#there are virtually no fics just about magnus and his friends
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ladymatt · 4 years ago
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First Lines Of Your Last 20 Fics!
Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!
Tagged by the witty and wonderful @lorenzobane ❤️ TY, sweetheart! All of the humble offerings below are about Malec (of course), and I make no apology for wanting to write endlessly about them! I’M IN LOVE WITH THEIR LOVE, OK?
1) Protect You Above All Else - (T, Supportive Husbands, 3 Times Plus 1) 
Alec is just making sure he’s mixed Magnus’ martini to his very stringent specifications when the man himself, looking entirely too put together to be feeling the supposed exhaustion Izzy’s text just warned him about, makes an entrance that has Alec eye-rolling in the fondest of ways.
2) There’s Something Magical About Christmas! - (T, Family/HP Theme)
Surely it couldn’t be time to rise and face the day already, Magnus thinks, burrowing deeper into the furry warmth of his husband’s comfy chest, stubbornly refusing to let the light stealing through the curtains rob him of his contented bliss.
3) Service With A Sunshine Smile - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Grocery Store AU)
“Alec, are you even listening?” Izzy whines, spoiling the intense eye-fucking that’s simmering between him and the sharply-dressed employee on checkout one every time they pass.
4) A Lesson In Love - (G, Prompt Ficlet, University Lecturers AU)
The customary curses that seem to follow every one of Magnus’ futile trips to the dean’s office filter through the open door connecting their offices, and Alec buries an affectionate smile as he walks through it.
5) Hidden Truths - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Mystery AU)
With the evening fire crackling in the grate and the gramaphone playing jazz 45s, Alec feels transported to another time altogether as he mirrors the relaxed and recumbent form of his live-in landlord across the hearth in his armchair’s twin.
6) Fighting The Good Fight - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Angel/Demon AU)
Satisfaction warms the heart of the angel, Integrity, as he surveys the crowded youth club he runs in Brooklyn.
7) Whiskey Rocks And A Little White Lie - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Exes AU) 
It had taken three of his closest friends’ stimulating company and six whiskey doubles to reach this fragile state of near-acceptance over his break-up with Alec, but no distraction amongst the bar’s lively clientele made his pulse so much as flutter, let alone thump with the force of a thousand drums the way Alec’s smile could.
8) Wake Up Call - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Roomates AU) *My Fave Intro*
Surfacing from a sleep that should’ve lasted at least another week, Magnus’ mouth feels like a tide of alcohol has left only sand in its wake and his head’s still swimming with regret over the senseless fight with his best friend that triggered his headlong dash into anything offering oblivion from Alexander Gideon Lightwood.
9) A Love That Knows No Bounds - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Malec As Dads AU)
Arriving late at the gallery hosting Clary and Maia’s joint exhibition of art and marine photography, Alec weaves his way through the crowd to make his apologies to the forgiving duo, congratulating them both on the evident success of the ‘Nature’s Canvas’ collection before locating the expected family and friends, three of which are nowhere to be seen.
10) Interest Detected - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Film Noir/Detective AU)
“So you’ll take the case?” said the snake in the suit, aka the torment of Alec’s otherwise perfect life.
11) All Hail, Alexander The Grrreat! - (M, Prompt Ficlet, Role-Play Sex AU)
His husband’s formidable powers of application when learning a new skill had always been a source of pride for Magnus, but when paired with Alec’s insatiable, hitherto untapped predilection for role-play sex, he bore witness to more showstopping performances than Menzel could ever give on Broadway! 
12) Impossible Just Means Try Again - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Neighbours AU)
They have no right, Magnus thinks as bodies and boxes make their way into his late friend’s beloved home, every clumsy accident and cheery apology grating on his fractured nerves. 
13) To Us, You’re Still Here - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Widower Alec AU)
“You hate it,” Magnus states with amused certainty.
14) A Worthy Prize - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Game Show AU)
Acute nerves at standing in the line-up for the nation’s most popular game show, The Inquizitor, has left Alec’s skin glazed with sweat and triggered a plethora of childhood tics that serve to make him look even more anxious than he feels.
15) Unbridled Panic - (G, Prompt Ficlet, Film Set AU)
“OK, I might have forgotten to tell you I’m very afraid of horses.”
16) For One Day Every Year - (M, Canon Verse/Christmas Two-Parter)
Their first Christmas together fast approaching, Magnus was indulging in all things yule-related with a level of excited enthusiasm that he couldn’t recall ever having experienced before.
17) Consumed With Love At Christmas - (E, Family Christmas Party)
Alec Lightwood loved his family and friends with his whole heart, he really did, and inviting all of them over for a Christmas edition of their usual games night had even been his idea, but watching the way his hot tease of a boyfriend was making virtual love to that tangerine from all the way over here at the other end of the couch made him wish they were trapped at the North Pole with no means of return for years to come because all Alec wanted, for Christmas and the next few hours at least, was Magnus’ hungry mouth on him.
18) Lightwood Came To Win! - (M, Halloween Party At Pandemonium AU)
Although blissfully unaware of how the revolving multi-coloured lights of the packed out venue rendered his silky white outfit virtually transparent (except for a few face-saving ruffles and the odd gigantic bobble), Alec Lightwood still felt like a giant fool.
19) Musical Monday - (M, Sharing New Experiences/Competitive Shits AU)
There’s very little that Alec won’t do to put a smile on his boyfriend’s beautiful face, but donning a loincloth the size of a handkerchief while playing a harp, is not one of them, no matter what is dangled in front of him as a reward.
20) Made All The Difference - (G, Introspective Alec/Idiots In Love)
In the short time that Alec had known Magnus, his whole life had changed in ways he could never have thought possible. 
Patterns: I think the very obvious answer here is ‘my intros are lengthy’ - but in my defence, at least with the ficlets and their word limit, I was trying to set as much of the scene as possible! 😂 
Tagging (should you want to): @unending-happiness @poemsfromthealley  @sassyweethang  @intangibel  @sfjessii  @lynne-monstr  @sugarandspace  @cuubism  @bidnezz  @brightasstars
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thomaslightwoodenthusiast · 5 years ago
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hello all!
as many of you know, i mentioned that i was working on a thomastair fic. well, recently i gained the confidence to finish the chapter and i finally have! i’m going to upload it here first to get some opinions, and after that it will all be going on wattpad. if you like what you read and don’t use wattpad, please let me know! without further ado, here it is;
ethereal - thomastair, ch1
Thomas Lightwood did not enjoy parties. However, he was attending this one. One of his best friends, James Herondale, was celebrating his engagement to his long term girlfriend, Cordelia Carstairs. Thomas was happy for them; of course he was. But deep down, he wanted something like what they had. A love so strong, so beautiful.
He would never comfortably get it.
"You ready then, Matthew?"
Matthew was bubbly as usual. Something about him felt slightly...off, though.
"Of course! Yes. I can't wait!"
Thomas grabbed his cousin Christopher and the three left. James was already at the Devil's Tavern with Cordelia and Anna, Thomas's other cousin. Anna had given Cordelia a dress -surprising, as Anna herself never wore them.
The celebration was to be small; The Merry Thieves, Cordelia, Anna, Tessa & Will, and Sona, Cordelia's mother. Elias Carstairs was not going to be there, as he was still 'unwell'. As for Alastair, Cordelia's permanently MIA brother, he was still not going to be there. He never was. Cordelia had been sad; she loved her brother and would have loved him to come. But there was something 'odd' about him. She'd explained it in short once before:
"I do have a brother -Alastair. I love him dearly. But none of you will ever meet him- at least it's highly unlikely. He has sworn off ever socialising with anyone other than family."
"Why?" Christopher had asked, with genuine curiosity.
"He hasn't told me exactly what it is. Until a few years ago we were close, but now he just shuts everyone out. He's always been terrified of emotions. Acting like love is a weakness. I want him to meet someone, to fall in love and be happy, but any time I ask him if he's met anyone he just replies with 'To love is to destroy'. It's like his mantra or something."
"He isn't possessed is he?" asked Matthew.
"Of course not you idiot! But he might as well be. All I know is, whatever this damn curse is I don't have it."
Thomas had become fascinated. He played around with the theory that Alastair was one of those ethereals he'd always heard about. He knew the stories, and to be honest had always wanted to meet one. None of the other Merry Thieves believed in them, so Thomas usually kept quiet.
"Guys! You're here!"
The trio of boys were immediately absorbed into hugs.
"Wouldn't want to miss it. Congrats!"
"Thank you," said Cordelia, blushing.
"Your dress is...beautiful. Where did you get it?" asked Matthew.
"Me. I gave her it," Anna responded, with a smirk. "I have them lying about my apartment. Never would wear any, but I like to keep them in case," she ended with a wink.
"ATTENTION, ATTENTION, I DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION," came a loud voice from the other end of the room. Thomas sighed and smiled when he saw who the voice belonged to.
Of course it was Magnus Bane.
"NOW THAT THE BOYS ARE HERE, I BELIEVE WE MAY BEGIN THE PARTY!" he said, ringing a bell.
"Why does he have a bell?" whispered Thomas.
"Seriously. You looked at him and the first question you asked was about a bell?" Anna replied.
She had a point. Magnus was well known for his outlandish and elaborate dress sense, and today was no exclusion. Somehow, he managed to look incredible no matter what he wore. Which in today's scenario, was a dark purple velvet jacket, some (leather?) trousers, a pair of extremely glittery boots, and a satin shirt of baby blue.
Matthew stared at him. "I can't tell whether I want to be him or be with him. I-"
"Adore him, we know. Why don't you go talk to him?" Thomas proposed.
"Absolutely not. I am not going to risk embarrassing myself, especially after the river incident with James that one time. I believe I will mingle with the ladies instead," Matthew concluded, approaching Sona. She began laughing.
"Christopher you haven't spoken a word. You okay?" asked Anna.
Christopher looked shocked someone had even spoken to him.
Even though Anna was his sister.
"I'm fine. You know I don't really like parties though. Too many people," he said, nervously laughing.
"You can stay about with me if you want?"
"No! You love partying. I don't want to be a hindrance-"
"Hindrance! Chris you're my brother! I can sacrifice one party for your sake. And besides," Anna cleared her throat, "I know all the girls here. No one interesting or single."
Christopher shrugged. He and Anna started talking to each other. Out of the corner of his eye, Thomas could see Cordelia glancing towards the opposite end of the room, and almost immediately darting towards it. Had she seen something?
Someone?
➿➿➿➿➿
Alastair Carstairs did not like hurting his sister. Unfortunately, he felt like he had. So that was why he went to the Devil's Tavern. He'd snuck inside through the back room, and was standing to the side, hoping to go unnoticed.
Alastair loved his sister. He was so fiercely protective of her -had been ever since childhood. So when that fateful night occurred four years ago, it had been hard for him to come around to.
Alastair thought about what had happened. Why his life was so different now. He was so scared and confused at the time -just fifteen years old. A man had come knocking at their family home door, asking for him. Sona was terrified -who was this randomer to come to her door and demand to see her son? But Alastair had woken up and had agreed to speak with him. He was tall, very very tall, Asian, and...beautiful. So beautiful. He didn't look too much older than Alastair himself, which was odd.
But the beauty.
It struck you in the face.
It was indescribable.
Alastair had recalled feeling unnaturally comfortable with this man, like he was a brother or some other male relative. He told Alastair that he was special; that there was something slightly different about him. He told him of the 'ethereals' -a community of people all across the world. They were a beautiful people. Not majorly different to normal people, but nowhere near the same. They had an immediate attractiveness that made them literally impossible to resist regardless of a person's feelings towards them. This, however, proved bad at times, and often ethereal relationships did not work out. They loved with their entire soul; if this love was not returned, their loved one was, well, it was awful really. Ethereals could have relationships with each other and they could even be with normal people if they wished. However, that was not recommended nor respected by other ethereals.
Alastair faintly recalled the man telling him how he felt about that rule/idea.
It was clear he did not like it.
But he assured Alastair that he was okay, and that he was there for him. One thing Alastair thought was unfortunate was that he couldn't remember his name- it was a unique one anyway.
As if thought became reality, Alastair returned from his daydream to see that the man he'd met all those years ago was here. At his sister's party? Odd. He thought he would've seen him again at least once if they were friends. He thought about talking to him, but he still wanted to stay unnoticed.
You can't always get what you want, though.
"Alastair?!? My brother?!"
Cordelia was standing right in front of him.
———————
Cordelia threw her arms around her brother, hugging him tight. "Why did you come?"
He gave her a glare, but couldn't help but smile. "I felt truly awful. I thought I would upset you, and so I snuck my way here. I still wish to remain unseen by the others, however."
Cordelia's smile faded a little. "Couldn't you meet them? Just introduce yourself? Please. Just once?"
"No. I am not quite sure they would like me anyways," he said, tailing off a little.
"Alastair. What are you afraid of?" Cordelia inquired.
For a moment he was silent.
"That man, the Asian one, he's the man who came to our house."
"Magnus Bane?"
"Yes, him. I wish I could ask him questions."
Because lord knows how many I have.
"I can bring him over if you like?" The younger girl offered.
"No," said Alastair, shaking his head. "I don't want to make anyone suspicious."
"Daisy? Where'd you go?"
"Oh, I am so sorry. That's James. I have to go. But thank you, Alastair. Thank you for coming. And hey; loosen up a little, alright?"
Alastair only smiled in response.
————————
Thomas was still standing chatting with Christopher and Anna, although he hadn't entirely been paying attention to the conversation. He was watching Cordelia. He could definitely see her talking to someone, but whoever she was talking to was extremely well hidden. Then he heard James call out for her, and she turned and dashed off, returning to him with a smile. He tried his best to see if he could make out a person, but it was virtually impossible.
"What's got you staring off into the distance? A pretty girl?" joked Anna.
Blood rushed to his face immediately. Thomas wished to tell Anna the truth; that he did not care for pretty girls. That he cared more about pretty boys. Anna was his cousin; and not only did he know she would support him she was also, for lack of a better word, the other way inclined.
But something was stopping him, and he wasn't quite sure what.
