Snippets

Disclaimer: Still not mine, and nobody would pay to read this, so I think we're all set.

Warnings: The usual sporadic references to inexplicit sex. No death, this time! However, Nightmare involves strongly-implied rape, so if you find that sort of content upsetting, skip it.

Notes: Once again I write these instead of working on things people actually want. In my defense, this came easy while all I could write for chapter two of Everything was crappy dribble.

Breakable, Ignore, Grace, and Intentall contain references to/spoilers for City of Lost Souls.

Breakable

In hindsight, it was so stupid of him to place Alec on a pedestal and fool himself into believing that he would never betray Magnus's trust – in the end, pedestals always broke.

Ex

Their quiet breakfast is interrupted by one of Magnus's vengeful exes showing up in the kitchen and demanding he give up the Book of the White or else "the Shadowhunter will suffer!"; Alec rolls his eyes and mutters, "Someone wants to use me to get back at you, oh, it must be Tuesday again!" and Magnus just snaps his fingers, freezes the other warlock, and figures he'll deal with this after he finishes his yogurt.

Ignore

After everything that's happened, Alec really doesn't expect Magnus to attend the next Clave meeting, but there he is, loitering by the door like he's waiting for someone; Alec walks right past, pretends not to see him, and sits with Helen, almost viciously satisfied and hoping Magnus hurts.

Canvas

"Are you drawing on me?" Magnus mumbles when he wakes to the odd feeling of something soft and narrow gliding along the curve of his spine; the immediate response is "Do not move, this is coming out way better than I thought it would."

Grace

It's beautifully lethal, the way he reaches over his shoulder, plucks the arrow from the quiver, nocks it, pulls the bowstring back, the lean muscles in his arm flexing, and lets go, and Magnus would just sit there and watch him shoot for hours if it weren't for the gaggle of ex-Circle members out for their blood (but he makes a mental note to talk Alec into letting him sit in next time he practices anyway).

Belong

Magnus rearranges the lyrics to 'You Belong With Me' to better suit himself and Alec (starring Jace as the girlfriend) and starts singing them loudly on the way back from the subway station, so Alec attempts to gag him with his own scarf, and that inexplicably leads to some of the best sex they've ever had.

Cold

"It's freezing outside," Alec complains, burrowing under the comforter and pushing his cold nose into Magnus's neck, "warm me up, will you?" and Magnus grins, pops the button on Alec's jeans, and purrs, "It'd be my pleasure."

Simulation

"Magnus, listen, don't be mad, but I figured out the password on your laptop last night, and… all of your Sims are dead now."

Difficult

"You make everything so damn difficult!" Magnus snaps, thirty minutes into a remarkably tedious argument, "You can't let anything be, no wonder you're alone, nobody else can put up with you – " and he knows immediately by Alec's expression that he's said something very, very wrong, he opens his mouth to apologize but Alec's already leaving, so he chases after him, praying that a few thoughtless words haven't ruined everything.

Heat

There's a sign on Magnus's door when Alec reaches the landing: As it is 105 degrees outside today, this apartment has been declared a clothing-free zone – ALL clothes worn beyond this point will be turned into glittery pink sundresses (test me at your own peril).

Push

"Love, you can pull on the door handle all day if you'd like, but the sign says 'push'."

Fall

"You're going to fall," Magnus predicts as Alec walks along the top rail of the fence like it's as wide as a sidewalk, hands in the pockets of his jacket, face tilted up to watch the sunset; Alec grins and says, "No, I won't, and you'd catch me anyway, wouldn't you?"

Nightmare

It's always the same – ice-cold hands and teeth scraping his collarbone and a voice hissing scream and I'll kill you, and he does scream, he didn't then but he does now and that's what wakes him – Magnus keeps looking at him like he'd do anything to know what Alec's afraid of and Alec doesn't tell him because there are some things he will never, ever willingly think about again.

Contagious

Alec is one of those people who smiles and lights up so brilliantly that you just have to smile back; Magnus tries not to once and Alec looks at him very strangely and asks, "What are you doing with your face?"

Allergy

"I'm allergic to monochrome," Magnus says, watching Alec dress, "and since it's my birthday, you can do one of two things – either wear something bright when we go out, or wear nothing at all – either way, I'll be happy."

Degree

Judging by the number of times she's called, rang the doorbell, walked in, or otherwise interrupted right when things were about to get good, Magnus is pretty sure Isabelle has a Ph.D. in cockblocking.

Seize

"So," Magnus says in what he thinks is a very reasonable tone of voice, considering the circumstances, waiting for Alec to sluggishly turn his head and gaze at him through glassy, unfocused eyes, "seizure-inducing head trauma: not something you neglect to treat, darling, do you understand – and if you don't, allow me to impress upon you the list of very horrible things you will endure if you ever do that to me again."

Subtle

"Look, I know you get annoyed when other people hit on me, but I don't think writing 'Property of Magnus Bane' on the back of my jeans is the 'subtle sign of possession' you were looking for."

Fun

When Magnus comes home, seeking only a hot bath and a cozy bed and a snuggly boyfriend, he instead finds a half-conscious werewolf on the kitchen floor being watched over by Alec, who is wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt, drinking tea, and holding a rather large dagger, and when he spots Magnus his only explanation is a bizarrely cheerful "You missed all the fun."

Bite

Alec bites like a teething puppy when they're having sex, and Magnus can never decide if it's arousing or annoying or amusing; then one morning he comments on the marks and Alec throws an arm over his chest and mumbles, "Quit whining, they prove you're mine."

Monster

Magnus spent close to a century wrestling with the horrible truth that he is the offspring of a demon, a half-damned monstrosity, and every time he spots his reflection he's reminded that he isn't even human – and while he'd come to terms with it long ago, something light and warm still swells in his chest when the blue-eyed Shadowhunter looks at him and says you can't help how you're born.

Denim

"You don't like them?" Magnus asks, glancing from his new (rather ostentatiously-colored) jeans to Alec's grimace; Alec shakes his head and Magnus says, "Well, come and take them off of me, then."

Sparkle

"So let's say I hypothetically decided to dump a container of body glitter over Simon and declare 'I dub thee Edward Cullen' and run away," Magnus muses, "would you protect me when he came to kill me?" to which Alec replies, "I'm going to have to be a terrible boyfriend here and say no."

Intent

There's a mundane saying – the road to hell is paved with good intentions – and it comes to mind every time he allows himself to think that he hadn't meant to hurt Magnus, he'd only wanted a way for them to be together without the wall of immortality between them.

Curl

"Can I –" "No –" "Please?" "No," Alec says firmly, and Magnus pouts, tugging on a lock of Alec's pin-straight hair and claiming that he would look lovely with curls.

As usual, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I always like to know which ones you enjoyed most. :)