I may or may not have posted some malec ficlets on ao3, so here you go (you'll also find the ones I posted on here) : https://archiveofourown.org/works/87427486?view_full_work=true
Magnus noticed the gray hair because Alec was making coffee. Which, admittedly, was not the safest activity for anyone involved.
"Don't hover," Alec said without turning around.
"I'm not hovering." Magnus countered.
"You've been staring at me for the last two minutes."
"I stare at you every day."
Magnus smiled into his coffee. Married life really did suit them, not because it was exciting, (although, with their lives, it occasionally was) but also because it wasn’t. Magnus didn’t expect that the beauty of marriage would live in anything dramatic like battles won or wars survived. It lived in Alec grumbling every morning before his first sip of coffee, or pretending not to notice when his husband stole the blanket. Or just Alec, in one of Magnus's old sweaters, trying to make the perfect cup of coffee as though he hadn't been drinking the same recipe for twenty years.
Magnus wandered over, slipping his arms around Alec's waist. "You’re making progress, I see Alexander."
"Hmm, we’ll see about that if you agree to finally taste my coffee"
"Actually, I changed my mind." But Magnus didn’t move, he put his chin over Alec’s shoulder, and kissed the back of his neck.
Alec made the sort of fondly exasperated noise that had become one of Magnus's favorite sounds.
Then he caught it : a single silver strand near Alec's temple.
Alec sighed. "I never like those words."
"You have a gray hair." Silence was about to fill the room;
Then Alec snorted. "That's the emergency?"
"Congratulations on your eyesight."
Magnus reached up before he could stop himself, gently separating the strand from the rest of Alec's hair. It shimmered in the sunlight, that hair was tiny, delicate and completely unfair.
"Oh," Magnus said quietly.
Alec's expression softened, he knew that tone and Magnus didn't have to explain it. There were some conversations they'd had enough times that they no longer needed the words. Alec stopped whatever he was doing and covered Magnus's hand with his own.
"It's okay." Alec tried to smooth the atmosphere.
Magnus nodded once. "Mm."
He wasn't sad exactly… well, he was, a little. There would always be that little ache, tucked away somewhere beneath his ribs. The reminder that Alec was moving through time differently than he was, that Magnus collected centuries while Alec collected birthdays, he'd made peace with it years ago.
"...You know," Alec said after a moment, "it's only one."
Magnus looked at him intensely, the silver caught the light and it framed Alec's temple, and weirdly enough made the blue of his eyes look brighter somehow.
Magnus tilted his head. "...Well, that's inconvenient."
Alec actually looked concerned. "What is?"
"I think it made you hotter." Magnus smirked.
Magnus continued studying him with the seriousness of someone evaluating priceless artwork.
“No, this changes things,” Magnus said.
“It changes absolutely nothing,” Alec replied.
“It changes everything,” Magnus insisted.
“The beginning of what?” Alec asked.
Magnus gasped. “The silver fox era,” Magnus said, as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world.
Alec closed his eyes. “No.”
“Yes,” Magnus said immediately.
“Oh, Alexander,” Magnus said, grinning now.
“I’ve had dark-haired Alec,” Magnus continued.
“I am still dark-haired,” Alec replied.
“I’ve had slightly longer-haired Alec… I’ve had buzz-cut Alec.”
“You hated that,” Alec said flatly.
“I absolutely did,” Magnus agreed. “But I loved you anyway.”
Alec laughed softly at that, shaking his head.
“So this…” Magnus said, gently brushing the silver strand back into place, his touch almost absent-minded, “…is a brand new husband.”
“I am literally the same husband,” Alec replied.
“Yes,” Alec said, like there was no room for argument.
Magnus hummed thoughtfully, unconvinced. “I don’t know.”
“I’ve never been married to a silver fox before,” Magnus added, completely ignoring him.
“I am not a silver fox,” Alec said immediately.
“You are silver fox adjacent,” Magnus corrected.
“I have one gray hair,” Alec said.
Alec reached out, fixing Magnus's collar even though there was nothing wrong with it. "Most people panic when their spouse finds gray hair."
Magnus looked at his husband and his tiny silver thread, at the laugh lines that hadn't been there twenty years ago and at the face he'd memorized so completely he could probably draw it with his eyes closed.
"I got curious, that’s it" Magnus smiled.
Alec’s expression softened. “I know,” he said. “It’s fine, baby.”
Magnus leaned in, cupping Alec’s face like it was something precious and breakable and entirely his. “I’ve loved every version of you so far,” he said, and kissed his forehead, "I don't see why I’d stop now.”
Alec leaned into him, smiling against his mouth. "You know what's going to happen, don't you? I'm going to get old."
“I certainly hope so,” Magnus said.
“I’m going to wrinkle,” Alec added.
“I’ll kiss those too,” Magnus replied immediately.
“My knees are going to hurt,” Alec continued.
“I already have remedies prepared,” Magnus said.
“I’m going to complain about young Shadowhunters,” Alec said.
“You already do,” Magnus pointed out.
"And one day," Alec continued, "I'll have a full head of gray hair."
Magnus's grin returned in full force. "I know."
"You've been waiting to say something, haven't you?"
Magnus kissed him once, slowly, then rested their foreheads together.
"My husband," he said, unable to hide the delight in his voice, "is going to be the hottest silver fox this world has ever seen."
Alec groaned. "Oh, this is never going away, is it?"
Magnus looked genuinely offended. "Alexander."
idk if i'll keep posting the ficlets on here or just post them on ao3 but either way they'll exist ! thanks for the love ♡