"I was joking, by the way, in case that's why you haven't replied," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"I- yes. I mean not as in yes I was looking at a pretty girl, I mean- actually I'm not quite sure. I'm too tired."
That was partially true, however Thomas wanted an excuse to investigate Cordelia's secret friend.
Christopher looked delighted. "If you're tired, we could leave together?"
"Oh my! Christopher, mine own brother dear, do not sound so excited to be out of my presence!"
Christopher panicked. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"I know you didn't kid. It's fine. You two leave, we'll see you tomorrow."
Thomas and Christopher left, waving to Anna. Once outside, Thomas turned to Christopher.
"Hey, there's one last thing I want to do before going back. Do you want to wait here for me, or do you wish to walk home alone?"
Christopher shrugged. "I can stay here and read."
"Are you sure? It's quite cold."
"I'll stay here for as long as I can, but if I begin to think you are taking too long I shall vacate the area and make my advances toward home and a warm bed."
Thomas laughed. He adored his family; and Christopher was no exception. He may seem odd to others, what with his obsession with science and lack of social skills, but Thomas didn't care. He and the Merry Thieves would stand up for him even if it meant losing their legs.
Thomas gave him a reassuring smile and snuck back inside the Tavern.  This time, he decided to sneak in via the back in case anyone saw him entering and re-engaged him in conversation.
He certainly did not expect his chest to collide with someone's head.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know that anyone- hey!"
The boy he'd collided with shoved his way past Thomas angrily. He was significantly shorter than him, but to be fair so were the majority of people. Curious, and to be honest- slightly offended, he followed him.
He called out to him, only to be met with an intense glare and for the boy to continue walking away. 
Thomas got a glimpse of his face. It wasn't much, but the glare lasted long enough for Thomas to figure out who it was. He looked incredibly similar to his sister, save that he had pitch black hair compared to her ruby red. He called out again, this time using the boy's name.
"Alastair!"
Alastair's head snapped back to face Thomas again, like a deer caught in headlights. Thomas approached him. "Hey! You're Alastair, aren't you? Cordelia's big brother?"
Alastair spoke for the first time. "I do not see why that is of any worth to you. Also, your chest collided with my head, and now it hurts."
"I'm sorry! I didn't think anyone would be there. I just wanted to-"
"I have no reason to be concerned with what you are about to say, so if you may allow me I shall be on my way. I have places to go and things to do and talking to a stranger is not one of them."
“Alright, no need to be rude. I'm only trying to be friendly-"
"With all due respect I don't care."
Thomas was getting frustrated. "Listen, Alastair. Your sister told us that you aren't a people person and I get that, but being unnecessarily rude is not the way to go. You could at least pretend to care about your sister-"
"You have no right to talk about me like that. You know nothing about me. I do care. I care a lot more than you think. Now, I will be taking my leave."
As Alastair turned to leave, Thomas still called out to him. "But aren't you curious who I am? Don't you at least want to know my name?"
"I know your name. I do actually talk to my sister, you know."
"Then why are you never here for her? Why do you never bother to make an effort to talk to her friends or to get to know any of us? I think you're-"
Alastair was seething. "Thomas Lightwood, I suggest you stop talking and leave me alone. You have no idea what you're speaking of and I intend to keep it that way."
Thomas changed the mood of the conversation, and spoke softly. "What are you afraid of? Why are you so scared to talk to people? Are you afraid of falling in love? Is that it?"
Alastair opened his mouth to make another snarky reply, but instead he bit his tongue.
"I'm cursed, okay?! I have this thing, this burden that was put on me when I was just fifteen. It makes me weird, and I hate it. I hate everything. All I wanted was a normal life and a normal life I did not get. Goodbye, Thomas. Enjoy the rest of your night."
In his mind, that was an answer to the question Thomas had been thinking about for  several years now.
“You’re not weird. You aren’t cursed either.”
“What do you mean?”
Thomas paused, and Alastair turned to walk away.
"Ethereal," he whispered. 
If Alastair was surprised Thomas had said that it did not show.
"I don't know what you think you know about me, Mr. Lightwood, but what I do know is that it's best I never see you again."
Thomas felt a small pain in his chest as Alastair finally started walking away. He was so curious about him. 
And still offended. He started walking back to Christopher.
"Oh and Thomas?"
"Yes?"
"If any single one of you even thinks about hurting my sister, you'll have a spear through your neck."
Thomas raised his eyebrows. 
Spears were an odd weapon choice, especially to have lying about the house.
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theskamlibrary · 5 years ago
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75 dates in the Skam Universe Masterpost
Thank you so much for everyone who participated, we had a total of X dates in the Skam Universe. We are so grateful for every content creators who put such hard work and shared it with us, you are the backbone of this fandom and the ones who make it worthwhile. 
Support your content creators! Reblog their posts, give them feedback, comment, share the love.  
FIC
Cliché by @catloves3 {WTFock - Zoë Loockx/Senne De Smet - 497 words}
written for (fun)fair
Senne, Zoe, Jana, and Luka at a funfair.
*****
click by @butforwardiscalling {Skam Italy - Niccolò Fares/Martino Rametta - 1613 words }
written for shooting photos 
niccolò has a camera. martino is his preferred model, willing or not.
*****
Cheats and Prank Wars by @toobaddiane {Druck - Matteo Florenzi/David Schreibner - 2507 words}
written for prank war
It’s the summer after their first year in university started and the boys are just lazying around. After an episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine gives Jonas an idea, they engage in a harmless prank war. What could possibly go wrong when someone is super competitive and their boyfriend is their teammate?
Or Matteo and David are teammates in a prank war and David is a competitive jerk.
*****
I think I like my eyes by @ayellowcurtain {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 1026 words}
written for building a pillow fort 
*****
shut up and kiss me by @orpheuscris {Skam Espana - Cris Soto/Joana Bianchi - 3441 words}
written for study date
Joana and Cris have been at odds nearly the entire time they've been sitting next to each other in class. So that’s why it’s such a surprise when one day, near the end of the semester, Cris invites Joana over to her house to study. And why she’s even more surprised by herself when she accepts.
*****
show me the things (that you believe in) by @softdemaury {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 6329 words}
written for at home movie night
“Guess there goes your movie, then.” Lucas says while they’re sitting down at the kitchen table.
“Wait, you didn’t organize this to get out of watching that damn thing, right?” Eliott squints his eyes at Lucas, raising his fork in an attempt to look threatening.
Lucas laughs, “You think I’d do that? Of course I didn’t. We’ll just watch it next time, no big deal.”
or
5 times Eliott fails in making Lucas watch 10 Things I Hate About You and the 1 time Lucas takes the matter into his own hands
*****
Future Little Koala by @youleavebehindmemories {Skam Italy - Eva Brighi/Giovanni Garau - 2697 words }
written for wedding 
It's basically Giovanni and Eva at the wedding of Marti and Nicco with glimpses into Gio & Eva's future, domestic life! (as well as background moments from others)
*****
Feels like Love by @tunonseisolonico {Skam Italy - Niccolò Fares/Martino Rametta - 2602 words }
written for karaoke 
“Come on, Marti! Let´s go and sing a song, the two of us!”
“You for real?!” Marti immediately exclaimed, being full of doubts.
He couldn't help but got flashbacks in his head, thinking back to Silvia´s 80´s party, him sitting close to Nico on the couch, Emma on Nico´s other side. Niccolò asking them to sing a song with him, Marti already refusing to do so back then.
“Of course, I´m not joking!”
“Well, sounds like it. No, I´m not going to sing a song with you!”
*****
come with me, my love (to the sea of love) by @lepetitepeach {Skam France -Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 4816 words }
written for aquarium
there’s a small touch of wonder to everything that lives in the ocean
*****
critter cottage by @spacekardemomme {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 1546 words }
As he walked further into the room, he watched the rise and fall of eliott's chest, the way his hair is messily sprawled along the pillow, a few strands scattered across his forehead and cheekbones.
this is who i’m meant to spend the rest of my life with
*****
Yearning for more than a blue day by @modestytreehouse  {Skam Norway - Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen - 3723 words  }
written for brunch date 
He really should leave while Isak is still asleep and spare him the awkwardness of waking up beside Even. Spare himself the shame when Isak recognizes him.
*****
Kings of the cargo hold by @evakuality {Skam Norway - Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen -  3029 words}
written for cruise // art created by @hjertetssunnegalskap1 
“You’re early,” a voice says, a breathy, stuttery quality to it as its owner pants into the room behind Isak, the clatter of his feet loud as his footsteps echoes off the metal of the walls. “I was supposed to be here before you.” “What is all this?” Isak gestures at the table laid out in front of them. “Well, you agreed to eat with me,” Even says, his unfairly gorgeous blue eyes lit up as he stares into Isak’s soul
Aka, the one where Even gets extra as he prepares for the perfect moment with Isak.
*****
sens de la vie by @livvyblxckthxrn {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 2809 words}
written for museum date
a little dive into all of those instagram pics and stories
*****
det betyr jo alltid noe, det gjør jo det by @pagnilagni {Skam Norway - Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen - 8722 words }
written for apple picking // in Norwegian // translation in English by Bolomapa
Han står oppgitt ute på den overgrodde plenen og ser på epletrærne. De er gamle og krokete, har altfor mange greiner, de henger for tett sammen under den tette trekronen, tynget av røde epler tett i tett, de skulle vært tynnet, sa naboen, og treet skulle vært beskåret, han sa det et par uker etter at han beskar sine egne trær. “Men det er for sent nå, sevjen stiger, treet kommer til å blø i hjel. Du får ta det neste år i stedet”, hadde han sagt, mens han klappet ham faderlig på skulderen.
Han ser på epletrærne med den modne frukten, en mengde epler har falt ned i natt, mange flere enn i går, han burde plukke dem nå, han burde absolutt det. Men hva skal han med dem, lurer han på, en fortvilende klump i magen spør ham om svaret på det, for han aner ikke, å bruke en kilo epler er greit, kanskje to, han kan vel bake to eplekaker, men alt dette, det må være hundrevis av kilo, hva faen bruker folk dette til?
*****
You’ll never believe how ice cream helped this man to get a date by @nofeartina    {Skam Norway - Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen - 3333 words }
written for ice cream 
If it wasn't for Magnus, Isak would never have ended up at this ridiculous hipster ice cream place. But then again, he never would have met that ridiculously cute ice cream guy, either.
Sometimes it really pays off being a good friend.
Or 5 times Isak buys ice cream for Magnus and 1 time Even buys it for Isak.
*****
come and fade me by @ho1ogram {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 3957 words}
written for grocery shopping
And no matter how many times he repeats the same lines over and over again till he runs out of reasons to support why dating should be banned (it's a lie; Lucas will never run out of reasons for this purpose, he just gives in to the looks the boys - or Eliott - throw at him) that his friends understand his struggles, his pleas for them to stop. And always, like clockwork, he ends in having them set him up with an unknown guy.
or, Lucas is tired of going on dates after dates with guys that aren't Eliott, and Eliott has a few tricks up his sleeves.
*****
Thousand spires and thousand bridges by @hjertetssunnegalskap1 {Druck - Matteo Florenzi/ David Schreibner - 46352 words}
written for vacation // art by @hjertetssunnegalskap1
In this world, Matteo and David met during Abitur back in Berlin, just like in the canon story and they made sandwiches and almost kissed at the neon party, but David backed out, Matteo did the same and.... nothing more happened.
Now they are studying in Prague. Matteo thinks he lost his chance with David a long time ago. What David thinks, nobody knows.
*****
it's nice to have a friend by @livvyblxckthxrn {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 6592 words}
written for rollerskating
5 times eliott and lucas definitely were not on a date, and one time they were
*****
to all who come to this happy place, welcome by @tawmlinsun {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 4703 words }
written for disneyland // art by @cottonsdraw
"eliott demaury, you just passed your bac. what are you going to do now?"
"i'm taking my boyfriend to disneyland!"
*****
Super Smash Bros by @thegirlnooneknows5 {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 11672 words}
written for video games // playlist
“Okay. Pretend I’m a customer. Sell me this game.”
Eliott's smile was determined. “You ever had a customer you wanted to throw into the wall?”
“Countless.”
“Knock-Out X lets you live that fantasy.” He pulled the game off Lucas’ lap and held it up. The thought of Eliott’s hands so close to him coloured Lucas’ face pink. Eliott continued, “Just imagine if you could throw that customer into a wall and leave with no scratches, bruises or consequences. And look super badass while doing it.” “Seriously, though. You’re going to love it.”
-Or, a Striking Vipers Elu au in which they fall in love through a virtual reality game because love transcends all
*****
Coffee, Gay Gurus, and a Dance by @amyriadfthings {Druck - Matteo Florenzi/David - 1242 words}
written for coffee date
Good things happen over coffee. David & Matteo visit a veritable Berlin cultural institution and learn how to swing dance. Gay Gurus in action. Bonus gay gurus to appear eventually.
*****
Small Things by @probablydaydreamingg​ {Skam Italy - Niccolò Fares/Martino Rametta - 3232 words}
written for concert
Martino gave Nico two tickets for a concert as a graduation present. A cute date ensues.
*****
Hedgehog, on the rocks by @flying-elliska {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 4635 words}
written for drinks
Lucas's boyfriend just left him, two days before he has to go to his cousin's wedding, who just so happens to be marrying the town billionaire, and his friends are all otherwise engaged...
So as he arrives alone, he heads to the bar for some liquid courage.
Turns out the bartender isn't having a great evening either. So he embarks Lucas in a creative quest to find him the perfect beverage...
...
It's not a date yet. But there's still time...
*****
If I Should Fall Behind by @irazor {Skam Norway - Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen - 14732 words}
written for fancy dinner // art by @lovethem2121
The plan for tonight had been crystal clear. Stay close to his best friend, and steal her away if needed. Hold her hand through the ordeal of meeting Noora again for the first time in years. Then Even shows up – and suddenly, nothing goes the way it was supposed to.
Or: 3 times Isak didn't know what to say to Even, and 1 time he did.
*****
Fontainebleau by @hallo-catfish {Skam France - Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 12770 words}
written for camping
Lucas, let’s go camping, Eliott says, and with a vision of perfect quiet and green leaves unfurling before his eyes, Lucas agrees without even looking up from his problem set.
