Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus || The Purr-fect Place || Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus
Title: The Purr-fect Place – To Call Home
Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, winged Shadowhunters, nesting, fluff
Main Pairing: Magnus/Jace
Shadowhunters Characters: Jace Herondale, Magnus Bane
Summary: When Jace moved in with Magnus, he learned that Magnus' cat-eyes weren't the only feline trait the warlock had. As a Shadowhunter, he was more bird-aligned, it came with the wings, so he didn't think that would work out. Instead, he came to realize that he might… like cats.
The Purr-fect Place
To Call Home
Magnus Bane was a cat.
Not literally, he was very much human. But on all other accounts, that man was a cat. From his stunning warlock-mark – the golden cat eyes with the slit pupil that were so intense they bore into one's soul – to his general behavior, really. He delighted in messing with people. He could lounge about like a wild cat overlooking his domain, particularly in Pandemonium. He had roughly twenty cats and Jace was convinced that Magnus could actually communicate with them, like the leader of the pride. He could be very playful and unserious but this kitten had claws; his magic was so powerful, he was not to be underestimated. He sometimes swatted things off the table for entirely no other reason than annoyance and frustration with the thing (even though he kept denying that he did it and kept blaming the nearest cat). And, most importantly, he purred when he was happy.
That last one was the most startling one. All others, all the small behaviors, he could dismiss or think the warlock was simply being an eccentric cat owner, but the purring was real. The first time Jace had heard it, he had more overheard it. He'd been living at the loft for about a week when Magnus had his friend Catarina over and the two were talking in the living room. Jace had steered clear, feeling awkward and still too new to the loft to intrude. But at one point, he had gone to the kitchen to get himself a sandwich. Magnus and Catarina had been sitting together, leaning against each other, holding each other, while audibly purring. At first, Jace had thought it was one of the cats, but it had been so much louder, and it had come from Magnus.
Ever since, Jace might be a little obsessed. The sound had been so… pretty. Mesmerizing. It became Jace's mission, without him intending to do so, to hear that sound again.
It happened without Jace actively doing anything trying to cause it. Maybe a month and a half into his stay at the loft, when he had already started thinking of the loft as home, the two of them were sitting on the balcony together late at night, drinking wine and talking without talking. Talking about idle, fun things, not talking about trauma and pain and the things they were facing on the daily with this war. It got colder, chilly. Jace was used to simply pushing through these things, he always ignored pain and such. When Magnus next to him shuddered though, Jace went to fetch a blanket, a large, soft, fluffy blanket from the living room, and wrapped it around them both. Snuggling into the blanket, Magnus started purring loudly and actually pawing at it.
"I'm the omega here, I should react strongly to soft stuff. You're an alpha. But you're purring."
Jace side-eyed Magnus with a pointed look. Magnus just stared back at him, blinking, warlock-mark unglamoured. His pupils were large, like a cat having a good time. The alpha tilted his head.
"That's the first time I hear you willingly bring up that you're an omega."
That gave Jace pause. He instinctively pulled the blanket closer around himself, seeking it like a shield. Magnus wasn't wrong. Being an omega wasn't something Jace talked about a lot. Or at all.
"My father…" Jace trailed off and pulled his legs up against his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "Valentine raised me to not be an omega. Tried to make me, best an alpha… So, I never… But considering he isn't my father, considering who he is, I'm trying to… not be who he wanted me to be, I'm… trying to be who I want to be."
Magnus tilted his head, regarding him for a long moment. "And you want to be an omega?"
"I don't know," Jace shrugged, frowning. "I've never really been an omega, I mean, it's something I always… hid away. So I want to… try, I guess."
"Don't force yourself to be what others expect an omega to be," Magnus offered after another moment. "I'm an alpha but I enjoy soft and fluffy things. I'm… in other regards not like your typical alpha either, I suppose."
"No, you're not," Jace huffed out a small laugh, earning a raised eyebrow from Magnus. "I don't mean… in a bad way. I'm very used to Shadowhunter alphas, where they're the brute force types, the strong fighters. You're not… weak either, I've seen you train on the balcony before, you are hiding quite some muscles too, Bane. But you don't… show it off, impose it on others, use it to dominate. Besides, your core strength lays in your magic."
