiness and getting incredibly hammered won’t solve anything. Then, Alec rises, offering his hand to Magnus.

“Come on.”

“What are you doing?”

“We are dancing.”

“alexander, I-“ Alec cuts him off with a coy raise of his eyebrow and a smirk, to which Magnus lets out his first real laugh in months.

“There’s no music.” Even as he says it, though, he’s clutching Alec’s hand and letting himself be pulled up.

“We don’t need it.”

Alec presses a kiss to Magnus’ forehead as they lean into each other, hands clasped and on waists, and Magnus completely leans into him, relying on Alec to carry his weight, with which he trusts him wholly.

“Happy New Year Magnus”

“Happy New Year, Alexander.”

And for the first time ever, Magnus has real hope for the New Year, because even though they still had a lots to talk through, he and Alexander Lightwood were going to make this year their bitch, magic or no magic.

#shadowhunters #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #saveshadowhunters #harry shum jr #matthew daddario #malec fic #malec fanfic

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axelsagewrites · 6 years ago

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Simon Lewis*Human

Masterlist HERE

Wattpad HERE

Set before Simon was a daylighter

According to the Oxford, dictionary vampire has 3 definitions 1. a corpse supposed to leave its grave at night to drink the blood of the living by biting their necks with long pointed canine teeth. 2. A small bat that feeds on the blood of mammals or birds using its two sharp incisor teeth and anticoagulant saliva, found mainly in tropical America. 3. (in a theatre) a small spring trapdoor used for sudden disappearances from a stage. And I’m not in a theatre and I’m not a bat. I’m a corpse. The shadowhunters consider us as diseased and broken; cast offs. Mundanes are-well were terrified of us, till a certain film franchise. But still, if they would get scared if they saw us in real life. The one thing no one seems to see us as is human. We were born human, raised human, turned vampire. If you had cancer that doesn’t make you cancer itself. You’re a person with an illness. You can still feel things. Sure, we’re closed off by nature, but we have reasons. A, we literally died which is traumatic enough, B we know we’ll outlive our families, C shadowhunters hate us, D we’re forced to be nocturnal. And that’s the short list. Due to our sleep schedule and the sun we’re kinda forced to be friends with our own. Mundanes are dangerous to befriend as a vampire, shadowhunters hate us, Werewolves despise us, Faeries hate everyone. That leaves us with warlocks I suppose but they’re not nocturnal. Being alive for so long and not aging hurts. It does. You see people around you age and die and you can’t help since you don’t want them to suffer as you do. That takes its toll on you. I make the best of a bad situation. Or I try. I’ve made a few warlock friends and a few more vampire ones. A lot of vampires become closed off though, so those friends are only so good. Raphael was always closed off but he’s still one of my closest friends. Magnus Bane is another. He’s a peculiar person, to say the least. We met at his parties and since he’s a decent person if a vampire visits him he puts up enchantments, so the sun doesn’t leak in. Our friendship was a fun one. Parties, a similar humour, and a carefree life. He’d seen a lot in his time but never made you feel less of a person. He was like a brother who wouldn’t leave me. I had the option to stay in the dumort, but it was grim, to say the least. Sure, I could move into an apartment but it's hard to rent a mundane one due to our odd hours and downworlder landlords always have another tenant waiting for every room. Magnus had seen my predicament and told me I could stay with him for the time. Being roommates with Magnus was great. He could conduct his business in the day without me disturbing him and I could help at night and hang out. Originally Magnus said he would look for a place for me, rent it in his name, and I’d pay him, but honestly, we had so much fun together we decided to just be roomies. Well, it was fun at first. Our friendship was always strong, but my mind wasn’t. part of the reason Magnus was reluctant to let me move out as he was worried. I couldn’t blame him. I’d lived the length of an average life with the same amount of pain if not more. But I was still alive and still suffering. Sometimes when warlocks get old they become emotionless or crazy. Although not a warlock I think us vampires get the same thing. Mundane medicine doesn’t work on vampires and therapists don’t often see clients after dark. Magnus had helped, so had Raphael, but it still hurts. It’s no one’s fault but that doesn’t mean theirs a cure. I was still alive however and I did my best. I would put on a face if I had to. Somehow Magnus befriended a group of shadowhunters. It was during the day they normally met so our paths never crossed. When Magnus started dated one of them I had a mix of feelings; nervousness, happiness, and curiosity. It wasn’t till then I began to get to know them. I got on fine with Alec, Isabelle, and Clary. Jace and I had a strange hatred yet friendship, swapping insults but not hits. He was okay, to be honest. Then there was Simon. Simon wasn’t Magnus’ friend but he was Clary’s friend who was Jace’s girlfriend, who was Alec’s parabatai. Sometimes it’s like living in a mundane high school. It’s not that I didn’t like Simon, it’s that Simon didn’t like me. According to Raphael, he didn’t really click with other vampires, viewing us as evil or bloodsuckers. I can’t blame him, I was the same at first. Simon would never sit next to me, never talk to me, never even really look at me. When I talked to Magnus about it he said I was paranoid. We were never left alone so it was okay. Till now. It was daytime and everyone had decided to go to Magnus’s for lunch. The apartment was enchanted so the sun didn’t affect vampires unless a window was open. While everyone was talking amongst themselves Alec got a call. You could see him holding back a groan. “Okay. We’ll be right there,” He sighed and hung up, “Some Mundanes went into an old vampire den. They're okay but apparently, we need to survey the place first,” Jace groaned but forced himself up of the couch. “How long do you think it’ll take,” “Not long,” Alec said, “We’ll be back in like 20, 30 minutes,” They said a quick goodbye before going. When 30 minutes had passed there was a slight bit of worry, but we all knew despite Jace’s antics you could trust them. When 40 minutes past it was worrying. Clary decided to phone Jace. When he picked up he didn’t say anything, but you could hear them. There was clearly commotion going on. “Hey!” Jace yelled before the phone call ended. The group looked at each other. Isabelle was already on her feet, grabbing her stuff. “Come on,” she told Clary. But Magnus also got up. “Magnus-“ “He’s my boyfriend. I’m coming with you,” He said. Isabelle nodded in understanding and they all began to rush out, Simon following. Isabelle turned and stopped him, “It’s daylight outside. You stay here.” “But-“ “Stay,” It was final. The door closed behind them and it was silent. Simon walked back to the sofa and sat far away from me. They’d be fine. They always were. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. Nothing. Simon was pacing, “Aren’t you worried!?” He lashed out. I looked up from my phone, “Yes,” “You don’t look it.” he crossed his arms and glared at me, “They could be dead for all we know,” I held back an eye roll, “They’re not,” I told him, going back to my phone. “You know this is why I can’t stand you, vampires. You just don’t care about anyone but yourself do you?” “News flash Simon, you’re a vampire,” I lash out. His eyes narrow on me, “Not like you,” “Enlighten me, Simon,” I say, standing up. “What did I do? Huh? What did all of us vampires do to piss you off so much?” The look on his face is incredulous, “For starters turning innocent Mundanes! Killing them for blood! Not caring about anyone! You are all monsters,” I shake my head in disbelief, “Wow Simon. Wow. Guess what? We were Mundanes once. We weren’t born like this! We didn’t ask for this! I don’t like blood, but I don’t want to die, again! For crying out loud you're mad at us for existing!” at this point I’m yelling. “We were human too at some point,” “Doesn’t seem like it. Your friend could be dead for all you know!” “You think I don’t know this! He’s over 500 the fact he isn’t dead already is amazing. Simon, it’s not just parabatai who know if someone’s in danger. if Magnus dies then the wards here go down meaning we will be toast. So, get off your high horse and see other people’s side!” Simon sits down, still glaring, “You all don’t get it. I’m not like you. I didn’t want this. You’re all-“ “Monsters?” I cut him off. He nods, “Simon you don’t get this, we’re all the same. We all went through it. I would do anything to go back to that night and tell myself to turn left and not right. Not to fall into that trap.” I sit down on the other end of the sofa, he shuffles away, “You can’t even sit on the same sofa as me. Do you realise how bad that is?” I shake my head in disbelief and begin to walk to my room, “Vampirism is a disease. It doesn’t make you less human unless you let it,”

