#my mans magnus bane just wants some rest | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dicaculus · 8 months

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Title: A Pile of Hot Metal and Dirty Dishes

Artist: Crankyfossil

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Magnus Bane/ Alec Lightwood

Wordcount:42,462

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

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

READ ON AO3

CHAPTER SIX

The next morning Magnus isn’t woken up by the blinding morning sun shining into his eyes, the beeping of his alarm clock or even Madzie making noise despite her attempts at being quiet. Instead, it’s gentle kisses from behind Magnus’s right ear, down his neck and to his shoulder that wake him.

“Morning chef,” Alec says into Magnus’ neck, his voice still husky from sleep. He presses himself against Magnus’s back and wraps his arm around Magnus’s waist, making gentle patterns on his stomach with his fingertips that make Magnus shiver into the man’s touch.

“Don’t call me chef when we’re naked” Magnus groans with his face still pressed into his pillows, then he lifts his head looking over his shoulder at Alec “Or with your hand so close to my dick,”

Magnus watches that familiar smirk come over Alec’s face, then before he knows it he’s laying on his back and Alec is on top of him straddling his hips, “Why?” He asks before leaning down to kiss Magnus. “Does it make you hot when I call you chef?” Alec whispers against Magnus’s lips.

Refusing to give Alec the satisfaction of knowing that calling him chef just might do it for him, Magnus pulls Alec back pressing their lips together once again, gently tugging on Alec’s hair like the night before pulling the same gasps from him and quiet moans from him.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” Alec pants pulling away from Magnus

“I never start things I don’t intend to finish Alexander”

Alec presses Magnus into the mattress again, the kisses slowly becoming less and less gentle when the moment is broken by the slamming of a door and a cat’s cries for food, almost like someone had never fed them before.

Alec pulls away with a groan. “Raincheck?”

Magnus nods, “I should probably make Madzie some breakfast”

“Why don’t I make breakfast?” Alec offers, “You can rest a little more and I’ll get you when it’s ready?”

Magnus’s heart skips a beat at the kind offer, while Magnus was an incredible chef and had a large repertoire of recipes. Breakfast was never his thing. For Magnus, breakfast was a bitter cup of black coffee, maybe an apple if he was feeling hungry that morning.

“You cook breakfast?”

Alec rolls his eyes. “I worked at a luxury hotel that served brunch every day. I could probably make eggs benedict with my eyes closed at this point.”

Magnus hums, “I look forward to my eggs benedict then”

Alec groans, regretting giving Magnus that information. But he kisses Magnus quickly one more time before getting dressed, winking at Magnus when he notices the other man watching him dress shamelessly and leaving the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind himself. Hearing footsteps chairman come speeding around the corner meowing at a volume Alec didn’t know was possible while weaving between his long legs, making him trip. Not wanting to step on the large cat, he picks up the feline holding him to his chest, scratching behind his ears. Once in Magnus’s large kitchen, he opens a couple of cupboards; he finds dishes, mugs, the snack cupboard, but not cat food.

“If I were tins of cat food, where would I be?” Alec mumbles to himself, then looks down at chairman who stares at Alec purring with blown pupils “Where’s your food kitty, help me out here,”

“The cupboards above the fridge”

Alec spins around and smiles when he sees Madzie in her matching sunflower pajama set, dinosaur stuffy tucked under her arm.

“Magnus had to move his food because he learned how to open the cupboard and ate all his treats.”

Alec looks down at the cat in his arms, who he swears looks guilty. “Chairman, did you do that?” He gently taps the cat’s pink nose. “Naughty kitty eating your treats like that. I bet you gave yourself quite the stomachache.”

“He was sick on my bed,” Madzie says with a grimace, but it quickly disappears and replaced with her soft smile. “Could you get a tin of food for me, Alec, so Magnus doesn’t catch me standing on a chair again?”

Alec sniggers to himself. He can see the scene unfolding in his head as Magnus squawks at his niece for dangerously standing on a dining chair, much the same way he’d yelled at the chef, who put their knife in a sink full of soapy water. Alec easily reaches the cupboard above the fridge and hands Madzie a small tin, which claims to be chicken and lobster. Not wanting Madzie to feel like she’s being watched, Alec turns around and opens the fridge, grabbing the various ingredients he knows he’ll need for the eggs benedict.

“Are you making breakfast?” Madzie asks from behind him.

“I am,” Alec confirms as he opens a container labelled, ‘Herbs Fresh’. He finds the basil giving a quick smell, checking its freshness. “You want to help me sous-chef?”

Madzie nods excitedly, a big smile appearing on her face. While Alec continues to rummage through the fridge, Madzie skip to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing the same apron they wore the night Alec came over to make pizza. Alec takes the apron handed to him, easily tying it himself, then he helps Madzie with her own.

“What are we making, chef?”

“Eggs benedict..minus the bacon, because there seems to be none.” He closes the fridge and turns to Madzie, who looks at him with wide, excited eyes. “But a good chef can adapt, so instead of a traditional eggs benedict we’ll do caprese eggs benedict with a basil hollandaise.”

He sets Madzie up to make the marinated tomatoes on a nearby counter while he puts a pot of water on to boil, then begins making the basil hollandaise. Most people, when they think of or learn to make hollandaise sauce they think of all the whisking you have to do and the hot melted butter you have to slowly add to create an emulsion. While working in hotels Alec learned an easier method of simply using a food processor and instead of multiple dishes a single saucepan to melt butter. Once the butter had melted and became foamy with food processor on, he drizzles the butter into the previously blended egg yolks and lemon juice until a creamy sauce forms. After the sauce forms, he adds a bunch of basil and blends again until it’s fully combined and is a beautiful light green colour. Alec generously seasons the sauce with salt and pepper, then takes two spoonfuls, handing one to Madzie to test.

“What do you think? More pepper?”

Madzie nods in agreement about the pepper. Alec sets the container of sauce on the counter then hands her the pepper, letting her season it to her taste while he gets to work on poaching the eggs.

“Madzie, would you toast the English muffins for me?”

“Yes chef!”

Magnus appears in the kitchen wearing a robe open enough at the top. Alec can see the dusting of hair on his chest and it takes everything in him to turn away and not stare at him. Madzie abandons toasting when Magnus enters the room to set the table, then with Magnus leaving Alec to finish breakfast up. He quickly melts a slice of fresh mozzarella under the broiler in the oven on each English muffin until it’s melted and bubbly. Once finished, he tops them with a spoonful of the marinated tomatoes, the poached egg, then he drizzles the basil hollandaise on top.

“Eggs benedict as requested,” He announces, placing plates in front of Magnus and Madzie. “Coffee will only be a moment.”

“This doesn’t look like any eggs benedict I’ve ever had. Where’s the bacon?”

“You didn’t have any,” He says pouring two mugs off coffee then walking them over to the table and sitting down. “So I had to adapt”

“It’s what a great chef does,” Madzie says with a mouthful of food

Alec nods in agreement while Magnus shakes his head, suddenly regretting let the two spend time together.

When Magnus takes his first bite, Alec stares at him, his heart pounding in his chest, waiting for the verdict. Magnus takes is first bite, chewing thoughtfully for an only moment before a smile appears on his face as he chews.

“Alexander, this is incredible…”

Magnus is full of praise. He talks about the flavour of the hollandaise, the perfectly poached egg, the mozzarella of course, the marinated tomatoes which perfectly balance all the flavours, cutting the richness of the dish.

“I made the tomatoes Magnus,” Madzie pipes up, “I did it all by myself!”

“Did you? Well, they’re delicious sweet pea”

“Madzie is an incredible sous-chef, couldn’t have made breakfast without her,” Alec says, leaning over to squeeze the girl’s shoulder. “You could become a chef and start your own restaurant. Call it Madzie’s.”

Madzie shakes her head “No,” she says looking down at her plate and her voice suddenly small “I’d call it Catarina’s after my mom”

Magnus’s heart shatters in his chest at the mention of his friend. Some days it’s like she was still alive and Madzie was only visiting then he’d suddenly remember Catarina’s dead and it hits him all over again how much he misses her, how he wishes he’d visited more and told her he love her more. The table is silent and Magnus wishes he knew what to say in that moment, but his mind is blank and all he can do is clear his throat, feeling awkward. But then he sees Alec reach out and squeeze his niece’s hand in his large ones and give her a warm smile.

“That’s a beautiful idea Madzie, I think she’d love that”

Magnus’s heart unclenches when he sees the way she beams from Alec’s gentle praise and continues with her meal. Magnus mouths a ‘thank you’ to Alec and squeezes the other man’s knee, who smiles back at him with a nod. Much like the night he’d gotten her to eat spaghetti that night at the restaurant. After the small hiccup, the rest of the meal goes smoothly, filled with light chatter and giggles from Madzie, when the two men bicker.

“I hate your coffee machine, Magnus. It’s so complicated”

“Complicated? All you have to do is push the brew button. I’ve preset it, Alexander”

“Well, how am I supposed to know that when there’s a hundred buttons? Do you know how long it took me to find the on and brew button?

“Let me guess, your coffee maker only has an on switch?”

“Her name is Cora the coffeemaker, and she does a great job! I’ll have you know she also has a warm button. If you’re going to insult her, do it correctly.”

Eventually Alec looks up at the clock on the wall and with a sigh he knows he needs to get going. Staying the night with Magnus hadn’t been part of the plan. Hell, kissing Magnus hadn’t been part of his plan, but between the blindfold and the way Magnus had pursed his lips, waiting for another spoonful, Alec couldn’t resist. So he had to head home to shower, change, and prepare for another service without Magnus. Alec says his goodbyes, giving Madzie a tight squeeze and a gentle kiss on top of her head. When he reaches Magnus, he leans over, intending to give him a goodbye kiss, but he’s stopped with a gasp from Magnus and a finger pressed against his lips.

“Not in front of Madzie.”

Alec rolls his eyes with a playful sigh. He turns his so he can see Madzie, but otherwise doesn’t move away from Magnus. “Madzie, I’m now going to kiss your uncle.”

Madzie covers her eyes with a groan. “This is so embarrassing!”

Alec gets his goodbye kiss from Magnus. In fact, he gets a couple.

“Why don’t I walk you out Alexander? Madzie, can you put the dishes in the dishwasher?”

In typical Magnus fashion, he doesn’t wait for an answer, and leaves the table with a hand on the small of Alec’s back, leading him out of the apartment and down to where he knows Alec’s car is parked.

“How are we gonna work together now?” Magnus asks, “Will it be weird? Us..together and working together?”

Alec shrugs “We’ll do what we always did Magnus.You tell me what to do and I’ll go behind your back and do whatever I want.”

This time Magnus grabs lapels of Alec’s coat and pulls him in for another kiss before Alec heads out. For once, Magnus wasn’t scared about being absent from the restaurant. He’d proved himself many times over, and Magnus trusted him. For once, he was positive the kitchen would still be standing when he came back.

With Alec left in charge of his kitchen, Magnus tries to enjoy some time off. Normally he’d be on edge, and twitchy while worrying about every little thing that could go wrong and ruin not only his, but the restaurant’s reputation. But he trusted Alec, and he knew how to put out small fires, make all the dishes, except for the saffron sauce Magnuswas known for, that recipe he kept to himself. More importantly, the staff loved him and wouldn’t walk all over him.

So he spends the week waking up early not to go to the pier but to make breakfast for himself and Madzie, along with her school lunch. He gets her to school on time, even early, so she can see her friends and Magnus stays as long as he can, watching her play with a big smile on her face and giggling with other kids. Alec, of course, somehow knowing Magnus better than he knows himself, continues to keep Magnus in the loop regardless of his absence. He texts Magnus pictures of the menus for the week and even going as far as sending a video of himself as he slowly braises down the beef cheeks in a red wine sauce, making Magnus’s mouth drool. Monday is probably the hardest day for Magnus. At first, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He doesn’t pick Madzie until 3:30, and Magnus doesn’t see Simon until 2, which meant he had hours to himself.

“I just don’t know what to do with myself,” Magnus explains to Simon in their session, “What am I supposed to do? I took time off for Madzie, but what am I supposed to do when she’s in school?” Magnus shakes his head, laying back on the couch. “I shouldn’t have taken this time off. What was I thinking?”

“You were thinking of your niece, who has recently gone through one of the most traumatic things a child can experience.”

Magnus sighs, knowing the man is right, besides if anyone could understand what losing a parent young felt like, there was no one better than himself.

“Besides,” Simon continues, “I think this will be good for you, personal challenge, so to speak”

Magnus groans, “I hate being challenged”

Simon ignores him and scribbles on his notepad. “I want you to do things this week you used to enjoy, but haven’t had time to do with your schedule. Read, walk in the park, knitting, yoga, video games…whatever it is you enjoy. He closes his notepad and looks Magnus directly in the face. “Find joy this week, Magnus, and we’ll talk about it next week.”

“Find joy? What the hell does that even mean!?” Magnus exclaims to Alec when he shows up much later that night with a smile making his knees weak, a bottle of wine and container filled with a serving of the braised beef cheeks and sides from tonight.

“He just wants you to do things that make you happy, Magnus. It’s not a trick question. Hobbies, projects you haven’t had time for anything that isn’t work related.”

Something not work related, right? He could do this.