*
The summer after Lucas' first year in university, Lucas and Eliott take a weekend trip to Fontainebleau. 
*****
Under Starry Skies Above by @fille-lioncelle {Druck - Matteo Florenzi/David Schreibner - 7197 words}
written for weekend getaway 
Matteo and David have been feeling a little dejected, so Matteo suggests they get away for a weekend trip.
*****
Lost & bound by @hjertetssunnegalskap1 {Skam Norway -  Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen - 16397 words)
written for bicycle date
Even has been in a bicycle accident and he has lost his memory of the past three years. However, Isak gets a shock when Even tells him that they’re bonded soulmates, and expects them to be a couple.
*****
Così fan tutte by @hallo-catfish {Skam France - Chloé Jeanson/Lucille, Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant - 14070 words}
written for opera
Lucille goes to the opera. It’s another double date.
*****
ART
➔ @hjertetssunnegalskap1 : X - X
➔ @cottonsdraw : X
A TOTAL OF 196,241 WORDS HAS BEEN WRITTEN FOR THIS FEST, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS! 
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rainhalydia · 5 years ago
Note
D, I, K, J, Q, R, W? :D
Thanks, darling!
D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.
For Les Mis, I can’t like any other ships involving Enjolras and Grantaire except for Enjolras x Grantaire. I wish I liked them even a little bit because it would really enjoy the range of fic I’d like to read, but alas, their journeys are too connected for me to want anything else.
For Teen Wolf, I wish I liked Alison x Lydia more. I liked their friendship, and Lydia certainly cared deeply about Alison, but it irked me that Alison never bothered to warn Lydia about the third season treat.
For Asoiaf, Thramsay, because the crowd seems super chill and the fics seem amazing, but I just know I won’t really enjoy them even if they’re high quality. Also any Robb ship that’s not Throbb.
I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?
No, because as soon as I get in a fandom and start looking for content, I also block anyone that has even the slightest annoying opinion. I’m not in fandom to hear how my faves are terrible, thank you very much. Even so, thanks to tumblr I’m never watching Star Wars.
K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?
For Les Mis, Grantaire. I love that he’s allowed to fail so badly even if we never hear about the repercussions. That’s an essential part of his arc, and it’s also one of the things that make me remember that Hugo was a professional writer, you know?
For Teen Wolf, Lydia. She has always had hidden depths, but with the actors coming and going from the show, her story grew and I liked where it went by the end. I especially liked how her relationship with Jackson was handled.
For Asoiaf, Theon. Best arc in the series, best words GRRM has ever written.
J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)
The Untamed, Good Omens, The Witches, The Magnus Archive... I’m only interested in watching one of them right now, but I feel I’ve learned most of them by osmosis anyway.
Q - A fandom you’ve abandoned and why.
I no longer care about Harry Potter. Thankfully it happened before all the JKR drama, and I’m including from her TERFdom to her amazing takes on twitter such as students pooping on the floor even though there are canonical bathroom in the school here, though one is more serious than the other. I simply wasn’t that impressed with the last book, I think I was outgrowing even her writing style looking back, but it didn’t help that my favorite characters were killed off. Also, the epilogue was deeply frustrating, not for the usual reasons fandom doesn’t like it...
That said, sometimes my brain gives me some random headcanons and opinions still, such as: Ron would be the popular one in a world where Voldemort didn’t exist.
R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?
Les Mis: Grantaire, Joly and Bossuet. That Grantaire rant where he lists Bossuet’s baldness as one of the causes for his hopelessness with the world is amazing. As are Joly’s and Bossuet’s reactions of just letting him rant to his heart’s satisfaction and then just changing the subject. Also love that part where Bossuet finds time to make a little joke about Grantaire sleeping on duty during barricade times.
Teen Wolf: My favorite friendship was Liam and Mason. It was just refreshing. They’re both highly underrated characters, actually, probably due to debuting when the show was alread past it’s prime, so to say.
Asoiaf: from what we actually see playing out instead of mostly being told, I think number 1 is Jon and Sam. I also ship them, but I love their friendship as well. Sam just brings out the best in Jon, which in turn explains why Sam thinks so highly of him and why he’s so shocked at the baby swap. Honorable mention to Arya, who will make friends with a rock if given the chance, though most of the time her “friends” don’t deserve her - the exception being Gendry, who’s her love interest anyway, and the sex workers in Braavos.
W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.
I’ll read basically anything, but I’ve yet to find a fake relationship fic that I like. No, I lie, I liked @janiedean‘s fic where Throbb pretend to be engaged to rent a place. But that is a good reason to fake a relationship! Which is the secre to make this trope work! In fact, a list of good reasons to fake a relationship with the person you’re secretly in love with features things like:
- renting a place (like in the fic mentione above);
- getting a visa;
- getting a tax discount;
- pretending to be a couple to spy on people or countries;
- getting discounts on stupid things;
- adopting a kid that needs adopting asap.
Those are all things I’d love to read about! And I’m sure there are more reasons if we start to think about it, but you know what reason most fics I’ve seen on the topic pick?
- To get overbearing parents off the character’ back.
Now, that is a good idea in one specific situaton: when a gay character needs a beard. But somehow that’s never how it goes, so we’re left with people getting into fake relationships with their crushes even though the most obvious solution is to tell the parents to take care of their own damn lives!
Another thing that irritates me in this trope when authors pick the overbearing parent route: the whole thing is usually played for laughs. I hate that. If your relationship with yout parent is so bad that you’d rather fake a relationship rather than just make up a boyfriend/girlfriend, then this parent has to be a nightmare of a person! But most authors have no idea what it’s like to have an overbearing parent and it shows. So we end up with well-meaning, caring parents who would absolutely respect their offspring’s privacy and boundaries should they be stated. In short, not the kind of parents that give reason to fake an entire relationship.
I also dislike high school AUs on principle.
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whippedkoalas · 6 years ago
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Hello everyone! I’m late, because I forgot my computer last night and I posted it on the wrong blog this morning (lol), but here is the promised fic for Christmas.
I hope all of you are spending these holidays like you want to. Thank you for always being lovely to me. I’m sending big virtual hugs to every single one of you.
Take care.
Christmas time is always special. You hear about Christmas on TV, the streets and shops are decorated, you might even be on holidays. It’s the time where the year ends, too.
A lot of people associate family time with Christmas times. And that’s where it starts being complicated for people who aren’t in touch with their families.
For the past 5 years, Noora and William have spent Christmas time on their own. Just the two of them. Their friends all have family gatherings to attend and they really don’t want to spend time with their respective families. The first Christmas they spent together they went to New York. The second one they stayed in Norway, but went to Flaam. Then they stayed in Oslo the year after. Last year they went to Prague.
This year, they’re staying in Oslo because they just bought a house in the suburbs of the city and do not have the budget to do anything fancy.
Furthermore, Vilde organized a party with everyone.
All the girls will be there. Isak and Even, Jonas, Chris, Yousef, Elias, and Eskild as well.
It’s not something they can do a lot because they all have their own lives now, but this year they really wanted to do something special.
They’re having a Christmas Eve Brunch. Vilde has been sending forms and messages and emails to organize this for months now and it was her idea to meet in the morning so that Chris, Jonas, and Eskild could come.
They all have been sent a list of things to come with.
They decided to organize a Secret Santa as well.
MONDAY 24TH 09:07
Vilde doesn’t live too far from their new house, and the weather isn’t terrible this morning, so Noora and William arrive early. The whole house is decorated already.
Noora and William were in charge of fruit juices.
“Vilde?” Noora shouts, entering the house.
They hear noise in the kitchen, probably the reason why Vilde didn’t hear them knocking.
Vilde accepted to host the Christmas brunch in her grandmother’s house. She has been living in this house for a while now, since her grandmother’s death.
When they get to the kitchen, they find Vilde cooking.
“Hello, Vilde ?”
Vilde turns her head instantly.
“Noora! Oh is it 9:30 already?” she looks at them in panic and only relaxes a bit when they tell her no.
Soon, Vilde gives them tasks to do. Before they know it, everyone has arrived.
They all settle in the living room. The decoration is outdated and even terrific but Vilde swears on her life she hasn’t had time or money to redecorate the whole house.
MONDAY 24TH 10:18
The whole table is full of different food everyone has brought. Everyone is talking and laughing. Only Vilde is a bit stressed.
“it reminds me of Sana’s Eid party,” Noora says to William, who nods in agreement.
“do you want some orange juice?” he asks in response, even though he has a glass for her already in his hand. Noora nods.
Chris is not far from them, chatting with Elias and Eskild. Eskild is trying to get the number of one of Chris’ co-worker.
In a corner, Yousef and Sana are arguing about the table decoration. Yousef is smiling fondly at his fiancé who is struggling with the napkins.
Vilde and Even are in the kitchen, trying to hide the birthday cake for Sana.
Isak and Jonas are chatting together with Eva, like old times.
Christina is sitting on the floor, playing with Vilde’s cat.
Noora watches them all doing their own thing but together nonetheless, tears in her eyes.
William takes her in his arm.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Noora shakes her head and snuggles against him. “I’m just emotional. It’s a great gift to have them still in our lives even five years after.I can’t wait for them to open their gifts.”
William smiles.
MONDAY 24TH 10:43
Vilde asked them to sit down around the living room’s table again. She and Chris have organized a game.
They are playing “two lies and one truth, Christmas with high school friends edition” according to Chris, which means that they have to find situations that happened (or not) with someone who is in the room or at least during their high school years.
They decided that Eva was the first to go, even with her protests because she doesn’t have any ideas.
“okay. 1. when we were in middle school, Isak discovered that Jonas and I were together because he found us making out in the school’s toilets.”
Isak chuckles.
“2. Christoffer and I actually dated for the first six months of our last year but we didn’t say anything. Or at least I didn’t.”
Eva smiles cheekily at Chris.
“3. Christina and I went to a double date once. It was shit, I ended up going home alone, but Chris got luckier and went home with my date.”
“There is no way those stories happened and you didn’t tell us.” Sana points out. “no way. They are all lies”
“You didn’t date Chris” William says.
“it’s for sure the first one because Chris would have spilled the tea about the double date on the group chat, while she was banging Eva’s date” Vilde adds.
Chris starts laughing out loud.
They all start giving argument to guess what is the truth when William says in Noora’s ear “Jonas and Isak are quiet. So the first is the truth.”
Noora gets one point.
They continue sharing stories about each other. They learn that Yousef had a crush on Sana since basically forever according to Elias.
Chris reveals that William had a discount on their russbus because he slept with the girl who was selling it. (“That’s prostitution,” says Noora.)
Jonas’ truth is that his mother asks him every time she sees him if he’s going to marry Eva someday. (No.)
Vilde reveals she still sees Magnus once in a while.
Chris tells them Sana and she sold their russbus for much more money than they should have.
Noora says she lied about Eskild’s birthday to Eva’s to go on a date with William. (Eva hadn’t realized.)
While Eskild tells everyone he used to steal everything he needed from William and Noora back when they lived together, Noora snuggles into William’s embrace and tells him “you’re next. Do it now”
Trying not to get the others’ attention, he replies “are you sure?”
She nods. “I would have laughed. But you won’t. So do it.”
When it’s his turn, William tries to be as serious as possible.
“1. Chris and I spent a night in our school. By accident, but we did.
2. Noora and I are having a baby.
3. Last year, when we went skiing, the boys and I lied to you girls, and we went to drink something instead of skiing like we told you”
Chris, who is the only one who knows what is the truth, still takes a few seconds to register what’s happening.
“Holy fucking shit! No way!”
Everyone else is silent, trying to guess if William is joking or not.
Then when they realize that he’s not and yes, William and Noora are having a baby, they start talking and screaming and cooing all at the same time. Noora just nods, shyly. She’s still sitting almost on William’s lap. He kisses her forehead.
“so yes. We didn’t plan on telling you through a game, but I haven’t spent the night with Chris in Nissen and we really went skiing with the boys last year…” he says, while the others are watching him with wide eyes.
“but I am definitely pregnant” Noora tells them, wiping tears from her eyes.
“fuck hormones” she adds, which makes everyone laughs.
MONDAY 24TH 11:33
After congratulating the new parents, they decide to give the secret Santa gifts. They all receive a copy of Noora’s first ultrasound as a special gift. That’s how Noora and William had planned on telling them.
They had agreed not to give anything too fancy or expensive, but not one of them has followed the rule.
They all laugh together and try to guess who is their secret Santa.
Some gifts are funny, like the sweater with dicks on it Christina found for Eskild, some of them are more personal, like the necklace William gives to Noora, with “in love since 2015” written inside of the heart. she tries to mock him because it’s a sappy gift, but she immediately started crying when she opened the box so she lost credibility.
Some gifts are surprising, like the beautiful purse Christoffer gives to Vilde, making sure she knows William did not help him.
After the distribution, Vilde suggests they could take pictures and they spent the next hour taking pictures of each other to be sure to keep those memories with them forever.
MONDAY 24TH 12:58
They all sing Happy Birthday to Sana. She didn’t really expect to have a birthday cake because she’s throwing a big party in two weeks, but she’s very happy to be surrounded by all of her friends for this special day. She makes a wish, as always. And Jonas makes a speech, as always.
“today, I wanted to tell you how much I am thankful to have an amazing group of friends. We’ve been friends forever and we still are.
But I feel like I should tell you that I am glad to grow up and grow old with you. I am happy to be able to see you going for new adventures, like parenthood. I think what we have is precious. We might not be able to see each other every week, or we might not all be the best of friends, but we care for each other and we are here for each other and I think that it’s a very rare bond that we have. So happy birthday, Sana. I can’t wait to see you blow out the candles every year”
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faejilly · 7 years ago
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i am for you
this is entirely @janoda‘s fault. her and her tag essays. ANYWAYS. I have a weakness for epistolary fic, and also Alec & Magnus being adorkable, so here. Have some self-indulgent fluff. Part 1/? (AO3) (series tag)
One misdirected email leads to bonding over bookstores & bad fiction, sleep-deprivation, the introduction of the Lightwood-Garroway Family Hedge, and Magnus and Alec falling in love.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [R. Fell] subj: forgive me
Hello, you old stick in the mud.