Silence echoes through the apartment, deafening me. Laying on my bed, I just stare at the ceiling. Am I human? Am I a bad person? Is it my fault? Theirs a knock at my door. I glance up as Simon walks in. He’s looking at the floor turning his phone over in his hand, “Clary called. There okay but they're going to the Institute for treatment. Magnus is okay but he wants to stay with Alec,” I nod from my bed, not looking at him. He doesn’t leave so I turn on my side away from him. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t ask for this,” I hum in response, “It's just all the other vampires are so…cold. I-I’m sorry,” He goes to walk away. “Simon,” I say, and I hear him stop, “You are right. We are monsters. But I’m still human enough to feel pain,” “I know. And I’m sorry. I really am,” “It’s okay. Your scared, I get it,” Simon scoffs, “I’m not scared” I sit up to look at him, laughing slightly, “Yes you are. We all are. Especially when were first turned. It’s a new world to adjust to. It's okay to be scared,” “But I’m not,” I roll my eyes “Simon you are. I still am. You need someone, we all do. Just don’t burn all your bridges with immortals and vampires. We’re all you’ll be left with,” He nods but doesn’t leave. This silence is somewhat awkward. Simons eyes dance around my room, inspecting it. it's not the tidiest but it's cosy? His eyes land on a poster and his eyes light up, “You like that show too?” Somehow Simon and I manage to have our first proper conversation and its on my bed geeking out for angel’s sake. When Magnus gets back I check him over myself, not trusting the shadowhunters. When he sees Simon still here when the suns down he gives me a look. “I’ll explain later,” Alec had come back with Magnus but had gone to bed not long after. Simon left with an awkward goodbye. Once the door was shut Magnus looked at me, “Okay you gotta explain,”

#Simon Lewis #simonlewis #simon lewis imagine #simon lewis x reader #shadow #shadowhunters #shadowworld #shadowhunter cast #shadowhunters imagine #tmi #tmi imagine #the mortal instruments #the mortal instruments imagine

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alma-berry · 5 years ago

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Kit’s Secret Fire Message # 12

Masterlist 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

The main hall of the London institute was crowded, Ty suspected, in an unusual way. For an institute as nearly vacated as it was, one could expect some enthusiasm from his permanent residents, but even he knew better. He remembered the perpetually sour look on Evelyn Highsmith’s face from when he and his family had stayed here, and from the looks of it, it hadn’t changed.

Breakfast was a buzz of excitement and chattering voices from his fellow Centurions, mainly thanks to the occurrence of the night before. Kit’s name was mentioned over and over, making Ty’s stomach flip each and every time with its own kind of excitement. Though Kit’s absence was noticed, no one but Ty really expected him to show. Having been injured and visited by the silent brothers, they all seemed convinced he was still resting in his room. Only Ty had heard his music in the smallest hours of the night, pirouetted through the darkness like a wisp of smoke on ice. Only he had read Kit’s words, “It was only you”.

He longed to see him, and feared it. What was he to say? A simple hello seemed so little.. he wanted to feel the warmth of his skin against his, to hear the fastened beating of his heart and to know, most of all, to know beyond a doubt, that he was safe.

“Blackthorn! By the angel, stop daydreaming and pay attention!” The irritated voice of Carl Lindquist made Ty flinch, and he cursed himself inwardly for losing focus in front of the others. Carl, in particular, would use any excuse he could to scold him. Ty knew what lay behind his petty behavior, he could see the greedy way the centurion looked at him when he thought he didn’t notice.. but he had no idea what he was supposed to do with that information, other than not encourage him.

“We have twenty minutes to get ready and then we head out” Oscar eyed him with a patronizing glare. Ty and the others had agreed they should look the old warehouse for more clues about the meaning of the attack. The thought of leaving without seeing Kit made him feel uneasy, but Ty knew the importance of this investigation, and nodded in agreement as he went towards the main staircase.

When he climbed the first step, a sound rippled through the air and Ty turned to see a portal shimmering bright in the center of the hall. Not a second later, a large, threatening shape had leaped at him, pinning him to the ground with a low growl.

“Irene!” Ty called with astonishment, and lifted himself to his knees. He reached out and took her into his arms, running his fingers through the thick, silky fur of the lynx, relishing on the familiar softness of her. From above him, came the stern voice of Catarina Loss.

“Tiberius, I came here on a serious expedition. You see, I would appreciate it if some of my other students will be allowed to keep their limbs intact for the rest of the year, I’m sure you won’t object.” She loomed over him in all of her blue regalia, and gave him that piercing look she always had when she was trying hard not to make comments of other people’s intellect. Naturally, that look wasn’t often directed to Ty.

“Oh, and I promised young Mr. Anush that I would assure you of his relentless attempts to sedate you feline friend, or at least to keep her in your room. But alas, Anush is rather prone to hysteria, as you may know, and he did not take her constant snarling well.. thus, our current presence.”

Catarina paused for a second, and Ty had a feeling he was expected to make a comment of sorts, but when he hadn’t, she continued.

“Rest assured I will be informing dear Anush of your eternal gratitude, Mr. Blackthorn? The poor boy was terribly crossed with the idea of disappointing you.”

Oh, Ty realized this was when he was supposed to say thank you. It wasn’t that he took his friend for granted, it was just that he was so utterly surprised. He hurried to correct his mistakes, “Yes, thank him for me. And thank you as well, Ms. Loss, for bringing Irene to me.”

She gave him a sweet smile and waved her hand in dismissal, when her eyes paused, narrowed on something behind him.

“Ah! I was wondering when I’ll be seeing your dashing face”

Ty turned his head as a laugh, light and warm as sunlight rang into his chest.

“As soon as I heard your voice, Catarina. I couldn’t miss a visit from my third favorite warlock.”

Kit was standing in the middle the staircase, his smile radiant. Ty felt his breath orphaned on his lips, and the quick succession of his heart almost hurt.

“Third? Second I understand, with your adoptive mother and all.. but are you telling me you prefer the company of Magnus Bane to mine?”

Catarina glared at him with obvious suspicion.

“Of course not. I meant Gandalf.”

The others were looking back and forth between Kit and the Catarina like they were watching a tennis match, which is another one of those mundane sports Ty never understood. It was probably that they were amazed by the familiarity between the two, or they were more likely confused by the mention of a fictional wizard.

Ty didn’t notice any of that, he only saw Kit’s blue eyes, alive and pulsating like the shimmering surface of the ocean, right when the sun is at its highest point. He was unable to look away, even when Kit’s gaze fixed on his, pupils slightly dilated, their blue deepening with emotion obvious even to him.

“Well, as much as you’re all lovely to look at, I have other lazy Nephilim to attend to” Ty heard Catarina’s voice as if from a distance.

He was still locking eyes with Kit, even while the portal gleamed shut at the corner of his eye.

Usually, direct eye contact was something Ty would do with an effort, but that wasn’t the case.. he just couldn’t look away, and it was too much, far too much.

Kit came down the steps and stopped mid way, still a safe distance between them. He looked to Ty’s feet, his eyes widened for a split second, and Ty could feel Irene’s body tense next to him, sensing the approach of a stranger.

Everyone in the room fell silent, acknowledging the potential of danger. Ty wanted to assure Kit that Irene would not hurt him, but he wasn’t looking at him. In fact, he didn’t seem to be tense at all. He was looking at Irene with the same intense look he gave Ty just a minute before, and Ty was surprised to find that she was looking at him with the same curiosity.

They seemed to be appraising each other for a long moment, and then Kit kneeled down to look at her directly in the eye. Ty wasn’t sure who was winning that stare contest. Eventually, Kit leaned towards her, his hand stretched forward gently, not touching her, but as if offering her to approach. Ty held his breath, Irene didn’t like to be touched by anyone other than him, but Kit seemed confident and relaxed.

Ty was transfixed, as Irene stretched her long limbs and strode towards Kit. She placed her head under his hand, inviting him to stroke her. Kit patted her with his long, strong fingers, and she purred contentedly under his touch.

Ty was baffled. That was a first, and the muttered gasps around him showed that he was not the only one to notice the magnitude of Irene’s gesture. She was a wild animal, and as much as she was loving and fiercely protective of Ty, she never showed that inclination towards any one else in the slightest.

Kit seemed content with his accomplishment, and looked up at Ty with a wide smile. “What’s her name?”

Ty found it hard to answer back, his throat felt dry and he tried to concentrate his gaze on a point behind Kit’s brilliant face.

“Irene”, he responded with a croaked voice, hoping nobody noticed his discomfort.

“Huh.. Irene” Kit repeated his words with a thoughtful voice, “The woman”.

Ty couldn’t help the smile from reaching his lips. Kit remembered, after all. It was a sign that something of the old friendship they had was still between them. He could feel the terrible weight of his fears slide off his chest, and wondered when was it that he stopped noticing it was there.

His eyes scattered around Kit’s face again, trying to study his expressions without having to commit to the overwhelming power of his eyes on his.

