Silhouette
missing scene from Between Burroughs

by ariviand

Disclaimer: Both characters depicted in this ficlet are from The Mortal Instruments, and belong solely to Cassandra Clare.

Warning: This is an M-rated read. M for mature material, M for Malec, M for mmmmgoodness. You were warned. Read at your own risk.

"Alec?"

The water ran steadily in the silence that followed, the thin shower curtain the only thing standing between them. Alec stared at Magnus's silhouette, which stilled beneath the spray as he waited for some response. Surely he heard the door click shut, probably could not mistake Alec's heavy breathing, even over the sound of the jets.

"Yes," Alec answered in a soft, still uncertain voice. He leaned back into the closed door, as far as he could physically get from the looming shower.

Then the shower curtain was being inched to the side, metal rings scraping across the bar and Magnus's dripping hair and moist face appeared in the opening.

"You kept me waiting long enough," he teased. His pale eyes passed over Alec, offering him a vague smile. And then the shower curtain slid back into place and Magnus's silhouette was in motion again, stepping back under the spray of the water.

Alec released a relieved breath, relaxing once the attention was off him again.

He could still change his mind. A closed door and the proximity of the shower, it didn't mean he was forced to continue on the same path. He could still turn around and walk out and leave Magnus to finish his shower alone. Alec reminded himself of this and he felt marginally better.

By the same token, he had come this far, Magnus had seen him, spoken with him, and was even now waiting for him. He had been waiting on him for several minutes. It had taken Alec this long just to find the resolve to get out of bed and cross the room.

Surprisingly, the water was still warm. In a place as vast as the Institute, one would think there'd be a water heater strong enough to support multiple, lengthy showers in a short span of time, but the truth was, they were usually restricted to five-minute showers, with no guarantee that the cold water wouldn't rush in at the three minute mark and freeze them out. So Alec had grown accustomed to washing his hair and rinsing off in record time.

But he should have known Magnus would not be rushed. Everything about his grooming habits was rituatlized and careful, and of course, showering would be no exception. In as far as he could tell, Magnus had done nothing more in this span of time than wet his hair, and let the water pass over him, enjoying the warmth. He didn't smell shampoo or soap or body wash. And the hot water was being wasted. It was only going to last so long.

Biting his lower lip in indecision, Alec listened as the warlock started to hum. There was the snap of a bottle cap, and then the familiar scent of shampoo Alec used, a clean, simple scent. Alec vaguely wondered if Magnus would approve. It wasn't a salon product, or anything terribly expensive. It was just a generic, functional bottle of shampoo.

"Mm," Magnus murmured. In the shadow behind the curtain, he appeared to be rubbing his palms together. Then Magnus lifted his hands, pushing his fingers back through his damp hair once more, lathering the shampoo into his scalp.

"Smells like Alec," he added on a purr.

Alec blushed, glad that the shower curtain stood between them, glad that he was still standing outside of it, leaning into the support of the door, where the warlock couldn't see him.

But somehow, he thought perhaps Magnus knew that it would affect him. Maybe he could see through the shower curtain, more than just a vague silhouette, because Magnus chuckled.

"It's just shampoo," Alec retorted, a little snappy. It was a weak defense against Magnus's teasing, but his irritation allowed him to focus on something else, something other than Magnus's throaty laugh or the way the warlock arched his back as he ran his fingers through his hair, or the shape of his form beyond that arching back, which was not in the least obscured by the shower curtain.

"I love the smell," Magnus replied, taking his damned time washing his hair. The shower curtain rippled as the warlock's elbow accidentally nudged it. Alec glanced away, trying not to stare. He heard the fluid movement of Magnus's feet shifting, moving around in the shower. When he chanced another look up, Alec realized Magnus had turned around and was rinsing the shampoo out under the spray, his fingers lifted into his hair, coaxing the strands beneath the pressure of the water.

"You're going to run out of hot water soon," Alec pointed out, though the warning came out more breathless than he'd intended.

"Then you'd better get in before it's too late," Magnus said, shaking out his hair.

The shower curtain rippled again. As Alec watched, Magnus's tall silhouette turned to face him. Alec thought he caught the flicker of those fingers gesturing for him to come closer.

Face warming up again, the steam making his skin prickle, Alec's fingers moved cautiously to the button at the top of his pants.

After a silent prayer, Alec plucked the metal button until it broke free of the loop, then the zipper buzzed on his fly. It was far too loud in the small room and Alec cringed.

Then his pants were joining Magnus's on the floor, near the door.