For those who have already read the third chapter, this is a FALSE alarm. I reposted this chapter because posting two chapters within 24 hours doesn't generate a new posting time.
You're My Sweet Haven
As soon as the portal takes them both to Magnus' place, Alec stumbles on his feet, nearly tumbling over and only the firm grip of Magnus' hand on him keeps him steady.
"Woah, are you okay?" Magnus is at his side, checking him over – the worry line in his forehead tells Alec that he is also probably looking for some sort of damage that Alec sustained while under attack. Alec just wants the ground to swallow him whole already. If he thinks he hasn't already been embarrassing enough, this must be it. "Yeh, I uh... I don't know. Still shaky, I guess," he shrugs it off, but it's mostly to steer the conversation away from this.
Magnus seems to get it. At once he's taking the role of the welcoming host, a warm smile on his face. "Why don't we sit down?" he offers, and when Alec, bless him, fails to respond the first time, continues on, nonplussed and eager to make Alec feel comfortable in his own skin again. "You hungry? You probably don't want to go somewhere to eat right now but we could order take out," he says with a newly found enthusiasm and Alec is smiling at him all the way through Magnus' speech until the last offer makes appearance and Alec feels his heart beating for a solely different reason once again. "Or I could quickly portal to Tokyo-"
Magnus doesn't finish his sentence, because the resonating sound of Alec's abrupt no! makes them both flinch at the volume, falling shut.
The worry grips Alec tight with a new intensity and frankly speaking he's getting tired of it. He can see Magnus' face morphing into one of concern once again and he absolutely hates it. He wants to get a grip on himself already, so he takes charge of the direction of the conversation himself, swallowing before speaking again, to make his voice sound less shaky. "Can you please just stay? I don't want food, I just need you," he says and realizes how true it is.
All he needs is Magnus right now.
Magnus in his area of vision, Magnus surrounding his senses, Magnus against his skin – any form of Magnus, as long as he could have him nearby.
And there it is again, Magnus' hand is back on Alec, rubbing soothing circles against his jacket. "Anything for you, my dear."
They share a smile together, which speaks more than the words right now.
Suddenly he realizes that they are still standing just by the entrance of Magnus's loft and that Alec is still in his outside wear. Finding something to distract him and work on, he leaps at the opportunity, but in a rush to get himself out of the sleeves, he gets them somehow tangled together and his hands start to shake again, and he can feel Magnus' eyes upon him, and he wants to just bury his face in shame.
"Here, let me help you out with that."
Magnus is gentle with him, gentle and calm. He takes his time to untangle the mess that Alec has found himself into. For a second Alec thinks why is he bothering with doing it by hand when he could just use his magic for that, but the concentration in the Warlock's eyes shuts him up before he can say something stupid like that out loud.
The time here is about them. And it seems that no matter what a fool of himself Alec has made, and probably still gonna make before they go back to the real world, Magnus won't hold it against him.
He needs Alec just the same as Alec needs Magnus.
He feels himself relax a little bit at that. "Thanks," he says with a smile and then somehow feels the need to add, "I'm... not usually like..." he trails off, making a wild gesture with his hand before continuing on, "this, I just..."
"I know." Magnus pats his arm with a knowing, secretive look and tugs with his hand for Alec to follow him towards the living room area, where they could finally sit down. "Come on, I'll pour you a drink."
Magnus is busying himself by the glass table that holds the stronger drinks, while Alec let's himself situate more comfortably on the sofa that Magnus has led him to sit on. He thinks it's the sofa, because he can remember the position in the room where the object is at, but this one feels different – it's softer and has a series of pillows that he doesn't quite remember seeing before, and he thinks Magnus must have done something to it before they came in, and… Alec is not sure why is he suddenly so concerned about the lineage of the sofa.
He forces a breath out of his lungs. He thinks he feels calmer, more steady. It gives him courage to risk a glance towards his hands… that are still shaking. The involuntary tremors makes the pair of his hands vibrate in plain view. He frowns at them, turning them over to look from all sides, and while he's all methodical about it his body doesn't seem to agree.
After some time, he feels Magnus join him on the sofa, a pair of drinks in hand and he finds himself asking, "Is love always this intense?"
There's a sigh by his side and shortly after the sound of glasses being put down on the table echo in the otherwise silent room. He feels the heat from Magnus' body as he scoots himself over, closer towards Alec and Alec wonders if it'd be too much to ask him to get even closer still.