“Yeah, well.. she’s The only woman, if you know what I mean”. Carl Lindquist stepped between them, his blonde hair pulled back tightly, making his angular face seem even more grouchy than they usually did.

“No, I actually don’t know what you mean” Kit slowly rose to his feet, and Carl took an involuntary step back. Kit was taller than him, and wider, a fact that Carl seemed to be painfully aware of.

“I mean Blackthorn’s gay” he declared with a smirk on his thin lips. It seemed like he was saying it as an insult, and Ty couldn’t understand why.

It was true, of course, he was gay. He never felt the need to hide it, as much as it didn’t seem relevant to mention it to random people, especially people like Carl, which he didn’t really like. He also didn’t understand why Carl of all people would try to use it as an insult, when it was obvious he was-

“And..?” Kit said slowly, his voice sweet and deadly like a honey trap. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but in his eyes Ty saw the menacing and defiant look of a warrior. He almost forgot how well it suited him.. how his jaw tightened and his chest heaved with suppressed expectation.

“And so if he’s gay than his beast of a cat is the only woman he will ever have” Carl looked at Kit like he was missing the punch of a very clever joke.

“Wow. I thought they only let the smart ones into the Scholomance. So what song did you sing for the auditions, Gretel?”

A chorus of giggles came from behind them, and Ty was surprised to find that even Bridgette, who apparently entered the hall while he was busy staring at Kit, held a hand to her mouth and failed to look imposing.

Carl probably tried to growl at Kit, but the sound that left his mouth sounded much like a raccoon sneezing. Ty saw a sick baby raccoon once, he snuck him to the kitchen inside his jacket and fed him warm milk in one of Tavvy’s old baby bottles.

“Ten minutes and we’re out!” He was snapped back into focus, and saw carl’s back as he stumped up the stairs.

Kit stood in the hallway as everyone went to get ready for their patrol, even Irene left, probably off to terrorize Evelyn.

Only Ty remained. He was still looking intently at a point right behind Kit, the silver in his eyes stirring, bewitching him into a hazed trance. When they were finally alone, Kit found his voice.

“He’s into you, do you know that?”

It was obvious to him from the second he laid eyes on the slimy, pompous face of that centurion bastard. He could see the way his eyes kept running to Ty and away, like he couldn’t stop looking at him and it made him angry and hurtful. The memory made Kit taste acid down his throat, and not from jealousy. Ty was unbearably handsome, anyone could see that. But the edge of violence that stained the centurion’s words felt like a threat yet to be made.

And just because he could see it didn’t mean Ty could too.

“Yes. I’ve noticed.”

Kit examined his face, there was no trace of anger or resentment in them. He said it matter-of-factly, almost absent-mindedly.. like there was nothing to be done with it. Kit suddenly felt lighter, like someone inflated a dozen balloons inside his ribcage. He could almost feel his feet leaving the ground.

He forced his eyes to the soft hollow in the base of Ty’s neck and took a step towards him, “I-“

“I want to talk to you” they started at the same time, but Ty had an eagerness to his voice that made Kit’s eyes fly back to his face, desperate to see the bundle of emotions he felt reflected back in them.

And they had. Ty still wasn’t looking directly at him, but Kit could feel the surge of electricity that sparked between them. Every part of his body suddenly aware of their nearness, of the fact that after years, they were standing right in front of each other.. and he was no longer overpowered by hatred, grief or demon poison to cloud his thoughts. He was right there, looking straight into Ty’s grey eyes.

“Are you leaving now?” His voice sounded thick to his own ears, but he couldn’t care less about being obvious with his feelings.

“Yes, but.. will you be here when I get back?” He replied in a small, worried voice.

Kit’s chest expanded beyond what was humanly possible. He couldn’t believe how one question could have such a powerful effect on him, but it did.

Ty wanted him to be there, he wanted to talk to him, and Kit didn’t care what about. If it was to call him every imaginable name for leaving as he did or to tell him he was stupid to send him those letters all of these years, it didn’t matter. He still wanted him there.

It wasn’t the blind need of friendship and affection that made him throw all caution to the wind when they were fifteen, it was the simple fact that there will be a tonight with Ty, and maybe even a tomorrow. That he will have a chance to fix what had happened, a chance of redemption.

“I’ll be here. Jem and Tessa are coming soon, with my sister. And it’ll be nice to train in a room that is not baby proof for a change-“

Kit was knocked backwards as that fuckwit centurion stepped right between him and Ty. He regained his balance quickly and shot him a glare he wished would burn a hole in his greasy hair.

“Watch your face, pretty boy” the centurion called, probably satisfied that he caught Kit off guard, something that Kit promised himself will never happen again.

“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Kit pulled out his most charming smile, the one that made several Devon girls and boys swoon beyond coherence.

Weasel-face didn’t look impressed, though. He gave him a venomous look and spat on the floor.

“Eww. That’s rude, and disgusting. What the fuck is the matter with you?” Kit couldn’t stand people who just spat at floors. Did he fall asleep and end up in a goddamn western? Because those boots are where he draws the line.

“I don’t like you, Herondale”

This guy really needs to work on his comebacks, Kit thought.

“Well, you’re not making much of an impression yourself, dick wheedle” Kit watched with amusement as his ferret’s face reddened with indignation.

“I’m not- you can’t possibly- you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Kit could feel Ty shaking at his side, holding in the bubble of laughter. He knew that there was no chance Ty knew what dick wheedle means, but the way that weasel-face was changing colors was simply hilarious.

“Call it an educated guess, will you?” Kit grinned widely.

He gave them one last hateful look and muttered under his breath while strutting out of the institute.

Kit heard the word “cocksucker” and called “That’s not really an insult, that’s an observation!”, but the centurion never turned.

A second later his words sank in. He felt his cheeks flare with fierce intensity and slowly faced Ty again.

A trace of amusement danced across his lips, and Kit forgot all about weasels and ferrets and the existence of other human beings. The warmth of Ty radiated through the small distance between them, and Kit ached to close it.

“So you’ll be here when I come back, right?” Ty said hurriedly, and his hand clasped Kit arm, gripping tightly.

He found no words, not a single one. He only nodded his head and wished like an embarrassing cliché that time would stop in that very instant, when Ty’s long fingers were sliding slowly down his bicep, tracing the webbed veins with a softness that made him shudder. He couldn’t help a gasp and his eyes caught hold of Ty’s in a symphony of shallow breaths.

“Than I will see you later.”

His voice was clear and steady as his fingers detached themselves from Kit, leaving the numbness of loss spreading all through him.

Ty was out of the institute in three immeasurable seconds, which were all it took for Kit to fall to his knees.

The numbness was instantly gone, leaving in its place a net of stinging needles that attacked him from every direction. Kit felt like his bones were shaking, like the tight coil that held him in place had suddenly snapped and there was nothing to keep him from evaporating into thin air.

As he watched his shaking limbs, a bright layer of light had formed on the bare patches of his skin. He felt the cold dread of recognition trickling down his spine like a single drop of sweat. He bolted to his feet and ran up the stairs towards the roof, moving as fast as he could while watching with growing terror how the light on his skin seemed stronger with every step.

He almost ripped the door off its hinges as the cool London air hit him like a scorned lover.

Kit looked down at his hands and felt the power surging in him, begging to be released. It felt heavy, as it always did, like all the blood in his body had solidified. The weight made his muscles flex like they were both light and warn.

He closed his eyes shut and tried to concentrate, like he was taught by Tessa. He heard her voice echoing through his clouded mind like a bell ringing from a great distance.

But as he welcomed the darkness, the thought of Ty’s touch slammed into him all over again, and he remembered that electric wave stream between them.

A desperate thought haunted the back of his mind - what if he could never touch Ty again? Was he putting him in danger? Or more importantly, was he losing control of his powers because he was losing control of his heart?

Ty was the first to enter the institute. His fellow centurions found a posh looking oyster bar down St. James’s and he was able to ditch them right after they ordered with the excuse of not liking the anything on the menu. That wasn’t really an excuse.. he really didn’t like anything on it, let alone the loud hubbub of people that only seemed to increase by the second. He didn’t really understand Carl’s insistence on the place, with its high prices and seemingly miniature dishes, but it turned out well for him. He was eager to return to the institute, to Kit.

Ty didn’t allow himself to think about him during the investigation, but as the hours passed and they found nothing of substance to go one with but scrapes of ichor and blood, his thoughts trailed uncontrollably to Kit.

He made an inventory list of everything he wanted to ask him, or at least he tried. Why did you leave me? Are you still angry with me? When did you learn how to play your guitar? Why did you send me those letters? Do you still dream of me? Did you decipher my letter? Do you still wish you never knew me? Did you miss me? because I have, I have I have.