Yes that is a perfectly acceptable way to open a letter, do shush.
And yes, email counts as a letter, just because you study ancient dead people more than living ones does not mean you should not admit to the existence of modern innovation.
Also yes, obviously, I have bad news, you know me so well, however have we borne each other's company for so long?
Especially when you have such an appalling lack of sense as to allow me to borrow your copy of Marlowe's treatise on the White Book.
Oops?
It will not be wending its way back to you along with the references on the Grey and the Red. I know, it's not the same when it's not a whole set, I will make it up to you.
Somehow.
I promise.
And you know I keep my word.
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: this is awkward
I want to apologize. I'm not whoever it was you were trying to write to, but there are way too many people I know who would start an email with a "forgive me" so I was about half-way through before I realized you weren't actually one of them.
So, uh. Sorry? I mean. Sorry, really, and you should probably double check your friend's email.
But. Not to be too creepy or intrusive, barging in on someone's accidentally public conversation, but I know a bookstore on Isaacs Dr, behind the campus liquor store, (the one with the red roof, not the one with the blue roof), that had a copy of the book you mentioned. If you wanted to find a replacement. It's called Fray & Garroway, and if you tell them it's for Alec they'll give you a 10% discount.
Assuming you're even in Alicante, which may be a bit of a jump, but you did send your note via a UIA email address.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: Charming, not awkward
I feel, my darling Alec, (if I may?), that it must have been Providence that sent my email astray. Do you believe in fate? I think I do, as of today.
There cannot be many people in Alicante who have even heard of Marlowe's delightfully obscure infatuation with the occult, much less know where to find a copy of a reprint of one of his books. Or be familiar enough to know a discount on that price-tag is not a trivial thing.
Not that I wouldn't have paid full price to redeem myself in my long-suffering (as he says) compatriot's eyes, but it is rather delightful to know that I did not have to, purely thanks to the kindness of a stranger.
Thank you.
You didn't have to reply at all, much less go out of your way to offer assistance. It's unusual to bump into such a giving soul these days. You have quite restored my faith in humanity.
-- M
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: you do have a way with words, don't you
M, is it? Are we embarking on a mystery correspondence? I feel I may have fallen into a bad spy movie, or perhaps a pulp detective novel. (I am certainly no 007 to have fallen into a good spy movie, after all.)
Do you have contacts scattered across Idris running secret errands for you? Clandestine meetings and secret back-alley exchanges?
(Please don't tell me if you don't, imagining a secret society dealing in strange matters of the occult is the most interesting thing to have happened to me all week, and the only interesting thing in at least a month that wasn't bordering on a disaster, and is quite probably the only thing that's going to keep me awake for the next two hours of my shift.)
You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me. I just answered an email. Definitely not worth the weight of the entire human race settling in-between us.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: but your words were so much more interesting than mine
There are a myriad number of people whose job it is to reply to my emails and yet they never manage it. You are exceptional, and I refuse to let you avoid my gratitude. I am thanking you, and you are just going to have to accept that that is the state of things.
Also I may have laughed out loud and scared my best friend when I read your email, so now you have to keep responding so I can prove you're a real person and we're having a real conversation and she doesn't think I'm crazy.
Well. Crazier than usual.
You are a real person aren't you? Who likes spy movies and old pulp paperbacks? (Can you recommend some of those detective stories?  I really loved your bookstore, it was very welcoming. Sunlit and dusty and well-organized shelves but piles in the corners just waiting to be explored and the most gorgeous tiny pieces of artwork hiding in all the small bits of wall where shelves wouldn't fit. Quite my new favorite place, I think I shall be back, especially if I have a shopping list as an excuse?)
Don't answer that real person question, I don't want to know if it's a no, anymore than you want to know that there are no covert societies, encoded messages, or secret passages anywhere in my life.
Though wait, of course you must be real, that lovely young redhead at the bookstore was positively delighted at the idea that Alec sent me, her whole face lit up with a smile.
Are you sure you're not already living the life of a secret agent? I feel I may have unwittingly been involved in some of your clandestine courier work already.
Though I suppose secret agents do not generally have shift work.
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: not nearly as interesting as you are attach: ruleswip.docx attach: pulpfiction.docx
Oh hell, Clary was working? Were there charcoal stains on her fingers and a sketchbook on the counter? Was it an evil smile?
It was, wasn't it. I'm doomed, I'm going to have to avoid family dinner for at least a month.
I could distract her with your compliments, perhaps? Most of the artwork is hers. Some of it was her mother's. Either way she actually almost looks shy whenever someone says something nice about it.
Or I could ask her all about you.
I feel like that would be uncalled for, but I'm not sure why. Are we playing a game? Are there rules? Would that be cheating?
Unless you asked her about me, in which case it would be entirely fair, and also that was definitely an evil smile and oh my gosh I'm rambling in an email. I'm typing myself rambling, clearly the sleep-deprivation has reached epic proportions, I am so sorry.
And yet I'm going to send this as is, because I think perhaps that might be one of the rules.
Maybe I should make a list? Would that be weird? This entire email is weird, have I apologized already?
See attached: two lists. Feel free to delete them. Or edit and send them back. I feel I have no idea what I'm doing anymore, I may need some direction.
That's wow. I'm kind of pushy tonight, sorry.
This is what happens when you work second shift at the student support center. Which is usually about as difficult as did you try turning your laptop off and on again and let me unjam the printer with the occasional yes I do know how to format a bibliography, that's why I'm here. I am definitely as far from a secret agent man as it is humanly possible to be, and my brain has mostly leaked out my ears from boredom by the time I'm done.
(That was an attractive description, wasn't it. I'm sorry.)
But second shift was quiet enough when I was an undergrad I could manage to do extra studying, and now they're stuck with me, I guess. Or I'm stuck with them? I'm not entirely sure anymore. At least this is the last year.
But now I'm wondering, if you're not part of some secret coven of the occult, why The Book of the White?
Which is assuredly none of my business, feel free to ignore me.
If you've made it this far and still respond, I think I might start believing in miracles.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: still with the incredibly charming  attach: ruleswip2.docx attach: pulpscripts.docx
I don't believe anyone has ever compared me to a miracle before, I am quite over-wrought.
That sentence came out even more melodramatically than I intended, but that does not mean it isn't sincere. We haven't met, but I find I am quite pleased to think I have earned your good opinion, and your curiosity.
I have indeed taken a look at your rules, and marked it up with my virtual purple pen. (Not red, because it did not need correction so much as expansion. You have a very economical way with words once you switch to informational.) Also I counter your collection of ridiculously titled fiction (all of which I am looking forward to devouring) with some ridiculously styled plays. We did start this with Marlowe, after all.
I feel like it will be a great disappointment to tell you that I am doing regular boring class-related research; I do not think that crosses the bonds of this strange pseudo-anonymity we have, as you recognized the UIA email address, and thus know what an 05 extension means. (Though I still have no idea how my first email got routed to you. I am distressingly good at clicking the wrong thing, but that is a bit dramatic even for me. The servers must have had an aneurysm or something, the original recipient's an 08, on top of the entirely different set of initials.)
And no, I did not ask the redhead anything about you, I was oddly terrified that somehow she'd learn my entire life-story in the process. There was a very steely glint in her eyes when she rung me up.
But family dinner! I am entirely intrigued. Are you also a redhead, my mysterious benefactor? Cousin, brother, uncle?
I typed boyfriend in that list and erased it and typed it about three more times and then I looked up at our rules and realized you're right. I'm not sure if we've reached a coherent set of directions yet, but I don't wish to cheat either. I typed it, it stays.
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: I may start blushing at any moment attach: ruleswip3.docx attach: bmovietime.docx
Oh fuck no, definitely not her boyfriend, I am very gay and also she's kind of my sister?
And wow, that's a way to come out to one's secret pen pal. I really have to stop responding to your emails at 2 in the morning, I am always vaguely horrified when I remember what I said the next day, and this is clearly not going to be the exception.
Though, since you keep responding anyways, clearly I should only respond at 2 in the morning? I may have to consider that one.
And no again, I am not a redhead, and the family dinner is a little complicated, (see the kind-of above) but I suppose I would be her step-brother once removed? That sounds entirely implausible doesn't it, it's quite obvious I just made that up.
Her step-dad married my mom.
That was much less complicated than I thought it was going to be, hmm. Clearly I have been over-thinking the family history every other time someone asked. Perhaps it's a lifetime of being over-sensitive. One of my brothers is adopted and we got a lot of oh dear you look nothing alike comments when we were little.
But now I realize how very one-sided our conversation has become, you know my name and that I have a family hedge rather than a tree, that you can find some of us at a bookstore, and that I have a rainbow flag sitting in the cup of pens and highlighters on my desk.
Also that I am much more familiar with b-movies than b-plays, so I feel I must switch media in our disaster lists of duelling recommendations yet again. I did manage to find that set by Bernhardt to read, however, and they were joyfully terrible, I hope someday I can see them on stage.
My sister is staring at me in shock from across town, I always rolled my eyes when she was in her musical theatre stage in middle school. (Different sister, not the redhead.)
Then again I rolled my eyes at everything at that point, it's difficult being nice when you're so far in the closet you can't even see the door. And look at me, over-sharing again. I don't.
This isn't something I do? But since that email you sent back thanking me, I have felt like I've known you forever, and can tell you anything. Is it because I don't have a face to put to the words, so I'm not worrying about what I look like to you? Is it just that such sincere and honest gratitude isn't something I've really seen before? Maybe you don't think people can just help just because, but I'm not sure I've ever seen someone just say thank you without a single caveat. You answered me with such grace, it made my heart ache.
I don't know. And here I am getting all philosophical, the joys of 2am confessions. I can't say I'm sorry though, because that wouldn't be true.
But I know next to nothing about you. And you did just compliment my curiosity, it's in the email chain, I could copy-paste it and prove my point, if I had to. (Never leave a paper trail if you don't want it to be used against you.)
Though I can make an educated guess, at the very least, that your long-suffering compatriot is Professor Fell? I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, I knew he had a bunch of Marlowe in his collection. And his old email got routed to mine over the summer when I did a work-study with him and he didn't want to deal with any more of Dean Aldertree's questions.
Everyone else switched to his new extension when he got tenure. Except you. Providence does seem to be the answer here. I'm glad.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: the very thought makes me breathless attach: ruleswip4.docx attach: ChairmanMeowFavorites.docx
I am honored you trusted me, Alec. Is that short for Alexander, perhaps? Would you mind if I called you that? It seems to fit the poetic nature of this correspondence.
Ragnor and I have been friends for a very long time, even before we both ended up on opposite ends of campus. It is terribly tempting to go ask him for a description of his interns last summer, except for the fact that I'd be lucky if he remembered the color of your hair. He could probably recognize your writing style within three words, but asking someone else is not how this goes, is it?
You are giving me clandestine operation vibes again, darling. Paper trails. Who says things like that? Spies. In delightfully bad movies.
Oh, oh! Do you have a tuxedo with exploding cufflinks? I have always wanted to see such a thing.
And yes, I am avoiding your questions, and no, I am not entirely sure why.
Or I am, and it's vaguely embarrassing. I think I am afraid that as soon as you know my real name this will stop being some unexpected fairy tale I have landed in, and something will go wrong, and I'll never get another email from you, and that thought is more upsetting than it has any right to be. I trust you too, dramatically, inexplicably, and completely.
I have never wanted to delete anything as much as I want to delete that paragraph. But you sent me all your sincere 2am ramblings, so I must do the same.
You make me brave, my mysterious Alexander.
Our rules list is not so much rules as elaborate flirtation at this point, wouldn't you say? And we've made our way through books and plays and movies, so now have a list of the music I never admit to people I listen to when I'm home alone and dancing for the cat.
My name is Magnus, and I have no real family to speak of, so I am not at all sure what one means by a hedge but I must admit that I want to find out.
And also that I especially wish to see a tuxedo on you, which I am sure is entirely too forward of me and I am quite sure I have just scared you away and I have never been so nervous about clicking that damn send icon in my life.
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: forget breathless, I think I've forgotten how to breathe entirely attach: music.docx
I don't think I have successfully flirted with anyone before in my entire life. I feel suspiciously like I might be having an attack of the vapors like the characters from an old romance novel.
Don't tell my sister I read old romance novels. Or that there are showtunes on my music list. She will never let me hear the end of it. And look at me, assuming you want to meet my sister. Did I mention breathing is not really a thing at the moment?
Your cat's name is Chairman Meow? That is the second-best thing I've heard in my life.
First is that this unexpected correspondence means as much to you as it does to me. Or maybe first is the idea of you calling me Alexander. No one does, never have, though I've had to repeatedly correct a few teachers over the years to keep it that way, but I like the idea of it coming from you. I like that very much.
To answer your sort-of question before I get to my actual question, because I am nervous enough I have started this email about five times already, law students talk about paper trails. Especially in their last year when they're trying desperately not to think too much about everything that could go wrong before graduation and how easy it is to fail the Bar.
And here we go. If you were brave I cannot be any less, can I?
It's not a tuxedo, but if you do want to meet the hedge (and me, hopefully more so) Clary's best friend Simon is a musician, and he has a gig this weekend at The Hunter's Moon, if you would like to come and find out...
I don't know, find out if this is a real off the computer screen as it is inside it, somewhere public where it'll be easy enough to make a strategic retreat if necessary.
Or, I think we're past easy retreats, but at least it'll be possible.
I hope we don't have to.
It will be an awful lot of the hedge though, if that's too much? We could try coffee or something first.
I mean, there's my brother and sister and step-sister and Simon and his girlfriend (who also works at the bookstore, we're a tangled disaster) and sometimes my friend Lydia because if I don't drag her out occasionally she's even more of a workaholic than I am. And it would be even worse if our cousin Aline was here, but she's visiting her girlfriend abroad.
They frequently are too much. Because they will, assuredly, every single one of them, make a comment on me inviting someone. Except maybe Lydia. She'll give you a look though. She's very good at those. So. Just. A warning? Hell, that paragraph looks terrifying and I know all of them already. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, and if I had to talk instead of type I'm pretty sure I'd be stuttering. I kind of am, even here, aren't I?
