In honor of the first snow (flurry) of the season (for me at least), please join me in celebrating all the warm fuzzies of the chilly season with some SPG.
Flufftober Day 5: Wet; Tentaclober Day 5: First Time
read on ao3
Alec walks into his room and shrugs out of his coat. The movement leaves him wincing and whatever injuries he’s sustained are just one more worry in a cast of thousands right now.
There’s no way that Jace and Izzy are going to just magically believe that he saved their asses in the river due to a lucky hit on the water demon.
No, Alec scowls. He has maybe an hour before they’ll be barging into his room, all skepticism and self confidence.
It’ll have to be enough, he decides, and tosses his phone onto his bed. Stripping out of his clothes as he heads to his ensuite, Alec pauses in front of his sink. He drops down to his haunches and opens the door to the cupboard where he keeps his bathroom storage.
There’s a box there that’s far too ornate for its contents. Peeling back the black wooden top, Alec studies his options.
Finally choosing Marshmallow World, Alec turns to the bath. He places the stopper in and then turns the hot water on, waiting a few minutes before dropping the bath bomb in. Immediately, it’s fizzying out into purples and pinks and yellows. Vanilla steam clouds the room and Alec’s shoulders lose not an inconsiderable amount of their tension.
He feels keyed up. He feels calmer than he has in weeks, since he last allowed himself this little ritual. It’s a combination that’s become all too familiar since he turned thirteen a few years ago.
When the tub is mostly full, Alec steps gingerly into the scalding water. He feels a tug at his gut but steels himself.
Just a few more seconds, he chides himself.
Settling into the water, Alec sighs and with it, allows the change.
He closes his eyes, breathing deep, and feels his tentacles stretch. One navy tentacle in particular pokes out of the water and splashes him in the face without restraint.
Alec huffs and opens one eye to throw it an aggrieved glare. “Yeah, yeah,” he says. “I know I shouldn’t have waited so long this time.”
It dips a little, as though to acknowledge his words, and then drops back into the water. The bath bomb soothes the sting of all the little aches and pains his extra limbs had to deal with earlier in the afternoon as they’d fought off a few water demons while also keeping the three of them from drowning in the icy Hudson.
They’re exhausted and Alec knows that he’s sure as hell tired after a brutal patrol.
He loses track of time as he lets himself drift. The water feels so good and his tentacles haven’t been given a chance to play in weeks-- far longer than they should go but then Alec’s been inundated as he’s started taking more and more work from his parents as he steps into his role as Acting Head of the Institute.
There’s been no time for him to just be in months and keeping his tentacles glamoured away has been hell on him. His back had taken to aching constantly, his tentacles itching to get out, and just taking one of his militaristically short showers the past week had been torture, taking all of his control and focus to keep his body completely human.
Alec’s startled out of his haze, then, when he hears his sister in his bedroom, obviously walking toward the bathroom. He straightens hastily and tries to get rid of his extra appendages, glaring at them when they refuse to submit, when they instead seem to revel in writhing under the water so that he next fears a tsunami wave crashing gallons of water onto the Institute’s antique tile.
To his utter horror, however, a tentacle slithers up the side of the tub out of the glittery water and drapes itself over the ledge. Alec lunges forward and tries to shove the damned thing at least back into the water but it’s little suckers stay glued to the porcelain. With a burst of adrenaline at his secret being revealed, Alec pries the tentacle up until a little pop sounds as a single sucker is removed from the tub.
It stings and Alec winces as he hisses at his own body, “Get back in the fucking water or I swear to Raziel I’ll--”
“Alec?”
Alec’s eyes fly up to see his sister and parabatai staring at him like he’s lost his mind. Alec does what he does best when his siblings are being their own particular brand of annoying-- he scowls and blusters.
“Get the hell out of here, Iz, Jesus. Can’t you see I’m bathing? Can’t a guy have any privacy in this goddamn Institute, by the Angel--”
“Relax, bro, it’s not like we haven’t all been scarred by being hosed down together in OPs before. Besides,” Jace says, his voice taking on a tone that makes Alec want to drown himself, “It’s not like we can even see anything besides your shoulders. What the fuck is that water?”
Before he can scramble to reply, Alec sees Isabelle’s eyes light up at the glittery colors swirling around the surface of the water. “That, Jace, is a bath bomb.” The glint in her eye turns maniacal as she looks up to meet Alec’s resigned gaze. “Why, brother dearest, I didn’t even know you knew what bath bombs were.”
Glowering but grateful that his little ritual has captured their attention, Alec just sinks further into the water. “They help with soreness after missions. I passed a Lush on patrol one evening and one of their employees had me sniffing things before I knew what was happening. I left with four that day and keep a stockpile for rough nights.”
What Alec doesn’t also say is that whatever ingredients are in the bath bombs, his tentacles love them. Alec doesn’t know if it’s the pigment that turns the water murky or if it’s the way the water is silkier over the skin but every week, Alec’s made the habit of taking a bath and letting his tentacles go hog wild.