As he opened the heavy iron doors of the institute, Ty was greeted by a loud shriek, accompanied by two sets of very different footsteps hurrying towards him.

There was a little girl, approximately three years old, standing in the middle of the hall, with Irene’s short black tipped tail clasped tightly in her small hand. Ty froze in terrified bewilderment. Was every member of the Carstairs household, for this was undeniably the young child of Jem Carstairs, immune to the fact that Irene was not a small kitten, but a fully grown wild animal?

The child beamed at him with her glistening almond shaped eyes, and giggled.

“Cute Kitty!” Ty lowered himself to her, examining her delicate porcelain skin, the softness of her swollen cheeks. She was quite lovely, he had to admit, and there was a reckless energy about her that reminded him of Emma, somehow.

“Yes, she is cute, isn’t she? Her name is Irene” The child looked dazed by the new information, “What is your name?”

Her smile became shy and she hid her face in Irene’s spotted fur.

“Mina”, she said, her voice muffled by the fur.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mina. My name is Ty.”

“Hello, Tiberius” a soft voice came from behind them, and Ty turned to see Tessa grey, leaning on a large tapestry of Raziel. Her oval face had a tender expression to them as she watched her daughter play with Irene’s pointed ears.

“Hi,” Ty answered, a little startled by her appearance, all though it was completely to be expected, for the child- Mina, he reminded himself, would not be allowed to wander the institute on her own.

“Would you come to study with us? The fire is lit and you must be awfully cold”

He obliged and walked after her with a slight apprehension, what would she want to talk to him? Was it to scold him? Did she know what happened on Lake Lynn?

But Tessa’s face were kind and thoughtful, and as he scanned it for any clues of her intentions, the grey of her eyes caught him by surprise. He remembered their color, so similar and so different than his, but as he examined them by the light of the fire, he saw that there was blue in them, too.

He wondered if Kit ever looked into them and thought of him, and then remembered a line from one of his poems, “Must I live or die every time / The light welds the grey of my mother’s eyes / Into the blaze of silver” and a violent shudder went through him.

“Are you still cold?” Tessa asked with a worried look on her face.

“No, it’s nothing”

She eyed him doubtfully, but didn’t push the matter.

“Ty, I.. I actually wanted to talk to you,” he sucked in a breath, “I wanted to thank you for all that you have done for my son. You were a true..” she paused, hesitant, “friend, to him.”

Ty puzzled over her hesitance. He wasn’t friends with Kit for years, and now.. he wasn’t sure what they were to each other.

Tessa gave him a knowing, affectionate smile.

“And also, my Mina is fascinated by your lynx. She is beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Yes.. I was surprised that she wasn’t afraid of her. And that Irene let her hold her tail.. she usually doesn’t appreciate it when people do that.”

Tessa laughed a light, musical laugh. “Well, Mina is quite unusual when it comes to the feline family. She demands affection, and it is usually granted to her.”

“Usually?” Ty mused.

“Magnus’s cat took some time to win over.. about ten minutes. Mina was deeply crossed.”

Ty looked at the small child, cuddled with Irene by the fire, “Are you leaving?”

Tessa gave him a sweet smile, “Yes, Jem is just saying goodbye to Kit in his room. You should go and see him.”

There it was again, that look, as if he had dirt on his face and she was debating whether to tell him so or not. What was it that she knew?

He nodded and rose to his feet, when she spoke again.

“And.. Ty? You will take care of him for me, will you? I know it’s been a long time, but now that you are here..” there was honest worry in her fierce eyes, and Ty forced himself to look straight into them when he answered.

“I will.”

Kit was sitting on his bed, his fingers playing nervously with threads of his pillow.

“I don’t have it under control, Jem.. I’m scared.”

He was pointedly not looking at his adoptive father, afraid of finding anger in his dark brown eyes.

“Earlier we just.. we just talked and he touched my hand and I.. I lost it, it was so close.”

He risked a glance at him, but found nothing but affection and worry in them.

Jem was silent for a long moment before he talked.

“Nothing happened, Kit. You managed to contain it.”

Kit rolled his eyes and punched the plain white pillow in his lap.

“I understand that it’s frightening, and we don’t know nearly enough about the nature of your powers, but you managed to control it today, and you can do it again. You have to trust your instincts.”

Didn’t he understand what was in line? Didn’t he see what Kit was risking by merely staying at the institute? He was dangerous, like an exposed wire under a stormy sky.

“But what if I can’t? What if I end up hurting somebody.. what if I hurt him? What if what I feel will be the cause of-”

“Christopher, look at me,” Jem’s eyes held an intense emotion that Kit couldn’t back away from, and he was surprised to feel a solitary tear, cracking down its way through the scorching desert of his cheeks.

“Your heart is nothing to be feared.”

Ty climbed up the stairs that led to Kit’s room. His heart was hammering loudly in his chest, and he wished Livvy would stop practicing how to hide from him and tell him what to do.

He had a feeling that so much depended on this talk.

His hands were fidgeting restlessly with one of the toys Julian had made for him long ago. his fingers dismantling it expertly.

He was nearly there.

Ty took a deep breath and whispered, “Livvy?” But Livvy was nowhere to be found.

The voice that answered him, though, was one he wasn’t expecting.

“I don’t know how to be near him..” Ty felt his heart stop, and he was amazed to realize Kit was.. crying.

“I’m scared, Jem. I don’t want to hurt-”

“You will figure it out, son. I have faith in you.” Jem’s voice was firm, reassuring.

Ty felt a bubble of hurt nestling inside inside him, releasing its venom. Was he talking about him? Didn’t he want him around? Why would he chose to stay in the institute if he didn’t? He wasn’t a formal part of any investigation, he wasn’t required or forced by any law to remain here.

He felt tears, treacherous and unwanted, streaming down his cheeks.

How could he have gotten everything so wrong? When Kit looked at him this morning, he could have sworn that there was fondness in him. Not just fondness, emotion. When he touched his hand, he saw Kit’s eyes darken into the color of the night sky, his lips parted with amazement.

Did he imagine it? He had seen that look before, several times, and he thought he knew what it meant.. but Kit was a mystery to him like any other he had encountered.

How could he be so wrong?

Jem’s voice woke him out of his revery.

“Listen.. I know that you wish to stay here, with Tiberius,” Ty’s heart leaped up his throat, did he? did he want to stay? so why-

“But Kit, you must be careful. There are still those who are searching for you, you know there are whispers as well as I do. And now that there are centurions here.. don’t look at me like that, my dearest. I know that they are not the cohort, but I still need you to be cautious.”

Ty felt the attack of a thousand questions like a swirl of bees inside his head. He loved bees, as he loved questions, but the loud, violent hustle of them was painful.

He pressed his back to the cold wall behind him, and heard Kit answer in a small voice,

“I will”.

Ty turned on his heels and headed to his room.

Kit was not just a mystery to him, he was a mystery to others, too. People were looking for him, and if Jem had any reasons to fear the involvement of centurions, this has to mean fairy.

What did Kit have to do with the fey? Who was looking for him?

Ty felt a surge of protective fire flare up inside him. If Kit was in danger, if someone wanted to hurt him, Ty had to know why. He had to solve this.

The well known, cold calmness of the beginning of an investigation settled over him as Livvy materialized at his side.

She gave one look at him and called, “What’s wrong?”

“Come,” He didn’t smile as he answered, his voice hard and sharp like a newly forged sword.

“We have a case to solve.”

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carmenlire · 6 years ago

Text

Higher than the Big Trees Ch. 30

read chapter one

read on ao3

Alexander, what do you say to meeting on campus and I can whisk you away for our date from there?

The text comes through as Alec finishes his morning run and he can’t help the immediate grin that overtakes his face. It’s early and Alec has to admit that he loves starting his day talking to Magnus.

Sounds great! Just send me the address. I assume we’re meeting at your office?

I can’t wait for this mysterious date tonight :)

“What-- or who-- has Alec Lightwood smiling down at his phone?”

Alec looks up, that smile turning into an instant scowl at the intrepid reporter. He distantly hears the rapid shutter of a camera a few yards away and sighs internally. Damn.

“I was reading tweets from a few fans,” Alec says, the lie falling from his mouth smoothly.

Close to his apartment, Alec starts walking down the block. He sees the doorman and they share a subtly annoyed look. They’re old hat at intrusive press and it’s nice to have someone to commiserate with, however quietly.

