Cheers.

--

"Humour me." Magnus said, looking at Alec who sat just in front of him. The two of them were seated in Magnus's living room, where Magnus chose to lounge on the comfy couch, Alec chose the fluffy red armchair. Having looked up at Magnus's comment, Alec tilted his head, a sign of confusion.

"What?" Alec said, blue eyes wide with genuine confusion. His fingers tapped idly on the arm of the couch and he felt the sole of his feet freeze up from the lack of hunting boots he wore. He drew out a sigh, just as Magnus took in a sharp breath.

"I said never mind, Alec. Here, sit beside me. I'll tell you a story." The way the warlock's lips curled up into what could only be a devious smile when he'd said that, and the way he stretched out a hand, one finger calling for Alec to do so; Well, that sure as hell didn't look so good, but then, good was never so inviting as bad.

Alec complied and sat himself down beside Magnus. The moment he had done so, Magnus scooted towards him and then bumped their shoulders gently against each other, the same smile on his face. One arm looped around Alec's shoulders and his fingers played with the ends of Alec's hair.

"You need a haircut..." Magnus whispered into his ear – It was only then that Alec noticed how close they were. If he had only met Magnus recently, he'd had punched Magnus like a true Shadowhunter and screamed that this was all too close for comfort. But he hadn't met Magnus just yesterday, and in fact, everything they did was done in small baby steps. Magnus was patient. And it hurt Alec to have the timeless warlock wait so much on him.

"No time for haircuts. You know how busy it can be. Hectic, even." Alec said a bit sheepish. Magnus nuzzled into him and those blue lips of his came to his ear, kissing it softly, before he nibbled at the lobe. Alec emitted a small gasp and then his blue eyes widened, his cheeks suddenly heating up.

Magnus could only chuckle and trace circles on his cheeks with his glittering thumb, smiling ever so angelically down at the Nephilim.

"Would you want to hear a story, Alec?" Magnus said as he leaned away from Alec, having just trailed light and soft kissed on the boy's cheek. Alec was still quite flushed. Instead of pulling away, he looked Magnus in the eye and leaned against the warlock, catching his fingertips in his hold and twining theirs there. A nod was soon made and Magnus ran his long fingers down Alec's dark hair. He really did need a haircut.

"Once upon a time..." The warlock started only for Alec to let out a little laughing noise, and then a choking one, he was obviously trying to withdraw his laugh. But upon seeing the look on Magnus's face, Alec shrugged and looked at him expectedly.

"What, you can't be serious, can you?" Alec said, a sheepish grin on his face, but Magnus only locked him with a firm gaze, his cat's eyes captivating...Capturing him, luring him into the depths of what was on the outside – bringing him to the beyonds of Magnus.

"I am entirely serious. But if you don't want to hear the story then just say so." An arch of the eyebrow and then Alec shook his head, a rushed apology passing through his lips. Magnus leaned forward and placed a kiss on Alec's mouth, the younger boy's hand coming to grip him closer to him, but the warlock, having laughed between the kisses, drew back and placed a finger to Alec's lips, shushing him for a while.

A story was about to be told, and as much as he wanted to be engulfed in kisses from Alec, as much as he wanted the Nephilim to clutch at him and never let go, he just couldn't. Not right now, anyway. Maybe after five minutes.

"Take this as a little break," When Alec pouted, Magnus tapped his cheek and then smiled slightly. "You're really too cute." But Alec had already sagged back down on the couch and was looking at Magnus, half-expectant, half-exasparated, and half-anxious. Okay, so there were three halves to Alec Lightwood...Yeah, just shut up. The boy's special like that.

"As I was saying before having been interrupted by an impatient little Nephilim." Magnus cleared his throat and was playing with the rings on his finger before he leaned, too, on the soft cushions of the couch. He brought one leg up and swung it around Alec's own. He would've really preferred if they were on the bed, but then, such luxuries needed to be spent on later. Not now. Just five minutes of not doing anything to him, Magnus. Just five minutes. You lived for days on end without the touch of Alec, without those blue eyes looking at you, you can stand five minutes.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy who saw his mother getting murdered in front of him. His father had died moments before, and he would've come next. He saw the murderer raise up his weapon and point it at his face, saw the glint of the shiny wood – " Magnus paused, looking at Alec with arched ice brows. The Shadowhunter had let out another laugh, he raised a hand and shook his head, as if to say 'continue'.

Rolling his eyes playfully and nudging Alec's knee with his own, Magnus continued. "The boy didn't die. The one who'd murdered his parents had vanished, had disappeared the moment he tried to strike the little boy."

"Impossible." Alec hadn't laughed, the story wasn't at all finished yet, but it was an interjection Magnus could handle without brushing it off and kissing Alec. He smiled down at his young friend, expecting something else to follow after that remark.

