Whisper
Magnus apathetically turned a page of an old book he'd found at the back of his closet a few days ago. The only illumination in the room was from a small lamp directly behind him. Its light only reached the tips of his outstretched feet, beyond that, his living room was untested darkness. He turned another page, not having read a single word on the previous one. He wasn't particularly interested in the linguistic theory of ancient Greek, but he had decided it was entertainment enough for the night. Magnus's eyes lazily scanned another page, but he sighed before he even reached the end of it. Just when he was about ready to snap the book shut and find something a smidge more interesting to do, his phone buzzed. Magnus leaned forward interestedly and quickly snatched it up when he read the flashing name: Alec Lightwood.
"Hey baby." He smiled and leaned back against the arm of the couch, dropping the book on the floor.
"Hi Magnus," Alec's voice sounded from the other end, he sounded slightly stuffy.
Magnus frowned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Alec said. Magnus's frown deepened, but Alec continued after a slight pause. "I was just thinking about Max." Magnus's breath hitched and he held the phone closer to his ear.
"Do you want to come over Alec?"
There was a small chocked laugh on the other end.
"No," he said. "I just wanted to hear your voice." Magnus's chest tightened horribly as he listened to Alec's quiet breathing. "Magnus," Alec started again, his voice small, "can you tell me about Merlin again?"
"Merlin?" Magnus asked in genuine surprise, but he forced a little bit of incredulity into his voice as he continued. "You called me to hear about another man? He is much too old for you Alexander."
Magnus was rewarded with a small, albeit watery, chuckle and Magnus began retelling the story of how he had once met King Arthur and his Court Sorcerer, Merlin. At the time, Magnus had been a young and untested warlock and King Arthur had been a devilishly handsome Prince. Magnus, even then refusing to pass up such a good opportunity, had unabashedly flirted with the prince (he had been extremely pretty) and soon found a jealous and angry warlock breathing down his neck. Magnus was only a tiny bit ashamed to admit that he had had his ass thoroughly handed back to him. Needless to say, he was never welcome in Camelot again or even now in London where the newly resurrected Arthur and timeless Merlin lived, though he did send them a Christmas card every few years.
When Magnus told Alec this story for the first time, Alec had turned beet red and dissolved into a puddle of uncontrollable laughter. It had been the first time Magnus had ever seen Alec laugh so hard or freely, with his head thrown back, eyes scrunched up, and hands clutching his sides.
Magnus finished his story (Merlin had blessed him with donkey ears) and waited for Alec's response, but there was only silence on the other end, so he started another story. Each time after he was done, there was an expectant silence, so Magnus kept talking. He switched soon from embarrassing stories to old fairy tales that a woman who lived next-door to him had told him after his mother died. She had taken pity on Magnus and let him listen through the window while she cooked or cleaned her kitchen. For a long time, she had been the only one to talk to him. Magnus remembered each one perfectly and now told them to Alec.
Eventually, after Magnus's throat was sore and his mouth dry, all he could hear was Alec's steady breathing on the other end. Magnus smiled to himself, wishing he could reach through the phone and stroke Alec's hair. Instead, he softly said, "Goodnight Alec." He listened to Alec's breathing a moment longer and just as he was about to end the call, he heard a whisper so soft and quiet in his ear, he could have imagined it.
"I love you Magnus."
So in my head, this is after CoG and before Alec and Magnus go on their grand adventure and this is what causes Magnus to decide to sweep Alec away on their aforementioned adventure. And if anyone finds the lingusitic theory of modern Greek interesting, it's okay, I do too :)
P.S. Oh and the Merlin and King Arthur reference was in respect to the BBC show Merlin (because I love them too), not the real legends :)