Magnus hummed in acknowledgment. "You're not wrong. I'm also feline-aligned, as you have pointed out before. So I like soft things. I follow my instincts, the things I want and crave. Don't let others tell you what it means to be an omega, find what makes you feel comfortable in your own skin and live your life according to your own standards."
Jace looked at him for a moment, before he turned away again. Looking up at the sky, watching the clouds move over the night-sky. Why was it so easy to talk to Magnus? Because they both knew loss, trauma and crappy childhoods? Because they both coped in the same manner? With alcohol, sarcasm and sex. They just… clicked. Jace was feeling really comfortable here, he was feeling… at home here, with Magnus and the cats. Which was a dangerous feeling.
/break\
Magnus Bane was a simple man. He liked pretty things and he liked soft things. And now there was this very pretty Shadowhunter living with him, with those very soft looking wings. All Shadowhunters had wings, but Jace's seemed particularly stunning to Magnus. Magnus had not yet gotten to touch them; a Shadowhunter's wings were very special and they were very protective of them so Magnus would never just touch them without being explicitly allowed to. However, the little Shadowhunter shed nearly as badly as the cats, so Magnus had found a lot of loose feathers in his loft. They were as soft as those wings looked and if Magnus may have kept a few of them for himself and stashed them away in his bedroom, then that was neither here nor there.
"Are you finally cleaning up after yourself, little birdie?"
Magnus was lounging on his couch, sprawled out. He was watching with curious, golden eyes how Jace walked up and down the entire loft, picking up loose feathers wherever he found them. Pausing, Jace looked up, like he was only now noticing that Magnus was even there.
"I do clean up this loft, big kitten," Jace frowned at him. "More often than you, actually. But no, I'm not cleaning, I am gathering. My… heat… is coming up and I'm… nesting."
Well, consider Magnus lost for words. His little Shadowhunter was close to his heat. Was nesting in Magnus' loft. Inexplicably, that had not occurred to Magnus yet. The possibility of the omega he was now living with actually going into heat, and nesting here. It made sense, of course. Jace was living here, this was his home, Magnus did want him to be comfortable here to do so. Still, the bit where Magnus was now living with an omega actively nesting, was living with an omega who was going to go into heat, and spend his heat here, at the loft…
"Is there anything I can do?" Magnus offered, pausing when Jace gave him a particular look. "That was not what I was offering, dirty minded little Shadowhunter. I meant, is there anything you will require for your upcoming heat, or your nest? Materials and such. Anything you need."
Jace stared blankly at him. "Materials?"
"Nesting materials," Magnus motioned vaguely. "Not to be presumptuous, but considering all you confided in me… I doubt you've built a lot of nests in the past, so I doubt you have-"
"I didn't even know that's a thing. I mean, like, proper materials. I've just…" Jace was the one to motion vaguely around this time. "Used stuff laying around, you know."
"Oh dear," Magnus tilted his head as he got up. "Come along then, pretty bird."
It took Jace a moment, at the nickname, to react. "Where to…?"
"There is a wonderful shop, called Best Nest, where you will find anything you may require for your nesting needs," Magnus opened a portal. "And they may be able to help you figure out whatever you… don't know to do yet."
There was more reluctance this time, but in the end Jace nodded and followed.
/break\
Magnus had taken Jace to a store that sold… so many things that Jace hadn't even considered. His nest, prior to that trip, had only consisted of sheets and his own clothes. Now, it looked… better. Proper. Or at least what Jace imagined a nest should look, not that he'd seen many before. Magnus was right, Jace had never nested before, had always ignored the urge and fought his way through his heat like a stubborn idiot. This time, he wanted… comfort. After everything during the war, Jace wanted comfort. And it looked good. Yet something still felt off. Something was missing.
"Are you going to be kneading that much longer, or can I have that, big kitten?"
Magnus was sprawled out on top of the fluffy blanket on their couch, pawing at it and purring away in utter delight. They'd curled together under that blanket, that first time they'd spoken about Jace being an omega, out on the balcony. Jace really liked that blanket, it smelt a lot like Magnus, it was the softest thing in the loft, it was perfect to finish the nest.
