#malectober 2022

Prompt: Church

“Veni ad me.” Alec said, the last words of the incantation spilling from his lips. “Ego te voco.” 

Inside the pentagram, the demon rose to its feet and looked at him.

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“Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?” Alec asked.

Magnus looked up from the Portal currently forming in front of him, blinking through the sparks. “It’s a surprise.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t you trust me?”

Alec smiled back. “Of course I do.”

“Good.” Magnus said. He held out a hand to Alec. “Come on. I’ll explain everything later.”

Alec took his hand and followed him through the Portal, trusting Magnus to guide them both to their destination.

They emerged onto a cobbled street in bright sunlight. Alec looked around, blinking, at the whitewashed houses, red tiled roofs and rocky brown mountains rising in the distance. The air was warm and smelled like baking bread and spices.

Alec glanced over with Magnus, who was looking at him with a small smile. “Where are we?”

“Peru.” Magnus said cheerfully.

Alec put his hands on his hips, frowning at Magnus severely. “I thought you were banned from Peru. Catarina and Ragnor are always talking about it.” He gave Magnus a suspicious look. “Are we going to have to run from the police again?”

Magnus put on an injured expression. “I resent the implication that I’m constantly dragging you into law-breaking shenanigans. I obtained special permission from the High Council of Peruvian warlocks to enter the country for an afternoon.”

“And they just gave you permission?” Alec said dubiously. “Just like that?”

“Well,” Magnus said slowly. “I may have mentioned that my husband happens to be the Consul of the Shadowhunters and he might not be entirely happy to hear that my request was denied.”

Alec burst out laughing and stepped closer to Magnus, wrapping his arms around him. Magnus leaned into him, nuzzling Alec’s cheek.

“I love you.” Alec murmured against Magnus’s ear. “But you’ve really got to stop using me as a political weapon to get what you want.”

“I’ll stop one day.” Magnus said happily. He kissed Alec’s cheek. “Now, Jace and Clary are watching the boys for the afternoon, so we can stay here until sunset. Come on.” He grabbed Alec’s hand and set off down the street, pulling Alec with him.

“Hey, wait.” Alec said, laughing. “Aren’t you going to tell me why we’re here?”

Was it his imagination, or did Magnus look slightly uncertain? “I’ll tell you later.” he said, squeezing Alec’s hand. “Promise.”

Smiling, Alec shook his head and let Magnus lead him towards the town square. He could put up with a little strangeness if it made Magnus happy.

Hours later, the sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, and Alec still wasn’t sure why Magnus had brought them here. He wasn’t complaining, though, because every minute together had been wonderful. The town was peaceful, with small, brightly coloured houses and an old cathedral built of white stone that shone in the sunlight. They’d spent hours wandering through the streets, eating food from the roadside vendors, poking into cafés, museums, bookshops.

It was the sort of thing they didn’t get to do very often, time spent outside of home with no sense of urgency or responsibility, no mission to complete and no kids to watch. In Alec’s opinion, there was nothing better than doing nothing with Magnus.

The whole time, Alec had been able to tell Magnus was waiting to tell him something. As they wandered through the markets, Magnus kept giving him little sideways glances, and looking as if he was about to speak before changing his mind. Once it would have worried Alec, but not now. He knew Magnus would tell him when he was ready.

Now, as afternoon flowed into evening, they were hiking up a rocky hill overlooking the town. The path wound upwards through rugged scrubland, glowing gold in the light of the setting sun. Magnus was a few metres ahead of Alec, and he kept looking back at him with a little smile. Alec could tell he was building up to something, but he didn’t say anything, content with the gentle silence between them.

Finally they reached the top of the hill. They were on a flat, rocky plain overlooking the valley and the town below. The light spilled down the hillsides and flowed across the buildings like molten gold.

Magnus turned and looked over at Alec. His face was washed in golden light, making him seem to glow from within. Alec’s heart stuttered briefly in his chest at the sight of him.

“Okay.” Alec said. “Why did you bring me here? I know there’s some kind of reason.”

For the second time that day, Magnus looked hesitant, even a little apprehensive. He stepped closer to Alec, taking his hand and clasping it within both of his. Alec put his other hand over Magnus’. He could tell his husband was working up to some kind of confession.

“Why I brought you here.” Magnus murmured. He had his eyes fixed on their joined hands, like he was half-scared to meet Alec’s eyes. He took a deep breath. “Do you know what this town is called?”