The pap tries to engage him in conversation but Alec’s just not in the mood. Not when he has Magnus in his head. It’s less than a minute until Charles is holding the door open for him and Alec ducks into his building with a cheery wave at the pap.

He strides over to the elevator and once he hits the penthouse button and slides his key in, Alec leans against the wall, taking out his phone to see a new message from Magnus with the address.

Just like that, Alec’s back to grinning wide enough to hurt. He can’t help but feel like this is a step-- seeing where Magnus works, being invited into another sphere of his life.

Distantly, Alec thinks about what it would be like to show Magnus around a studio. It’s ridiculous, but he wonders what Magnus would think of his tour bus. Would he hate being on the road or get a kick at the adventure wrapped mundanity?

Alec goes through the rest of his morning routine thinking about Magnus and how it seems like their lives are meshing effortlessly. Alec likes Magnus’s friends and Magnus hadn’t ran away from Simon yesterday.

It bodes well for the future. Their potential future.

Alec scoffs to himself. Forget that he shouldn’t even be thinking about their future. They’ve only been on one official date and he’s already thinking about what it would be like to bring Magnus out on the road with him for a week-- or longer.

He’s just biting into a banana when he freezes at the sudden realization that he hasn’t even thought about another man since he met Magnus. He hazily remembers an old hookup of convenience texting him last month and he had summarily shut him down.

Huh.

As Alec thinks back over the summer, he can’t remember being genuinely interested in another guy since his first night back in town, before he ran into Magnus that first time. He knows that it’s too soon to be having those thoughts but now that he’s realized it, Alec knows that he’s content.

He doesn’t have the urge to go out for a one night stand. Just the thought leaves him hollow. It’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so ground shaking.

Alec Lightwood, king of staying unattached, loves being off the market. It’s only been a week but there’s comfort in it, a security that he had never considered.

Continuing to eat his breakfast, Alec decides to leave it at that for now. It’s too soon for anything else, anything more. For now, it’s enough that Alec doesn’t feel stifled in this new relationship.

He really likes Magnus and that’s all that matters.

Alec goes through the morning playing back the demos, making notes at his piano for any mistakes or ideas for alteration. It’s a quiet morning, Jace and Izzy both out of the apartment, and he’s glad to have the place to himself.

He’s also happy that he doesn’t have anything heavier on his slate today, not when the thought of seeing Magnus this afternoon is all he can think about.

They’ve been texting all morning and Alec pauses where he’s in the middle of practicing the piano for Angel-- he thinks the song could really pop as a stripped version on tour-- when he sees a reply from Magnus. Talking about favorite foods, and Alec decides to cut to the chase.

Care to give me a hint about what we’ll be doing tonight? I need to plan accordingly.

Magnus responds less than a minute later with an infuriatingly blase answer.

No, I don’t think so. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you as soon as you asked, now would it, darling?

Alec groans, though his mouth tilts up at the brusque reply.

For the millionth time in as many minutes, Alec rolls his eyes at his own behaviour. Christ, but he’s already whipped and he just hopes that no one else picks up on it because he’d never hear the end of it from Jace or Simon.

He’s set to meet Magnus at four and once it’s time, Alec heads to his bedroom where he spends twenty minutes trying to pick an outfit. Magnus still hasn’t given him an answer and Alec has no idea what to wear-- formal or comfortable, outdoor or indoor.

He takes a picture of his closet-- roughly the size of some New York apartments-- with a frowny face and How am I supposed to decide what to wear when I don’t know where you’re taking me?

Alec shoves the phone back in his sweats and mulls over two outfits. He’s torn between slacks and a button down with an open throat or chinos with one of his Tombolo shirts.

He’s weighing the pros and cons of letting Magnus see one of his favorite shirts-- covered with flamingos and other exotic birds-- when his phone buzzes. Alec hurriedly takes it out of his pocket, and scowls.

All I’ll say is we’ll be outside for the majority of the evening :)

Okay, he can admit that he’s intrigued. Most of Alec’s dates are dinner and a party afterward. No thrills and definitely not exposing the two of them to the elements.

At least that gives him something to go on, though. Alec nixes the idea of formal wear. It’s late July and New York is downright miserable in the summer. Wearing a button down would make him melt.

Decision made, he quickly changes into the pants, rolling them to expose his ankles and throws on his flamingo shirt. He slides his feet into plain Nikes-- they could be walking for miles, who knows-- and snags his sunglasses.

With one last cursory look in the mirror, Ale shrugs. This is as good as it’s gonna get and he gets a little laugh at his shirt. He loves the punch of character and hopes that Magnus can appreciate it, too.

Campus isn’t terribly far, so Alec sets out to walk, pausing at the doors to his apartment to slide his sunglasses on.

It’s a beautiful day, sunny with giant puffy clouds overhead and overall not a bad day for an outdoor date. Alec takes his time and relishes the fact that no one stops him or stares at him a touch too long. He’ll never understand it but some days Alec can’t go anywhere without a mob collecting behind him but other times, it’s like he’s well and truly anonymous.

Once he reaches the edges of campus, Alec takes out his phone and enters the building information into Google Maps. It looks like Bowman Hall-- where the history department is located-- is almost all the way across campus, because of course it is.

Alec’s thankful that it’s a Tuesday during the summer because if it was during the regular school year, then there would be no way that he would be able to walk without interruption. As it is, Alec catches one or two heads snap up to him, incredulous.

He doesn’t stay in one place long enough for anyone to say anything and makes a concerted effort to stare straight ahead or down at his phone. He reaches Bowman Hall, a several story building made of stone with floor to ceiling windows along one section, and reaches for the door handle as a trio is walking out.

Holding the door open for them curiously, he throws them a smile. They ignore him and it sounds like they’re arguing passionately about robotics of all things so Alec waits until they’ve all passed before swinging around and entering the building.

It takes him a few minutes to find the third floor-- there are a billion staircases that only go up one floor at a time-- but he finds the history department offices with five minutes to spare.

Shoving his phone into his pocket, he walks into the main area and sees a letter board that lists the faculty and their office numbers. His eyes scan down the names until he sees Dr. Bane and he doesn’t try to repress the shiver that travels up his spine.

His boyfriend is smart as fuck Alec thinks proudly.

He goes down one of two corridors and slowly passes each door. As he rounds the corner, he passes a man and they share perfunctory nods without speaking.

Magnus’s office is the furthest from the main area, and as Alec walks up to the open door, he smiles at the sight. He leans against the door jamb for a minute, just watching Magnus in his natural habitat.

To his delight, Magnus is wearing a pair of black framed glasses that are slipping down his knows as he reads over something. He’s holding a red pen and spins it around his fingers before bringing it to his mouth to chew on absently. A second later, Magnus is writing something on the page he’s reading, eyes narrowed.

Alec’s mouth goes dry at the sight and he clears his throat, shifting.

Who knew that professors really did it for him, apparently.

Magnus looks up from his desk at the noise, expression immediately easing. “Alexander,” he greets warmly.

Taking a step into the surprisingly small office, Alec smiles. “Hey there. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

Magnus waves that away as he stands and motions Alec closer. “Of course not, we agreed to meet at four and I do love punctuality in a partner. Did you find the building okay?”

“It was a breeze finding Bowman but it took me longer than it should have to find your actual office.”

Laughing, Magnus winces. “I should have given you directions once you got here. This building was built in the 1890s and they just kept adding to it as they needed more space. It’s a mash of eight buildings rolled into one. There are some seniors that don’t know their way around this place.”

Alec steps closer until he’s behind Magnus’s desk. He leans against it, one foot still on the floor, and pulls Magnus in between his splayed thighs. Magnus goes willingly, wrapping his arms around Alec’s shoulders and ducking in for a quick kiss.

“I’ll always find you,” Alec murmurs, gaze fixed on Magnus’s mouth.

Magnus grins as he leans forward, kissing along Alec’s jaw. “My knight in shining armor,” he replies before Alec brings him back up, pulling him in for a scorching kiss.

This isn’t the first time they’ve done this but it just keeps getting better. That’s never been the case for Alec before and he wants to sink into the feeling. Usually after the first time-- the first kiss, the first fuck-- Alec’s over it. No one’s been interesting enough to return to for seconds unless it was sheer convenience and boredom.

With Magnus though, Alec just wants to dive deeper. Kissing Magnus makes heat sear through him while there’s an undertone of comfort and increasing familiarity. He can’t explain it and as Magnus slips his tongue in his mouth, Alec decides handily to stop thinking all together.

Alec’s hands fall to Magnus’s hips and he urges Magnus even closer, both of them gasping as they find a fit together that makes heat build. Alec loses himself in a kissing jag while desire taps insistently at his spine.