I am 102% convinced I have just scared you away, but it's better to warn you than drop you in the middle of that. No one deserves that, and especially not someone I am very much looking forward to meeting.
And I really better hit send now or I'm going to give myself a heart-attack.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: breathing is overrated
I have, my entire life, always been the one who is too much for someone else. I think it only fair, at our first acquaintance, that you have the opportunity to be too much as well. I would be delighted to dive into the deep-end of whatever this is and start out by meeting your family. We've done everything else out of order, haven't we?
With the caveat that perhaps we meet outside rather than in the middle of your hedge? (Do they know you call them that? Can I call them that? That sounds delightful.) Just in case, as you said.
And to share note by note, and also so you can answer your delightful hedge's presumably nosy questions about who the dashing man you've invited along even is, I am finishing up the second year of my very first real professor job in the drama department.
Not that that is likely to be a surprise, considering Marlowe and Bernhardt.
Also the eyeliner tends to add to that conclusion for most people who have met me in person. I am so very much looking forward to adding you to that list. (Also I'm terrified. Is it alright to be terrified? Should I admit that? Probably not. Too late now!) What's your favorite color, Alexander? I think I shall need the fortitude of getting my nails done before I arrive.
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: but I need to survive until Saturday
There's a bus-stop around the corner, on 5th? We can meet there at 8 on Saturday, and then decide if you're willing to come inside with me or not. (I have not ever called the family a hedge before I attempted to explain them to you, and most definitely not to their faces. I highly encourage you to do so, so that I can watch. Is that mean? That might be a little mean of me, I do apologize. Sort of.)
I don't think anyone's asked me my favorite color since I outgrew my moody teenage years and the only possible answer was black, with perhaps the occasional detour into grey. Would it be terribly out of line of me to admit that meeting you makes me think of the sunrise, and thus I am, at the moment, most especially fond of pink and gold?
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: if you keep saying things like that, I'm not going to survive either
I never knew heart-attacks were contagious, but oh I think you shared yours with me with that last line. You are painfully romantic, Alexander, I am in awe.
But now I desperately need a change of conversational topic or I will fidget myself into a disaster by Saturday night, that's two whole days.
Why law school, if I may be both bold and boring and ask the obvious and impertinent?
I shall answer your return question, why the theatre? before you even have to ask. Or the short version, anyways. It gave me a world better than the one I was living in when I was young, and then it was just so very pretty that I never wanted to leave. Especially when I realized how many other people need that escape as well, and I could help them find it.
That got a bit more serious than I intended. That does keep happening to me, as soon as I start a message to you. I have never failed so entirely at being a light and sparkling and charming personality before. You're remarkable.
From: [email protected] [Alec L.] To: [email protected] [M. Bane] subj: you have rendered me almost entirely speechless
I am not at all remarkable but the fact that you think so has kept me smiling all day. At least three people asked if I was all right, Lydia asked what his name is, whoever he is, (I have not told her yet, but I did re-invite her to Simon's gig, and I think she's definitely decided to come now), and I didn't even mind having to fix the same printer error four times tonight.
And you are easily the most captivating person I have ever (almost?) met.
Most of the time when people ask why law school it's easy enough to fob them off with a shrug, to mention that my father's a lawyer and my mother's a forensic accountant so I sort of just grew into it. Lightwood family tradition. Or something.
But my father's really the reason I almost didn't go to law school at all, and I don't want to give you the wrong impression. It's also a bit of a long story and may quite well ruin the conversation and if I scared you off now I think I might not recover any time soon.
Which is my way of saying hello there terror, nice you're visiting me, too.
I suppose the short version would be that, after Jace (the adopted brother) and my parents' truly disastrous divorce, I'd seen too many cases of terrible situations where no one had a real advocate. So I'm going into family law.
Hopefully. Assuming I don't have a panic attack and fail the Bar. Which is honestly what every other law student I know thinks is going to happen and clearly we can't all be that disastrous, but it's hard to keep that in mind some days.
Most days.
I can tell you the long story, if you'd like, but I have to admit I rather desperately want to kiss you before I say something too depressing and you no longer want to kiss me back. (And don't think I didn't notice you doing the exact same thing with your long story.)
And the 2am inability to think before I type is back. I did not miss you.
I am going to hit send now before I chicken out or die of mortification.
From: [email protected] [M. Bane] To: [email protected] [Alec L] subj: asdfjklgh (how's that for speechless?)
I may have just lost a half-an-hour staring blankly at my screen imagining Alexander kisses so. Priorites agreed upon! Until tonight it is.
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bamf-alec · 3 years ago
Text
All Things By A Law Divine
Chapters 26-30
Artist: Lady Koalart (who did an absolutely incredible job)
Beta: @jeanboulet​
Pairings: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, various background pairings
Summary: Magnus had waited a long time for his soulmate to be born. Fate must have had a sick sense of humour, though, because after all these centuries, it had handed him a Shadowhunter. Magnus didn’t know who this Shadowhunter was, or how they could possibly be meant for each other, but he did know that this story wouldn't have a happy ending.
Alec also knew all about fate's sense of humour. He had known this his whole life. But the ground was coming up from under him and everything he knew was being turned on its head, systematically picked up and pulled apart and handed back to him looking nothing like it did before. Valentine was alive. His own parents had been members of the Circle. The Lightwoods’ grip on the Institute was slipping. And, through all this, his siblings had found their soulmates.
Alec had found Magnus. But that didn’t mean anything, did it?
Link to AO3:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33515842/chapters/83272549
** I would really prefer you read it on AO3! **
This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2021: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver
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Chapter 26
Because no one was ever allowed to have one blissful, quiet night to just sit and take a break from every blow life wanted to sock them over the head with, everything went to shit.
Magnus got the call from Alec only a few hours after he’d made it back to his loft. Hodge was a filthy traitor, the bastard, and Lydia was in need of medical assistance. She’d been about to take the cup back to Idris and hand the reins of the Institute over to Maryse when Hodge had assaulted her and stolen it for himself. Or, more likely, for Valentine.
After her outburst at the trial, Magnus had taken a liking to Lydia. It was somber to see her unconscious on the bed in front of him. It was even more somber to cast his magic on her and feel just how hard the blow to her head had been. She’d be fine in the end, if Magnus had anything to say about. There was a reason he was the High Warlock. 
Just add it to the list of atrocities Valentine was responsible for.
Alec was gone. He and Jace had gone after Hodge like a pair of vengeful bounty hunters. Magnus could have helped them track him if they’d waited, but Clary informed him that they’d already asked Luke and his pack. She was the one who led him to the infirmary.
“There’s something else,” she confessed, once he’d finished his healing spell and sat back in his chair. “We need the Book of the White. It can’t wait any longer. Camille will give it to us if Simon signs a contract saying he wanted her to turn him.”
Camille was about the last person on the planet that Magnus wanted to see right now, but he knew how to set his personal feelings aside. This wasn’t just about waking Clary’s mother. It was about stopping Valentine from raising an army of Shadowhunters to hunt down every Downworlder in the city. Magnus’s people mattered more than his contempt for his ex.
He released a long exhale. “She wants a writ of transmutation. And none of you are fluent in drafting magical contracts.”
Clary gave him an apologetic look. “She asked for you specifically.”
“Of course she did,” he sighed. “Where is she?”
“They’re headed to your loft as we speak.”
Reluctantly and with another exaggerated sigh just to make it absolutely clear this was the last thing he wanted to do, Magnus flicked his hand. A portal tore open in the middle of the infirmary. Violet light cast across the floor, a swirling abyss of black at its centre.
They were already at his loft when he arrived, though they’d been relegated to the downstairs. It was good to know his wards still worked, and that even someone as deplorable as Camille couldn’t finagle her way past them. Reluctantly, he let them in.
“Magnus. How long has it been?” greeted the venomous snake. She wore a very tight red dress and elaborate makeup, her hair perfectly curled. No one would know she’d been trapped in a coffin for months. 
“Not long enough,” Magnus said under his breath, knowing full well the vampires in the room would hear him. “Camille. I haven’t missed you.”
Camille flicked her long hair behind her shoulder. She ran a finger down his chin, her crimson-painted nail leaving an angry scratch mark. “Of course you have, my love. Looks like I was right about the Nephilim stirring up trouble. Aren’t you so glad I warned you, darling?”
Magnus pushed her hand away. “I would have found out one way or another. And it’s not Nephilim. It’s Valentine. Some of the Shadowhunters are on our side.”
He made a point of looking at Clary and Isabelle. Camille followed his eyes and scoffed in distaste. “Don’t tell me you’ve made friends with them, Magnus. It’s not like you to care so little for all the Downworlders they’ve burned. Are you really choosing the Nephilim over your own people?”
It was the lowest blow she could have dealt him, to bring up the ones they’d lost in the war. It hurt, and she knew it. Every reminder of the people he’d lost stung, but it was even worse now with Ragnor so fresh on his mind.
The last time he’d seen her, not all that long ago, he would’ve shared some of her sentiments. He’d had little faith in the Nephilim to do the right thing and evolve past their history of discrimination and oppression. The era of the Circle was as much a time his people would never recover from as it was one their people could never make right. Or so he’d believed.
It was true that the Clave still hadn’t changed much in all the dealings he’d had with them throughout the centuries. But he had hope for the future now, and he had realized it wasn’t fair to hold the crimes of one group of radicalists against an entire race, and especially against a generation that had had nothing to do with it. A generation that was learning from their parents’s mistakes so as not to repeat them.
“I’m not choosing anything,” Magnus told Camille. “It isn’t us against them. We all want to see Valentine brought to justice. And on that note, where is the Book of the White?”
Camille tsked. “Not so fast. Payment first. You of all people should understand that.”
“Of course,” Magnus agreed easily. He brought his hand over the table at the side of the room that was usually reserved for mixing up potions. Or drinks. God, he could use a drink right about now.
His magic swirled from his fingertips, a blue cloud of smoke twisting into a piece of paper. It took nearly nothing out of him, practiced as he was in spelling up contracts. Writs of transmutation, especially. He’d been with Camille long enough.
Simon had disappeared into one of his rooms. It was a bit rude, him making himself at home like that. What if Magnus had had something embarrassing in there? He didn’t, of course. He also understood the need to escape Camille, so he wasn’t as upset as he could’ve been. Clary followed him soon after. Isabelle remained all the way across the room, inspecting one of his shelf-fulls of magical artifacts. She typed something quickly into her phone, probably asking for backup.
Once they were virtually alone, Camille slithered closer to him like the serpent she was. She assessed him for a long, uncomfortable minute. It always felt like she was seeing inside of him, laying her eyes on his every flaw and filing them away to use against him at a later date. Once, it had made him feel understood. Now, it just made him bitter.
She smiled like she’d found what she wanted. “You’re still upset by my dalliance with that short-lived Russian.”
Of course Camille would bring that up. It hadn’t been the first dalliance of hers, but it had been the last. It was the final straw after far, far too many straws. The straw that finally forced him to wake up and realize she loved toying with him more than she loved him. He hadn’t gone crawling back to her, no matter how much he’d wanted to.
“Upset?” Magnus scoffed. He didn’t take his eyes away from the contract. “I gave up feeling anything for you over a century ago.”
Camille hummed, unbothered. “Love is fleeting. Even more so when you’re immortal.”
Her cynicism had rubbed off on him over the years, but in the last century Magnus had really tried to put it aside. “And yet true love can never die.”
“But people can,” Camille asserted.
“People are more than just toys for your amusement,” he snapped at her.
She scoffed. She leaned in far too close. Her perfume wafted towards him, floral and sweet. A venus flytrap luring her victims in with the promise of something tasty, only to snap her jaws shut and destroy them. He wondered if she kept a bottle of it on her person, just in case she ever got trapped in a coffin and needed to mask the smell of dust.
Camille smiled venomously. “Hundreds of years old and still so naïve. You wouldn’t know what to do with love if you found it.”
Until now, Magnus had been playing her game of back and forth quips, but now he stopped. He tried to focus his attention back on the contract, which would’ve been finished had he not gotten distracted. He was acutely aware of Isabelle on the other side of the room, pretending not to be eavesdropping.
It was a mistake. Camille picked up immediately on the shift in mood. Predators knew when their prey was weak, when they stumbled. It was the precise opportunity to pounce on them.
She stepped behind him. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck. Her heels clicked against the floor. “Or do you think you already have?” she inquired.
Then Camille stopped. Her head turned towards the door, her expression calculating. Out of nowhere, she dragged him into a kiss.
Which, of course, was the exact moment Alec showed up.
He paused in the doorway while Magnus turned wide eyes on him. Isabelle walked over to him, abandoning her faux inspection of a three hundred year old pot. She and her brother shared a quick, silent communication that involved a lot of frowning and a wiggle of Isabelle’s fingers, adorned with rings Magnus hadn’t noticed before but would have loved to have had himself.
Alec gave her a very unhappy, tight look in return, but it was clear she’d won whatever fight they were having. He turned to Camille, who was smirking happily, her hand still on Magnus’s arm. “Where’s the book?” Alec demanded, straight to the point.
Magnus stepped forward before she could say anything. “It’s complicated,” he offered, uncertain.
Alec raised an eyebrow. “Clearly.”
“I have it,” Camille volunteered.
Magnus glared down at her. His tone was biting as he explained, “And she’s so graciously offered it in exchange for her freedom.”
He could see the question written on Alec’s unimpressed face. It read something along the lines of ‘Her freedom requires a liplock?’. But Alec didn’t say anything. Instead, he stepped forward until he was close enough for his height to be intimidating. “We don’t negotiate with prisoners.”
Camille, who was never intimidated by anything, smirked at him. Alec glanced at Magnus, who raised one finger to his temple, twirled it in a circle, and pointed at the woman beside him. “Prisoner?” she scoffed. “I beg to disagree. You see, I’m your only chance at saving the world.”
Alec wasn’t pleased at that, but he also couldn’t argue. This hadn’t been the plan. The plan was to wake her up at the Du Mort, maybe lie about letting her go if she told them where the book was, maybe let Clary deck her again if she said something nasty, which she probably would. Forced the book’s whereabouts out of her. Then, they would have safely locked her back where she belonged and gone about their merry little way.