There's a hand against his forearm that slowly descends down the path of his arm, until it reaches the shaking hands of Alec.
"Alexander, what you're feeling right now is only a part of it. A small, horrifying part of losing the ones you love. The fear you're feeling right now won't stay with you forever."
The skin on skin contact makes Alec swallow tightly, another shudder going down his body and he masks it with a gesture of interlocking their fingers together. He knows his palm is probably sweaty but he hopes Magnus won't mind it too much.
He just can't help feeling this unbearable need to be closer to the Warlock. In any way possible.
"Yeh, I, uh... I know, it's just... I can't-" he cuts himself off with a huff, and with his one hand, the one that is not gripping tightly onto Magnus' like a lifeline, runs his fingers through his hair. "I'm not freaking out anymore but I just can't stop shaking." He swallows and continues, "Magnus, it's like... it's in me. Thi-this... fear - the images of you- I just can't- how do I stop it?"
He only realizes the intensity of his shaking has increased when he feels Magnus hands all over him, brushing gentle, soothing circles around his shoulders. It takes him a few times to make Alec look at him. But he does, and once he does, he can't find it in himself to look away.
"Hey, how about you try to shift your mind elsewhere. Think of something, someone that makes you happy. How about your little brother Max-"
"You," he says at once, surprising Magnus into silence. He feels it being silly. Why is Magnus so surprised that he makes Alec happy? Oh, God, is he still unable to bring his feelings across to Magnus? He thought his confession was enough... But then why is Magnus looking at him like every word that comes out of Alec's mouth is the definition of impossibility.
"You make me happy," he puts pressure on the pronoun with what he hopes enough conviction because it's the most honest truth of them all.
"Alexander..."
"I love you. I don't know what else I should do to make my feelings reach you." The sound that leaves him sounds a lot more broken than he intends to but he just doesn't know what else to do. How else to make this wonderful man see that he is it for Alec. That he was such a fool for his whole life only now to really realize what his heart truly needs.
And that's Magnus.
"Oh, Alec. Your feelings have reached me loud and clear. You don't have to say anything else." Magnus' voice sounds rushed and desperate. It makes Alec stop with curiosity, never having heard it spoken like that before. Or did he just never listen closely enough before? The latter makes his insides clench painfully.
"I love you more than you'd ever know, my dear Shadowhunter," the Warlock says and then there's a magical moment when Alec's heart stops beating altogether, his breath catching itself in his throat as he feels the breath of hot air against his lips before he's being kissed – a couple of lingering pecks, followed by a caress of the back of his neck.
It lasts maybe a few seconds but in Alec's mind it feels like forever. A pleasant forever he wants to drown into. When Magnus pulls back, his body seeks him out again, leaning in, before catching himself and leaning back against the back of the sofa to take a look at Magnus.
Something must show in Alec's expression because Magnus puts a confused face while running his fingers down his lover's arm. "What's wrong?"
Alec feels it's such a misdirecting word. There are still so many things out there that are wrong, but this – them – could never be it.
"Nothing, it's just you, uh... you never kissed me first before. You were holding back a lot with me, didn't you?" he says and the slightly uncomfortable look on Magnus' speaks volumes. For some reason he's refusing to meet Alec's eyes.
"I didn't want to overwhelm you. I can be... a bit intense, when I get attached to someone. And what I feel for you is... I haven't felt such intensity in a long time. I'm afraid to push you too far."
The vulnerability in Magnus' voice makes Alec wish to do anything in his power to reasure the Warlock. He goes for it straight ahead, his arms shooting out to grab on any part of Magnus. "Magnus, I love you. All of you. All that I know. You don't have to hold yourself back with me. I can take it, whatever you throw at me."
It's his turn then to be surprised at the look Magnus presents him. He tries to convince himself that it's the trick of the light, that he's only imagining it but as Magnus' face comes closer to him, he sees that it's true – there are unshed tears in Magnus' eyes and the raw intensity of a man in love. He barely gets a single syllable of Magnus' name out in the open before he finds his hands, his lap and his mouth full of Magnus.
He gasps at the sudden intensity that his lover shows him – Magnus, straddling his body, pressing himself closer to the Shadowhunter as his mouth continues to take Alec's lips between his, the caramel hands running his fingers through Alec's hair, making a mess of it, with a series of involuntary tugs on the dark locks that make Alec surge forward towards Magnus. He continues to push himself closer to Alec until he's flush against him and Alec brings his hands to grip the Warlock's hips in a bruising hold.