Magnus turned to look at him with narrowed, unglamoured eyes. "...Why do you want to steal my favorite blanket, little Shadowhunter?"
"For my nest," Jace replied. "It's not just your favorite blanket, it's also my favorite blanket."
Magnus frowned at that, still pawing at the blanket, before he sighed. "Okay, fine. Take it."
Huh. Somehow, Jace hadn't expected that, especially not with how enamored Magnus seemed with it right now. Why would Magnus hand over his own favorite blanket? Then again, there were many things that Jace didn't understand about Magnus Bane. Why the alpha had taken him in, to begin with. He didn't owe Jace anything, after all. He had no reason to put up with Jace.
Magnus handed the blanket to Jace, who cradled it close to his chest. "...Thank you."
"Oh, no worries," Magnus made a dismissive gesture. "I can take another blanket, there are many. I meant it when I said anything you need for your heat, I do want to help."
/break\
Magnus liked soft and pretty things and he had come to follow his instincts, take what he wanted – he had the money to buy anything worldly that he could want and for most things, a price could be arranged. Right now, he was physically restraining himself from doing as his instincts told him. Because he knew it was unwise, he knew it was not his place to be.
Jace was on a mission – his heat was closing in but he was still a couple days out – and Magnus had done the laundry. He'd gone into Jace's room to bring the blonde's clothes. He'd meant to drop the clothes off on Jace's bed. But the door to Jace's walk-in closet stood open and as he put the clothes down, he saw the nest. Jace had built it in the closet, which was quite clever, it was additionally protected, not out in the open. Magnus stared at it with intense eyes and wide pupils, wanting.
There was his favorite blanket, spread out atop the center. Large, soft pillows all around it. Jace's feathers everywhere around it and on top of it. It looked so inviting and so soft. And it smelt like Jace, Magnus loved that honey-sweet scent, it made him hungry.
All Magnus wanted to do was climb in there, paw at it and curl together for a good nap, surrounded by soft things and things that smelt like his omega. Only that Jace wasn't his omega and he had no rights to get even close to Jace's nest. It was incredibly uncalled for an alpha to go into an omega's nest without being explicitly invited into it. But oh, he wanted.
This wasn't good. Having the Shadowhunter live with him was one thing. Growing fond of him was one thing. Acknowledging that he was pretty was one thing. This went beyond all that. He'd come to think of Jace as his omega, he wanted to be in the omega's nest, wanted to be surrounded by the omega's scent. He craved Jace. And that wasn't good.
/break\
Jace was pacing the loft. He'd gone from his room to the living room and now was pacing the hall. His eyes kept drifting to Magnus' bedroom door with longing. The nest was good, it was comfortable, but Jace wanted more. Needed it to smell more like Magnus. Would prefer for Magnus to be in it. Something he couldn't ask of the alpha who wasn't his.
"Are," the door to Magnus' bedroom opened quite decidedly. "You quite done pacing? I am trying to sleep in here but you keep stomping around out here."
In the doorway stood Magnus, his hair cutely messy, the robes thrown on over his fancy pajamas. He looked… cute. Mh. That wasn't good. Jace was quite used to being sexually attracted to people, finding them hot and attractive. But this kind of cuteness, that was different. It was very different.
"Sorry," Jace cleared his throat and turned away, to instead face his room.
With a sigh did Magnus run his fingers through his hair. "Is there… anything… that you need?"
Jace swallowed hard to keep from saying you. "I… I'm just, I can't sleep."
"Is something wrong with your nest?" Magnus looked concerned now.
"I don't know," Jace heaved a sigh. "It just feels off."
Jace turned to walk to his room, signaling for Magnus to follow. It took the alpha a moment to do so, but in the end, he followed. Into Jace's room, up to the wall closet. Jace opened the door and motioned at it, like somehow showing Magnus his nest would make the warlock tell him what was missing. Why would Magnus know, he was an alpha, he didn't nest.
"That… is a very nice nest," Magnus offered reluctantly after a moment.
"But something is off," Jace glared in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. "But what…"
Magnus tilted his head, regarding the nest slowly. Like he was genuinely considering it. Jace appreciated the patience and thought, because he was slowly growing agitated.