Tuesday after sending Madzie off to school, Magnus stands with his hands on his hips in the middle of his living room. He approaches his bookshelf that covers an entire wall and browses the spines he realizes he hasn’t actually looked at in quite a while. When his fingertips come back dusty, he decides he better give the shelf and probably the book spines a dusting. So Magnus lightly dusts the shelf with a cloth, lifting every book wiping the dust from every space. When he’s on the bottom shelf and pulls out a large book, a stack of papers comes out with it falling around the room. As he picks up the recipes, he realizes they’re recipes, but not just any recipes, recipes of his own that he created. Traditional Indonesian recipes, Indonesian food done in a more modern way, fusion recipes, all recipes for a restaurant he wanted to open, showcasing the Indonesian flavours he’d grown up with and loved and wanted to share with others. After he’s finished working for Ragnor Fell, the original plan had been for Magnus to open his own place but building leases were expensive as was his rent. So his dream restaurant was put on hold and he took a job in another kitchen. Eventually being Raphael asked him to be his head chef, which he accepted. Raphael’s restaurant was the new chic place in town and with it being so new came hard work, pushing Magnus’s restaurant further and further to the back of his mind until it was completely forgotten. Instead of putting the papers back on the shelf, he sets them on the coffee table and goes back to cleaning. But Simon would be proud of him. He’s found his project even though it may not be totally non work related.

So for the rest of his week off, other than taking and picking Madzie up from school, and helping her with her homework, Magnus studies. He goes through some of the many cookbooks he own including a few that were his mother’s, all written in her neat and familiar penmanship. He makes list after list of his favourite dishes from his childhood and typical American dishes he enjoys trying to figure out ways of fuzing the two together. He’d done it with the spring rolls, so why couldn’t there be an Indonesian taco? Magnus watches cooking shows, and browses through the many Asian markets the city provides, hoping to come up with some kind of inspiration.

“I think this great Magnus,” Alec says with a smile as he reads the over the notes and recipes Magnus showed him when he shows up Saturday after service. “These dishes they sound incredible and they’re truly unique. I really see you in these recipes”

Magnus swallows, trying to hold back tears that suddenly come up. He’d always heard from chefs about how personal their food was to them and until now, Magnus didn’t really understand it. But these recipes, they were him on a piece of paper, eventually on a plate. His life, his upbringing, his experiences, and it made him feel incredibly vulnerable.

Alec gently places the papers back on the table in a neat pile and leans over, kissing Magnus gently.

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Magnus. You have to make the fried chicken for me one day, who knew so many countries enjoy their chicken fried!” Alec says referring to an ayam goreng recipe.

Alec stays over that night under the guise of going to the pier and markets to help prepare for the new menu in the coming week, despite Magnus having done it on his own multiple times. So early the next morning, hand in hand joined by Madzie, of course, who holds Alec’s other hand, they go to the pier. The only people there of morning are other restaurant owners. Magnus nods in greeting as he recognizes other chefs from nearby restaurants and waving at merchants who try to get Magnus’s attention, but he promises them he’ll be back. The first stop is at his favourite fish monger who greets him and Madzie and shakes Alec’s hand when he’s introduced.

“What’s fresh?”

“Caught the prawns this morning myself and the scallops are quite plumps” he says, gesturing to each thing.”

“Do you have any tuna?” Alec asks

Without a word, the man turns around and only a moment later; he comes slapping the fish down in front of the chefs. Alec leans over and gently runs a finger over the fish and inspects it before looking at Magnus with a shrug.

“What do you think? We could do a tuna tartare with chopped shallots, chives and avocado with micro greens, and some kind of spicy sauce .”

“Tuna tartare?”

Alec shrugs again. “Yeah, it’s been a while since you’ve had a tartare on the menu. I know normally it’s steak or lamb, but I thought we could try something different.”

Collaborating like this on the menu was already very different for them. Normally, Magnus preferred to do it on his own, not letting anyone near it until he was sure of the dishes. But Alec was right, as annoyed as it make Magnus different could be good sometimes and the tuna was beautiful. So Magnus agrees.

“Okay, but if people hate it, it’s your head”

The pair discuss more seafood dishes putting their final order in and the man promises to get it there on at eleven. After the fish it stops at various butchers ordering cuts of meat, ribeyes, filet mignon, racks of lamb, whole chickens, pork belly all for the week. Then it’s the produce vendors ordering the usual onions, garlic, potatoes, various greens and anything extra the two chefs think they’ll need. When Madzie complains about her stomach, they stop by a small cafe in the market that Magnus knows makes incredible food. It’s a small family run cafe, so small Magnus had walked past the place multiple times before he ever realized it was there. Whenever he popped in, he’d order croissants. They were always so buttery, flakey with perfect layers inside and delicious. Once Madzie is satisfied and they’ve wiped her face, removing the remnant of sticky maple syrup, the three spend the rest of the morning wondering from store to store in the market.

“I wanna show you something.” Magnus says spotting an asian market across the street, “Quick! Let’s go.” He says pulling Alec and Madzie across the street.

Magnus walks up to the brick building, on the outside people shopping,picking food out from the displays. The three walk in the door when a man walks towards them with a name tag saying ‘owner’ asking if they need any help.

“Yes, do you sell kaffir lime leaves?

“Over there.” The store owner says in an accented English as he gestures in the general direction of produce. “You touch, you buy!”

“Of course, thank you”

“Kaffir limes leaves? What do you need those for?” Alec asks, letting Magnus pull him towards the produce.

“You’ll see!” Is all Magnus says. Once in the produce, Magnus quickly scans the displays until he stops pointing to a cardboard box amongst other green herbs. “Here they are.” He pulls two leaves from the box, handing the first one to Madzie, who immediately presses it against her nose to smell.

“Smells good.”

“You like it, sweet pea?” Magnus takes the other leaf and hands it to Alec. “And one for you.”

Alec sniffs the leaf. Immediately, he squints his eyes and looks back to Magnus. “I know this smell. How do I know this smell?” He smells the leaf again, this time closing his eyes as he inhales then pauses for a moment to think before his eyes shoot back open. “Is this your saffron sauce?”

Magnus nods with a smile, “The secret ingredient”

Alec leans down and gently kisses Magnus. “Apparently, we have no secrets anymore.”

“Hey! You touch..”

Magnus rolls his eyes and looks back at the man. “I know. I buy.”

The man points at Magnus,” Two dollars!”

Sunday turns into Monday too fast for Magnus’s liking. Alec stays for dinner and plays video games with Madzie filling the apartment with her high-pitched giggles, then reads her a bedtime story before they both tuck her into bed with her multiple plushies. Despite her pleas for Alec to stay and take her to school in the morning, Alec declines but promises he’ll see her this week and they’ll cook something delicious together. So Magnus goes to bed that night alone, tossing and turning missing the warmth of the other man’s warm body.

—---

“Today for our appetizer special, we are offering a caesar salad croquette covered a delightfully golden, crunchy coating filled an unctuous chicken thigh centre with parmesan and anchovy. Served with a familiar zingy caesar dressing and spinach puree, topped with a parmesan crisp.

Monday afternoon, Magnus finds himself sitting in on another lunch meeting. But unlike the other lunches, Magnus and Alec sit side by side close enough he feels the familiar heat of Alec’s body against his. Alec’s arm rests on the top of Magnus’s chair, his hand nearly on his shoulder and his thumb occasionally stroking him, making Magnus shiver. Magnus sits quietly during the meeting eating the prepared lunch, only half listening to the servers practice selling the menu, having a hard time paying attention to being surrounded by Alec. His body heat, his smell, his touch and the rumble of his voice as he praises the servers and gives them notes.

“What do you think?”

Magnus jumps, not noticing Raphael approach the table. In his hands are small white boxes, which remind him of Chinese take away containers. “What’s that?”

“Alec came up with a great idea of sending mini desserts home in a box.” He holds the small box in front of Magnus, waiting for him to take one, which he does, turning it around in his hand to inspect it. “It’s so obvious. Alec is always so full of ideas.”

“So obvious.” Magnus says, destain clear in his voice. Apparently, Alec and Raphael were getting along better than Alec had described to him.

“And Alec, I love those wines you recommended for the new menu.”

Wine recommendations? When had they discussed that, and why wasn’t Magnus invited to this conversation? And how many other secret conversations had the pair had? Magnus is suddenly suspicious and feeling anger bubbling inside him. He’d only been gone a week. Originally, he’d planned on taking two, and if he had, what would have happened? Would he have even had a restaurant to come back to? Instead of making a scene at the table, he buries his feelings, shoving them down and puts them away for later.

“Well, you’re gonna have to discuss that with Magnus—” Alec calls after Raphael but the man has left the room, leaving the dining space quiet with servers staring at him. Alec clears his throat, ignoring Magnus’s stare he can see from his peripherals and the way Magnus shifts his chair, making his arm fall from the top.

“John, tell us about the cod dish.”

John quickly stands from his seat, nearly knocking his chair to the floor. He wipes his sweaty hands on his uniform, then takes a deep breath, looking at the two chefs. “For our fish main, we’re serving a cod fillet with a luxurious chive butter sauce, topped with a poached egg for a final flourish, sitting on a bed of crushed jersey royals and wilted spinach.”

—--

“Table five’s coming up in two seconds, chef.”

Dinner service is tense. It’s like the first night they worked together all over again, opposite sides of the kitchen, not speaking, and barely making eye contact. Magnus focuses on his dishes, afraid of speaking to Alec in fear of everything he’s feeling falling out and say something he regrets. It’s clear Alec knows he’s upset. Magnus can see how Alec studies him when he thinks the chef isn’t paying attention and multiple times he comes over to speak, but thinks better of it and backs away. But despite the tension and lack of speaking, the everything runs smoothly, their dishes are perfect and leave the kitchen one after another, coming back with good reviews from customers.

“Alec,” Raphael says, interrupting Alec. “The couple at table eight want to say hello. They’re drooling over the cod.”

“Magnus’s responsible for all the food.” He says without looking at Raphael, continuing to dress plates.

“Magnus won’t mind,” He chuckles, following Alec down the line from the other side of the metal tables. “He hates leaving the kitchen.”

“Interesting.” Magnus bites, looking at the two men. “What else can you tell us about him?”

“You know what?” Raphael says, slapping the table. “I’m not gonna get into this. I don’t care who goes out there.” He turns to Magnus, pointing a finger at him. “ But if it is you, do me a favour and try not to stab anyone who complains.”

Raphael leaves the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind him. Magnus spins on his heels facing Alec, who leans against a table, his arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his face.

“Don’t look at me.”

Magnus exhales deeply, trying to remain calm. Ever since lunch, he’d felt like something was off. At first he thought he was paranoid about being away from work, but between the wines and just then with Raphael, something was up. Magnus was sure of it. Raphael had always used sarcasm with him and was rough around the edges, but he’d never insult him.

“You. Me. In there. Now.” Magnus orders, gesturing to the walk-in freezer. Magnus walks ahead, leaving a confused Alec who only moments later follows him into the freezer, letting the door slam shut behind him.

“So, what’s the story?”

“What do you mean?”

Magnus scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest “I turn my back for a couple of days and it’s: “Alec, the wine. Alec, the customers. Alec, the boxes-“

“He offered me your job.”

“What?” Magnus is stunned at Alec's admission. He takes a small step back from Alec. “Why didn’t you tell me? I can’t believe this!”

“I was going to tell you—”

“When?” He shouts. The cold tone in Magnus’s voice surprises Alec, who backs up a step as Magnus steps forward again. “Tonight? Next week when I came into work and no longer have a job?” He steps into Alec’s space again until he hits the opposite wall of the freezer. “Or were you going to wait until you were in my bed again?”

“Magnus that’s not—”

“I knew I couldn’t trust you.” He snaps, turning away from Alec. Suddenly everything falls into place in his mind, and it all makes sense. How easily time off was given to him, the difference he felt in his kitchen, hiring a chef who was a fan of his. Was it all part of Raphael’s plan to replace him? Despite being in a freezer, Magnus is hot with anger. His blood feels like it’s boiling under his skin and he loses it. “The moment I met you, I knew–”

Alec grabs his shoulder, forcing the chef to turn around and face him. “No, the truth is you can’t trust anyone. You’ve never trusted anyone in your life–”

“Why should I when this happens?” Magnus hisses, tears of anger falling to his cheek. “Why didn’t you have the balls to run your own kitchen, Alexander? Or do you prefer just coming in and taking over another chef’s kitchen so you don’t have to work as hard?”

Alec looks at Magnus, shocked at the accusation. “Is that what you think?”

“Yeah,” Magnus confirms, “That’s exactly what I think.”

Alec sighs heavily and nods. He wipes away tears which had fallen from his eyes at some point and unties the apron from his waist. “You know, Magnus, it’s okay to let people in sometimes. Maybe one of these days you’ll figure that out.”

“You don’t understand.” Magnus pleads. He blocks the doors of the freezer with his body, stopping Alec from leaving. “This place is my life. This is who I am.”

“This isn’t who you are, Magnus. It’s only one little part.” He places his hand on Magnus’ shoulder, gently moving his aside, “and it’s not even the best part.”

Alec leaves the freezer, letting the door slam shut with a bang behind him, leaving Magnus alone not only in the freezer but in the kitchen for the first time in a while.

Dinner service moves on without Alec, with only Magnus running into the kitchen. He barks orders at the chefs, snaps at the servers and refuses to speak with Raphael, who attempts to pull him aside multiple times. Magnus knows he’s being terrible to work with tonight, but he can’t help it and can only hope everyone will forgive him by tomorrow. When dinner service winds down and the kitchen is wiped clean, Magnus leaves in a hurry before Raphael can catch him to talk. Once home, he takes his phone he’d left at home for Madzie and notices he has a single text message.

For the record, said no. I turned Raphael’s offer down.

#malec fanart #magnus bane #alec lightwood #MALEC FANFIC #malec #fic rec

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khaleesiofalicante · 2 years

Note

¡Hola Dani! ¿Cómo estás? 👋🏼

He Ate the Fucking Raisins!

Again with the raisin hate!!

THE BEGINNING

They interrupt him during his meeting with Nike and make faces at the camera and run away giggling.

Ok but that is very cute and I will pay all the world's money to see it

He actually does wear Edom clothes every now and then. Shinyun doesn’t know that.

Aww imagine how happy she'll be 🥰

When he walks into the bedroom, Alec is lying on his back, sprawled on the bed. Rafael is hovering over his face and Max is sitting on his stomach.