Of course, Magnus should have known. All these centuries he’d known her, and still he’d underestimated her. If you dealt Camille a losing hand, she would cheat her way to a royal flush.
“He’s cute,” Camille said suddenly, as if to prove his point. She was looking at Alec with a pitying expression. “Too bad it won’t last.”
“Say that again and you won’t last,” Isabelle bit out, but Magnus didn’t feel angry in the slightest. He felt relieved, actually.
It meant she didn’t know that they were soulmates, if she thought this was just some fleeting fling he would grow bored of. Maybe she would’ve still thought so if she did know, but then she would’ve probably laughed in his face.
Camille had a soulmate, once. Magnus had even known her when she did. A serpent snaked around her wrist, beautiful and dangerous. But Camille was yet more beautiful and yet more dangerous, and having a soulmate didn’t magically make you a better person. She’d destroyed it, one piece at a time, like she did everything. Camille was incapable of love, soulmate or no soulmate.
She had always told Magnus the whole thing was overrated. When he got his, he would understand. He would break the bond just like she had, regardless of the consequences. He was too much of a free spirit to be tied to anything but her, too much of a mess for anyone to put up with the way she did.
Looking at her now, it was difficult to see how he had fallen so irrevocably in love with her.
Alec, king of hyperfocusing on whatever mission was at hand, ignored her. “Where’s Clary?”
Magnus pointed a finger at the room she and Simon had disappeared into earlier. Off Alec went without another word. Camille watched him go with a smirk, and Isabelle with a grimace.
Isabelle looked Camille up and down. He had never seen such contempt on her lovely features. “Jealous, much?”
Camille bristled. “Of who? Please. I give it less than a decade before Magnus grows bored of him or he goes out in some sad blaze of glory to a demon nest. Isn’t that how it usually goes with you lot?”
“Grow bored of him,” Isabelle repeated. She scoffed. “Yeah, right.”
She glanced at Magnus.
Don’t say anything, Magnus pleaded with his eyes. Please, don’t tell her.
He couldn’t deal with Camille’s mind games around this, too. Not today. Probably not ever. He didn’t want to know how she would twist it to make him doubt himself, but he knew that she would find a way.
Isabelle opened her mouth and closed it. “Alec isn’t boring,” she finished lamely, because she couldn’t say what she wanted to.
Camille preened like she’d won first prize in a contest. Izzy scowled, but Magnus gave her a grateful look, and she gave him an understanding one back.
Camille snatched the finished contract off the table. “Let’s get this show going, shall we?”
Chapter 27
Alec was not a hateful person. He was surly and he was unfriendly and he was easily exasperated, but he was not hateful. Even when Jace got ichor on his favourite jacket and ruined it, after taking it without asking to impress a girl on his patrol team because he’d already wrecked his own. Even when Isabelle came to him crying after her first boyfriend cheated on her. Even when one of the new recruits was an absolute asshole to Max. Even when Raj opened his mouth, which happened too often.
Alec had an endless pool of patience. He’d had to, growing up with his siblings, running things at the Institute.
But, fuck, it was difficult to find any of that patience now. It was unnerving, just how much hatred he’d managed to dredge up in only a couple of weeks. First at Clary, though that had passed now that the sting of her being Jace’s soulmate was gone. Then at his parents and Raziel and whatever bullshit mystical force soulbonds were made of. Then at the Clave. At the Circle, at Valentine, at the world and the division between his people and the Downworld.
This was probably why Alec didn’t feel much of anything towards Camille beyond annoyance. He’d used up all the hatred he had in him.
It probably also helped that Magnus had only spoken of her once, very briefly, and it hadn’t been a particularly glowing review. He was a little bit concerned for Magnus, who was clearly hating his life right now, but that could wait. Jace couldn’t save the world by himself today, which seemed much more pressing.
“This place creeps me out,” Izzy said what everyone was thinking.
They stood in the middle of Camille’s apartment, in what looked to be a library. There were paintings in elaborate frames on the walls that made sure anyone looking knew they were priceless. A self-portrait from what must’ve been the renaissance era hung behind a desk. Shelves and shelves of books lined the walls. There wasn’t a speck of dust in sight, despite Camille’s absence, but that was unsurprising. They’d been greeted by one of her servants.
Camille dragged Simon aside to all but sign his soul away. Clary braved one of the ladders to examine the books.
Once the writ was signed and she’d handed it off to her servant, Camille faced the rest of them with a charming smile. She kissed Simon’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Clary descended the ladder to fold her arms and scowl at her. “We did what you asked. Give us the Book of the White.”
“I’d love to,” Camille hummed. She crossed the room with purpose, raising a finger to point along one of the shelves like she was narrowing in on its location. Suddenly she pulled back. “But I can’t. I have no idea where it is.”
Clary took an angry step towards her. “Dot gave it to you.”
Camille rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’s here somewhere, but if the idea was to hide it, telling you would defeat the purpose. Dot must have put it somewhere when I wasn’t looking.”
“We have to search the whole apartment?” Clary asked. Despair crossed her face and she turned to her friends. When she didn’t find any hope in them, the despair grew.
“That’s the spirit,” Camille commended. “Although, I’d start now. I’ve got four more rooms just like this one.”
And then she was gone. It should have been a blessing to be rid of her, but Alec didn’t think any of them were feeling very relieved at the moment. They all stood there for a solid minute, wallowing.
Magnus clapped his hands. “Let’s get to it! Alec and I will take the east wing.”
Alec wasn’t overjoyed at being volunteered to take what looked like the creepiest part of the apartment, but he didn’t say that. He followed Magnus dutifully down the hall and into another room covered in books, all of them old enough to be the one they were looking for.
Alec inspected the shelf closest to him with a sigh, pulling one of the books off the shelf. Not it.
“I’m sorry,” Magnus said suddenly, drawing his attention. 
Alec knitted his brows together. “For what?”
Magnus waved his hands to indicate their surroundings. “Camille. She kissed me. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I know,” Alec reassured him. “Are you okay? It seemed like she was getting to you.”
“Oh,” Magnus exclaimed, caught off guard. It took him a moment to compose himself. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you. Are you? I’m sure you’re worried about Jace.”
“Yeah,” was all Alec could say. He turned back around to keep looking at the books, biting his lip.
He was worried about Jace. He was pissed at him for the stunt he’d pulled, disappearing with Hodge and the cup to no doubt confront Valentine on his own. Mostly, though, worry was all Alec could feel. Jace had been in a terrible place since finding out Valentine had raised him. Alec felt it, this weight in his chest that told him his parabatai wasn’t okay. It had never been this bad before. The times that he had felt it, less strongly,  Jace had gone and done something stupid and reckless that cost Alec at least a week of sleep.
“He’s Jace,” Alec added, more to reassure himself than Magnus. “He’ll be fine.”
If Magnus wasn’t convinced, he didn’t get the chance to say so. There was a commotion from down the hall. He and Magnus looked at each other. Voices echoed, one of them definitely not belonging to their friends.
They raced back into the room. Jace had beat them there, seraph blade pointed at his surrogate father and a look on his face that Alec had never seen before. Valentine’s lackeys had a hold of Simon and Isabelle, blade at their throats and snarls on their faces. Simon struggled with all the strength he had, but the Shadowhunter had years of experience hunting vampires.
Alec and Magnus were afforded the same warm welcome no sooner than they’d stepped through the door. Alec tugged at the grip on his arm, not really sure what his goal was. Even if he got free, they were outnumbered.
“Are you really ready to kill your own father?” Valentine pressed, because he knew that Jace wasn’t.
He’s vulnerable, Alec thought. Valentine was focused on Jace. His blade hung absently from his hand. He was so confident that Jace would be too conflicted to follow through with his threats that his posture was loose, not alert and ready to defend.
“You abandoned me,” Jace accused him. His blade was steady, his body poised to fight.
Alec could feel Jace’s anger like it was his own. His pain. It was heavy, dark. It felt like it might crush him.
Valentine scoffed. “I was protecting you. You weren’t ready then, but you’ve grown. You’ve become the warrior I trained you to be.”
It was disgusting, the pride on his face. Alec knew what kind of training it had been. He knew the lessons he had instilled in Jace, and what he’d done to make sure he never forgot them. He knew because he’d comforted Jace through his nightmares and consoled him through his doubts. Alec and Jace didn’t talk about girls, or about soulmates, or about all their lamest hopes and dreams, but they did talk about their pain. It was hard not to when each could feel the other’s.
Jace didn’t lower his blade. “You’ve trained me well.”
“And yet, I still have so much to teach you. I brought you here for a reason. Fight me and watch your friends die,” Valentine stepped closer. The ghost of a smile crossed his face. “See, you are strong. But they make you weak.”
Clary interrupted, commanding her father’s attention. The brave, stupid girl that she was. “Let us go. You can have the book. We won’t be able to stop you without it.”
“Ah, Clarissa. So like your mother. Willing to do anything for those that you love. I’m touched, but the book was never part of my plan. I want you to wake up your mother. I know that you’ll both join me eventually.”
Valentine smiled. It was slow and sinister. “It’s fated.”
The bravery escaped Clary so all she looked was crushed. Even the devil had a soulmate, and there was only one person who had ever loved Valentine. It was a sad fate that she’d loved her daughter more, too much to do what it took to free herself of him and risk Clary growing up alone.
Satisfied that he’d said all he needed to say, Valentine turned his attention back to Jace. “You ready?”
Jace looked at Alec, then Isabelle, then Valentine. He lowered his blade. “If I go with you, promise me you won’t hurt them.”
Valentine raised his hands magnanimously. “You have my word.”
They stared at each other, a war of wills while Jace decided whether he believed him. Clary broke it. “This is insane.”
“I’m sorry, Clary,” Jace said, as Valentine approached his side.
“Jace,” desperation filled her voice. “What are you doing? You can’t be serious. Valentine is wrong. You’re not like him.”
Jace shook his head. Pain was written all over him. “You don’t know that, Clary.”
“Let them go,” Valentine ordered his men, who did just that.
Simon rushed to Clary’s side. Alec and Isabelle both made a move towards Jace.
“Get back!” Jace warned them. He met his brother’s eyes, raising a hand to keep him away. “Alec, I mean it.”
The portal opened. Clary called his name, but Valentine was already leading him through. She made a move to follow. Alec rushed to stop her. She struggled against him.
“What are you doing?” she yelled, yanking herself out of his grip.
Alec waited until she’d calmed down enough to listen before he said, as firmly as he could, “Saving your life. If you enter a portal not knowing where you’re going, you’ll be stuck in limbo forever.”
Clary turned back to the portal, wide-eyed, just in time to watch it close. She collapsed in his arms. Alec held her, as tightly as he would Isabelle. She was crying, burying her face in his jacket. He wanted to cry, too, but he didn’t. He met his sister’s eyes over Clary’s shoulder.
Isabelle moved forward to place a hand on Clary’s shoulder, comforting. “It’ll be okay, Clary. We’ll get him back. You’ll see him again.”
Alec wanted desperately to believe that, but he could feel Jace disappearing. He must’ve gone somewhere he couldn’t be tracked, where even the parabatai bond was muted. There was enough left to know he was alive and he was a mess, but it was nowhere near as overwhelming as it had been just a few moments ago.
Clary didn’t have that. Her soul was connected to Jace’s, too, but without the bonding all she had to reassure herself that he was safe was hope.
Alec prayed she was better at it than he was.
Chapter 28
The trip back to the Institute was a solemn one. No one had anything to say that could make it better. Clary held the Book of the White like it was a liferaft in a storm. She would drown if she let go.
At least they had that. This morning, it had felt like the holy grail. If they just found the book, they could wake Jocelyn, and they’d win. Now, it was a consolation prize that did little to ease the sting of their loss.
Alec left the others as soon as they arrived. He knew he should be there for Isabelle. That Jace would want him to make sure Clary was okay. He saw how Magnus looked at him and knew it’d be hypocritical to leave him to worry after Alec had asked him not to do the same when he’d been the one grieving.
Alec knew all of these things, but he didn’t feel any of them. He was numb. It didn’t feel real, coming home without his brother. There was a haze all around him that he couldn’t navigate without him.
It was ironic. Like they were coming full circle. Only a few months ago, Alec had been caught in a status quo of shame, self-doubt, and cynicism. He’d felt like his destiny was to be alone. One day, his siblings would all find their soulmates and be part of new families. Alec would still be here, where he had always been, and he would be the only one left. 
Things had just started to change. The truth had sent him spiralling in confusion and righteous anger, causing him to question everything he’d believed. The ground he’d always thought was steady, the path ahead so clear, had crumbled under his feet.
But he’d come out  better for it. He was finding new ground. The path ahead was uncertain, but Alec was beginning to believe it would lead to a better place. He was putting himself back together, all the pieces he’d cut out throughout the years so he could live with a phantom pain that never should’ve been there in the first place.
Alec was, for once in a life, starting to wonder if maybe he could be happy after all. But of course that was a lie. There was no such thing as happiness without Jace. Even fulfilling a soulbond wouldn’t fill the space that would be left in his soul where Jace should be.
“Knock, knock,” Magnus greeted gently, guiding him out of his thoughts. They were standing in a hallway, so of course there was no actual door to knock on. He assessed Alec like he could see every crack and was working out the best way to help patch them back up without scaring him off. He settled on a quiet, “You’ll get him back.”
Alec laughed humourlessly. “You don’t know that.”
“No,” Magnus admitted. “But I believe it enough for the both of us.”
Alec didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything at all. They leaned against opposite sides of the hallway in silence.
Eventually, Magnus whispered, “You can still feel him, can’t you?”
Alec swallowed. He couldn’t explain what he felt, and he didn’t want to. He didn’t trust himself to speak without crying. He shook his head. It wasn’t a no. It was to tell him that it was too painful to answer.
Magnus understood, because of course he did. Magnus had understood him better than most people right from the moment they’d met.
Gently, he said, “I can feel you, you know.”