"I'm sorry I can't help," Magnus' voice was soft. "I'm afraid I don't know how to make a good nest, but if there is anything you think I can help you with, tell me."
Closing his eyes, Jace took a deep breath to calm himself and ease his frustrations. Magnus stood so close, his scent filled Jace's senses. Relaxation overcame him like a warm wave of comfort. That. That was what was missing. He needed this wonderful scent, this calmness. Grabbing Magnus' hand, Jace walked over to his nest and pulled the warlock with him. Magnus stumbled after him, landing on the floor amid the soft blanket and large pillows.
"Jace-" Magnus' voice was surprised and urgent. "This is your nest."
Jace sat down next to him, close to him, inhaling deeply. "This helps. It smells better now. You just… need to stay here longer, so it can smell more like you."
Unconsciously, Magnus was pawing at the blanket beneath him, a soft purring starting as he settled into the very soft and comfortable nest. Jace sighed contently, absolutely loving that noise. He relaxed more, leaning more into the warlock, until he was actually leaning against him. At first, he startled, and wanted to move away, but Magnus laid an arm around him to pull him closer.
"I like you, very much," Magnus whispered gently. "And considering you just dragged me into your nest so it would smell more like me, to make it better, it's… fair to assume you like me too."
Heaving a sigh, Jace tried to hide in Magnus' chest. "I… do. I didn't know how to tell you, or if I should tell you, but you said to follow my instincts, and my instincts tell me you need to be here."
"Good," Magnus was grinning like a cat. "Because I desperately wanted to be in here."
Jace looked up, curious and surprised. "You… did?"
"When I was bringing your clothes to your room the other day, the closet door stood open and I saw your nest and I… really wanted to crawl in here, it looked perfectly comfortable and it smelt so intensely like you," Magnus smiled at Jace. "I like you very much, pretty bird."
Swallowing hard, Jace nodded. Okay. Okay, that was somehow not the outcome he had expected and he wasn't fully sure what to do with that. Emotional attachments, romantic ones, weren't really something Jace was used to. Furrowing his brows, Jace regarded Magnus.
"I… like you too," Jace whispered, unsure. "You gave me a home when I had none. It was supposed to just be a place to sleep, to be safe, but it's become a home… you… became a home."
Magnus raised his eyebrows but he smiled brightly. "I… have to admit that my home has become more… homey since you moved in. It's warmer, I like having you with me."
Grasping Jace's neck, Magnus pulled the omega closer, until only a breath separated their lips. Jace was the one to close that gap, fully kissing the warlock. His own fingers entangled in the hair in Magnus' neck, holding him close. By the end of the kiss, Jace was sitting on Magnus' lap. His lips were swollen, open a little as he was panting breathlessly. Magnus looked equally ruffled, though his eyes were hypnotizing. Fully unglamoured, golden, but his pupils so wide – like a cat who saw something they liked and were zooming in on that. It was flustering to be the focus of that.
/break\
Magnus was purring with abandon, rolling onto his side a little. This was his new favorite spot, not just in the loft but perhaps anywhere at all. The walk-in closet in the guest-room. His omega's nest. Filled with Jace's scent and with all the soft and comfortable things they had.
"You know, if I had known how comfortable nests are, I would have started nesting myself, centuries ago," Magnus declared and stretched wide. "This is pure bliss."
"You are the strangest alpha I have ever met, big kitten," Jace chuckled softly.
Jace was laying curled together, watching his alpha in amusement. After another moment, Magnus adjusted himself to curl around Jace, resting his head in Jace's lap and nuzzling against the blonde's thigh, inhaling his omega's intoxicating scent. Jace chuckled again, reaching down to caress Magnus' hair, scratching his scalp until the purring increased. Finally, after all this time, Jace got to hear that purring as often as he wanted, he even got to be the cause of it. He got to make Magnus happy enough to purr. Smiling, Jace also got more comfortable so the two of them were laying together, entangled with each other, both enjoying the calm and serene moment. Both enjoying the safety and comfort of each other, this feeling of being home.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: I was really in a mood to focus more on Magnus' feline traits, with his warlock-mark! So have some kitten!Magnus fluff ;)