fanficition cove

Originally written/posted: April 2016
Fandom: Shadowhunters (2016)
Pairing: Magnus/Alec
Rating: T
Word Count: 1,898 words
Notes: Reread within the last few months. This one has a soft spot in my heart…and it recently turned ten years old! Wow. I wasn’t really expecting how nostalgic setting this site up would make me, but…here we are, lol.

They’re laying in bed together, chests heaving and legs tangled up in their sheets, when Magnus rests his chin on Alec’s chest and stares up at him with an expression that is never good. Magnus is mischievous on a good day, but when he’s like this, eyes shining and a hopeful smirk coloring his mouth, he’s even worse.

Alec pretends not to notice him. Maybe this is one of those times where Magnus will take a hint and won’t grab him to go do something absolutely ridiculous. Like that time Magnus woke him up at two in the morning because he had the urge to redecorate, and oh, Alexander, darling, how do you feel about custard yellow curtains? Which. Alec didn’t even know custard yellow was a color, nonetheless that it came on curtains.

Alec is so deep in thought that it takes Magnus digging his chin painfully into his nipples for him to remember he wasn’t alone.

“Alexander,” Magnus purrs.

Alec rolls his eyes, though he’s unable to stop smiling. He’s never liked his full name sounding off from someone’s lips, but Magnus manages to make it enjoyable. Alec actually doesn’t mind when it comes from him.

“I’m ignoring you,” Alec says, in case it wasn’t clear.

Magnus pouts. Alec hates it when Magnus pouts. He can only ignore it for so long. He’ll absolutely refuse to admit it to anyone later (mainly because if he did his siblings would tease him mercilessly for it rather than honestly being embarrassed by it) but he’s weak in the face of Magnus.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Alec tells him, wearily.

Magnus smiles at him. “It’s nothing bad.” He promises.

Alec relents. “Alright,” he says. “What is it, then?”

This is going to be good. ‘It’s nothing bad’ with Magnus Bane can mean anything from a post-coital pasta craving to a Downworlder rave that ends in Alec waking up on a roof tied to his boyfriend. Which, granted, it only happened the once. But, still. Alec’s always prepared for the worst. It’s one of the things he’s good at.

“I was just sitting here admiring your hands,” Magnus tells him, and Alec blushes. Alec should be used to this by now, he thinks. He should probably have his body under control around Magnus, but for some reason he’s never quite managed it. Not that his boyfriend minds, at least. He’s always cooing at Alec and telling him how flattering it is that he still manages to have that effect on him, even all these years later. “I want to paint them.”

Alec swallows. “Paint them?”

“Mhmmm,” Magnus hums. 

It’s not that Alec doesn’t want to do it. The truth is, he’s always kind of liked the fact that Magnus painted his nails. They were always painted a dark color that doubtlessly looked nothing but amazing against Magnus’s tanned skin. Not that Alec himself could pull off those colors, he’s a bit paler than Magnus so he doesn’t think they’d look right, but Magnus would manage to find a color that would fit him. It’s one of Magnus’s many talents. Along with forgetting to close cabinets. 

He’s wanted to see how nail polish looked on his nails for a while now. He just never said anything because he was never ready to. But, now Magnus is plainly offering him. And he’s looking hopeful. His hopeful face is almost worse than his pout. 

Alec must look like he’s folding, because his boyfriend pushes up on his hands to lightly kiss at Alec’s lips. Alec responds to him immediately, wrapping his hands around the curve of Magnus’s hips and pulling them closer together. Alec licks at the seam of his lips as soon as he’s able, and makes an appreciative noise when Magnus opens up for him immediately. 

Magnus pulls away too soon, and Alec only just barely manages not to chase after him. “So, darling. Nails?”

Alec nods. “Okay.” 

Despite knowing Alec was probably going to fold, Magnus looks a little surprised, like maybe he thought Alec would say no after all. “Ooh, getting experimental, are we Alexander?”

“I take it back,” Alec says, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“It’s too late for that. You signed a verbal contract when you agreed with me.”

Alec rolls his eyes. “Verbal contracts are automatically voided, Magnus.” 

“Not with downworlders,” Magnus quips back. 

He magics three bottles of nail polish from his collection in their closet and sets them down in front of Alec in the next breath. Alec just looks at them in disdain. Magnus moves to set crossed leg on the side of Alec’s waist, scooting close until his legs rub against the sides of Alec’s waist.

“Why are there three?”

“A base coat, top coat, and the color.”

Alec blinks. “That can’t be necessary.”

“Oh, but it is, Alexander. Your nails are going to be perfect when I’m done with them.”

“Whatever you say,” Alec says, not really believing him.

Magnus leans down to kiss the side of his mouth like he sees it anyway, and grabs for the clear pink one.

“Fan your hand out on my thigh.” Magnus says.

Alec raises an eyebrow at him, but does it anyway. If he makes sure his hand is a little too high, well. He’s just going to pretend he doesn’t notice.