Too cute!!

Max has a brilliant grin on his face. “We’re making daddy pretty!”

ALSLQLQPW!!!!!!!!! THIS IS MY WEAKNESS!!!

“We’re making daddy pretty for the photo shoot tomorrow,” Rafael informs, as he seriously combs through Alec’s dark hair.

ALSOQLWPQP!!!! I'M A HOE 😍😍😍

This entire scene is giving me life!!!

“Yeah?” Alec asks. “You gonna put the cover up on your wall, baby?”

Oooh you have no idea my beloved twin!!!

The next morning, Magnus forces Alec to wear the sandalwood face pack and then takes him through his skincare regime.

I need that skincare routine ASAP

“Magnus,” Alec says incredulously. “Have you been walking around this whole morning with a butt plug in your pocket?”

“Not for this!” Alec groans. “God, I’m so glad I’m not wearing a butt plug right now.”

“Mr. Lightwood.”

🤣🤣🤣

“I’m not a spitter! I’m a swallower!” Magnus says indignantly.

Listen I'm clearly not mature enough to read this chapter at a work meeting

But I don't want to stop

People are looking at me Dani 🤣🤣

Aww they are being cute!!! 🥰 it's harder to keep a straight face when they are being cute 🤣

Alec opens the tiny box and then blinks at it. “It’s empty.”

“Yes.”

“Where is it?”

“Where do you think it is?”

ALSLQLQLQO!!!! NOP... I'M GONNA HAVE TO STOP FOR A WHILE

Alec blinks. “What? Did I say something rude?”

No my beloved twin you are perfect!!!

Also, Alec might have been right. Magnus does sit by the window and mope around the mansion waiting for Alec to come back.

That's the most appropriate reaction ever!!

“You wouldn’t believe the cheeky shit Max pulled on me today.”

Aaah so it begins!!

This has been the funniest shit I've read in a long time!! Yes, my coworkers and some of the parents present were giving me death stares but I don't care 🤣🤣

I will however wait to read the rest because I don't know what's in store and I refuse to cry in public

THE MIDDLE

But he knows the internet has changed life dramatically for many people.

My life wouldn't be the same without Tumblr and Fanfics... thank you internet 🙌🏼

Magnus who went on his first date after the divorce.

Oh noooooo!!! Fuck you internet 😡

My poor twin!!! And during Christmas time 😭😭

Max has been all over the place in the last three months.

Pre-Mavid times

“Ew. None of my friends are going to eat, dad. Who comes to a party just to eat?”

ME!! MAXWELL!!! I do... that it's literally the only reason I go to parties 😒

This party has impending doom vibes!!

He had promised he would win four medals so they can each wear one.

One gold medal for each of the Lightwood-Banes.

😭😭😭

Both Alec and Max being pining heartbroken messes

And there he is.

The love of his fucking life.

🥰🥰

“It wasn’t even a pudding with raisins!” Magnus hisses. “It was a pudding made out of raisins!”

Ok that's just wrong!!!

“He went into his old bedroom,” Elyaas says urgently. “Then a man went inside it.”

Nooooooo!!!!!!

“Break the door down!” Magnus shouts at him. “Do it! Now!”

“Stay away from my son,” Magnus whispers lowly. “Or I will kill you myself.”

“I WASN’T FUCKING ASKING. SIT DOWN ON THE BED RIGHT NOW!”

This man is doing things to me right now!!!! 🥵🥵🥵

FUCK NATE!!! 🤬 what a creep!!!

“Magnus! What’s wrong?” Alec asks worriedly. “Ba-Magnus. Talk to me.”

Not my twin almost calling Magnus baby... the way I gasped 🥺

Oh my heart!!!!

THE END

Rafael shakes his head, chewing on a roti. “I’m doing a SWOT analysis.”

Rafe mi bebé precioso 🥰 I hate SWOT analysis the fact that me a preschool teacher who studied modern languages in college has to do those makes no sense!!!! WTF world??

“Imma get to the point,” Max settles down next to him. “I’m going to England.”

😯😯😯

Look at my Maxwell being so mature!! I'm so proud

“Aww! You’re in a relationship!”

“Can you stop?”

We cannot!!!

Max takes a deep breath. “I want to work for Edom.”

YES!!!!!!!! Please can we see Shinyun’s reaction to this??? Pleaseeee!!!!!!!!

Magnus smiles. “You like her?”

She's an acquired taste but yeah I like her very much 🥵

Magnus takes a deep breath. “Why not? I’m feeling adventurous today.”

Yes please!!! Do it do it

Shinyun chuckles. “Oh, I feel like I’m dreaming.”

Me tooooo!!!!

“You’re gonna talk to Alec?” Magnus blinks. “What if he says no? You know, um, he is not your biggest fan, Shinyun.”

Yeah no shit!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS!!

I'm so excited!!! I'm shaking right now what the fuck?!?!?!

“You have a snake??” Max gasps. “And you named it Noodle???”

I'm living my best life!!!!! This is awesome!!!!

Shinyun barges into the room. “Hello, Alex.”

Everybody look away!! She's talking to me 🥰😍

🤣🤣🤣 Fuck me Shinyun!!! I AM LOVE HER!!!

“You are impossible!” Alec puts up his hands. “First you come after my husband and now you come after my son.”

😯😯😯😯😯

This conversation is 🔥 👌🏼 🤤 top tier shit!!! Alec vs Shinyun and I'm winning!!!!

Alec smiles a little. “I don’t want anyone to leave me. But I’ve learned that I don’t really get a choice.”

Listen my twin needs to be hugged and loved!!! Soon!!!

“You don’t look okay,” Magnus says.

He isn’t!!!! 😭😭😭

“Take it,” Magnus says. “Take some of my strength.”

ALSOQOQ!!! Nobody touch me!! I'm too soft right now!!!

Did he forget to tell Alec that he broke up with Shinyun?

YOU DID!!! Tell him now!!!!!!!

Maybe he should wait until Alec asks.

Noooooooooooooo!!! TELL HIM NOW!!!!!!!!!

“I agree,” Shinyun says. “Trust Max. Fuck Asmodeus.”

“This is empty!!” Alec yells.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Magnus bites his lip. “I, um, I kind of have to tell you something.”

Yes yes... tell him... tell him now!!!

No Kadir... whyyyy???????

“You totally came over here to tell us this juicy bit of information hoping we’ll tell Alec, didn’t you?”

He did!!! That hoe with his hoe behavior 🤣🤣

“Maryse, you know it’s more complicated for us,” Magnus sighs. “Alec and I didn't get divorced because we stopped loving each other. We divorced because loving Alec was hurting me and my pain was hurting Alec.”

😭😭😭😭 I just want them to be happy!!!

“He doesn’t,” Isabelle shakes her head. “Trust me. He is both the smartest and the stupidest man I’ve met.”

Comes with the name! 🥲 like the 🌈

“It means I love, Alec. It means I love him more than I used to. I didn’t know it was possible. But I do.”

“Especially now,” Magnus chuckles. “He is trying so hard. For me. For himself. For our family. Because he loves us. I’ve always loved that about him. I love how much he loves. I love how much he cares. I love how he is never afraid to show it.”

Yes, that's my twin so please Magnus please tell him that you love him, dick him and never ever leave him!!!

“Yeah,” Magnus nods. “Yeah. Okay. I told him I’ll call him tonight.”

Noooo don't do it over the phone!!! Do it in person!!

“Because Alec doesn’t like them.”

LALSLSQÑSLQÑALSLSJAJ!!!! I AM DEAD!!!

“He ate the raisins,” Magnus whispers to himself.

Ay dios mio Daniela!!! Only you can make me cry about raisins 😭

Magnus grabs his coat. “I have to go.”

Yes!!!! Is happening!!!!!!!!!

Oh no I don't like where this is going!! No Magnus come back!!! Do it over the phone!!!

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! HOW DARE YOUUUUUU??????

Of all the things I imagined this was NOT one of them!!!

I am not ok 😭

Gracias Dani!! This one is extra long I didn’t know there was a limit to how many gifs I can use (fuck you Tumblr) but there is 🥲

¡Eres la mejor! 💚💚💚💚💚

ALEX!!!

Hola! (that's all for now lol).

These gifs and reactions cracked me up so much.

Okay but my fave thing was you were SUCH a shinyun hoe in this chapter and I HAVE RECEIPTS of you being a shinyun hater at the beginning of tlnd.

Your growth is the best growth in this fic 😝

#tlnd

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thelightofthebane · 8 months

Text

through the good and bad and all in between

Summary: Magnus was born a warlock. Magnus became a mundane for love and by self-sacrificing tendencies. Magnus turned into a vampire after an act of spite and revenge.

A story about survival, new identities, love through adversities, and accepting changes.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e17 Heavenly Fire, Vampire Magnus Bane, Turned without consent, Major Character Undeath, Immortal to Mortal to Immortal, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Boyfriend Alec Lightwood, Soft Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Cat & Alec friendship, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending

Rating: E

Chapters: 10

Words: Around 23k~

This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2023: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver

You can read it on AO3 or the first chapter below ~

Chapter 1 - You're my first and my last love

!!!TW!!! - MCD (temporary!) - There is non-consensual touch and kiss (not between Malec) - Description of a murder

Something was wrong.

“I was thinking we could have dinner tonight on the balcony, view of the city. The head chef can prepare something special.”

“How romantic. May I ask what the occasion is?”

“There is no occasion. I just thought it would be nice. What, I can’t do something nice with my boyfriend?”

“Oh. I’m one lucky man.”

“Not as lucky as I am. Okay, I’ll see you tonight at eight o’clock.”

“I’ll be there with bells on.”

And that’s the thing.

Magnus was late.

Very late.

Alec liked to think that, after so many ups and downs, he knew his boyfriend like the palm of his hand.

Magnus might’ve liked to be fashionably late for parties and other silly events, but for the important things? Councils, appointments, dates… And if he promised to be on time? He wouldn’t make the other party wait a minute longer. Magnus was that kind of person. Always considerate of others.

And although he was never late for his dates with Alec, obviously the Shadowhunter wouldn’t mind waiting for a few minutes. Especially not when the occasion was so important, so special, so future-changing.

But almost 40 minutes? Without a call or a text or a fire message?

No, something was wrong.

Terribly, terribly wrong.

Something inside Alec was screaming at the wrongness of it.

He didn’t want to be an overbearing boyfriend, but he couldn’t ignore what his guts were telling him. So, without postponing a minute more, Alec unlocked his phone.

He made a call.

~*~

Two hours early

A gray hair.

Magnus thought that centuries of existence were enough to make one wiser. And maybe less prone to panic when confronting a very distressing situation. For fuck’s sake, Magnus fought Greater Demons before. Why a single gray hair could rattle him so much?

Because your time is ticking away.

You’re going to die.

Magnus shivered, the bottle of whisky almost slipping from his unsteady fingers.

Perhaps leaving the Institute to go be shit drunk wasn’t one of Magnus’ most brilliant ideas, but that holier-than-thou place didn’t have anything strong enough to numb his mind. Worse - anyone could go and tell Alexander what Magnus was up to. And Magnus didn’t want to upset Alec more. He was already making his boyfriend break more rules than Jace, Izzy, and Clary together just by carrying the dead weight that Magnus was now. No, he couldn’t risk it.

Now, Magnus vaguely recalled Alec mentioning a dinner in…

Uh.

Magnus rummaged through his pockets until he found his pocket watch. It seemed he had left his phone somewhere, but his mushy brain was unable to recall where. But anyway, at what time was that dinner? Seven? Eight? He was going to be late.

Waving his hand, he opened a portal to the Institute and-

No. No portal.

No magic.

Resting against the sidewall of some boutique, Magnus chuckled mirthlessly.

“Riiiiight. I’m now Magnus Bane, the Useless.”

Chugging the rest of the alcohol he had, Magnus contemplated calling a taxi when he felt eyes on him. Many, many eyes.

Magnus wasn’t a stranger to be looked at, to be appreciated.

But that wasn’t desire. It was malicious.

As an important and powerful figure, he’d made many enemies through the centuries. Thus, he also recognized the weight of a hateful glare.

A look full of hate and anger and murderous intent.

He shuddered.

But he was no coward either. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned towards the end of the side alley.

The bottle fell on the floor with a loud crack.

There was a group of at least eight vampires there as he had expected. What he did not expect was their leader in their midst.

The very, very familiar leader.

“Hello, my love. Missed me?”

~*~

“You’re nervous. Why are you nervous?”

“What? I’m… I’m not nervous.”

“Yes, you are. What’s going on?”

“I’m, uh, proposing to Magnus tonight.”

“What? Are you serious? Alec, congratulations! You’re about to make Magnus the happiest man in the world.”

“Yeah. I just want everything to be perfect.”

~*~

“Camille.”

Even saying her name left a bad after-taste in his mouth, even worse than all the alcohol he had just drunk.

“So, the rumors were true. You sold your soul for a Shadowhunter and lost your magic.” She taunted, slowly approaching him like a predator would.

“What do you want? You are not supposed to be here.” Magnus clenched his jaw. Alec told him how the search for the prisoners who fled during the Valentine outbreak was still going on. Camille was on the missing list, but they weren’t sure if she was successful in escaping or was killed.

He should’ve known better.

Camille wasn’t one to be killed so easily.

In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him, forcefully pushing Magnus against the dirty wall and grabbing his neck. He immediately tried to pry her hands off him, but he didn’t have a chance against a vampire’s strength. Especially without his magic.

“You were a bad boy, Magnus. You left me to rot in that Nephilim hole.” She spits out, her voice carrying disgust and anger. Bitterness. “I didn’t like one bit. Tell me, Magnus. You liked to know I was being tortured there while you fucked your precious Angel toy?”

Magnus gasped when she tightened her hold on his neck. He tried again to make her back away, but he was utterly powerless. And it got worse when he felt the vampires closing on him, some even grabbing him too and keeping him in place.