One of Magnus’s hands shift to Alec’s neck, thumb pressing down, and Alec’s helpless to contain the low moan that escapes him. Magnus presses down just a touch harder at the noise, tilting Alec’s head to deepen the kiss and Alec gasps even as his hips buck, pressing him more firmly against Magnus.

Magnus doesn’t seem to have an issue with that as he groans against Alec’s mouth, hand sliding from his shoulders down to his thigh, stroking roughly before lifting it so that Alec gets the hint, hitching it around Magnus’s hip.

From there, it devolves quickly into lazy grinding as Alec settles against the desk, Magnus surrounding him. It’s been days since he first tasted Magnus and already Alec knows that he won’t ever get enough.

Minutes pass in the quiet of Magnus’s office. Alec never thought that he’d find himself making out on top of a professor’s desk but here he is and he has the definite thought that he didn’t know what he was missing.

It’s hot and intense and as Alec tastes the lingering hints of tea on Magnus’s tongue-- something dark with a hint of spice-- he feels almost drunk on it.

He doesn’t hear the footsteps coming closer. They’d neglected to close Magnus’s door and anyone walking past would get quite an eyeful.

Alec’s just started distractedly pulling Magnus’s shirt out from where it’s tucked into his dress pants-- Magnus’s hands buried in his hair-- when they break apart for breath, breathing harshly.

Alec’s gaze immediately drops to Magnus’s mouth, delightfully red and swollen, when he feels Magnus’s focus shift.

“Professor Bane?”

It takes a heartbeat for Alec to register the new voice and what it must mean. He turns around to face the door and sees a student hovering at the doorway, looking uncertain. Magnus shakes his head a little as though to clear it before hastily stepping away from Alec. Alec, for his part, slides off the desk and moves to stand near the window, out of the way.

“Julia? What brings you to my office on a Tuesday?”

Shifting, Julia resettles her bag over her shoulder before saying, “I missed class this morning and just wanted to get a copy of the notes.” She looks between Magnus and him, biting her lip. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Magnus waves that away as he looks down at his desk. His hands hover in the air, moving over the desk as if he’s looking for something and Alec has a feeling that Magnus is more affected by their kiss than he’s trying to let on. It takes him another moment to find the folder he needs and he opens it quickly, taking out a few paper clipped pages and handing them to Julia.

“Here you go, dear. This morning’s notes along with the assignment due Friday.”

Julia takes the packet, scanning over the pages before looking up questioningly. “Do I need to bring this back to you or is it a copy?”

“I have a file kept on my computer so don’t worry about returning it to me. Is there anything else you needed?”

“No, this is it,” Julia says as she waves the notes. “Thanks Dr. Bane. I’ll see you Friday.”

“Goodbye Julia. Make sure to make note of any questions you have for our tutoring session in the afternoon.”

Julia salutes, grinning, as she turns to leave the office, giving Alec one last considering look.

Alec smiles at her even as he grimaces. He knows that look and he just hopes to hell that she didn’t have the time to take a photo-- or god forbid a video-- of what she walked in on.

It’s silent for a minute after the student leaves and Alec waits for Magnus to make the next move. This is his space and Alec doesn’t want to make the wrong move.

After a second, Magnus rolls back his shoulders, clearing his throat as he throws Alec an amused glance. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”

“The student? Or the groping?”

Laughing, Magnus takes the few steps over to Alec, wrapping his arms around his waist. “Either,” he says dryly. He smooths down Alec’s shirt, smile growing just a bit wider as he takes in the design. “Cute shirt.”

Alec smiles, pleased. “It’s one of my favorites.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Alec confirms. He looks down at the muted but whimsical pattern. “I just think it’s fun.”

“Well,” Magnus says, letting his hands wander over Alec’s chest, “I think it suits you. And it’s altogether too perfect for what I had planned.”

“Oh? Do I finally get to know where you’re taking me,” Alec asks.

Releasing a long suffering sigh, Magnus says, “We, dear Alexander, are going to the zoo.”

“The zoo,” Alec repeats, delighted.

“That’s right. We’re going to the zoo where we’ll spend a few hours walking around with families and senior citizens and more kids than we can count while looking at exotic animals. There might even be plans for ice cream after.”

“I love ice cream,” Alec cries, grinning down at Magnus.

“I thought it would be a good ending to the date. And then--”

“And then?”

“Well,” Magnus says slowly. “At first I was going to invite you back to my place to finish Twilight.” Magnus looks at Alec from under his lashes as he smiles faintly. “However, after what just happened, I think I’ll invite you back to my place and we can just see what happens.”

Alec’s breath catches at the invitation and he leans forward, nosing along Magnus’s cheek. “You don’t think you’ll be too tired after a day at the zoo to-- to watch Twilight,” he murmurs, ducking down to kiss the side of Magnus’s neck.

Alec feels Magnus laugh, hears it change to a low groan as he leaves an open-mouthed kiss over his pulse point, laving at the steady beat before biting down just enough to sting before soothing it with his tongue. He repeats the process a few times before moving back to admire his handiwork.

Magnus’s pupils are blown wide and his bottom lip is red from where he’d been worrying it with his teeth. The look he sends Alec makes him wish they weren’t still in Magnus’s office but with a sigh, Alec steps back, grinning at the look of betrayal that flashes over his boyfriend’s face.

“Ready for our date?”

Magnus glares at him for a long beat before he groans loudly, letting his head fall back so that he can stare at the ceiling. After a beat Magnus straightens, smoothing his shirt down and tucking it back in from where Alec had pulled it.

He sends Alec a dry look. “You’re a menace.”

Unrepentant, Alec shrugs, running his hands through his hair to give it at least a semblance of order. “It’s not my fault you’re so damn irresistible.”

Magnus shakes his head before reaching over the desk and opening the top drawer, snagging his keys and phone. “Ready,” he asks, turning to the door.

“After you.”

It’s appallingly obvious what they’ve been doing. Hurriedly setting their clothes to rights couldn’t mask the redness of Magnus’s lips or the way his eyes were just a hint brighter than usually. Alec was sure that he looked just as debauched if not worse.

He doesn’t really give a damn.

It’s a beautiful sunny day and his boyfriend is taking him on a date. There are worse things than looking like they were just caught in flagrante delicto.

Which, Alec thinks wryly, isn’t far from the truth.

“How were classes,” he asks as Magnus guides him down a flight of stairs.

“They were fine,” Magnus answers. They take the steps together, walking side by side. “I’m almost certain that a student showed up to class with vodka in their water bottle but I was too far away to tell and they didn’t cause a scene, so,” he shrugs.

Alec turns to look at him as they start on the next flight down. “A student was just drinking liquor?”

Magnus’s lips quirk as he sends Alec a pitying glance. “Oh, darling, no need to act so scandalized. That’s downright tame compared to some of the things I’ve seen. At least they had the common sense to put it in a colorful reusable water bottle and not the paper bag it comes in.”

“People are really that stupid,” Alec asks, incredulous.

“Alec, these are college kids and they think of me as their woefully out of touch professor who couldn’t find his ass from a hole in the ground. I may be more well-liked and respected than other professors on campus but I’m very much the them to their us. I’ve had students try-- and dare I say, sometimes succeed-- at much worse. Hell knows the antics I got up to in college,” Magnus adds thoughtfully, wry quirk to his mouth.

Alec laughs as they hit the front doors to the building. “Which zoo are we going to?”

They walk down a winding path that trails between buildings. They don’t hold hands or touch in anyway but Alec’s hyper aware of Magnus’s presence next to him. Alec shoves his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and when Magnus’s shoulder bumps into his for a brief second, he ducks his head, smiling at Magnus who returns it with an innocent look.

“There’s a zoo that’s within walking distance. That’s why I asked you to meet me. I thought I could show you around campus and it would save some time if I left straight from work.”

“Eager to see me,” Alec teases, nudging his shoulder to Magnus’s.

One of Magnus’s hands reaches up as he fiddles with his ear cuff. “It’s not my fault that you’re so damn irresistible,” he says, repeating Alec’s words from earlier.

Alec laughs and as they walk across campus, he listens attentively as Magnus describes the buildings and special places they pass. Magnus falls naturally into a bit of a lecture tone and Alec can’t help but think that he’d be a model student if he had Magnus as his professor.

They reach the gates of the zoo after a little walk and before Alec can reach for his wallet, Magnus is already handing the cashier his card. He send Alec a droll, satisfied smirk. “It’s my turn to treat you darling, put that thing away.”