Alec looked at him. There was no hesitation on Magnus’s face, no expectation. Magnus wasn’t afraid of the truth like Alec was, even when it was too big for just him.
“Our bond,” Magnus clarified, though he didn’t need to.
Slowly, Alec extended his hand to him. “Show me?”
Magnus did. He took his hand, saying nothing of the parabatai rune that graced his wrist where Alec’s was bare. His magic was invisible, all of it underneath their skin, but Alec felt it. It was familiar like something you’d seen in your dreams was familiar. Then it had been taking, but now it was only offering.
Alec accepted. He felt what he’d felt that night he’d lent Magnus his strength. This bridge between them, waiting to be crossed. Magnus’s magic, greeting him like there had never been a day it didn’t know him. He felt more than that, too, though. Feelings that weren’t his own. Alec’s were a mess right now, all tangled up into one big ball of anguish. Magnus’s were steady, calm. Certain.
Alec pulled his hand away. “It doesn’t make up for him.”
“I know,” Magnus appeased him. “But, at the very least, it can offer some comfort. Ease some of the pain. If you’d like it to.”
Alec shook his head. The floor was swimming, but he didn’t let the tears fall. “I can’t. We shouldn’t bond just because we’ve both lost someone.”
Finally, Magnus crossed the space between them. His hand came to Alec’s shoulder, his touch warm. “That isn’t what I meant. It’s different for warlocks, not like your rune. It doesn’t have to happen all at once. You can build it slowly. All it takes is to open the door, and see where it may lead.”
Alec lifted his gaze from the floor to meet Magnus’s eyes. They were beautiful like this, cast with a glamour to look human, but he thought they must be even more beautiful without it. A cat eye, his mother had told him, and he’d seen Magnus’s file in their database long before he’d ever met him.
Hesitation passed over Magnus’s face for the first time. He searched Alec’s eyes for whatever he was worried he would find. When he came up empty-handed, he dropped the glamour.
Alec brought his hand to his cheek. He ran his thumb across the skin just beside his eye. His pupils were slits, his irises gold.
Alec gave him the best smile he could manage when he still had tears fighting to be let out. “Maybe we could start with cracking a window?”
Magnus exhaled a shaky laugh. He smiled back, pulling Alec’s hand from his cheek so he could hold it. “A window, I can do.”
They kissed.
Magnus pretended he couldn’t feel Alec’s tears in it, and Alec pretended his world wasn’t ending.
Chapter 29
“Are we ready?” Magnus asked the room. He received somber nods in response. Clary handed him the Book of the White.
“You really think this is going to work?” she asked. There was little optimism left in any of them, but Clary was the worst at hiding it. Alec, for his part, had dried his tears, put on his head of the Institute hat, and showed up even though he’d rather have been anywhere else.
It felt necessary, that all of them be there. To share in this one win.
Magnus’s expression was grim, but he tried to reassure her anyway. “Let us hope.”
Lithe fingers thumbed through the pages of the book. It fell open easily, hundreds of years of use making its spine easily pliable. When Magnus found what he was looking for, he took a deep breath.
He snapped his fingers and set his hand over Jocelyn, suspended in the tomb of her sleeping spell. His magic, a haze of blue, fell across her. It surrounded the green, trying to overtake it, while Magnus’s brow knitted in concentration.
Magnus’s voice carried through the room as he cast the spell. Alec didn’t know latin, or whatever language the book was written in, but the words sounded powerful. He’d never seen Magnus do anything like this. The most magic he’d seen him use was in healing Luke, and then there had been no spell or ancient words to guide it.
No one breathed. The air in the room was pregnant. Charged with anticipation as much as it was Magnus’s magic.
With one final shout, Jocelyn’s emerald cage shattered. Luke caught her before she fell, lifting her into his arms as she blinked her eyes open. They landed on him. A smile graced her face, her hand coming to his shoulder.
“Luke,” she breathed. He buried his head in her hair before setting her down.
It took Jocelyn a minute too long to notice Clary behind her, who’d started crying when she’d opened her eyes. They rushed to hug each other.
“Mom. I missed you so much,” Clary said, weepy. She clung to her like she was afraid to let her go and lose her again.
Alec looked away. He was happy for her. Her happiness was important to him because it was important to Jace.
But Jace wasn’t here. All this time, all the things he’d done to get Clary her mother back, and he wasn’t here.
He could feel Magnus’s eyes on him, but Jocelyn drew his attention before he had the chance to say anything.
“Thank you, Magnus,” she said, with a smile that showed she really meant it. “For helping my daughter.”
“It was the least I could do,” Magnus replied.
Jocelyn’s smile lost some of its joy. “I know. I’m sorry. I never should have asked you to take her memories.”
Magnus shook his head. “I could have refused you. But it doesn’t matter. Let bygones be bygones, and all that. I’m just glad she has you back. It’s all she’s been able to think about, you know.”
Jocelyn nodded. She pulled Clary close again, wiping the tears off her face with her thumb. Luke took them both into his arms and held them tight. The picture of a perfect family reunion after too long apart.
Isabelle set her hand on Alec’s arm. He hadn’t even noticed her coming up beside him.
“Jace is going to be so happy when he gets back,” she told him. “Now that Clary doesn’t have a one-track mind for waking Jocelyn, maybe they can sort out the whole soulmate thing.”
Alec swallowed thickly. He pulled his eyes from the happy trio to look down at Isabelle. It was hard to remember a time where it had just been the two of them. Before Jace and before Max, when Isabelle was too young to understand anything and Alec too old not to. She was everything, then. His entire world, all bundled up in her tiny little face.
She was still everything, but she hadn’t been the only thing in a very long time. Now, it was just the two of them again, but they had friends and other people who needed them. It wasn’t them against the world. Alec wondered if he would feel better if it was.
Isabelle made sure that the others were still busy fawning over Jocelyn before she asked, “Have you? Sorted out the whole soulmate thing?”
Alec frowned. He opened his mouth, closed it. Magnus wasn’t looking at them, but Alec knew that it was a very conscious decision.
“I’m getting there,” Alec told her honestly. It was the first time in his life that he wasn’t upset she’d asked. “You were right. About my soulmark. I should have told you sooner.”
Isabelle smiled, soft and private and nothing like the practiced smirk she usually offered other people. “Alec, it’s okay. I don’t need to know I’m right. I just need to know that you’re happy.”
Alec went quiet. He considered it. If this was the conversation he wanted to have right now. If he wanted to get into things, or if he wanted to keep them to himself a while longer. If he wanted to be honest or be reassuring.
“I’m not,” he settled on. “Not without Jace. But I’m in a better place than I’ve ever been.”
It was enough for her. She hugged him quickly, just a tight squeeze before releasing him.
He kissed her cheek. “I hope you find him soon,” Alec told her. He knew it must be disappointing to see everyone else find their soulmate when all their lives, she’d been the only one looking forward to it.
Isabelle waved him off. “I already have. Simon.”
Alec paused. “What?” he asked. “Does he know? How long have you known?”
“A while,” Isabelle confessed. She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. He’ll figure it out. I’m in no rush. And besides, I’m really enjoying this will-they-won’t-they kind of friendship we have going on.”
Alec shook his head in disbelief. She never ceased to amaze him. Isabelle’s favourite hobby was subverting expectations, and she was incredibly talented at it.
He gave a breathy laugh and pulled her into another hug, a real one this time. He buried his nose in her hair, smelling her shampoo. Magnus turned to look at them and he caught his eye. Alec turned the corners of his lips up, just enough to tell him everything was fine. Magnus smiled back, satisfied.
Rare as it was, Alec did, occasionally, take his sister’s advice. He did so now.
He clung to hope, no matter how foreign it was.
Chapter 30
Alec wasn’t sure he was where he was supposed to be. He double-checked the crumpled address in his hand. It matched the numbers on the door in front of him.
Only, he had been to this address before. And this was not the door that should’ve been there.
Alec turned around, checking the street behind him. It was the same as before. Two kids raced their bikes down the road without helmets. Tall trees full of leaves whistled in the wind.
A garden snaked along the edge of the house, a sea of complimentary colours and well-trimmed bushes. No roses in sight. The flowers here were planted in the ground instead of pots, and they looked like they’d been growing for years.
The door swung open with a gust of air. A plump older woman stood in front of him with short, dark hair.
“Um,” Alec said, because he was beginning to question his sanity.
The woman raised an eyebrow, looking him over. “Can I help you?”
“No, um, I— Sorry, I thought—” Alec floundered. He leaned back to check the street number again. “Did someone else used to live here?”
The woman’s brow furrowed. She looked like she was starting to question his sanity, too. She also looked like she was considering if she should shut the door in his face. “Not in your lifetime. I’ve been here twenty years.”
“Oh,” Alec replied dumbly. He frowned. If he peeked around her, he could see a well-lit hallway and a spiraling staircase. Picture frames hung along the length of the wall. He could smell something sweet baking.
He stepped back, stumbling over the top step of the stoop. “Sorry to bother you. I’ll just—”
Alec made a vague gesture behind him, and then fled the scene before she could say anything else.
Somehow, he made it back to the Institute. He didn’t remember the journey, but those were definitely the Institute doors he was going through. Or were they? Who could say anymore?
Izzy gave him a strange look from the ops centre as he passed, but he barely noticed. He barely noticed anything until he’d sunk down on the edge of his bed, staring at his grey walls and his bow and quiver, propped against his dresser. He hadn’t had the energy to put them back in weapons storage after he’d gone to the roof to train last night.
Alec examined his hands. He’d used an iratze, so there was nothing to see. Another thing that should’ve been real, solid, but had been wiped away like it was never there. Like his soulmark. Like the Diviner.
He had a terrible feeling.
She’d helped him. She’d condemned the black magic used to erase his mark. But now she was gone like he’d only imagined her. Magnus had never heard of her. She hadn’t asked for payment, like warlocks usually did. She’d just smiled wistfully when he’d asked and told him she’d expect to receive reward enough in the near future.
There was a knock at his door. Isabelle stood at the entrance of his room, watching him with concern. “Alec?”
He stared back at her, wide-eyed. “Iz,” he said, slowly. “I think something really strange is going on.”
Isabelle frowned. She closed the door behind her and crossed the room to stand in front of him. “What do you mean?”
Alec shook his head. “I don’t know.” Then, more frantic, “I don’t know.”
Alec hadn’t thought his soulmark could get any more complicated.
But in the name of Raziel, what the hell was going on?
0 notes
fraysbanes · 4 years ago
Text
as far as fate goes
Characters: Catarina Loss, Dorothea Rollins, OC (Original Cats)
Relationship: Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland (briefly), Isabelle Lightwood/Simon Lewis (briefly)
Rating: T
Summary: written for the shadowhunters wlw fic bingo, for the square “our cats fell in love while being outside what do we do now?”
As if this day wasn’t already bad enough with the exhausting shift and the late bus and someone eating her lunch from the break room  again, now Catarina’s starting to think her cat’s run away.
She wouldn’t blame the poor thing. With all the chaos going on lately and all the playdates they’ve had to host, Cat herself would do virtually anything for a moment of peace and quiet, too.
Just as Cat’s about to go turn the backyard upside down in her search, the doorbell rings. She goes quickly to answer it, hoping it’s Raphael coming back to tell her he accidentally kidnapped her cat when he dropped Madzie off from school earlier.
It’s not Raphael.
“Hi,” the neighbour Catarina vaguely recognizes greets. “I believe this belongs to you?”
In her arms sits an orange ball of fluff and bad attitude, better known as-
“Magnus!” Cat exclaims, scooping him into her arms. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
The neighbour (Catarina racks her brain trying to remember her name, but all she can muster up is “pretty lady three houses down across the street”) cocks her head to the side amusedly. “Magnus? Fancy name for a kitty.”
“Yeah, my daughter named her after her uncle,” cat explains. “So now he’s Magnus and my brother’s Human Magnus.”
Pretty Neighbour laughs. “Oh, I bet he loves that.”
“Are you kidding? It’s an honour to share a name with this evil little bastard,” Cat quips, making faux annoyed expressions at Magnus. She looks back up at Pretty Neighbour and smiles. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing him home.”
As Pretty Neighbour tries to convince her that it was no problem, really, even in the dead of night, Cat glances down and notices, for the first time, a second adorable little ball of fluff. This time a black cat twisting itself around Pretty Neighbour’s ankles but with its piercing golden eyes on Catarina - and Magnus.
Pretty Neighbour catches her looking and leans down to pick up the other cat. “Oh, right, this is Salem,” she says. “And, yes, she’s named after the one from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. No regrets. She’s also grown pretty attached to Cat Magnus, to be honest with you.”
“He’s just Magnus,” Cat says, and to Magnus she adds, “How many times have I told you not to go stringing random girls long, huh?”
Pretty Neighbour laughs again. “I’m pretty sure Salem seduced him, actually. She can be  very  charming.”
With Pretty Neighbour’s eyes narrowed and her voice suddenly lowering on “very”, Cat can’t help but look her up and down. “I’m sure,” she says. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? The place is a mess - I’ve got a five-year-old - but I’d love to actually get to know one of my neighbours. Especially now that you’ve saved my entire life by finding my cat.”
Pretty Neighbour hesitates for a second out of politeness, then nods. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” Cat steps aside to let her in. “I’m Catarina, by the way. Friends call me Cat.”
“Dorothea,” Pretty Neighbour says as she steps inside, maneuvering Salem in her arms to offer Cat her hand. “Friends call me Dot.”
Cat shakes her hand before closing the door behind them and leading Dot to the kitchen. They put the cats down and let them play around the living room while Catarina pours herself and Dot a cup.
“So,” Cat says conversationally when they sit down at the kitchen table across from each other. “What do you do?”
“I’m an elementary school teacher,” Dot says. “Maybe I’ll get your daughter in my class in a couple years. How about you? What do you do?”
“Stress, mostly,” Cat admits. “But professionally, I’m a nurse.”
“That’s really cool,” Dot says. “I can’t believe I’ve lived a couple doors down from you for over a year and never knew you were a nurse. Or your first name, for that matter.”
“I bet it was fate,” Cat teases. “So our cats would only meet and fall in love when they were ready.”