“I spent the last months,” Camille continued, undeterred, “thinking about the best way to make you never forget who I am, my love. And what a delight it was when I heard about your… predicament.” She smiled, all teeth and malice.

And for the first time in his life, Magnus truly, really feared Camille. Not how she could break his heart again or break his mind. But how she could taint his soul.

How she could change him in a permanent way.

Magnus feared Camille the same way he once feared Asmodeus.

Both whom he loved once, in his innocence, with all his heart.

Both whom had the power to corrupt and manipulate him.

Asmodeus took away his identity as a warlock and made him mundane.

If Camille changed him too… If she turned him from a mundane into a… a…

No, no, no, no. Please, no.

“A-Alec…” Magnus moaned, desperate to escape Camille’s clutches.

“No!” She snarled, forcefully grabbing his chin and cutting his skin with her long nails. “You won’t say the name of that cursed Nephilim. I swear to you, my love, I’m still going to rip him apart and leave the pieces on your doormat.”

At that, some fire returned to Magnus’ eyes and he tried to fight the vampires’ hold on him.

“Leave him out of it! I won’t let-”

A sharp pain cut him off, rattling him to the core.

They bit him. One of the vampires bit his left wrist.

“Tsk…” Camille cut her thumb with one of her canines, and swiped it on Magnus’ lower lip, smearing her blood there. “You know, at first I hated the fact that my encanto never worked on you. Your blood, royal blood,” she sneered, “prevented me from having full control of your body. But in the end, I really didn’t need it, did I? You were always so… willing for me, my sweetling.” Her voice suddenly turned soft, giving the worst kind of goosebumps to Magnus. “So, so eager to please me. So starved for my touch and love.”

“Stop…” Magnus tried to fight again, but was already feeling dizzy due to blood loss.

“Never.” Camille grinned, then kissed him forcefully. Her canines not only cut his lips, but her own, and soon it became a mess of tongues and blood until Magnus’ body sagged, all pliant and submissive due to the feeding. It was also enough for the other vampires to take action, biting him in different places - forearms, arms, shoulders, belly, hips, legs.

They drank and drank and drank until Magnus’ sun-kissed skin became dull and sick.

Meanwhile, Camille still touched him, still fed him with blood and marked him with her lips and teeth.

Her own feast and revenge after all that time in the Gard because of Magnus’ betrayal.

"We are going to be equals now.”

She purred after stopping for a second.

Thump… Thump…

“In all ways that matter.”

She grabbed Magnus’ neck again.

Thump… Thu…

“You’ll finally accept that you’ll only have me for the rest of your life."

She broke it.

Th-

~*~

Present

Alec was certain he was going to lose his damn mind. Magnus wasn’t picking up his phone - and later Alec found it forgotten on their bed. His boyfriend had disappeared to Raziel knows where, and he hadn’t even bothered to take his phone with him. Alec had already looked for Magnus in the entire Institute before deciding to call Catarina and ask for help to track him. Usually, Alec didn’t like to bother her, especially knowing how busy she was with the hospital shifts and taking care of Madzie. But it was an emergency and Cat was Magnus’ best friend.

Alec was about to say fuck it all and go after Jace, who he knew was helping Izzy to find a way to free Clary from Jonathan and that cursed rune bonding them both, and ask his brother to do the parabatai tracking with him, when his phone suddenly went off.

At seeing who was the caller, Alec didn’t think twice and took the call.

“Catarina? Did you find him?”

Silence.

A pause.

Alec fucking hated pauses. He was raised by politicians, he worked with politicians. He dreaded pauses, they were always accompanied by some unwanted news.

You did a good job, but. A pause. It’s not enough. We need more and you aren’t the best for what we have in mind.

Your sister just came back from patrol. A pause. She is in the infirmary. There was a demon nest our intel didn’t know about.

Stop, Lightwood. A pause. You are dismissed, and you aren’t allowed to leave the jurisdiction until everything is cleared. Another pause. We don’t need you.

“ Yes. ” Alec felt relief for a moment, but it didn’t escape his ears how strained Cat’s voice was. She has been crying.

“What aren't you telling me?”

One fact about Catarina Loss? She was a no-nonsense type of person. And centuries of working with patients gave her the steeliness necessary to deliver news with clinical accuracy, even if it was something about her best friend.

“ Magnus was murdered, Alec. ”

Alec’s phone slipped through his fingers, falling onto the hard stone floor of the Institute.

The screen cracked.

Alec’s heart shattered.

~*~

The sun was setting when the portal snapped shut behind Alec. However, he couldn’t pay attention to his surroundings. His instincts were telling him he was in a safe place, and he had a vague notion of smelling wet grass and flowers. The area wasn’t a blurry of blacks and yellows and grays from New York, but of greens and browns and purples of… somewhere.

Honestly, he didn’t care about where he was. He didn’t care about the place. He didn’t care about the time or the weather. He couldn’t even pay attention to Catarina, who was standing on the side, silently crying.

No, Alec couldn’t pay attention to anything else but the mound of dirt and the marble tombstone right in front of him.

Nothing but the name sparkling in blue and gold.

Magnus Bane

Alec has fought many demons in his life. Has survived many nightmares. Has knocked on death’s door more than once.

But never… He never felt more terrified and desperate than in that moment.

Alec thought he knew horror. That he knew pain and loss.

But…

“I was the one supposed to go first…” He whispered, his voice cracking. “Not you. Never you. Magnus…”

Magnus.

My Magnus.

He fell on his knees over the dirt and let his forehead touch the cold stone. The omamori charm he had gifted Magnus was also there. He grabbed it, and started pounding it against his chest.

Hard.

To hurt.

To overpower the visceral pain inside.

“You were supposed to bring luck and protection for him.” His voice cracked. “Then why you didn’t? Why did you fail?”

Why did I fail?

Harder.

Magnus.

Harder.

Come back, please.

Don’t leave me. Don’t go, please.

Magnus…

Please.

Magnus.

Magnus…

HARDER.

Alec screamed.

He screamed all his pain until the last sunshine blinked away and the beginning of an endless night came.

#shmb2023 #shadowhunters #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #my writing #colorfulwarlock

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ab-cedario · 4 years

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kravkalackin · 3 years

Text

Lup was pretty sure she had a crush on the Red Robe.

It wasn’t her fault, and she didn’t think anyone could really blame her for it. She hadn’t even realized it was a thing at first. Her breath speeding up, her heart racing, palms getting sweaty, those were all things that she could chalk up to fear just as much as she could to anything else. It would have made more sense for it to be fear.

He was a floating robed skeleton who spoke in ominous whispers and foretold the end of days. Fear was the appropriate response.

It just wasn’t her response.

And other than the aforementioned factors, the Red Robe really wasn’t building up the fear factor.

The first time they saw him had been in Captain Captain Bane’s office, and it had been plenty spooky at first. Then he had turned to her, and the carefully constructed mask had broken.

“This is your... this is... uh,” he stumbled out, and Lup couldn’t help but smile nervously.

“You good dog?” she asked, and she was pretty sure the specter was nodding.

“Yeah, I just, uh, somehow managed to forget just how beautiful you are in person,” he said, the words coming out like he wasn’t thinking about what he was saying. Lup could feel all the blood rush to her cheeks, and she didn’t even feel beautiful right now. They had just finished the race, she was covered in dust and her hair and clothes were a mess, but despite that he seemed entirely sincere. The Red Robe only seemed to realize what he’d said when Magnus fucking wolf whistled.

“I’m sorry, did you just hit on my sister?” Taako asked, sounding equal parts confused and offended.

“I uh- this is your first lesson! Bye!” the Red Robe shouted, disappearing in a burst of flames and man, Lup would have liked to learn that move.

“Well, that was freaky. You good Lu?” Taako asked, and she quickly nodded, trying to will her face into a lighter shade of red.

“I’m good. About time someone realizes I’m the better looking twin,” she said, getting an offended huff from her brother.

It kept on like that, every time they saw the Red Robe. It wasn’t like it was often, and he wasn’t like, inappropriate with her. It just seemed like he couldn’t help but blurt out some sort of compliment every time he saw her.

If Lup didn’t know better, she’d say that the Red Robe had a crush on her.

Except well, Lup didn’t know better. There was nothing to say that he didn’t have one, and there was certainly nothing to say she didn’t have one back at this point.

She was down planet side now, not for a mission. She got a little stir-crazy on the moon from time to time, and now was one of those times. So she decided she was going to go down, buy some groceries and surprise everyone with dinner. It felt like a good day after all, it felt like a day where she should be doing something.

She was walking through the market when she felt a swirl of magic around her hand. When she looked down, she was holding a rose.

“That’s-” she started, quickly looking around. She almost didn’t see him, she wasn’t even sure if she was supposed to, but as soon as she caught sight of the flash of red in the alley she went sprinting after him. He was halfway down it when she got there.

“Wait! Did you do this?” she asked, holding up the flower. The Red Robe spun around, somehow managing to look sheepish.

“Sorry. You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to,” he said, and Lup couldn’t help but smile at that.

“You’ve got a thing for me, don’t you?” she asked, and the Red Robe actually laughed at that.

“I figured that part was obvious,” he said, and so it was true. Sure, Lup expected, but somehow she didn’t think he’d just be so... upfront about it. Before she could think of some sort of witty response he continued. “I don’t expect you to feel the same, not... not like this. But I hope you might at least appreciate it.”

“And uh, let’s say hypothetically, I did feel the same way, what then?” Lup asked, and the Red Robe somehow managed to look like he was beaming.

“Oh? Well uh, hypothetically, I would love to take you on a date sometime,” he said, and this was a bad idea. This was a bad idea and if anyone ever found out she would probably be loved in a secret dungeon in the bureau for the rest of her life.

“You busy now?” she asked, and the Red Robe shook his head.

“I think I could squeeze you into my busy schedule of uh, being spooky, and floating ominously,” he said, getting a laugh out of Lup.

“What are we waiting for them?” she asked, and she knew this was a huge mistake. She wasn’t dumb, she knew this could be a trick. It should be a trick.

Despite that, she still found herself smiling as she held out her hand. When he took it with his own, barely there and phantasmal, Lup could feel her heart wanting to beat out of chest, feeling giddy and nervous and... right.

She was in love with the Red Robe, and despite everything that felt right.

#taz #blupjeans #lup #barry bluejeans #long post #btw barry gave her the rose cause it's their anniversary #lup was feeling restless cause its their anniversary

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bistortion-29 · 3 years

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The reason why I enjoy hearing or reading about queer characters is that, it truly fascinates me. Not the whole 'how can they be gay thing' but the whole 'they are gay and they have a significant other.' Like these people didn't care. They loved another person truly and wholly without giving a single fuck. And despite the rules and norms of the society, they choose to love. I can never do that. I can never be that brave to risk everything else I have for just one person. They wrote letters, they allowed the world to know. And they didn't care.

Like the sonnets Shakespeare wrote for a mysterious young man. Like Oscar Wilde and Alfred Douglas. The letters between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. The letters between John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton. The letters between Emily Dickinson and Susan Gilbert.

I love the fictional characters as well. Who literally risk everything and overcome fears of their own to love. Alec was a shadow hunter and he fell in love with Magnus WHO WAS A WARLOCK and married him. Nico di Angelo who was born in the 1940s where being gay meant living on the streets fell in love with Will Solace. Henry was a freaking Prince, yet he wrote such pure, raw, unadulterated words for Alex. Jude went through so much in his life and yet he allowed Willem to love him. Ari and Dante lived during a time where being gay was fatal; Dante was attacked in the book and Ari's brother killed a prostitute after finding out that they were trans. Oliver came from a conservative family and still loved Elio. These couples would have had doubts and apprehensions but they still loved each other and didn't care.

Here are some iconic quotes;

"I must see you soon — you are the divine thing I want." And. "...it is a marvel that those red rose-leaf lips of yours should be made no less for the madness of music and song than for the madness of kissing. Your slim gilt soul walks between passion and poetry. I know Hyacinthus, whom Apollo loved so madly, was you in Greek days." Oscar Wilde to Alfred Douglas.

"You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent." Alexander Hamilton to John Laurens.

"I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia...you have broken down my defences. And I don’t really resent it." Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf.

"Do I repine, is it all murmuring, or am I sad and lone, and cannot, cannot help it? Sometimes when I do feel so, I think it may be wrong, and that God will punish me by taking you away; for he is very kind to let me write to you, and to give me your sweet letters, but my heart wants more." Emily Dickinson to Susan Gilbert.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Shakespeare.

"You could give me the past," he said a little sadly. "But Alec is my future." Magnus Bane, City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare.

"Nico, I've seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest." Jason Grace to Nico di Angelo, House of Hades by Rick Riordan.

"Should I tell you that when we're apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your waist, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake up in the morning, it feels like I've just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?" Prince Henry of Wales to Alex Claremont-Diaz the First son, Red White & Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston.

"You were treated horribly. You came out on the other end. You were always you.”

"And who are you?"

"I'm Willem Ragnarsson. And I will never let you go." Willem Ragnarsson to Jude St. Francis, A Little Life by Hanya Yanahigara.

"How could I have ever been ashamed of loving Dante Quintana?" Aristotle Mendoza in Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sàenz.

"I could spend the rest of my life like this: with him, at night, in Rome, my eyes totally shut, one leg coiled around his. I thought of coming back here in the weeks or months to come—for this was our spot." Elio from Call me by your name by Andrè Aciman.

Of course there are many more real and fictional couples, feel free to comment some.

As I said, I know not whether it is the place that I live or my own upbringing. But I will maybe allow myself to silently feel but I would never have the courage to love like these people. Those who receive love are both weak and strong but those who love are stronger than anyone else.

- midnight rants.