“Good,” Magnus twists off the cap, and after running the brush over either side of the rim of the bottle, he grabs onto Alec’s hand with his free one, and gets to work. The only thing Alec likes more than Magnus’s nails to be polished is watching him polish them. He always looks so serious, so concentrated. Alec had asked him once why he doesn’t just magic them on and Magnus had said that it grounded him.

Alec sighs, pooling his free hand behind his head and he stares up at Magnus’s face. His eyebrows are furrowed, and his mouth is open only just slightly. Magnus looks attractive one hundred percent of the time, but he’s especially so right this moment.

“Other hand,” Magnus says, sounding pleased.

Alec rests his other hand even higher than he rested he last one. Magnus’s eyes burn with amusement.

“You aren’t distracting me with sex, Alexander. Though, it is incredibly tempting.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Alec says, not even trying to sound convincing.

“You’re insatiable.” 

Alec snorts. “You’re one to talk. You have practically no refractory period.”

“You enjoy it.”

Alec really, really does. So he wisely keeps his mouth shut. 

Magnus does a snap of his fingers and grabs for his hands again. “What did you do?”

“I quick dried them.”

Alec smirks. “I thought magic tainted the process.”

“Nobody has time to sit around to wait for nail polish to dry. It’s dreadful,” Magnus explains.

“Uh huh,” Alec says. 

The nail polish Magnus chose is a deep red color. It’s so dark it’s almost maroon.  Alec finds that he likes it, even though he’s not convinced it’ll look all that great on him. 

Magnus follows his gaze. “Dark red against pale skin looks divine,” Magnus says, lecherously. “The vampires might be onto something, there.”

“Don’t tell me next time you’re going to try out a coffin,” Alec deadpans.

His boyfriend laughs, amused in the way only Alec can bright out in him. “You never cease to amaze me.”

Alec’s heart flutters in his chest. Those are the exact words Magnus said to him what feels like a different world ago now. Back then they didn’t have this, at least not yet. It was something that was growing into this, but it had taken them months to get here. For a long time, Alec wasn’t sure they’d ever get to have this. But now they’ve been living together for almost two years and they argue over what color their bathroom rugs should be and what takeout place to order for dinner. It’s all so wretchedly mundane and domestic he would hate it with anyone who wasn’t Magnus.

“You can’t go one minute without complimenting me.”

“I can’t,” Magnus agrees, sounding serious. “You think you’d take the hint by now and shower me in compliments as well.” 

Alec snorts. “Ridiculous.”

“Don’t try to sound so put upon, Alexander.” 

Alec leans over to press a kiss the inside of Magnus’s wrist when he’s close enough. It’s an apology and a declaration all in one. Magnus must know, because he smiles down at Alec, bright and wide and intimate. 

Magnus goes back to painting his nails after that. They sit in silence for a few minutes, while Magnus finishes up Alec’s nails and magics them dry again. He doesn’t want to look at them until after they’re completely finished with, so he distracts himself by looking at Magnus some more instead. 

His makeup from last night is smeared under his eyes. After writhing against one another for the better part of the night — Alec never thought he would enjoy stamina runes as much as he does now — with Alec’s hands buried in his hair, his hair is everywhere, a curly, indistinguishable mess on the top of his head. Alec almost wants to take a picture of him.

“You can look now,” Magnus speaks up, after Alec’s stared a hole the size of Idris into the side of his face. 

“You’re done already?” 

“You know how fast I am.”

Alec lets out an exasperated huff. “Ridiculous,” Alec says again. He pushes himself up on his elbows so he can look at his hands. His palm is spread wide over the expanse of Magnus’s thigh, which is a picture in and of itself, but what makes Alec pause is the way the dark red of his nails looks against his skin. It looks even better against Magnus’s thigh. 

“You don’t have to keep it,” Magnus reminds him, gently. Magnus has always only ever pushed him when he needed it. Alec doesn’t know how he does it.

“I want to,” Alec says. Because he does. He’ll probably wipe it away before he goes on his next mission with everyone else, if only to stop the way Izzy would tell him she’s proud he’s exploring himself and what he’s into and the approving way in which Jace will watch him whenever he thinks Alec isn’t looking. It would just all be too much. 

But to keep this between them, as a thing they do whenever they’re home together is appealing enough on it’s own that Alec can’t stop himself before he asks, “Can I pick the color next time?”

Magnus looks surprised two times in the same night. Alec feels proud, for a moment. “You’d want to?” 

“Yeah,” is all Alec says.

Magnus doesn’t question him about it, just smiles so adoringly that Alec is helpless but to push up even further to kiss him again. The warlock is still smiling against his mouth when Alec flips them so Magnus is under him and he presses him down into the mattress. He suddenly really wants to know what his hand will look like all over Magnus’s body, but especially so curled around his dick. 

“Mmm,” Magnus hums. “If I would’ve known this is the response I would get, I would’ve asked you much, much sooner, Alexander.”

Alec shuts him up by sliding his hand in between them, and swallows Magnus’s answering breathless moan with his mouth.