“No.” Alec murmured. He rubbed his thumb over Magnus’s knuckles, feeling the warmth of his skin.

“It’s called Moquega.” Magnus said softly.

“Oh.” Alec said. The name sounded familiar. He thought he might have read it in the notebook of stories Magnus had given him years ago, when they’d got back together after their breakup. “Have you been here before?”

“Once.” Magnus said. He looked up at Alec suddenly, and his expression was more open, more vulnerable than Alec had hardly ever seen it. “Moquegua means “quiet place” in Quechua.” he said haltingly. “When I first came here, I— I didn’t feel comfortable or safe, because I felt— I felt like there was no quiet place in the world for me, and there never would be.”

He dropped his gaze again, gripping Alec’s hand tighter “And I felt like that for a long time. Like I always had to keep moving, and never rest anywhere. But then when I met you— you made me feel anchored. Peaceful.”

He looked up again, and Alec saw that there were tears brimming in his eyes. “I wanted to bring you here to tell you. I’ve never told you before and I wanted to tell you. You’re my quiet place, Alec.”

Alec’s heart broke open, sending warm light flooding through his veins. He wrapped his arms around Magnus, holding him so close he could feel his heartbeat. Magnus put his head down on Alec’s shoulder, shaking in his arms.

“Thank you for telling me.” Alec. He blinked back tears of his own, overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotions, gratitude and joy and love. “You’re so— you’re so wonderful. You’re everything. I love you, Magnus.”

We're well past October, but I'm still going to finish this fic. Eventually.

This chapter is set twenty years after Queen of Air and Darkness.

This chapter is set a few months before City of Bones.

“Fuck.” Alec muttered, staring down at the plastic button in his hand. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Of all the times a button could come off his jacket, it had to be today. Today, when he had a meeting with the board of directors to present his new shares report. And of course today was the day he’d worn a jacket with only one button. The dress code at his workplace was ridiculously strict, and Alec knew that going in there like this would not be acceptable.

Desperately, he scanned the busy city street, looking for any place that might help him. He had half an hour before the meeting… but if by some miracle…

There. A small, fairly discreet shop with an overhead sign saying BANE’S TAILORING. Alec felt a small stab of hope. Maybe they’d be able to help him. He darted across the street, stopping outside the store. Smaller letters over the door proclaimed it to be a GENTLEMEN’S TAILOR AND ALTERATIONS SERVICE. Perfect. Alec ducked inside, jingling the bell over the door. 

The inside of the shop was cool and smelled faintly of jasmine. Under Alec’s feet was a red carpet that had once been plush, but was now slightly threadbare. Antique wood paneling covered the walls. The whole space had the feel of somewhere lavish but slightly rundown. 

Along the far wall stretched a large oak desk with a dark green marble surface, and now a man stepped out from a back room to stand behind it. He was tall, as tall as Alec, and handsome, with sharp cheekbones and a warm smile. His eyes were an unusual shade of golden brown, like sunlight through dark honey. He wore an expensive-looking purple suit, complete with a lemon yellow pocket square. He smiled brightly at Alec.

“Hello.” His voice low and rich, with an accent Alec column’t quite place. “How can I help you today?” 

“Uh.” Alec said. Caught up in studying the man, he’d briefly forgotten why he’d entered the shop. He remembered the button, and came forward to the desk. “Hi. I uh— I just lost a button off my jacket, and I have this really important meeting at work, and uh— I know I don’t have an appointment or anything, but um, I just wondered if you’d— if you’d be able to sew it back on. Or something. I’ll pay whatever you think is fair.” he added in a rush.

The store owner raised an eyebrow, seeming amused by Alec’s word vomit. “Of course. It would be my pleasure. Bring it here.” 

Alec laid the button on the counter in front of him. The man smiled at him. “I’ll need your jacket as well, darling.” 

Alec felt himself blush. “Oh. Uh. Yeah. Of course.” Feeling like an idiot, he shrugged off his jacket and laid it down beside the button. 

The store owner ran his long brown fingers over the loose threads in the jacket where the button had been. “No problem at all, just a simple repair job.” He glanced up at Alec, with that intriguing smile again. “What’s your name, anyway? I’m Magnus.”

“Alec.” Alec told him. He found himself smiling back.