In a matter of seconds, he finds himself out of breath, his lungs scratching him from within, begging for the so needed oxygen. Magnus has been teaching him how to breathe properly while kissing someone, but all the lessons seem to have evaporated out of Alec's mind as the two continue the tug-and-pull war of their lips – each nip bringing more fire in the other.
Surprisingly, or not so, it's Magnus who pulls back first.
If it were up to Alec, it wouldn't have ended until the next sunrise so it's probably right that Magnus pulled the rains back for now.
"Still okay?" Magnus asks and at first Alec is not sure what he's on about, until it downs on him.
It's always about one thing for him – Magnus.
When he tries speaking, he finds his voice hoarse, a weird sound to his ears, but he can't find it in himself to care much. "Uh, yeh," he says. "Sure. Bring it on."
The chuckle that comes out of Magnus makes his whole body vibrate and Alec basks in the intimacy of it.
"You are a wonder, Alexander Gideon Lightwood," he says with the fondness that is only reserved to Alec alone. "How did I get so lucky to have you?"
There are hands running down his hair and it takes a lot of willpower for Alec to not just succumb to the feeling before forgetting to answer. "I think it's a, uh... mutual benefit." The coy grin that follows tells him all he needs to know.
"Indeed it is."
They share the breathing space again, leaning in towards each other, when a shrilling sound, of what is possibly Alec's phone, disturbs their happy bubble.
They both sigh and slump in their seats (Magnus still sitting in Alec's lap being the only bonus left of the situation). "Someone is calling," Alec says, rather unnecessarily while his hands continue to make up-and-down strokes against the lower back of Magnus'.
"You should probably take it then. It could be important," Magnus agrees, making no effort to assist him in that.
The feeling in Alec's gut only swells more with love.
"Yeh, uh, it probably is. Could you-" He makes a wild gesture with his hand, which should probably suffice as Magnus doing magic, and the next moment, with a flick of the wrist, the buzzying object is in Magnus' hold, Izzy's name flashing on the screen.
"Thanks," he says with a small smile and takes the call. "Hello? Izzy? Everything all right?" he asks, his voice still a little bit shaky but the possibility of something happening to his sister makes him get a stronger grip on himself.
"Don't worry, I'm just giving you a heads up that you're going to be needed in the Institute within twenty minutes."
Alec frowns in confusion, asking, "A heads up?"
"Yeh, so you could finish up whatever you and Magnus have started."
There's a warm chuckle coming right out of the device and Alec feels his cheeks burn.
"I- uh… huh?" he tries to form the words but a single glance at Magnus (who is still casually sitting on Alec's lap and giving him a wink) and he's gone. He fails to hear half of what Izzy is telling him until something catches his attention at the last second.
-'s fine, Jace told me all about it."
"Jace!?" he yells out in the phone a bit too loudly, making Magnus lean backwards a little with a raised eyebrow at him. He hurries to apologize silently and continues in a calmer voice, "What did Jace tell you?"
"That you, and I quote 'with an exception of a few worrying spikes, Alec feels very content and happy in whatever he's doing'"
Alec thinks it's the most accurate definition of his current situation if needed to be named in simple words so he doesn't protest and only get's to a stuttering I… before his sister interrupts him with another good-natured chuckle.
"Say hi to Magnus for me."
Before he can do that, Magnus is leaning into his personal space impossibly close and speaks right to the phone, his breath ghosting over Alec's lips as he speaks, "Hello, Isabelle."
Alec is sure he's doing that on purpose.
He's also sure that it's only the beginning of the Pandora box that he has opened of Magnus letting himself loose.
And he can't wait for it.
"Hi, Magnus. We're waiting for you back at the Institute."
Magnus does something with his lips – wetting them for a brief moment and then biting on his lower one and Alec knows he can't be talking with his sister any longer.
Twenty minutes it is.
"Okay, Izzy. We'll be there soon, just… take it easy, okay?" he says in a rush and Magnus chuckles in a knowing way, his whole body shaking so much that he has to place his forehead against Alec's shoulder to stifle the sounds a little.
"I know, Alec. I will," Izzy says through the phone and then adds, "Have fun."
Alec would feel more embarrassed about the possibility of everyone at the Institute knowing where and with who, and maybe even what he's doing until those twenty minutes come to pass, but at this moment he can't seem to care, just letting his body surge forward, towards his sweet haven.
He is absolutely sure that love is the most powerful magic of them all.
Fin.
let me know your thoughts on the third, on the last part of this fic. It has been fun!