He doesn’t get to the ocean as much as he might like-- though he makes it a point to go several times a week during the summer-- but this is the next best thing. Plus, well, Alec’s not immune-- the bath bombs smell divine and feel rather decadent. It’s a luxury that he’s become rather fond of over the past five years.
Jace is rolling his eyes and turning back toward the bedroom and Alec is breathing a quiet but fervent sigh of relief at the fact that they’ll be out of his hair in just a moment, when Izzy’s eyes catch on the goddamn tentacle laying stubbornly limp over the ivory lip of the tub.
Everyone freezes as Isabelle whispers, “What is that, Alec?”
Swallowing hard, Alec tries to urge the tentacle to slither back in the water-- maybe he can play it off as bath bomb residue-- but it doesn’t move and to his utter bafflement-- do they have no sense of self preservation, what the fuck-- another tentacle comes out, reaching further from the tub like it wants to reach out to his siblings.
Alec spends a long minute just staring at his traitorous body parts before he looks up at Jace and Izzy. Before he can say anything, though, Jace is narrowing his eyes and staring at the dark blue limbs.
“I knew that wasn’t your arm wrapped around me earlier!”
Groaning, Alec lets his head fall back and stares at the ceiling. In a dead tone, he confesses, “I have tentacles.”
The bathroom fills with radio silence at his announcement. Alec waits for his siblings to make noises of disgust and leave, for them to take him to The Silent Brothers, anything that would betray their contempt for this- this curse.
What he does not expect is for Izzy to ask, “Are they sentient?”
Alec doesn’t open his eyes as he mumbles, “They have a mind of their own but I can control them. They’re a part of me like my arms or legs. They just like to test their limits.”
“What do you think we’re gonna do, Alec? Leave you?” Jace's voice is half scoffing, half scolding.
“What else can I expect, Jace? Now that you guys know about this anomaly, I don’t figure you’d want to hang around long.” In a dull voice, Alec continues, “I know I should’ve told you sooner, Jace, but I just couldn’t. I guess this is the end of the parabatai bond,” he mutters morosely.
He flinches when he feels something trail along one of the tentacles hanging over the tub. Opening his eyes, he’s stunned to see both Iz and Jace have stepped closer to the tub and are watching in amazement as a tentacle wraps around each of their wrists, giving them its own version of a hug.
“What-- what are you guys doing,” he asks, voice cracking.
Looking up, Jace just levels him with an unimpressed look. “So you have a few extra limbs. It’s nothing to sever our bond over, by the Angel, Alec. I’d have to be a dimwit not to have noticed something was up with you anyway and this totally explains it.”
Alec can’t stop his confused expression and Jace rolls his eyes. “There’s always low level discomfort coming from you. I can feel it through the bond. Sometimes, whenever we’re done with patrol, I can tell that you’re injured but can't figure out where. I’d apply an iratze and it would work-- mostly. But sometimes it felt like the injury was deeper, somehow. Now I can see that it must have been your-- uh, your tentacles not responding,” Jace breaks off, a little unsure at saying tentacles out loud.
“How could you think we would care, hermano. You’re our brother and nothing could change our opinion of you.” Alec’s discomfited for a moment as it sounds like his sister is alluding to something else but he focuses on her next words as they spill out of her mouth. “Besides, how could we not like something so adorable?”
Alec scowls. “My tentacles are not adorable, Isabelle. They’re weird and off putting and a pain in my ass.”
It’s Izzy’s turn to roll her eyes as she runs a finger over the top of a tentacle. “You should’ve seen them right after you confessed, Alec. They were drooping over the tub looking so sad and dejected when you were, apparently, waiting for us to storm out in disgust. But then as soon as we came nearer they reached out and wrapped around us.”
“I’m surprised they trust us,” Jace says, eyeing the tentacles. His eyes have that calculating look they he usually only gets during a mission briefing or when he’s debating what toppings he wants on his pizza.
“You’re my family,” Alec grumbles. “And they’re apparently incapable of not shamelessly begging for attention.”
“Huh.” Jace studies the tentacle wrapped around his wrist. “So, would you say these are an extension of yourself? Does that mean you’re even more of a marshmallow then you let on?”
“I’m not a marshmallow at all, Jace, what the hell.”
“You are,” Izzy says, cutting him off with a grin. “There’s no way you’d do half the things you do for us and Max if you weren’t.”
“Whatever.”
Jace and Isabelle laugh before they start gently disentangling the tentacles wrapped around them. Alec wants to disappear into the floor when he sees the marks on their hands from the tiny little suckers.
Jace frowns a little before before shrugging. He looks up and grins at Iz and Alec. “I have a date tonight and I can totally impress her by telling her about how I fought off a killer octopus and won.”
Izzy rolls her eyes. “You’re such a disaster.”
They’re walking away before Izzy turns back to Alec and asks one last question. “Why do you have tentacles, hermano?”
Alec studies her face for a moment but, after the past half hour, he figures she deserves to know. “It’s a family curse,” he explains. “The eldest son of each Lightwood generation carries the mark. It’s a last holdout from our great great grandfather contracting demon pox. I keep them glamoured away most of the time but they need let out regularly. Dad told me about it on my thirteenth birthday.”