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erricdraven · 3 years

Note

ooooh okay 11 recovering from an illness/injury + T secret relationship + 34 “Is that blood?” pretty please ❤❤❤❤

i was immediately inspired by this and i hope it does your request justice! thank you lovely! x

READ ON AO3

If Alec were a different person, he wouldn’t be in this situation at all. It didn’t do any good to think such things, but he did.

If it weren’t for his secret relationship with Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, he wouldn’t have been on his way to a clandestine dinner date on the other side of town. If he hadn’t been on his way across town for dinner, he wouldn’t have come across the pack of rabid hellhounds. And if he hadn’t come across the pack of rabid hellhounds, he would never have ended up leaning against the locked doors of Nightingale Towers bleeding profusely from a particularly deep wound in his side.

Fumbling for the call button with a blood-slick hand, he managed to press the one emblazoned with “PH1” in delicate gold print. For a few seconds, there was silence.

“Fuck,” Alec exhaled, swaying on his feet from the horrible combination of exhaustion and dizziness washing over him.

He hadn’t actually thought about what he would do if Magnus couldn’t help him; now it seemed totally idiotic not to have come up with a plan B. After all, to Magnus it must have appeared that Alec had stood him up only a week after an argument in which Magnus had accused him of being unwilling to make time for their relationship. If he ended up having to drag himself to the subway, he would only have thirty minutes to come up with a believable explanation as to why he had snuck out late in the evening without telling a soul to go to some dive in Queens.

Suddenly, Magnus’ voice crackled through the speaker. “Who is it?”

“Magnus, it’s me.”

A terse sigh echoed in the vestibule. “Is there something you want, shadowhunter?”

Even just shifting his weight to make for the door made Alec feel as though he very well might pass out. “Look, I know you’re pissed at me and maybe in a way I deserve it, but I—” The low whoosh of a portal opening interrupted him, materializing next to him. With the little bit of strength he could muster, Alec half-stepped, half-fell through it. His legs buckled beneath him when he landed on the pristine carpet of the loft, and he errantly hoped he hadn’t stained it.

“You couldn’t be bothered to call, yet you—” Magnus trailed off abruptly, and Alec forced himself to look up at him even as his vision swam. He looked disappointed. And angry. But once their eyes met, both dissipated to be replaced by shock. “Is that blood?”

Alec tried to answer but all that came out was some kind of incoherent murmur, and he felt his body tipping forward as the floor rushed up to meet him.

When next he opened his eyes, Magnus was leaning over him with a look of consternation as pale blue pulses of magic emanated from his palms. His necklaces spilled over Alec’s chest, a cold brush along his now bare sternum. “Hey,” he managed to rasp.

“Shh.” Magnus spared him only a glance, his gaze soft with sympathy that Alec almost felt guilty to be the intended recipient of. “You need to lie still for me, Alexander.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but ultimately held his tongue until Magnus had secured gauze over the raw but healing skin. “I’m sorry I missed our date. It wasn’t intentional; I swear on the Angel, Magnus.”

Pursing his lips, Magnus finally sat back and looked at him. Alec couldn’t swallow down the lump that rose in his throat at the sadness that softened his eyes and turned down the corners of his mouth.

From the first time he laid eyes on Brooklyn’s esteemed high warlock, Alec was enchanted. At first, it didn’t occur to him to be concerned that the man in question was a downworlder, that he was a man at all. It didn’t occur to him that this was someone with a reputation that preceded him, and spanned lifetimes. It didn’t even occur to him that he was the furthest thing from qualified to speak about feelings. All he knew was that his heart was beating hard enough that it might break his rib cage apart and he couldn’t care less so long as he didn’t have to look away just yet.

He should have known better than to think he could endeavor to have anything so exquisite.

“I was on my way to meet you when I got ambushed by rabid hellhounds. I tried to call you but the battery was dead, so it was all I could do to get here, to you. I’m sorry, Magnus, I didn’t know what else to do. Maybe I should have just—”

“I’m not mad that you missed dinner tonight,” Magnus cut him off softly. “I’m very glad you made it here in one piece. It certainly made my job easier. With some rest and being responsible about your activity, you’ll be good as new in a few days.” Standing up, he made for the drinks cart and skimmed his hands, caked in dried blood, over a few glass decanters before choosing one.

Alec hesitated for a moment, sitting up against the arm of the couch gingerly. “But you’re upset.” Magnus made no move to reply, instead downing three fingers of whiskey in one swallow and leaving the ice to clink against the bottom of the glass. “We don’t have to do this to each other, Magnus. I know that I started it, so maybe it’s my job to be the hypocrite. You take a step forward and I take a step back; you move to follow and I walk away. It…it fucking sucks.”

“God help me, I care for you. Very deeply, Alexander,” Magnus exhaled shakily.

“But I’m—”

“For better or worse, I lo—I feel inexorably connected to you,” he continued as though Alec hadn’t spoken at all. The taught lines of Magnus’ back made appear as a man made of marble. And he felt just as unreachable to Alec. “And this is what you are. Being a shadowhunter will always be your priority, and I respect that you have made your decision to continue down that path, but it’s not one where I can follow alongside you. I can’t be happy only seeing you when a lie is convenient and buys you some time, or when you’re beaten half to death and I’m left with your blood on my hands. I very well might love you, angel, and in another life maybe it would be enough, but we don’t have the luxury of a simple solution.”

Feeling his throat start to close as he fought back tears, Alec forced himself to his feet and took a few steps towards Magnus. His hands, always so steady whether they wielded a blade or an arrow, or grew mottled with bruises blooming dark beneath his skin, were now trembling and there was nothing he could do to stop. It felt as though he were walking towards the precipice of a vast chasm that was ready to swallow him whole, and the longer Magnus’ words hung over them like a dark cloud, the closer he got to falling in head first.

“I was scared,” Alec blurted out. It wasn’t exactly where he had intended to start, but at this point, it hardly mattered. “I was scared that if I made room for someone in my life, in my…in my heart too, that then what I’ve been running from for so long would catch up to ruin everything. I’ve never been as close to happy as I am with you, and I know the minute I let this become anything more than some kind of stupidly perfect life I’ve built up in my head, it wouldn’t be safe anymore. That’s something I should have been honest with you about, though, and I see that now. I—I’m sorry.”

“Alec—”

Holding up a hand, he continued. “If I don’t say all of this now, I’m going to lose my nerve and I don’t know if I could live with the consequences. Look, Magnus, you were right to be frustrated with me, and I’m mad at myself too. But if it’s not too late, if you can still find it in your heart to give me a chance to make this right, I would do anything to deserve it.”

For a few agonizing moments, Magnus expression was unreadable. And then he spoke.

“I hear relationships take effort.”

Alec inclined his head slightly, a tentative smile starting to play at his lips. “I’m all for effort.”

>> PROMPT LIST

#cuubism #malec #shfanficnexus #bytheangell #sharona1x2 #thatnerdemeryn #shadowhunters #alec lightwood #magnus bane #otp: we always seem to find our way back to each other #mywriting

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alexanderlightweight · 1 year

Note

Prompt: faked death

thank you for the prompt anon!

i hope you enjoy

Aldertree looks over Alexander’s body with a grimace of distaste, as if hadn’t believed Jace’s frantic screams when he’d finally stormed into the Institute. He’d been far too late to save Alexander and so Magnus had done what he could and needed to do, to save Alexander. Which also means that now, Alexander is about to be believed dead by every living being besides Magnus.

After all, he no longer has a parabatai bond and that is proof enough.

“I’m still owed a debt.” Magnus reminds Aldertree with a vicious smirk and the man twitches, panic entering his gaze. He doesn’t want to be the reason the clave has to pay Magnus Bane an outrageous amount and Magnus is going to use Aldertree’s shortsighted disdain against him. “I want to keep Alexander’s body, to be buried by my own customs. I already know I won’t be allowed to be there for any rituals that concern him. Would it be such a big deal, for Raziel to miss out on just one soul, out of so many?”

Aldertree is wavering, between his disdain for the idea and wanting to be as cheap as possible.

“It’s not as if his body couldn’t be lost on the way back to the Institute.” Magnus murmurs and creates a scroll in the air, “don’t you think the clave would prefer this? Rather than paying something like moonflower waterlilies from Lake Lynne.”

Aldertree swallows and signs the contract as soon as he finishes reading it and then he turns and leaves. Magnus wonders how many of his men will survive the trip back to the Institute and then he laughs, throwing the thought away.

Alexander is dead to the rest of the world now and no one will come for him. It’s time for Magnus to move his location and set his wards to keep pesky nephilim out and his own precious one in.

—

Magnus relocates them to the middle of Brooklyn, and he sets up his loft on the leylines, a quick portal away from Pandemonium and easy to tap into the magic there. Alexander will be protected here, and Magnus isn’t sure how much magic it’s going to take to finish healing the cauterized piece of Alexander’s missing soul. It was killing him, so Magnus had cut away the poison and cauterized it with hellfire.

Perhaps, it was cruel of him to end things like this. But Magnus isn’t sure how long it will take alexander to wake and he’s much more concerned with his boy surviving. Magnus also wants to get some time and distance between them and Alexander’s haunting pain at the realization that Jace hadn’t come through for him. It’s the kind of pain Magnus can never allow him to suffer again, and it’s why he’s doing what he is.

Alexander is going to wake up healed and hale and whole and Magnus is going to make sure he stays that way.

Magnus slowly feeds Alexander the potion that will restore him back and take him out of such an intense stasis. He’s preserved still, healing as time works its power along with Magnus’ magic. Alexander’s soul needs time to reconnect with it’s body and so Magnus will make sure that he has it, no matter what that takes.

#shadowhunters #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #lumine writes #magnus bane #alec lightwood #malec #shadowhunters au #my fanfics #my ficlets #my fics

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bytheangell · 3 years

Text

Hanging By a Moment

Whumptober 2020 prompt: held at gunpoint (Read on AO3)

Magnus is standing alone outside the restaurant when, through the thin fabric of his shirt, he feels the distinct press of cold metal against his back. Every muscle in his body tenses at once - he doesn’t need to be able to see what it is to instinctively know what’s happening.

“Don’t move, don’t yell,” a deep voice orders, then waits a few seconds to make sure Magnus is going to comply. He does, remaining silent and still. “Now turn around, hands where I can see them. Don’t try anything stupid.”

Magnus does as he’s told, but very slowly, trying to buy himself time to think. A million thoughts rush through his mind, but two stand out more than the others. The first is that Alec is going to walk outside and see this, and that is not going to go well. The second is that he’s in real danger here. Actual, life-threatening danger, from something so goddamn mundane as a street robbery.

On any other day - hell, even on this day about four hours prior - Magnus could’ve used his magic to easily disarm a mundane man with a gun. But now, after using every last drop of his magic between a demanding spell for a client and a surprise demon attack he hadn’t expected to help the Shadowhunters with, Magnus is tapped out. That’s why he’s walking home with Alec instead of portaling, and why they’re buying food on the way instead of snapping it into the apartment, ready to go.

Magnus isn’t sure he'd be able to flick the weapon away if he tried, and he certainly couldn’t raise a solid enough barrier in front of him if the man shoots.

Apparently, Magnus isn’t turning fast enough: rough hands grab him by the shoulder and force Magnus around to face his assailant. It’s already difficult to see in the dark, with the neon of the restaurant sign the only light between distant streetlamps. Whoever it is only has their eyes visible, the rest of their face obscured by a hat and bandana tied over their nose and mouth - not that Magnus is paying much attention to aesthetics. His eyes are drawn to the barrel of the gun pointed at him instead, and he wonders if this is how his centuries of life will come to an end. Decades of war and battles and standing up against more injustices than he can list, facing down other warlocks, werewolves and vampires and Nephilim and literal demons… he survived all of that, and a mundane being hard-up for cash may be what finally ends the life of Magnus Bane.

“I don’t have much on me,” Magnus admits, which is true. “There’s some cash in my wallet. I can grab it for you-” Magnus lowers his hands to reach for his wallet, only to pull them back up by his head when the man takes a step closer.

“No! Hands up,” the robber says, just as the door behind Magnus opens and he tenses all over again, knowing exactly who walked out.

“Alexander, darling, I’m going to advise you to stay there, please.” It takes every last ounce of self-control for him to not turn back around and look at Alec.

Magnus hears Alec take a step forward anyway, and the gun shifts from Magnus to a spot over his shoulder, which is exactly what Magnus was afraid of. The gunman is jumpy now, outnumbered even though Magnus’ hands are empty and Alec’s are full of takeout bags.

“How about we all take a second and calm down,” Magnus advises, partially for his own benefit considering the fact that his heartbeat has doubled, if not tripled, in pace since Alec stepped outside. At least now the gun is trained back on him instead of Alec.

Magnus isn’t sure if Alec’s strength and speed runes are active from the fight still, or if he’d have time to activate them or be able to beat a bullet if he tries to make a move. What Magnus is sure of is that he’d rather not find out the answer.

He’s very aware that having a gun aimed at him being the best option is not saying much for the current situation.

“Magnus-” Alec’s voice is strained and frightened, and Magnus is actually glad he can’t see his face right now because he isn’t sure he could handle whatever expression he’d find there. He can probably count on one hand the number of times he’s seen Alec visibly ruffled, and every time was over an injured sibling. It’s a look he doesn’t think he could stomach seeing on Alec here and now, because of him, and especially not if Magnus being the cause of Alec’s worry makes him try something foolishly heroic.

“I’m fine,” Magnus cuts in, not wanting the attention back on Alec. “We’re all fine. Just take the goddamn wallet and go,” Magnus snaps, now also on edge in a way he wasn’t before Alec was in danger, too. Magnus nods toward his right side and the man, gun still in hand, steps forward to reach into Magnus’ pants pocket and pull out the wallet.

Magnus is conscious of the sound of bags crackling behind him, Alec’s grip on them likely tightening anxiously. He doesn’t turn around to confirm and instead keeps a neutral, placating expression that never leaves the masked man.