“Well, Alec, this should only take a few minutes,” Magnus told him, pulling a box of thread spools out from under the counter. “Feel free to look around while you wait.”  

Alec did so, glancing around the room. It was full of fancy-looking suits displayed on mannequins, shelves of neatly folded shirts, and racks of ties. Absently, he wandered further into the shop, discovering that there was another room off the main one. Alec stepped inside, and his eyes widened. The room was a riot of colour and sparkles. Sequined evening dresses in a dozen different colours hung from the far wall. Fluffy tulle underskirts hung from the ceiling like brightly coloured clouds, in shades of pink, blue, yellow, peach, lavender. There was a large shelf of shoes, platform heels and pumps and stilettos. Everything shone or glittered or gleamed so that Alec was nearly overwhelmed. 

He stepped back into the main room. Magnus was carefully working a needle through the material of Alec’s jacket. He glanced up again and smiled at Alec. “See anything you like?”

Alec gestured vaguely to the next room. “I thought… I mean, your sign says that you’re a gentleman's tailor.”

Magnus raised his eyebrows. “We are a men’s tailoring service, darling.”

Alec opened his mouth again, and then stopped. He looked into the other room again, seeing suddenly how the cut of the dresses was….different, how the high heels were rather larger than women’s sizes. His face felt suddenly hot. “Oh.” 

“Yes.” Magnus confirmed, his eyes sparking mischievously. “I’m not much into drag myself— well, nothing more than the odd pair of fishnets and heels— but a lot of my friends are, and they have the devil of a time trying to find clothes that fit. So I expanded my business to accommodate their needs.” 

Alec’s face was burning. He didn’t know what to say, and the words fishnets and heels were spinning around inside his brain. “That’s uh— that’s really— really nice of you.” He turned away and pretended to be examining a rack of shirts as a form of escape. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Magnus grin as he bent over his work again.

——————————————————————————

 Magnus was having an unexpectedly good time. When the handsome stranger had stumbled into his shop, helplessly clutching a button, Magnus had been briefly dazzled by how stunningly attractive he was. He knew it was inappropriate to be checking out his customers, but god, that dark hair, and those eyes. He waited as the man— Alec— pulled off his jacket and laid it on the counter. Magnus grabbed his sewing kit and sat on the tall stool he used for quick repair jobs. It was the work of a moment to find a reel of thread that matched the colour of the jacket, and he began stitching. Magnus watched Alec surreptitiously as he worked. The grey suit and pale blue shirt looked good on him— Magnus suspected that the dark-haired stranger would look good in anything— but he couldn’t help thinking that a pop of colour in his clothes would make his skin and hair stand out beautifully. 

With a twinge of regret, he reflected that Alec was probably straight, based on his reaction to the dresses and heels in Magnus’s other room. He spoke teasingly, almost testing the other man, and didn’t miss the way Alec’s eyes lingered on his face and hands. Nor did he miss the way Alec blushed hotly at Magnus’s comment about fishnets and heels.

Hmmm. Perhaps he’d been too hasty to dismiss Alec as straight. 

Magnus finished stitching on the button and snipped off the excess thread. Alec was still studying the shelves, his attention turned away from him. Magnus considered for a second. He thought of the way Alec’s eyes had roamed over him, curious and surprised and maybe a tiny bit interested. Should he do it?

Magnus took a deep breath and went for it. Grabbing a piece of paper, he quickly wrote his number, before scrawling, Call me any time you need another button sewn on. —Magnus. He slipped the scrap of paper into the pocket of Alec’s jacket and straightened up.

“All done!” he announced. “Good as new.” 

Alec turned to face him, relief obvious in his face. “Oh, thank you so much. You’re an absolute lifesaver. How much do I owe you?”

Magnus waved his hand breezily. “Nothing. It was my pleasure.” 

Alec began to protest, but Magnus waved him away. “Really, darling, it was nothing.”

“Oh.” said Alec shyly. “Thanks. That’s— really kind of you.

Magnus grinned. If Ragnor, his old business professor, was here, he’d scold Magnus for giving away his services for free. But Ragnor wasn’t here, and Magnus’s store was doing well enough that he could afford to give five minutes of his time to a handsome stranger. “You’re very welcome, darling.” He noted that the word darling caused Alec’s cheeks to flush again, and felt a spark of delight in his chest.

Alec shrugged his jacket on, and Magnus admired the way his shoulders moved under the material. “Thanks again.”