"How could a little boy survive that when his parents died?" Alec had crossed his arms and looked stubborn, though his blue eyes did shine with curiosity. Magnus brushed a stray strand of dark hair out of Alec's eye and then leaned back again, that same, calm and testing smile on his face.

"The little boy was sent away. All of his relatives were gone, and he had to start a new life. He learned that things always came with a price. That a scar was a show of bravery, a trophy, not one to be ashamed of." Alec made a soft noise that had not been a laugh.

"Seven years after the murder of his parents, he was faced, once more, with the murderer. He had survived, the murderer, and was back to extract his rage..His revenge. The boy was no longer little, he knew how to fight. And so they did, but two years prior to that, a wise old man came to him and told him the secret to his first success." Here, Magnus paused, looking as absorbed in his own tale as Alec. "He told him the reason for how he had survived that night, how the demon had been defeated, if only temporarily."

"How." Alec said, not growing impatient, but even more curious to this story.

"The wise old man told him – 'Love. Your mother had died to save you. And she had left you not a scar, but something else. You have been loved so deeply by your parents, and even after their deaths, they continued to give you protection.'" Magnus's own face was now close to Alec's and he shifted around to better face the boy. Alec leaned against his shoulders and played with Magnus's fingers, taking out rings, and then putting them back in as he did so.

"He said love is the closest thing to magic," Magnus sounded insightful, as if the malice behind his smile earlier was nowhere to be found now. His cat's eyes had grown so serious that looking straight into them hurt Alec enough that he forgot to breathe – five seconds after he took a deep lungful of air and then stared past Magnus.

"That's...Just a story," Alec whispered, allowing Magnus to twine their fingers together. The warlock regarded him with a 'hmm,' and like earlier, he was nuzzling Alec's neck, his other hand playing with the tip of Alec's hair. Alec could only shiver, though it was a positively good shiver.

"So you don't believe that?" Magnus whispered, his breath hot.

"Believe what?" Alec hated himself for being so slow, for being so dumb around Magnus, but it was always like that. He bought another side of Magnus out, and Magnus did the same for him, but he couldn't help it if he was at a loss for words when Magnus was being so...Intimate with him.

"Believe that love is the closest thing to magic," He watched as Alec stared, unseeing, at Chairman Meow, sleeping in one of Magnus's discarded kimono robes.

Alec shifted, a bit uncomfortable at the question. But he turned to face Magnus and, doing something quite bold, he put a finger underneath Magnus's chin and then smiled up at him, the warlock leaned down, softly laying their foreheads together. "Do you, Magnus?"

Magnus bit on his lower lip, biting down the urge to push 'No fair' onto the table, instead, he regarded Alec more carefully now, their faces were so close...So, so close. Slowly, the warlock nodded, and from this close, Alec could see full on the glitter that clung to Magnus's skin. He really was so shiny for a warlock. "I do,"

"But you're a warlock---" Alec had to cut that sentence short, because Magnus had leaned down once more and had captured his mouth, the fingers that were playing with his hair now hanging to his neck. Alec's own hand circled Magnus's neck, and then his waist as he leaned back on the sofa, allowing Magnus to creep up on top of him, the intervals were no longer than a few seconds, and at such breaks, Alec heard Magnus whispering his name in a soft stream, one with tune...If he knew better, he would've thought Magnus was humming. He could've.

"You – " Alec gasped for air, he didn't pull his fingers away from Magnus's hair and the warlock only brought him closer, those sharp teeth of his nibbling at his lips. He gasped again and one set of nails dug into Magnus's back. "- L-love – " Pushing forwards to intensify the kiss, Magnus cut the younger one off again. " – Me,"

At that point Magnus had drawn Alec so close to him that when he moved to shift them more comfortable, he found that they were falling off the couch and onto the carpeted floors. Alec let out a little muffled sound. Magnus had stopped the intimate kissed, and could only look at him. Alec was on his side, dark hair strewn to his face, and Magnus, well, Magnus still looked like glittery perfection, only his eyes searched Alec hungrily, his sharp teeth wanting as much as his lips wanted more of Alec.

"With you, Alec, I can say that it's really better than magic." Thin fingers were running down Alec's cheek, soothing, gentle, and Alec inched closer to Magnus, not even minding that the floor, even though carpeted, was cold and was hard. He brought a hand to lock around the warlock's neck and then brought said warlock's head down to meet his kiss.

This was Alec. And Magnus could burn his closet full of cosmetics and designer clothes – even set fire to the whole world, if asked – just so he could hold Alec close to him. A kiss that was initiated by the Nephilim felt like thousands of stars having crushed onto him – but it was the good kind of crushing, because, really, it was Alec who was crushing his lips to his, his body to his own...It was all Alec.

-

Kudos to the someone who gets which reference I took the whole "little boy" story from. ;)