The robber eyes them both, maybe wondering what else he can get off the two of them, when the sound of voices at the other end of the street spook him, and he takes off instead.

Magnus watches him go until he’s certain the guy isn’t going to change his mind and turn back around, and then in a very undignified moment his knees go weak and Alec drops the takeout bags to the ground to catch Magnus before he falls.

“Magnus!” Alec says, supporting Magnus before moving them both to a bench a few feet away. “Are you alright?”

“Physically, yes. My pride, on the other hand-” Magnus tries to joke, but the tremor in his voice gives away how shaken up by the event he truly is.

“Let me call Cat, she can portal us home and-”

“No,” Magnus says, shaking his head. “No, I’m fine. I think that was just a moment of shock. I just… need a minute.”

“You’re shaking,” Alec points out as if Magnus isn’t aware. His hands are trembling as much as his legs even though he’s sitting down. “I should-”

“One fucking minute, Alexander, please,” Magnus snaps, and Alec falls silent and still beside him. Magnus takes a few deep breaths, willing his body to stop betraying him like this.

“I’m sorry,” are the first words he says once his voice is level again, his pulse no longer racing. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“I shouldn’t have pushed,” Alec dismisses. “What do you need?”

They’ve had this talk before, when Magnus needs a moment to think something through before making an important decision, even if it’s an emergency, or when he’s upset and needs a moment to distance himself from whatever’s upsetting him before reacting. Having people toss out offers and suggestions is too overwhelming - asking him what he needs seems to work best, which is exactly what Alec does now.

They’re both going through an ordeal, and Magnus obviously doesn’t blame Alec for being a little too insistent in trying to help him.

“Nothing. I really just needed a moment,” Magnus promises. He’s fine. Alec’s fine. He won’t miss the wallet or the money inside (though he will miss several of the personal photos kept within). He’s safe, and Alec is safe, and that’s all that matters.

“I wouldn’t have let him hurt you, Magnus,” Alec says, bringing a hand up to cup Magnus’ cheek so he’s forced to look at him, to see the serious expression on his face and the weight of that promise. “I hung back because you said to, but if he made a move…” Alec takes a deep breath to keep himself from getting too worked up over what-ifs. “You know I’ll always protect you, Magnus.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Magnus mutters under his breath, not really meaning for Alec to hear him but the words come out a bit louder than he intends in his bitterness.

“Of course I should-” “I should be able to protect myself! Hell, I should be able to protect both of us, and instead, I was useless back there!” Magnus says, and though his tone is sharp it’s obviously not anger aimed at Alec, but at himself.

“You weren’t useless,” Alec insists. “You de-escalated a situation that could’ve ended with someone hurt, or dead. And the only reason your magic is tapped out is because you came to protect me earlier. I don’t know about you, but none of that seems particularly ‘useless’ to me.”

Magnus knows there’s truth to Alec’s words, even if he can’t bring himself to feel properly comforted by them - not while his fight-or-flight instincts are still on high alert on the city street, half-expecting the man to come back and prove Magnus right by finishing what he started.

Magnus’ eyes drift to the bags of takeout on the pavement, the contents of the broken containers soaking through the bag and spilling out onto the ground. “Looks like we need new food,” he frowns. “But…”

“What is it?” Alec asks.

It feels ridiculous to admit that he’s still shaken up enough that the idea of staying out longer without his magic is seriously distressing. He knows Alec won’t judge, but at this point, Magnus is judging himself. He’s better than this - he should be better than this. He’s been in situations like this before, situations much more dangerous than the one he was just in... but never without his magic, and that’s what makes all the difference. Sure, Alec probably could’ve taken the guy, but it’s the fact that Magnus couldn’t - that he froze in the moment - that bothers him.

“I don't particularly want to be out any longer than we have to right now,” Magnus confesses. “I don’t want a portal,” he adds quickly because as uncomfortable as he is, they're only a few blocks away at this point. Realistically, he knows that standing next to Alec makes the chance of anyone trying to get the jump on the both of them much more unlikely. “But I’d rather not make any detours.”

Alec hesitates slightly, and Magnus knows him well enough to know he’s debating suggesting they call Cat again despite Magnus’ insistence not to. It’d be endearing if Magnus’ nerves weren’t frayed to the point of snapping.

“If that’s what you want,” Alec agrees at length, resigning himself to following Magnus’ lead whether he agrees with it or not. “We aren’t far from the Loft, let’s get back and order delivery?” Alec offers. He doesn’t stand to leave yet, waiting for Magnus to answer first before doing anything.

“Yeah, okay,” Magnus agrees, standing up from the bench. His legs still feel a little shaky, but he doesn’t wobble. “That sounds good.”

Alec wraps his arm around Magnus’ waist and pulls him in close, an action that’s equal parts protective and comforting. For a moment Magnus nearly pulls away, instinctively wanting to prove that he’s fine enough to handle himself again. And he is… except he doesn’t want to pull away.

Instead, Magnus allows himself to lean into the touch, embracing those feelings of support and safety and doing his best not to feel weak for needing them.

#malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters #tsc #tw: gun #cw: gun #IT'S A HAPPY ENDING I SWEAR #continuing to yeet these whumptober prompts from months ago out into the void so I don't look at them every day in my WIPs folder jkfljdskl #long post #elle writes a few deadbeat lines

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onetimetwotimesthreetimess · 2 years

Note

I can not with the emotional journey of this chapter. Everyone in this chapter just losing their shit (including me). This some magical stuff, kudos to you 🙌🏾 So glad we got more info about the engagement! Some other things I found interesting…

What would a world look like without Alexander Lightwood?

This was so intriguing for me because we saw just how much Alec’s existence weaves seamlessly into the deepest parts of Magnus. The fact that he kept checking his own heart to remind himself that Alec can never truly die. That even if he has to face the fact that Alec is no longer physically here, he will always live on within Magnus. Of course though, we saw Magnus avoid even that, pushing away every notion of his sanctuary being invaded by fear and rather pretending like everything was okay. Waiting for the daily flowers, reminding himself Alec will call back, watching old videos, shutting down and clinging to every fragment of Alec that exists in his life. I think it really confirmed that to Magnus, Alec is not just the man he loves, he is essence of harmony within him. He helps to keep him strong, shows him love Magnus thought he never deserved, protects his most vulnerable self, worships every part of Magnus’ existence. Magnus has become so dependent on that steady flow of peace in his life, that without it he knows no other life. I think that’s why he held on so tight, there is no happy Magnus Bane without the love of Alexander Lightwood.

Magnus’ anger

On the other hand seeing Magnus completely flip was wild. Just all that anxiety and fear he buried erupting and burning every person in its path. I think Magnus’ anger really came from this place of feeling so exposed by his love. He knew that there was every reality Alec could be taken from him but he was never truly falls for how vulnerable it would make him feel. That he would lose that sense of safety he had taken so long to find for himself. I also think it’s the powerlessness of knowing there was nothing he could do to bring Alec home to him, there is nothing he can do to erase the pain and emptiness he feels inside. I also think his anger and him being horrible to his friends and Alec’s family was this way of avoiding his feelings of abandonment (losing his mum). Never really having a stable home, finally finding one for that love to be taken from him. Him acting out is this combination of denial, self loathing, pity, guilt and escapism. Using alcohol, erasing Alec’s possessions, lashing out, avoiding his job, denying himself happiness to distance himself from the pain. To him it’s like punishing himself for ever having hope that things will be different, being done with trying to satisfy others, losing that piece of himself that was bound to Alec. No wonder our poor baby runs, he never truly had someone to teach him to stay and fight or have a love worth believing in until Alec.

I finally found someone I love and want to spend the rest of my life with

Okay after this line I can totally understand by Alec ran in to save Imasu. Not just because his self sacrificial and felt guilty about sleeping with Imasu’s fiancé. I also think a part of him was like ‘I took that away from Magnus’ (marriage) and now he has found someone to have a married life with that can be there for him in ways I never could. In a way this is almost like an extended apology? Not just for declining Magnus’ proposal but also for all the horrible things he said and for breaking Magnus’ heart so many times. Showing Magnus that he wants him to be happy even if it can’t be with Alec.

“Magnus. Hi. Hi, baby.”

The honest cutest 🥹🥹🥹. I’m so ready for the hurt/comfort next chapter. Someone’s gonna ugly cry and it’s prob gonna be me.

Other notable mentions

- Magnus’ friends and the Lightwoods showing him forgiveness and acceptance. Working together to support him and keep him safe.

- Alec’s speech to his squad. Always putting other people’s safety and happiness first. His heart is so beautiful.

- Malec arguing during a literal fire. omg some Shakespeare shit istg.

- Alec channeling his inner TK to go rescue Imasu (chaotiqqqqqq)

(Nathan is the one Imasu is in love with? Right right? I’m so ready for that explanation cause all these mf dumb af 🙃)

Take care lovely Eeshu! 💃🏽

This was an emotional roller coaster while writing too. I got so many feels while writing this too—especially at the end.

If someone asks me an explanation of every character’s reasoning—I’ll show them THIS ASK.

YOU SAID EVERYTHING BEAUTIFULLY LIKE ALWAYS. Both about Magnus and Alec. Magnus felt a deep sense of loss—about Alec, their future. He felt helpless and self-destructed. Everything came together and Magnus did a whole 180 from him usual self. It was very human of him.

P.S. And yes. Nathan is the one Imasu is in love with. wait what?? I gotta cook up some explanation too? can we all pls pretend like I already did that lmao.

P.P.S. Bold of you to assume there’s any hurt/comfort in the next chapter. Shits gonna get worse homies sksbahskwkw

#have a great day love #LRHWY #Mia boo

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khaleesiofalicante · 2 years

Note

"You didn’t say goodbye. And a part of me believes that means you are coming back" - Unknown

Malec getting back together and talking and being mature is soooo damn beautiful!!! I can't believe its been three years!!!

Magnus impulse purchashing an apartment is a mood kdjdkdjdkd

My Lightwood and Herondale babes are so in love with them💙💙💙

God, all this malec fluff made me sooooo happy!! I love them!!! <3333

Communication is so fucking sexy!!!

"Tell them you’re mine.” ✨SCREAMING✨

“I…I’ve never had one before,” Magnus says quietly. “An apartment?” “A home.” I'M GOING TO CRY BYE

He wants to learn how to be alone with his thoughts. For me those fuckers keep me company 24/7 kdhdkdk

I'm so proud of him🥺

Magnus looks down at himself. He smiles. “How do I look?” “You look like the rest of my life,” Alec replies. PLEASE JDHDKFBFLFJ

HE GOT HIM CHAIRMAIN MEOW😭😭😭 THAT SCENE>>>

I love this gang!! They are all just so chaotic, Simon being all stressed about the play, Alec being jealous of Magnus, Jace being ready to take anyone down, Izzy being the queen she is😎 I'M LOVE THEM!!

“The downside of being famous. People look at me too much,” Magnus interrupts. “But guess who I’m looking at?” 🥺💙💙💙💙

“Jesus Christ,” Izzy swears. “Precisely,” Jace nods. KDHSIBDODKD OMG

ITS MAX!! AND THE WAY HE CALMS DOWN WHEN ALEC HOLDS HIM😭😭😭 I AM EMOTIONS OK?!?!

Maia and Lily are kinda right. Its everything Alec and Magnus represent, and how much they can be an inspiration

God, Max is so fucking intelligent!!! And the subliminal messaging was a power move!!! HIM>>>>

BURN SOME RICH INDEED😎

Some things are hard to change because some things are hard to notice. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT YALL!!

THE FUCKING PHOTOSHOT!! FUCK!! HOLY SHIT!! IT WAS AMAZING, TALENTED, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING- Also, they are so fucking horny for each other its hilarious😂😂😂

All the tweets are ✨FUCKING GOLD✨ And yes Magnus is Alec's religion dont @ me 😌

@alecforgovernor I think the whole photoshoot is peak symbolism. Alec is going to get rid of all the bullshit in our state government the way magnus got rid of his pants in this essay I will-

@malecmybeloved the way alec is looking at magnus in the Gucci cover is literally the same face he had in that photo of him at church in conclusion magnus bane is alec’s god thank you for coming to my ted talk

I want these two to come back and elaborate jdhdkdj

Alec smiles at him. “Some days I love you so much it keeps me up at night.” CAN YOU NOT SIR?!?!? 🥺😭💙

Alec cares so much and the kids and Magnus being there to remind him of his ability is literally everything I need in my life!!!

Not the congressman and the model. Just Alec and Magnus. Idk why but I loved this!!

#Madir forever. Rip to you Alec but I'm different

And where Alec is...that's where Magnus belongs. THEM. JUST THEM!!!

How the fuck has it been 15 years indeed??!?

FUCK THAT MAN, HONESTLY I HATE HIM SO MUCH. DONT TRY ME BITCH🔪🔪

All this scene was AHVDIBDKDOWBEV it made me remember a lot of that quote in rwrb "History huh? Bet we could make some" and I just died right there💙💜💙 I LOVE THIS STORY SO MUCH AHHHH

"I know it feels like the world is against you, Alec. But I’m right here. If anyone wants to hurt you, they’ll have to go through me.” oh, and they did😭😭😭

I'm love Janie so much🥰

Magnus really said "fuck you!" and then went and fucked his husband in goverment propierry huh?

“This is a revolution and you’re its leader. Don’t give up on this. Keep fighting, Alexander.” AHH I CANT. TOO MUCH. I'M DYING SEND HELP

"Minerva belongs with you.” I loved everything he said but can we please talk about how he stole this just to make a point?? ✨ICONIC✨

Rafael ans Magnus on a motorcycle. My skin is cleared, my anxiety is cured, my life is better-

There is “I just woke up and I can’t be bothered” and “I miss my family so I stole their clothes” and “You wish you could pull this off” and “Yes, I’m a model” and “Piss off the conservatives” and so many others.

