[Wildcard Prompt]: 175. “Yes, it is a real dragon, but I can explain everything…”
also I went with Malec during the Shadowhunters season finale, even though you are not one of my show-people, just because I could not RESIST, and you always encourage the really ridiculous ficlets 💖💖💖 🐲
Magnus flings himself more than just walks through the Portal back home out of Edom, following the anchor of Lorenzo’s spell to get them over the Void between Realms, racing the destruction growing behind him, trying to move faster than the death of a world.
He doesn’t quite make it, caught by one final chaotic flare of power just as he goes. It feels like feedback static, sings down his spine like the worst mic squeal he’s ever heard, and even as he’s stumbling onto the Institute’s floor his body’s on fire, burning and twisting and he can’t breathe, he can’t think, he wants to roar.
He blinks, and the world looks wrong, the angles different and the colors dimmer but the shadows thinner, he can see the spark of Lorenzo’s magic, the stillness of Simon’s blood, the way power twists in and out and through Meliorn, just like the vines that grow on his skin. And oh, how the Nephilim shine.
He’s too tall though, and his hands are… he doesn’t have, he can’t–
Magnus inhales, chokes, sees sparks in the air and an itch in his scales, and he’s half-a-breath past panic when he meets Alec’s eyes. Alexander is looking up, but the expression is the same as it’s always been, warmth and wonder and an endlessly protective sort of adoration, and it’s enough to settle the too hot pace of Magnus’ heart.
“Did Magnus just turn into a dragon.” There’s a twist in Jace’s voice, like he’d tried to ask a question but couldn’t quite make it, because yes, somehow, Magnus is clearly a dragon, and he can’t really deny that even to the point of sarcastically asking if it truly happened.
Magnus tries to give him his usual I am too old to deal with your ridiculousness look, but his face won’t move and he can’t seem to roll his eyes. He pulls back a little though, and feels how much longer his neck is than it used to be, and tilts his chin down and flares his nostrils.
There’s a little trickle of smoke when he does it, and Magnus makes very sure to keep his mouth closed, since he has no idea if fire breathing is a thing, or how to control it if it is. He’d really rather not burn down the Institute.
If you’d asked him that a year ago…
Alec snorts, so Magnus thinks he got his point across.
“Well, that’s definitely Magnus,” Izzy agrees, an almost smile making her lips twitch at whatever it is Magnus actually did with his expression.
“Why?” Simon asks plaintively. “Was today not weird enough, we had to add unexpected shape-shifting?”
“Hmm.” Lorenzo hums, and tilts his head. There’s a glint in his eyes that Magnus doesn’t particularly like, but it’s not cruel or condescending or vindictively satisfied, as he might have expected considering the whole Asmodeus turned him into a lizard thing, just curious. “Edom’s leftover power had to go somewhere? And as the previous Prince’s heir was right there…”
“It turned my fiance into a dragon.” Alec presses his lips together, and then he sighs, shoulders sagging. “Of course it did.”
“If it’s anything like regular demonic transformation, he should be able to control it in a few minutes when the magic settles.” Lorenzo is really being quite nice about the whole situation, it’s a little unnerving.
Then again, he is getting to show off how he’s the smartest person (who can talk) in the room, so that’s probably appealing for him.
Magnus huffs out a breath and manages to make his new head nod in agreement.
Alec sighs with clear relief, his eyes closing with one long blink. He gives Magnus a wry smile as they open. “Not that you aren’t still gorgeous as a dragon.”
“But it’s hard to walk down the aisle if he’s too big to fit?” Clary offers, a smile growing on her face now that they’re all pretty sure this is temporary.
“Won’t fit through the bedroom door either,” Jace mutters to Izzy, who giggles softly.
Alec shrugs, not disagreeing with either point, still looking up at Magnus. “Since Lorenzo mentioned controlling rather than dispelling, does that mean you’ll be able to turn back into a dragon whenever you want to?”
Magnus’ shoulders don’t work the way he thinks they will, and instead of shrugging back, his wings arc upwards and smack into the courtyard walls.
This is a terrible place to be stuck as a dragon, that’s enough of that.
Magnus closes his eyes, and focuses on the flare of power that had singed beneath his skin, that has now settled everywhere, intertwined with the more familiar pulse of his usual magic.
It’s… smokier than he’s used to, but not actually terribly different.
He’s going to have to admit that when he can talk again.
Magnus swallows the urge to sigh, since he’s still not sure about that fire thing, and focuses on twisting the new magic down and in, on easing it into something sort of like hibernation.
He realizes part-way thru that he has no idea what happened to his clothes, which means he has no idea what happened to his ring, and he panics again, a too strong surge of magic as he tries to rear up on his hind legs. He smacks against the walls again, and feels everyone pushed back with the force of his power, and then Alec’s there again, stepping closer instead of back, lifting his hand enough to let his palm brush against Magnus’ scaled chest.
“Shh,” Alec whispers, and Magnus can’t stop himself from whining, a harsh whisper of sound that fills the area around them. “We’ll figure it out, whatever it is. We got you home, that’s what matters.”
Magnus twists his too long neck and rests his chin against Alec’s back, counting his breaths, his heartbeats, and tries again.
He finds his clothing this time, caught in some weird in-between space that doesn’t really exist but is where all the extra mass of his dragon body goes back, and yes, he will definitely be able to turn this around again if he wants to, which is a something to think about some other time.
He staggers a little, back on two feet, back in boots, which don’t rest at all the same on the floor as dragon feet and claws, and then Alec’s holding him up, strong arms wrapped around him. Magnus sighs again, his head tucked properly into Alec’s neck where he most wants to be.
titsay
romaincrisis
vaporwave
stormborns