Magnus beamed at him. “Hope to see you again sometime.”

Alec smiled, a small and embarrassed smile, but genuine. The shop bell jingled faintly behind him as he left.

The kitchen was warm and smelled of cinnamon. Magnus sat at the counter, listening contentedly to Alec as he described the features of the new model of Shadowhunter gear he’d approved that morning. It was now early afternoon. Magnus had been baking, and Alec had made coffee, and they’d sat together and eaten and talked and laughed.

Magnus leaned against the counter, tapping his fingernails against his mug, and Alec’s eyes followed the movement. He caught Magnus’s hand, turning it over. “Your nails are chipped.”

“Mhm.” Magnus rolled his shoulders.

Alec ran his thumb over the chipped black polish “Do you want me to paint them again?”

Alec had painted his nails several times in the past. It had become a sort of ritual for them, a few moments of quiet time when they could just talk and be together. But this time….there was something Magnus had been meaning to ask Alec. He looked down at his hand in Alec’s, then up at his husband’s face. He reminded himself that Alec wasn’t the scared, repressed boy he’d been when they’d first met. But still….Magnus didn’t know how far he could push him.

He took a deep breath and went for it. “Only if you’ll let me paint yours.”

Alec’s face froze for the briefest fraction of a second. For a heartbreaking moment, Magnus saw the shadow of old fear in his eyes, a fear Magnus hadn’t seen in years. He remembered how when they’d first started dating, Alec wouldn’t even hold his hand in public. He was about to apologize and take it back when Alec’s face cleared. He glanced at the chipped polish on Magnus’s nails, then at his own hands, then back at Magnus’s. He was considering it, Magnus could see. Finally Alec swallowed and said, “Okay.” 

Magnus looked him straight in the eye. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure.”

Magnus blinked at him in surprise, then smiled slowly. Alec gave him a small, nervous smile in return.

Magnus waved his hand, clearing away their empty plates. In their place appeared a collection of nail varnish bottles in various shades, some rags and a bottle of polish remover. Alec took Magnus’s hand in his again. He went to work with the polish remover first, carefully wiping away the traces of chipped colour from Magnus’s nails. Magnus relaxed into Alec’s hold. Alec considered the row of nail polish bottles, before selecting one in a glittery magenta. He pulled Magnus’s hand a little closer and swiped the polish carefully over a nail. Alec was always so conscientious and careful, Magnus reflected, even when he was just painting Magnus’s nails. It was endearing. 

Alec finished one hand and blew gently on the polish to dry it. He reached for Magnus’s other hand and started on it. They fell into a comfortable silence together, Magnus enjoying the feel of the cool polish on his nails, Alec focused on his task. He had the adorable furrow between his eyebrows that he only got when he was concentrating hard. 

Alec finished the top coat on Magnus’s nails and sat back, admiring his handiwork. Magnus wiggled his fingers, magically drying the polish, and reached for Alec’s left hand. Alec was tense for a second, then his hand relaxed in Magnus’s. Magnus rubbed his thumb over Alec’s knuckles comfortingly, and reached for a bottle of varnish. The shade he chose was a dark metallic blue, with just the faintest shimmer. 

Alec’s eyes were wide as he watched the first stroke of the brush against his nail. Magnus admired the way the dark blue looked against his pale skin, then moved to his second nail. Alec exhaled sofly, and Magnus looked up to find him staring at the blue against his skin with an expression of wonder. By the time he’d finished one hand, Alec didn’t look apprehensive anymore, and reached to offer Magnus his other hand. Magnus finished his nails and screwed the lid back on the bottle. Alec was holding his hands out, staring at them like he’d never seen them before

“Do you like it?” Magnus asked.

Alec glanced up at him. His eyes were wet. “Yeah.” he said, sounding a little choked up. “Yeah, I— it’s really— thank you.” He scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Magnus’s heart broke. He pulled Alec into his arms, holding him tight. Alec buried his face in Magnus’s shoulder and breathed in great, shuddering breaths as Magnus held him. Eventually he pulled away and gave Magnus a watery smile. Magnus caught Alec’s hand, with its dark Voyance rune, and curled his fingers into a fist. He held Alec’s hand between both of his own and pressed it to his lips, closing his eyes for a long moment. “I love you.” he murmured. “And I’m so proud of you.”

Alec’s other hand brushed his cheek. “I love you too.”