This is one of Alec’s favorites.

It’s “Tell me I look pretty”.

BITCH, YOU ARE MAKING ME CRY WITH THIS😭

I loved the way Magnus handle this and it really shows how much he has healed and grown!!!

Alec’s internal monologue has me laughing so hard kdhdkdbdk

Look, it hurted a lot to see Max and Rafael fight, but I just can't resist the urge to say "Oh, burn!" everytime they tell a good comeback lmao. But them apologising is actually so heartwarming🥺

Leslie doesn’t take anyone's shit and she is so badass for that. Call them out, love!!!

"I'm grateful for having strong women in my life.” Same tbh

FUCK NOW I WANT TAMALES TOO!!

All the talk about Max having time to do things he is proud of is so damn important and sweet!! I loved this whole scene!!! The things Magnus and Alec said are🥺🥺🥺 There is pride is in existing. I'M GONNA GET THIS QUOTE ON A TATTOO!!

Maybe Rafael thinks he let down Alec and he is avoiding him?

THE HUG😭😭😭😭 I ALSO NEEDED THAT HUG

I love hugs but kinda hate them too bc if someone hugs me a little too tightly or with a little too much feelings I cry. Like, I literally cry jdhdjdbd thats not healthy but we dont have time to unpack all that😂

Alec pulls back first. Because he knows if he doesn’t now, he never will. Because he knows, it will hurt – just a little – if Magnus pulls back first. THIS HURTS TOO MUCH 😭

Don’t yall love the way Alec is always trying to learn and do better for himself and other people?? AND HE WENT TO LUCA OMFG YESSS!!

ALL OF THE THINGS LUCA SAID ARE *SCREAMS INTERNALLY*

"Take your time and take it slow.”

///

"That’s the best kind of client. The one who doesn’t just grow but helps other people grow with him.”

I LOVE ONE (1) MAN AND ITS THIS ONE!!

“No,” Alec shakes his head. “Thank you for being there for Magnus when I couldn’t.” Luca looks surprised. But then he smiles. “It was my pleasure.”💜💜

He brought Chairman Meow!! Can this man not be so fucking precious?!? I already love him so much I cant😭

MALEC GOING TO THERAPY TOGETHER AND WORKING TOGETHER HELL YESS!! THAT IS CALLED GROWTH!!

Ok, this was loooong but it just proves that it was a fave as always. It gave me a lot of energy these days. tysm<33

Song rec: Glimpse of Us by Joji

BABE THIS SONG IS EVERYWHERE AND I AM OBSESSED WITH IT OMG.

Also that quote is pain :)

ALSO - not me (and some of yall) praising these bitches for going to therapy and getting it together while we are still a mess (WHICH IS VERY VALID OF US LOL)

#tlnd

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marauder-level-chaos · 3 years

Text

Don’t Make Me Play Pretend. Chapter 3

This is set around a month after the last chapter. It is the beginning of their fake-relationship and starts with them actually driving to where the reunion is taking place. It really is just them gushing over each other because we haven’t had enough that apparently.

Masterlist

Warning: swearing, angst, fluff, fake dating, my shitty humor, horny Alec, horny Magnus

A/N: I DIDN’T FORGET THIS FIC I PROMISE. I am so sorry for not updating in a while. I had finals and all my energy went into that. Alec’s internal horniness is my perpetual state of being so I hope you like it. Thank you for your patience. AO3: malecplusotherthings (let me know if you wanna be tagged in this).

***

Road trips had never been easy for Alec. This was different though. He wasn’t cramped in the backseat of his mother’s car, forced to listen to Izzy’s unnecessary chatter. Instead, he was sitting in the front seat of Magnus’ baby blue Mustang. Alec looked over to the driver’s seat and smiled at how the wind blew through Magnus’ hair. It was amusing to see his usually immaculate hair all messed up. How does it look better? The sun shined straight at them and Alec swore Magnus’ eyes looked like pools of liquid gold.

“You’re staring, Alexander.” Magnus’ words caused Alec to slowly avert his eyes as a soft blush crept onto his face.

“Sorry,” Alec mumbled, as Magnus swerved the car into an exit. “Are we there already?”

“Just had to make a stop.” Parking the car next to the gas station, Magnus got out and stretched his arms toward the sky. His lilac shirt rose slightly, exposing his perfectly crafted midriff. Alec’s eyes fixed themselves on Magnus’ abs. For a second, he seemed to have lost his ability to breathe. “I’m going to go grab some snacks for the way. Do you want something?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.” As Magnus walked towards the store, Alec allowed his gaze to linger around for a few extra moments. Stop checking out his ass, dammit. The loud ringing of his phone seemed to distract Alec from the thoughts that occupied his brain.

“Hello,” Alec said, as he placed the phone by his ear.

“Hello, big brother. How is your date going?” Alec simply sighed in response to Isabelle’s question. “That bad, huh?”

“I don’t know what I was expecting, Iz. This is what I signed up for.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to like it. I warned you to be careful about this.”

“I know. And I am, I promise.” Alec saw Magnus walking toward him, a bag of snacks in hand. “Iz, I’ll call you back in a few hours, okay? I love you.”

Magnus smiled at Alec, and Alec felt a small smile creep onto his own face. Magnus pulled out a bag of chips from his reserve of food. “I know you said that you didn’t want any snacks, but nobody refuses Doritos.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive, Magnus?” Alec asked as he opened the bag of Doritos. “You might wanna rest a bit.”

“Don’t be silly, my dearest Alexander, I know you hate driving.”

“And what about you, Magnus? What do you hate? Or like? If I’m going to pretend to be your boyfriend, I should know that, shouldn’t I?”

“I love cats.” Magnus turned on to the highway again. “And hard liquor. I can speak fluent Indonesian. And I have a thing for pretty boys with dark hair and blue eyes.”

Alec smiled at his pretend boyfriend. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but talking to Magnus even about the simplest of things was relaxing. He just wanted to sit there and look at the man in front of him. Despite being nothing more than a facade, everything that happened between him and Magnus felt very real. Alec didn’t even realise how long they had been talking for until Magnus took a sharp turn onto a narrow street.

“We’re here, Alexander.” Alec felt Magnus’ hand slide into his own and a wave of electricity coursed through his body. “Ready?”

Alec smiled and nodded. As the two boys walked over to the concierge to get themselves checked in for the week, a woman approached them. She had dark glossy hair down to her waist. Her red dress flattered her curves. She put her arms around Magnus and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Alec felt a strange pang of jealousy but tried his best to hide it.

“Welcome back, Magnus. You look....well.”

Alec felt Magnus’ grip on his hand tighten slightly. “Good to see you too, Camille.”

***

Magnus had always loved road trips. Driving down empty roads always helped him calm down. The wind blowing through his hair cleared his mind. However, with Alexander Lightwood sitting beside him, focusing on the road ahead became difficult for Magnus. Every time Alec turned to look at him with those bright blue eyes of his, Magnus could feel his heart hammering against his chest.

“You’re staring, Alexander.” Magnus flirted, in an attempt to mask his true feelings. He felt Alec’s eyes slowly pulling away from his face.

“Sorry,” Alec said, as Magnus took an exit in a gas station. Snacks were the only thing that could help his situation. “Are we there already?”

“Just had to make a stop.” Magnus got out of the car and stretched. He noticed Alec staring at his exposed midriff and smirked a little to himself. Like what you see, Alexander? “I’m going to go grab some snacks for the way. Do you want something?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.” Magnus nodded and headed inside the store. He picked up a couple of chocolate bars and a giant bag of Doritos. Everyone loves Doritos. With a couple more snacks thrown into his cart, Magnus headed over to the cashier. As he waited in the long checkout line, Magnus noticed a packet of condoms sitting on the shelf. He wasn’t planning to have sex with Alexander during this trip but it couldn’t hurt to have them on hand. Magnus picked up the packet and tossed it into the shopping cart. Just in case.

As he got back to his car, he smiled at Alexander and tossed him the bag of Doritos. I know you said that you didn’t want any snacks, but nobody refuses Doritos.”

Alec smiled back and opened the bag of Doritos. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive, Magnus? You might wanna rest a bit.”

“Don’t be silly, my dearest Alexander, I know you hate driving.”

“And what about you, Magnus? What do you hate? Or like? If I’m going to pretend to be your boyfriend, I should know that, shouldn’t I?”

Magnus smiled to himself a little. Nobody had really asked him that before. “I love cats. And hard liquor. I can speak fluent Indonesian. And I have a thing for pretty boys with dark hair and blue eyes.”

Alec smiled and Magnus felt his heart flutter inside his chest. Conversation flowed so naturally with him that for a few moments Magnus forgot they weren’t really together. He just wanted to reach out, grab Alec’s face and kiss him straight on the mouth. Maybe someday.

Magnus swerved into a lane and grabbed Alec’s hand as he parked his Mustang. “We’re here, Alexander. Ready?”

Alec nodded and the two boys headed to the reception to get themselves settled in. Magnus stopped in his tracks when he saw her. She was walking straight toward them. She smiled, although it looked more like a smirk. She slowly pulled Magnus in for a hug and laid a kiss on his cheek.

“Welcome back, Magnus. You look....well.”

Instinctively, he squeezed Alec’s hand for reassurance. “Good to see you too, Camille.”

Taglist: @quickbright @addisonsintern @dreamerthinker @just--another--bean @tolkienlockian @textrovert-01 @amy-herondale-chase @writeforjordelia @literally-magnus-bane

#malec #shadowhunters #Alec Lightwood #Magnus Bane #magnus x alec #alec x magnus #fake dating au #Mortal Instruments

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kar-krashew · 3 years

Text

life could be a dream [AO3]

Alec navigates first dates, second dates, and general panic, while accidentally making a friend along the way. He's not sure how to feel about any of that, but it seems to be going okay.

Rated T for language and implied sexual content.

@arsenic-creator for you, my lovely ❤ This is an interlude, of sorts, between the Cars AU and the planned Cars 2 AU :D

Alec is ninety percent sure whoever came up with the concept of first dates was a sadist; who else would devise a concept so nerve-wracking and excruciating? Currently, he’s in a random hotel in Spiral Springs, aptly named as he’s spent the last hour spiraling into insanity as he tries to figure out what normal people wear on first dates with people like Magnus Bane. He can’t even call Izzy, because she’s off on some “important work trip” with Jace. (That basically means that they’re going to be mysterious and vague during phone calls the whole time— and that’s only if they answer. He knows better than to ask.)

Thus, Alec has two options: suffer, and show up to his first date with Magnus in his normal shitty worn-out jeans and shirt, or suffer more, and ask someone in town for help. Unfortunately, the only other people available to him are Raphael (Alec is pretty sure he’d be found dead the next morning if he asked Raphael about dating advice), Ragnor (the man dresses like a reclusive British hermit, Alec really doesn’t think asking him will help), and Simon.

Shit.

“Do I really need someone else’s help?” Alec asks his own reflection in the mirror, “I look fine, right? And it’s not like Simon’s got a better idea of how these dates work.”

He looks great, honestly! Probably. He’s fine, as long as he ignores the suspicious fraying of his collar and the faded white patches on his jeans, and okay, he lied, he does not look fine.

Also, Simon’s had like three pretty steady girlfriends already. The kid must be doing something right.

“Shit,” Alec groans again— out loud this time, for intended effect— before taking a deep breath and grabbing his phone.

Fine. If it takes talking to Simon, he’s going to talk to Simon. Besides, how bad could it be?

---

Really bad. Like, really fucking bad; Alec had forgotten how annoying Simon is, and he’s regretting this decision wholeheartedly now.

“No one’s really asked me for dating advice before, you know,” Simon says from where he’s rummaging through Alec’s suitcase, “And of the people I would expect to ask me, you’re, like, last on that list. Not in a bad way or anything, it’s just weird, you know?”

Alec does know. This is the third time Simon has said this.

“Sure, totally,” he grits out, watching Simon carelessly toss his neatly folded clothing onto the hotel bed. Alec is going to have to reorganize the whole case after this is over, because these sorts of things have systems and the kid is ruining it. This was definitely more trouble than it’s worth.

“Yep. Anyway, wow, I’m no expert, but you really don’t have a lot of options in here.” Simon whistles, pauses for a minute, then upends the entire suitcase onto the mattress before Alec can intercept. God, Alec’s going to strangle him. “That’s better! So, you seem to only have, like, one decent button-down, and those always look nice. Maybe pair it with a tighter pair of jeans? Your jacket would look nice with this, too, though I’d leave it out in this weather.” Simon tosses the articles of clothing towards Alec as he speaks, hitting Alec squarely in the face, but he’s already been distracted by something else before he can register the glare being sent his way.

“Okay,” he says after another moment, “Show me what you got.”

Alec’s skeptical, to be frank, but he decides to indulge Simon anyway, so he heads to the bathroom and tries on the outfit and—

Oh.

Simon’s really not bad at this thing. Izzy probably could’ve picked something a little more flattering, but this is way better than whatever Alec was wearing earlier; he didn’t even know he’d remembered to bring this shirt when he’d packed his bags.

“Hey, man, you look great!” Simon beams. “I wasn’t totally sure that would work out, but you look awesome! Magnus is going to love it.”

“Thanks, Lewis,” Alec replies, and he’s surprised to realize he means it. Simon’s grin stretches out wider, somehow, and Alec doesn’t even feel that annoyed.

(Oh no, does this mean he tolerates Simon now?)

“It’s gonna go great, Alec, don’t worry about it,” Simon responds, oblivious to Alec’s internal turmoil— Alec is seriously having a breakdown over the fact that Simon has somehow made it onto the short list of people Alec doesn’t want to punch on sight, because what the fuck does that say about Alec’s standards? His reputation is on the line. “Magnus has lived here for a while, which means I know him well enough to tell you that you make him really happy.” Alec stares at him blankly.