Rolling his eyes, Alec acquiesces and Magnus grabs two maps, holding one out for him to take.

They start at the beginning with the elephants and quickly lose themselves in the meandering afternoon. There are tigers and monkeys and an arctic exhibit and when they get to the giraffes, Alec about dies of excitement.

Magnus watches fondly as he goes right up the the barrier, hastily taking out his phone to capture a picture-- or twelve.

“I didn’t know that you were so into giraffes, Alexander.”

“They’re my favorite animal,” Alec responds distractedly, watching as the giraffe reaches up the tree to tear some leaves from it.

He almost doesn’t notice as Magnus comes closer, leaning against his side companionably. Alec relaxes into the touch, turning his head to see Magnus staring resolutely in front of him at the exhibit with a faint smile on his face.

“What is your favorite animal,” Alec asks, curious.

Humming as he thinks about it, Magnus takes his phone out, unlocking the camera. “Probably snow leopards, though I do have a weakness for penguins,” he admits.

He sends Alec a look. “What do you say to a pic? A photo to commemorate the occasion?”

Grinning, Alec replies, “My boyfriend taking me to the zoo? Bet your ass we’re getting a picture.”

Magnus laughs, head falling back and Alec loses his breath for just a millisecond. He’s just so beautiful, Alec thinks, and it feels like something shifts.

“Alright, let’s do this then.”

They turn so that the giraffe is at their back and Magnus raises his arm, playing with the angles to get the photo just right. They take a few and luckily the giraffe perfectly framed in the background.

“Send those to me,” Alec says as Magnus pockets his phone once again.

Agreeing, they move on to the next exhibit. They spend a couple of hours at the zoo until their feet start hurting and it’s closing time, the sun low in the sky.

Exiting the gates, Alec ruminates that this is one of the best dates that he’s ever had. Wryly, he acknowledges that any date with Magnus is his favorite.

He’s just set to ask where the ice cream is at, when Magnus grabs his hand and pulls him in one direction, looking back with laughter in his eyes. “Ready for dessert,” he asks and Alec grins as he interlaces their fingers.

“Lead the way.”

It’s just a few minutes away and they’re stopping at the corner of an intersection where there’s a hot dog stand and a food truck that seems to specialize in sweets. Slowing to a stop, Magnus gives Alec time to look at the menu before saying, “They have anything you could want but I think their twist cone is the best I’ve ever had.”

“Then that’s what I’ll get,” Alec says easily. He lets Magnus order as he looks around. The after-work crowd is just starting to thin and it’s more couples out, heading to dinner now. In his periphery he sees the someone hastily lower their phone and sighs. Damn.

Magnus moves back until he’s standing next to Alec and Alec leans close to whisper in his ear, “I think someone just took our picture. Are you okay with that?”

Magnus is still for a moment, obviously thinking, before he relaxes against Alec’s side. He tilts his face up to meet his eyes and Alec internally releases a sigh of relief at the good humor in Magnus’s gaze.

“I think that we’ve been a little too blatant not to expect someone to see something. I’m okay with it,” he says firmly. “You?”

Shrugging, Alec replies, “Cameras don’t really phase me anymore unless I’m with someone who doesn’t like the public eye. I’m used to it. I just want to make sure you’re fine.”

“I’m more than fine,” Magnus says and his fingers brush Alec’s as the food truck employee calls out their order.

They both step forward and grab their cones, piled high with vanilla and chocolate soft serve. The first lick is the best and Alec gives Magnus an impressed look. It’s a classic, simple dessert but there’s just something really good about it. It’s creamy and sweet and Alec has to admit that Magnus knows his ice cream.

“Yum,” he says as he takes another lick, trying to keep the ice cream from dripping over his hand.

They start walking, enjoying their ice cream and it takes a while for Alec to realize that he recognizes their surroundings.

“You live close,” he asks, taking the first bite of his cone.

Magnus takes another swipe of his dessert before replying. “I’m just around the corner,” he confirms. He looks over at Alec with a hint of a smirk gracing his features. “Want to come up for some coffee?”

“I love coffee,” Alec says seriously and they both laugh as the turn the corner and Magnus takes his keys out.

Opening the door for him, Magnus follows Alec through the lobby toward the elevator where they don’t have to wait for entering.

In the suddenly small space, Alec is even more aware of Magnus than he’d been earlier this evening. He looks over and sees smudged eyeliner and hair a little messier than usual. There’s a smudge of ice cream along his low lip and Alec reaches out, swiping it up before making eye contact with Magnus and popping his thumb into his mouth, sucking the minuscule bit of chocolate away.

“Thank you,” Magnus murmurs, eyes glued to Alec’s mouth.

“Thank you for a really nice date. I had a great time,” Alec whispers into the air between them.

“I’m glad,” Magnus says softly. “I thought you might like an informal night out and I know that I prefer low maintenance evenings after a long work day.”

The two of them move closer together until there’s barely an inch of space between them. “I really like being with you,” Alec admits.

Magnus’s lips tilt at the corners as he says, “I really like being with you too, Alexander.”

He’s just set to close that last bit of distance when the elevator dings and the doors open. There’s a moment of breathless stillness in the elevator before they both break into laughter, shaking their heads at their behavior.

“We really need to settle down,” Alec says.

Looking over his shoulder as he inserts the key into the lock, Magnus grins. “Now what’s the fun in that?”

“I’ll show you fun,” Alec murmurs and Magnus turns as Alec moves forward, leaning against his front door as Alec comes to stand in front of him. There’s a beat, an electric pause before Alec leans down even as Magnus rushes up, mouths meeting in a searing kiss that’s hot as soon as it starts.

Magnus’s back hits the door with a thud as he pulls Alec closer, widening his stance so that Alec can settle more firmly against him.

Alec breaks away from Magnus’s mouth with a muttered curse as he starts mouthing along his neck instead. He licks over the place he’d left an almost imperceptible hickey earlier and he’s rewarded as Magnus releases a moan right into his ear, tugging on the short hair along his nape.

“Please, Alexander,” Magnus breathes and Alec pulls back to see that Magnus’s cheeks are already flushed, color riding high.

“Maybe we should move this inside,” Alec says, raising a brow. The last thing they need is one of Magnus’s neighbors seeing them like this.

Nodding, Magnus fumbles with the door knob, cursing under his breath before it opens and they all but fall into the loft.

Alec immediately resumes kisses Magnus, kicking the door closed haphazardly behind him. Magnus buries a hand in Alec’s hair while the other starts unbuttoning Alec’s shirt, messily slipping a button at a time until it’s hanging open. Magnus pulls back, letting his gaze fall to Alec’s chest with hungry eyes.

He lays a hand over Alec’s heart, dragging it down slowly down until Alec’s stomach tightens at the touch. “Christ,” he says dazedly.

Eager to return the favor, Alec shrugs out of his shirt before getting to work on Magnus’s, unbuttoning the row easily if not quite fast enough to suit him.

He wishes distantly that he had magic so that they could just instantly lose their clothes, though he can’t deny the anticipation that’s thrumming through him at every inch of newly exposed skin. He pushes Magnus’s shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor and he takes in Magnus, losing his goddamn breath at the set of abs that he’s mild jealous of.

“Nice,” is all he says and Magnus barks out a laugh before Alec’s back to kissing him. It’s just as intense even if the pace has slowed down a little. The frenzy has, at least temporarily, left them and Alec indulges in slow, deep kisses as he follows wherever Magnus is leading him. They kick off their shoes somewhere along the hallway, and Alec laughs a little as they trip over one of Magnus’s shoes.

He has enough wherewithal to know that they’ve just passed a doorway but then Magnus rests his hand against the placket of his jeans and Alec gasps, bucking into the hold. They break for much needed air as Magnus runs a thumb over his length and Alec bites his lip to keep some embarrassing sound down.

“Oh no,” Magnus says, turning so that he’s pushing Alec further into the room. “I want to hear you, darling.”

The back of Alec’s knees hit Magnus’s bed and he tumbles back, Magnus following him much more gracefully until he’s leaning over Alec, looking like a tiger about to pounce.

“This okay,” he asks, fingers trailing over Alec, playing along his waistband. The light touch makes him dizzy and he just wants more.

“Definitely,” Alec says, and tries to ignore just how breathless he is already. Magnus has barely even touched him and he already feels like a teenager, too close to coming at the mere thought of Magnus on him.

Magnus takes his time, leaning down to kiss along Alec’s neck, biting before soothing, moving further down to nibble along his collarbones.