Dot laughs, her eyes drifting to Salem and Magnus (well, okay, admittedly, Cat has to call him Mags in her head, because all jokes aside, Human Magnus has thirty years on Cat Magnus, so he gets dibs on the name) cuddling under the dining table. Salem gently licks at Mags’ cheek and Mags purrs, cuddling closer to her.
“Um,” Dot starts awkwardly. “Can cats…actually fall in love?”
Cat doesn’t know. She could Google it - her phone is right there on the table - but she decides not to. Whatever the cat definition of love is, those two clearly feel it.
“Ah, crap,” she mutters under her breath. “He’s really clingy. Salem might as well move in right now.”
“However clingy Magnus is, I’ll bet you anything Salem’s ten times clingier. She literally followed me here, remember?”
Cat gives her an amused look. “It’s not a competition,” she wants to say. But isn’t it?
“Well, either way, it looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other,” she says instead.
The smile Dot gets on her face is bright and sudden and catches Cat off-guard, and she tries to hide it behind her teacup. “There are worse things in the world,” she says.
Cat imagines, for a moment, a future where she  does  see a lot more of Pretty Neighbour and her clingy cat - a future where they talk every day and wave to each other at the grocery store and mention each other to their families more often than they do other neighbours.
Her mind strays to less plausible - but certainly more exciting - situations. Drinking coffee together at the park. Taking Madzie to the movies. Going to the movies  without  Madzie. Walking home together. Dot spending the night.
There certainly  are  worse things in the world.
“Well, in that case,” Cat says, “Maybe I should give you my number. You know, in case Magnus runs away to see his lady love again.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Dot says, no longer trying to hide her smile - or her blush, for that matter.
“Plenty more where that came from,” Cat says, and returns the smile.
0 notes
evakteket · 7 years ago
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Watchlist update
The usual: When it’s been more than three weeks since a fic was updated we consider it to be on hiatus and remove it from the watchlist. However, we don’t cancel our subscriptions and if one of the removed fics gets updated again, we’ll put it right back on the list.
The usual II: feel free to send us an ask if you have suggestions for fics we should check out – even if they’re not Evak-centric!
Update summary:
Completed: 2 Added: 4 Removed: 0 (hallelujah)
News:
Alphabet Aerobics by @nofeartina NEW
Rating: explicit. And is it ever. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, and the author has set out to write 26 chapters of pwp, one for each letter as Isak and Even play a letters sex game. And yes this is smutty, yes the plot is virtually non-existent, but there are feelings and character development as well as very well-written, imaginative smut. - kit and immy
tender (is the night) by kittpurrson (@towonderland72) NEW
For the record, this is written by one of the Evakteket librarians. She has not been allowed an opinion on whether to put this on the watchlist or not, as the other librarian thinks it's amazing. In this magic AU Isak and Even accidentally soulbond - however, while a bond mate is something Isak has desperately yearned for, Even is not at all enthused. Deliciously understated, fine-tuned angst and a well-built magical concept will keep the reader on tenterhooks. - immy
a careful hypothesis of the heart by StMisery NEW
This AU, while not extremely Norwegian although it's set in Oslo, shows Isak and Even as co-workers who inch their way from quite a bit of dislike for each other towards, well, we would be very surprised if Evak isn't endgame. Engaging and entertaining as the guys slowly make progress, and featuring an adorable Magnus. - kit and immy
I Tveksamhetens tid by Always_and_ever (Swedish) NEW
Even is having doubts about his and Isak's relationship in this angsty fic, set ten years from they got together. The updates are short, but every one packs a serious punch, escalating the inner and outer conflicts. Isak and Even are very human and real as grown ups here, and if you can read Swedish you should definitely check this out. - immy
Vivid in Black and White by @fxckxxp COMPLETED
Complete, rec here.
All Stories Are Echoes by sebastianL (@e-sebastian) COMPLETED
Complete, rec here.
Still on the watchlist:
Er vi lykkelige no? by Frieda Echte @friedaechte (Norwegian)
Mixed POV of Isak and Even’s first summer together, starting on Isak’s birthday. Gorgeous, understated everyday scenes, where some days are good and some are not so good, sometimes there are misunderstandings and mistakes, but being Isak and Even they figure it out as they go. A moving, lovely read for those who can read Norwegian. Note that it’s rated mature. - immy
Blood vs. Water by bri_ness (@brionbroadway)
This author’s Big Brother AU was a gameplay treat, and this Survivor AU promises to be just as addictive and fun. We’re looking forward to another round of Snakesak playing the game, skilfully written nods to canon and messy relationships. There’s no need to have watched Survivor, the game is explained in the notes as you go. - immy
I skyggen av solen by Kudzibisa (Norwegian)
Charter holiday AU where Isak and Even meet on the plane. Isak is on holiday with his dad and little sister, while Even is travelling with Sonja, for one week of sun and sea and things getting in the way of spending time together. Norwegian charter tourists are perfectly portrayed in this, expect to cringe a lot if you can read Norwegian. - immy
glovarm/iskald by liljesmoothie (Norwegian)
Isak is so deep in the closet in this AU in Norwegian that he’s managed to get to 27 without experiencing love, and has basically run away from Oslo to a job on Svalbard. Enter Even, coming to film at Isak’s workplace, the Global Seed Vault. The setting is fascinating and the progress towards a relationship is sweet, but note that there’s homophobia, internalised and otherwise. It’s not rated by the author, but I’d say it’s mature. - immy
Legitimate Expectations by @champagneleftie In this AU Isak is a lawyer specialising in matters of freedom of the press, and the setting seems wonderfully real. His life as a successful young lawyer (with some interesting SKAM character colleagues) is all neat and tidy, until there’s an Even-shaped spanner thrown in the works. Beautifully written, this is perfect for fans of grown-up Isak and Even with careers. - kit and immy
the truth about my disguise by mikaeloboukhal
The first chapter of this childhood friends AU is the beautifully paced story of Isak and Even growing up, until Even moves away, and it continues to be well worth reading from there. This is a lovely, well written, well characterised take on the reunion trope. Watch out for your heart though, it’s it for some breaking. - kit and immy
Digging upwards by Allieverwas (@grensevokter)
Few fics go into season 2 Isak, but this AU (where he meets Even in April 2016) does, and the author does it excellently. It’s a captivating story about Isak’s life while living in Eskild’s basement storage room, with a lot of details making it very realistic, and the characterisation is amazing. It feels very true to canon while being an AU, and I absolutely love how this important period in Isak’s life is depicted in this fic. - immy
all i wanna do is be near by hippopotamus (@evenshands)
A 5+1 future AU where Isak and Even were friends as teenagers and meet again a couple of years later, this has a confident Isak and lovely dialogue. So far it’s bittersweet and a bit heartbreaking, and we’re very excited about where it goes. Mind the explicit rating. - kit and immy
Like barn leker best by Kikki1 (Norwegian) 
In this AU, student Isak has just broken up with his boyfriend, but he knows Even from school and is not a fan. Since his crap boyfriend is (mostly) out of the picture Isak needs a roommate. Enter Mikael. An engaging story featuring an annoyed and a bit weary Isak, amusing rather than angsty, and quite realistic about being a young gay man in Oslo. A very satisfying read for those who can read Norwegian. - immy
You’re my (arche)type by @evakuality 
This is a fairytale AU that isn’t based on a specific story, but rather on the archetypes found in fairytales worldwide, where the interaction and characterisation is shaped by the archetypes each of the characters belongs to, and by the struggle against the confines of the archetypes. It’s an interesting and very well written take on nature vs. nurture and rigid societal structure, and the characterisation is wonderful. - immy
Hjerterytmer og ekstraslag by Without your breath (@livreddare) (Norwegian)  Hospital AU where Isak is a nurse and Even is a surgeon in training at an emergency department, packed full of realistic detail and gorgeous slow burn (so far). I adore the characterisation in this, and it’s always a treat to read a well-written AU in a setting the author knows really well. If you can read Norwegian, don’t miss out on this. - immy
Forsvarlig behandling by Frieda Echte @friedaechte (Norwegian)  In this hospital AU get-together, nurse Isak gets a patient (oh yes) with a somewhat annoying girlfriend (oh no) tagging along to the ED. Vividly detailed, engaging and funny, this promises to be a very special treat for those who can read Norwegian. - immy
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evakteket · 7 years ago
Text
Watchlist update
December is super busy for a lot of us, and we have to admit we’re a bit behind on wips to add to the watchlist…
What’s more, there are several advent calendar fics going on now, and we’d like to draw your attention to two of them that we just haven’t had the time to put on our watchlist, so we’ll give them a shout-out here:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas by Teatrolley (@tenderlock)
Isak og Even - en julekalender by evakyaki, @pagnilagni and @friedaechte (Norwegian)
Both of these are lovely!
And now to the usual: When it’s been more than three weeks since a fic was updated we consider it to be on hiatus and remove it from the watchlist. However, we don’t cancel our subscriptions and if one of the removed fics gets updated again, we’ll put it right back on the list.
The usual II: feel free to send us an ask if you have suggestions for fics we should check out – even if they’re not Evak-centric!
Update summary:
Completed: 3 Added: 3 Removed: 4 (crossing our fingers it’s just December and various fandom events keeping people busy)
News:
Flashback; framtid by otherstories (Swedish) NEW
Future fic set two years after Isak and Even break up. They meet again, the story interspersed with flashbacks to when they were together (some you will find in Helgen v.37 and Relativitetsteorin by the same author). As you may expect from a break up and make up fic you will get emotional. It’s well crafted, and if you can read Swedish this and the two previous fics are well worth reading. - immy
doorway back home by hippopotamus (@evenshands) NEW
Ridiculously adorable Doctor Who inspired AU, where Isak is a time traveller with a malfunctioning time/space machine who ends up in Even’s bedroom, several times from Even is a small child up until he’s grown up. You don’t need to know anything about Doctor Who to enjoy this precious, funny, a little bit bittersweet fic, so go read! - immy
Nobody Loves Me Like You by @cuteandtwisted NEW
This angsty rollercoaster of a fic features blue-haired Even, an adorable relationship between Isak and his elderly roommate (not as weird as it sounds), and a heart-crushing Isak-parallel in the young Sigve. A childhood friends AU that will get you right where it hurts, in true cuteandtwisted style. Check the warnings. - kit
glovarm/iskald by liljesmoothie (Norwegian) COMPLETED
Complete, rec here.
all i wanna do is be near by hippopotamus (@evenshands) COMPLETED
Complete, rec here.
I Tveksamhetens tid by Always_and_ever (Swedish) COMPLETED
Complete, rec here.
Still on the watchlist:
Knock Four Times by @folerdetdufoler
Yes, this is a US college AU, and yes, Even is American in it! This is extremely well written, and heavy on the angst–we won’t spoil you, but we’ll say that, as in the show, there were parts of this that were so well done they sort of hurt to read. Throw in a long distance relationship between Isak and his boyfriend back in Norway, and you’ve got a cool twist on the college AU setting that feels very realistic and really drew us in. - kit and immy
Blood vs. Water by bri_ness (@brionbroadway) 
This author’s Big Brother AU was a gameplay treat, and this Survivor AU promises to be just as addictive and fun. We’re looking forward to another round of Snakesak playing the game, skilfully written nods to canon and messy relationships. There’s no need to have watched Survivor, the game is explained in the notes as you go. - immy
I skyggen av solen by Kudzibisa (Norwegian)
Charter holiday AU where Isak and Even meet on the plane. Isak is on holiday with his dad and little sister, while Even is travelling with Sonja, for one week of sun and sea and things getting in the way of spending time together. Norwegian charter tourists are perfectly portrayed in this, expect to cringe a lot if you can read Norwegian. - immy
Legitimate Expectations by @champagneleftie In this AU Isak is a lawyer specialising in matters of freedom of the press, and the setting seems wonderfully real. His life as a successful young lawyer (with some interesting SKAM character colleagues) is all neat and tidy, until there’s an Even-shaped spanner thrown in the works. Beautifully written, this is perfect for fans of grown-up Isak and Even with careers. - kit and immy
Like barn leker best by Kikki1 (Norwegian) 
In this AU, student Isak has just broken up with his boyfriend, but he knows Even from school and is not a fan. Since his crap boyfriend is (mostly) out of the picture Isak needs a roommate. Enter Mikael. An engaging story featuring an annoyed and a bit weary Isak, amusing rather than angsty, and quite realistic about being a young gay man in Oslo. A very satisfying read for those who can read Norwegian. - immy
You’re my (arche)type by @evakuality
This is a fairytale AU that isn’t based on a specific story, but rather on the archetypes found in fairytales worldwide, where the interaction and characterisation is shaped by the archetypes each of the characters belongs to, and by the struggle against the confines of the archetypes. It’s an interesting and very well written take on nature vs. nurture and rigid societal structure, and the characterisation is wonderful. - immy
Hjerterytmer og ekstraslag by Without your breath (@livreddare) (Norwegian) Hospital AU where Isak is a nurse and Even is a surgeon in training at an emergency department, packed full of realistic detail and gorgeous slow burn (so far). I adore the characterisation in this, and it’s always a treat to read a well-written AU in a setting the author knows really well. If you can read Norwegian, don’t miss out on this. - immy
Forsvarlig behandling by Frieda Echte @friedaechte (Norwegian) In this hospital AU get-together, nurse Isak gets a patient (oh yes) with a somewhat annoying girlfriend (oh no) tagging along to the ED. Vividly detailed, engaging and funny, this promises to be a very special treat for those who can read Norwegian. - immy
Alphabet Aerobics by @nofeartina 
Rating: explicit. And is it ever. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, and the author has set out to write 26 chapters of pwp, one for each letter as Isak and Even play a letters sex game. And yes this is smutty, yes the plot is virtually non-existent, but there are feelings and character development as well as very well-written, imaginative smut. - kit and immy
a careful hypothesis of the heart by StMisery 
This AU, while not extremely Norwegian although it’s set in Oslo, shows Isak and Even as co-workers who inch their way from quite a bit of dislike for each other towards, well, we would be very surprised if Evak isn’t endgame. Engaging and entertaining as the guys slowly make progress, and featuring an adorable Magnus. - kit and immy
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