“I— That means a lot, actually,” he manages, then they both just kind of. . . stand there for a minute. Alec isn’t sure how to process the fact that they seem to be having a moment when he was preparing to initiate anti-Lewis measures just seconds ago, so it’s almost a relief when Simon ruins it with the next thing that comes out of his mouth.

“I feel like a proud mother sending her kid to prom. Do I need to give you a sex talk? No one actually gave me that speech when I was younger, but I did improv in highschool, so I could probably work something out.”

Scratch whatever he said earlier; Alec hates him.

---

The trauma Simon inflicts on him is almost completely worth it when Alec sees the way Magnus checks him out for a moment. The other’s standing outside the entrance to some obscure Chinese restaurant, smiling warmly and turning Alec’s knees to jello with his low-cut blue tunic and shimmery eyeliner (not helped by the fact that he has managed to find pants that are even tighter than his usual leather ones— Alec’s going to die of a heart attack before they can even enter the establishment).

“Hey,” he says, trying not to look stupidly overwhelmed at Magnus’s answering smile, “You, uh, you look amazing.”

“I could say the same, Alexander. This shirt is definitely doing you favors,” Magnus replies, and Alec blushes.

“Would it be completely unattractive if I admitted Simon picked it out for me?” he asks, half-serious, but Magnus just laughs, taking Alec’s hand in his own.

“Of course not. Remind me to thank him next time we meet.”

The rest of the night goes by in a blur: Alec’s sure that the restaurant and everything was amazing, but it’s hard to notice things like ambiance and food when one has a front row seat to the wonder that is the gentle tilt of Magnus’s mouth. He spends the night being regaled with far-fetched anecdotes in between shameless bouts of flirting and giggling, and it’s nice, it’s really nice; alone, away from cameras and parents, just the two of them tucked away in a cozy little corner booth together.

It’s kind of the best fucking thing that’s ever happened to him.

Maybe first dates, Alec thinks, lying in bed later that night, the taste of lip gloss still faint on his tongue, aren’t too bad after all.

---

“Oh my gosh, are you going on dates and making friends? I’m so proud, my baby brother is all grown up,” Izzy sniffs over the phone, “Do we need to talk about safe sex?”

“Why is that the conclusion everyone draws? Do I look that repressed?” Alec groans, thinking back to Simon’s earlier pursuit to educate him on the carnal pleasures of the world. He’d managed to cut the kid off after the first use of the word “penetrative,” but it had been enough to fuel his nightmares for a solid two days afterwards. “Also, I’m older than you.”

“Details,” Izzy dismisses. “Speaking of which, spill! How was it? I still can’t believe you ran off to Spiral Springs without telling anyone. Mom must be absolutely livid, I just wish I was there to see it.”

Alec rolls his eyes, even though she can’t see it over the phone— the sentiment is there, and that’s what matters. “You would be here to see it if you weren’t off doing lord-knows-what in god-knows-where every other week with Jace,” he replies.

“Import-export business, Alec,” Izzy says, “I’ve told you this.”

“Right, the same way you’ve told me you can cook without poisoning everyone. We both know it’s a load of bullshit.”

“We’re getting off topic!” his sister exclaims, which is Izzy-speak for “We’re not talking about this for another year or so,” as she artfully changes the subject. “I believe I asked for specifics about your date with Magnus, hermano. You are not getting out of this.”

Luckily for her, Alec is easily distracted by even the vaguest thought or mention of Magnus, because he’s a total fucking sap and Izzy knows exactly how to use it to her advantage. He would say he hates her, but, well: he’s thinking about Magnus now. That’s infinitely more important, obviously.

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” he sighs. The exhale’s got this kind of pathetically lovesick quality to it, but he barrels on, praying Izzy won’t comment on it. “We ate, then he walked me back to the hotel and kissed me at the door before he left. It was amazing. God, Izzy, I like him so much.”

In a perfect, normal world, this would be an opportune time for Izzy to realize that Alec is kind of horribly vulnerable and honest when it comes to Magnus, and for her to be gentle and supportive about it. However, because normalcy is a pipe dream that Alec’s siblings are hellbent on crushing, he is treated instead to an inhumanly high-pitched squeal, followed by frantic shuffling before a voice that sounds suspiciously like Jace’s floods the phone speaker. Given that the most-definitely-Jace-voice is currently yelling something about condoms and endowment and the logistics of same-sex intercourse, Alec decides that hanging up is the appropriate course of action here.

(God, they’re the worst. He’s never going to talk to them again. Or at least, he’s not going to pick up their calls for the next week. Okay, maybe, like 3 days. Probably.)

Great, he thinks, mentally patting himself on the back. Now that that’s settled, he can get back to other matters, like fucking losing his mind because he had totally forgotten to ask Izzy how to plan a second date so he’s now screwed but he’s definitely not calling her back especially now that he knows Jace has her phone and that means he’s been left to his own resources to plan the perfect second date for Magnus and he’s going to have to do it all by himself and he’s going to fail spectacularly because he’s never had to do anything like this before and no one can help him unless—

Unless. . .

“Shit,” Alec says— out loud, for intended effect again, as a horrible flash of deja vu strikes him— which is how, minutes later, Simon ends up sprawled out on the hotel bed next to him at 4 pm on a Wednesday afternoon.

Alec should really start looking into better coping mechanisms before this becomes a problem.

“Okay, so the first thing about this is that you’re approaching it all wrong,” Simon says, sitting up to peer at Alec over his glasses. “Dates are about spending time together, not about being perfect, so don’t stress! What did you initially have in mind?”

That’s the issue: Alec didn’t have anything in mind, because when he had said that he’d organize the next date, he wasn’t exactly operating on full brain function. Impaired thought processes tend to be a common side effect around Magnus, now that Alec thinks about it— he should probably get that checked.

“I really have no clue,” Alec groans. “There’s so much that could go wrong! What if I take him somewhere that reminds him of his ex? Or I stumble and spill slushie all over his shoes and they’re brand new designer ones and he ends things with me on the spot? Or he hates the food there and realizes that my tastes are shit and he decides to cut his losses instead of being forced to eat shitty food everyday that he hangs out with me? Or—”

“Alec, jeez!” Simon interrupts. “Man, you’re kind of a mess about this, huh?”

Okay, rude. Just because it’s true, doesn’t mean it needs to be pointed out. Alec just groans louder, and lets his head fall heavily against the headboard. “I’m so fucked.”

Simon shakes his head, standing up to pose solemnly. “Don’t lose hope yet, young padawan! Come on, you gotta have something. What do you know he likes?” he says, and because Alec is a sucker when it comes to talking about Magnus (as established earlier), the tactic totally works.

“Okay, well,” he starts, “I know he likes expensive wines with names I can’t pronounce. He likes late nights and old classical music, but his ringtone changes every week to a different Britney Spears pop song. He’s kind of a horrible romantic, but I really like that about him. I. . . like a lot of things about him.”

Simon blinks for a moment, and Alec hurries to wipe the besotted smile that’s inevitably found its way onto his mouth. It’s too late, though— Simon’s already grinning back at him, looking too excited for his own good. “That’s so cheesy,” he coos, “But in, like, totally a good way, I promise.” He pats Alec’s shoulder, once, then stands up. “I think I have an idea of what would work. Any ideas in terms of the venue?”

“Oh,” Alec says after a moment. He’s still thinking about Magnus, which means he’s thinking about their previous meetings, which means he’s thinking about—

“Yeah,” he replies, “I have the perfect place in mind.”

---

“So, where are we headed?” Magnus asks. He’s beautiful like this, in the light of the passing streetlights, silver chains glinting like stars, silk tunic flowing like water, hair mussed from the wind. If Alec didn’t have a plan for this evening, he’d probably do something very dumb like slamming the breaks on the car and kissing him senseless. It’s not the first time he’s had the thought, not by a long shot.

Maybe he can fit that part later into the evening.

“You’ll see,” Alec replies, beaming a little at the pout it brings on Magnus’s— stupidly kissable— mouth. “It’s meant to be a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises,” Magnus frowns, but he still leans forward as they pass by a familiar waterfall. Alec can see the moment he processes what that waterfall means, his face lighting up completely as he does so. “Are we going to the Dumont?”

Alec shrugs, trying to be mysterious, but he’s grinning too wide for it to mean anything but a yes. It’s fine; if ruining the surprise means that he gets to see Magnus’s bright smile an extra few moments earlier than planned, it’s totally worth it.

When they finally pull up next to the old sign, Magnus has already noticed the changes to the hotel. “Oh,” he gasps, stepping out of the car, “Alexander.”

Lights are strung up around the outdoor courtyard, with a singular table in the center, a candle and plates arranged across its surface. Simon’s standing there, dressed in a black dress shirt, grinning at the two of them as music plays softly from some unknown corner. It’s horribly cheesy and romantic, and, judging by the way Magnus is excitedly clutching Alec’s hand as they approach the table, it’s worked like a charm.

Alec could marry Simon after this; the kid’s a fucking genius.

“Good evening, sirs!” Simon grins, “Welcome to the Hotel Dumont. We’re so glad you could join us this evening.” He bows, pulling out a chair from behind him, and Magnus laughs delightedly.

“This is absolutely lovely!” he exclaims, settling down. “Did you come up with all this?”

Alec blushes, sitting down right beside him. “Well, Simon did most of the work,” he replies, and Simon shakes his head.

“He’s totally lying; he did, like, all of the decorations and set up, and most of the plan, too. I’m just glad to be of help, man.” He hands them menus, then steps back. “Alright, I’ll leave you two alone for a moment while you decide. Don’t do anything too scandalous!”

Alec rolls his eyes— because really, what could they get up to sitting like this?— but then Magnus places his hand on Alec’s thigh as he leans closer and okay, maybe there’s a lot they could get up to, and maybe Alec is now thinking about all those things in a setting he really should not be, and maybe he should’ve let Izzy give him that talk after all.

“Alexander,” Magnus smiles, leaning closer still, “All of this is amazing, I don’t know how to thank you enough.” He tilts his face up invitingly, and Alec’s helpless to the pull of it, pressing his lips against the other’s. It’s supposed to be just a light brush, but then Magnus shifts nearer and opens his mouth up a little further and fuck, Alec’s libido is suddenly making a desparate appearance in this very public locale. That’s an issue, probably. Whatever. He can’t really bring himself to care right now.

“Mm,” he hums between kisses, “we should really decide on what to eat— hm, before Simon comes back,” but then he chases after Magnus’s mouth right after saying it, so that undermines the message a little. Though no one can really say it’s his fault: kissing Magnus is temptation incarnate, and Alec is a weak, weak man.

They do, eventually, unfortunately, break apart, which is exactly when Simon finally shows up with some expensive drink that he’d sworn Magnus would like. It seems to fill the has-an-impossible-to-pronounce-name quota that Alec had mentioned earlier, so he’s rolling with it. He’s also rolling with the menu, because Alec had planned on pre-planned meals for this thing, so he has no clue where Simon had managed to get proper menus with a selection of food (though the Spanish-themed cuisine on the menu and the passive-aggressive text he receives the next day from Raphael might be able to explain that).

Simon’s left them and they’re finally finished with their courses when some even sappier song starts playing on the speakers, and Alec, being a total dork, stands up and invites Magnus to dance with him. Alec’s kind of shit at dancing, so he’s not sure why he does that, but they end up pressed against each other, swaying slowly, and he can’t even regret it, not even when Magnus laughs at him for stepping on his toes.

It’s perfect. Alec has no clue how he’s going to live up to this on future dates. He’s also, like, halfway to proposing on the spot.

“I reiterate my statement from earlier: this is absolutely lovely, Alexander,” Magnus murmurs after a while. His head’s pressed against Alec’s shoulder, so the words brush Alec’s ear softly as he speaks. “I have quite a bit of planning to do for our next date if this is the standard we’re setting already,” he teases.

“We could eat takeout on my couch while watching some boring regency-era movie and I’d still love it,” Alec replies bashfully, “I got a little nervous this time and went really big, but I promise you don’t have to go this hard to impress me.”

“And you thought you did?” Magnus asks. He pulls away slightly, looking Alec in the eyes. “Darling, the same goes for me. This is stunning, but I genuinely just like you and your company, and that takeout thing sounds more than enjoyable. Though we might have to revisit your opinion on regency-era movies.”

Alec grins. “Why, Mr. Bane, don’t tell me you enjoy watching such long-winded pieces of media, filled to the brim with such stuffy, superfluous dialogue?”

Magnus gasps, seemingly affronted. “How dare you!” he exclaims, “It’s about the drama, the yearning! I’m sure you just haven’t seen the right ones. Next time, I’m making you watch my entire collection.” Alec laughs in response, and it seems to soften something in Magnus’s eyes, because he pulls close again, tilting their foreheads together.

“You know, Mr. Lightwood,” he murmurs, “I’m not the sort of gentleman to invite someone into my home on only our second evening together, but I’m sure I could make an exception for someone of your stature, especially given the amount of time we’ve spent together outside of these official meetings.”

Oh fuck, this is really happening. “How scandalous, Mr. Bane,” Alec somehow manages, then Magnus is giggling and kissing him, and yeah, Alec is so on board with this plan. He’s even more on board with the plan when Magnus leads him to the car, and then leads him up the stairs to his loft.

He’s not even annoyed when he wakes up to Simon’s strangely supportive “Congrats on the sex!” text, because there’s a man lying against his chest who he thinks he could easily fall in love with, and literally nothing else matters right now. It’s him and Magnus against the world: everything else can wait.

(Alec replies to Simon with a single middle finger emoji. He likes the kid, but Simon doesn’t need to know that.)

(The Star Wars movie marathon the two of them end up doing a week later kind of gives it away anyway.)

#my writing #none of you follow me for my writing but i insist on posting it anyway #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #simon lewis #shadowhunters #malec fic

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