Alec’s tense in anticipation and when he feels Magnus unbuttoning his jeans-- and taking his damn time doing so-- he reaches for him, pulling Magnus back until their lips can reconnect. The kissing now is slower and Alec hums as he feels Magnus’s tongue along the seam of his lips, opening without thought.

It’s a lot. Alec can’t quite remember the last time he felt so immersed in pleasure. His hookups were always more perfunctory than feeling-- in the back of his head he was always thinking about how quickly he could make his escape after things concluded-- but as he lets his legs fall open so that Magnus can have easier access, he feels like he’s totally at Magnus’s mercy and he loves it.

Magnus keeps kissing him as he finally undoes the final button and Alec hopes are desperately dashed as Magnus doesn’t immediately wrap a hand around him. Instead, he pulls back, urging Alec to shove his jeans down, out of the way.

Which he does with alacrity.

Once he’s just in his plain black pair of boxer-briefs, he pulls his knees up, giving Magnus more room to work with.

Magnus doesn’t do anything at first, just stares his fill and Alec knows what he must be seeing. He feels a little fucked out already, heat pooling in his cheeks, that flush sweeping down to his chest. His hair must be a bird’s nest from the way Magnus was handling him earlier and his cock is an obscene length tenting the front of his underwear.

Magnus finally moves but it isn’t where Alec wants him most. No, instead he trails a hand along Alec’s thigh, over his chest, nails scratching softly at his stomach.

“Aren’t you a vision,” he murmurs and Alec feels coveted.

He lets himself drift as Magnus touches his fill, those lingering sensations enough to ground him while still sweeping him higher, closer.

When those touches stop, Alec opens his eyes, frustrated, and glowing with hunger. Magnus hushes him as he leans over him, reaching for the nightstand.

When he takes out the small bottle of lube, Alec can feel himself relax against the golden sheets. Finally.

Magnus must read his expression easily, for he laughs as he clicks the bottle open, pouring a generous amount into his hand. “I need you naked, darling. We’ll talk about your tragic lack of patience later.”

Alec huffs out a laugh as he discards his underwear. He reaches a hand down but Magnus intercepts him, chiding. “I’ll be taking care of that, thank you very much.”

Alec’s retort disappears as Magnus wraps a hand around him, firm and warm and altogether too goddamn good.

His hips buck up, already begging for more, and Magnus gives it to him in slow, sure strokes that make Alec feel the fire licking up his spine. Magnus takes a few minutes, leisurely getting him off and watching the show before he leans over Alec, kissing him as he continues.

Alec moans into his mouth as Magnus rotates his wrist, squeezing more firmly for a beat or two before returning to his regular rhythm. Alec feels completely surrounded by Magnus and as he feels his orgasm growing steadily closer, he’s helpless to keep the small noises from escaping. Magnus’s hand moves to the head of his cock, paying it special attention and Alec swears as he thrusts into Magnus’s hand, seeking that heat.

“Tell me what you like, Alexander.”

Magnus whispers into Alec’s ear and he almost comes from the combination of Magnus’s voice so close and the hand wrapped around his cock.

“Slow,” Alec gasps. “Harder.”

Magnus heeds his direction and as Alec grinds into Magnus’s hand, relishing the warmth, the friction, Alec groans, long and low.

He’s still missing something, though, but goddamn if he knows what. He reaches a hand up tugging at his own hair and pulls Magnus to him for a messy kiss that’s more tongue than anything else.

It isn’t until Magnus carefully, lightly scratches a nail down the vein running along the underside of his sock that Alec sees fucking stars, coming with a hoarse cry. Magnus rides him out until he’s too sensitive and shies away.

Still breathing harshly, Alec briefly contemplates never moving again before he opens his eyes and sees Magnus watching him, pupils blown and lips bitten red.

“C’mere,” he murmurs and Magnus moves until he’s straddling Alec as Alec reaches for his pants, unbuttoning them expertly with one hand while reaching for the lube in the other. Magnus shoves his pants down until his cock is freed, hard and leaking at just getting Alec off.

He doesn’t waste a moment before reaching for Magnus, wrapping a hand around him and he shivers as he feels the hot length, as Magnus shudders and buries his head into Alec’s neck.

He varies his tempo until he reaches a rhythm that elicits these deliciously choked off groans and whimpers from Magnus.

“Yes, fuck, Jesus Christ Alexander,” Magnus mumbles and bites down, hard, on Alec’s neck as he comes, spilling over Alec’s fingers.

It’s a few moments before Magnus raises up to his elbows, gaze roving over Alec’s face with a grin. “Well, that was certainly fun.”

“It was,” Alec agrees and steadies a hand against Magnus’s waist as he straightens up. With his other, come still dripping over knuckles, he brings it up to his mouth and waits until he sees that he has Magnus’s undivided attention before delicately swiping at the mess with his tongue. He’s pretty sure that he can physically pinpoint the second Magnus’s brain goes offline as he licks his hand clean.

“Fuck me,” Magnus says dazedly, eyes scorching hot.

“Not yet,” Alec says easily and laughs as Magnus shoves at his shoulder.

“We should probably clean up,” Magnus says with a sigh and Alec hums in agreement.

Magnus doesn’t climb off of Alec right away, though. Instead, he brings Alec up until he’s sitting, raising his head up for a deep kiss.

It spins out for long moments, the heat banked for now. When Magnus pulls back, they’re both breathless and sporting smiles that light up their faces.

Magnus clamors off Alec and Alec follows, taking in Magnus’s bedroom while his boyfriend heads to his dresser.

The bed is covered in rumpled gold sheets and the room itself is huge with rich brocade and exposed brick. All in all, it looks like how he would imagine Magnus’s bedroom to be and something flutters in his stomach at the thought that he has an idea of what Magnus’s preferences are.

Magnus pushed the drawer closed, turning around with two pairs of clothes in his arms. “I thought you might not want to put your jeans back on so I have an extra pair of sweats. Unless, of course, you weren’t figuring on staying?”

Alec takes in Magnus’s expression as he slowly says, “I didn’t come up here just to get my mind blown, Magnus. I believe I was promised a continuation of the Twilight movies.” He raises a brow. “Unless you’re not a man of your word?”

Magnus laughs, pulling Alec close to place a lingering kiss against his lips. “Of course not, darling. Let’s change and then we can start-- Eclipse was it?”

Alec shrugs-- he honestly has no idea-- and takes the close Magnus gives him, heading to the bathroom where he washes his hands and changes into the surprisingly well-fitting clothes.

They’re on the couch soon enough and Magnus slides the dvd into the player as Alec takes out his phone, scrolling through notifications.

He opens Instagram, choosing a photo that Magnus had taken of him eating his ice cream earlier with the caption The company was sweeter.

He posts it a minute later and as Magnus settles against his side, pulling down the blanket from the back of the couch and throwing it over them, Alec sears this moment into his memory. This is the first time he’s ever lingered after a hookup-- the first time he’s ever wanted too-- and he feels so much that he absently wonders how a body can hold it all.

Magnus takes out his phone and Alec sees that he’s opened Twitter. It’s quiet as the opening credits begin to play before Magnus’s voice breaks through.

“You’re hot news today, darling. And apparently, so am I.”

Alec looks over, raising a brow in question as he sees Magnus holding his phone up so that he can see a picture someone must have taken of them at the zoo. Alec throws a quick glance at Magnus before taking the phone, scrolling through the trending tag and seeing a dozen photos of him walking on Columbia’s campus solo along with pictures of the two of them at the zoo.

He has a brief moment to thank that TMZ hadn’t picked up on yet before he scrolls through the tweets and sees the accompanying hashtag. “Malec,” he asks, looking up to see if Magnus knows what’s going on.

Smiling softly, Magnus moves imperceptibly closer. “I think that’s our ship name. Magnus and Alec-- malec.”

Alec rolls his eyes, though he can’t help but smile at the insinuation. He likes his name linked with Magnus’s.

He sees a few fans speculating and looks up again. “What do you want to do?”

Magnus hums, narrowing his eyes as he thinks before looking at Alec. “I say go for it.”

Grinning, Alec likes a few tweets.

Omg, isn’t that Magnus guy a professor? What if that’s why Alec’s on campus???

They look so cute watching the lions together!!!! It’s what he deserves!! #malec

I bet Alec lost his shit at the giraffes ksdjfgkdfg but look how Alec’s looking at Magnus instead of the exhibits:’) when will your fave ever!

Magnus watches as he likes the tweets before turning to watch the movie. The room is dim as the tv plays and when Magnus softly asks, “Want to spend the night? It’s getting late,” Alec doesn’t even think of refusing.

#if this is terrible i tried my best lol #my writing #httbt #malec fic #malec wip

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