Jace chortles. “Demon pox, man, that’s always the reason. How hard is it to not fuck a demon, goddamn.”
Alec shrugs. “They were all snorting cocaine back then. It’s a wonder we’re still here at all.”
“Well, I’m glad we’re here and I’m glad you’re alright, hermano.” She wrinkles her nose. “We’ll let you get back to your tentacle time now.”
Both Jace and Alec recoil instantly.
“Jesus, Iz--”
“Izzy what the fuck, do you know how that sounds--”
She holds up a long suffering hand and sighs, closing her eyes and obviously counting to ten. “You know I did not mean it like that. Stop being teenagers and get your minds out of the gutter.”
When she opens her eyes again, she gives them very stern looks before turning on her heel and walking out of Alec’s room without a backwards glance.
Jace follows right after her but now before looking over his shoulder and waggling his eyebrows in a truly appalling gesture.
Alec groans as the door to his bedroom is closed and sinks down into the water until he’s exhaling bubbles.
He glares at his tentacles who do nothing more than slide through the water, all of them happy as clams.
Alec has to admit that there’s a weight off his chest now that his family hasn’t disowned him after finding out about his little affliction. All things considered, his first time revealing his tentacles went much better than expected.
Alec relaxes into the bath and lets his tentacles enjoy their play time.
--
Magnus arrives to an empty home after a long day of seeing to clients. Hiding a yawn behind his hand, he heads toward the bathroom. Alec had mentioned something about making it a late night at the Institute tonight and Magnus resigns himself to falling asleep soon without his his husband wrapped around him.
Now that his day is done, he allows himself to run a hand through immaculate hair, easing through product in preparation of a shower that promises to be a lovely balm to sore muscles.
Running around New York is not for the faint of heart.
Entering their bedroom, Magnus pauses as he sees the light on under their bathroom door.
“Darling?” Magnus’s voice is curious, considering that it’s only seven or so and Alec had made it seem like it would be ages before he wandered back home.
“In here,” Alec calls out and as he nears the door, Magnus’s grin widens at the sound of splashing.
He opens the door to a familiar sight, though still not one that he takes for granted. Alec looks up as Magnus leans against the doorjamb and smiles over at him.
So do his dozen tentacles, all lifting out of the multicolored water to do their own little wave, beckoning Magnus closer.
“Hey, you.”
Crossing his ankles, Magnus takes in his husband looking so comfortable and relaxed. His voice is unforgivably soft as he replies, “Hey, yourself.”
Alec’s reclined against the tub-- the much larger tub that Magnus had installed after figuring out Alec’s secret a couple of years ago-- and Magnus bites back a laugh as the dark blue tentacles, shimmering with tonight’s bath bomb glitter, reach out of the light pink water towards him.
He watches as Alec glares at his shameless limbs before sighing back into the water. Finding himself unable and unwilling to resist any longer, Magnus pushes away from the door and closes the distance between them. Keeping eye contact as he eases to his knees at the bathtub’s side, Magnus raises a hand and sweeps it through dark, messy locks he loves so much.
“Rough day, darling?”
Alec closes his eyes, turning his face until he can kiss Magnus’s palm. “Just long,” he murmurs. “Glad I’m home now. I’m glad you’re home now, too.”
“Me too, Alexander.”
Leaning close, Magnus starts kissing a trail across Alec’s cheek and down his neck. He feels something nudge between his shoulders, smiles against his husband’s throat as he feels something else slide around his waist.
When he pulls away a few moments later, Magnus looks down and grins. Alec’s tentacles are tugging him-- lightly yet insistently-- toward the water.
Looking up, Magnus watches Alec grow sheepish. “I’ve been here a little while. They’re restless.” He glares at the offending limbs. “As soon as you came through the portal, though, they perked right up.”
Magnus holds out an arm, doesn’t have to wait more than a second for a navy tentacle to twine around his wrist, wrapping all the way up his arm until Magnus feels the tip brush against the side of his neck. “Tell me, darling,” he asks, smirking from underneath his lashes. “Are they the only things that perked up at my appearance?”
Alec groans, rolling his eyes before leveling his husband a truly deadpan look. “That was terrible,” he chastises.
Magnus raises a brow.
“And no,” Alec mumbles.
Magnus laughs out loud, enjoying his husband’s put upon look and the smile he can see peaking around the edges of the scowl.
Taking that as his cue, he stands. Waving away his clothes at the same time, it’s just a moment later before he’s lowering himself into perfectly hot water, waves of pink crashing against him as he straddles Alec.
Almost immediately, he’s covered in a dozen limbs, all as greedy as the others to have a piece of him. It never gets old, that little possessive streak Alec likes to deny, the ample evidence that Alec wants him.
He feels Alec’s hands on his chest and meets his love’s study with warm eyes.
It’s silent for a minute before Alec finally breaks it. His words don’t break the little spell that seems to have fallen over them, though.
“I love you,” he says, staring into Magnus’s unglamoured eyes. “I’m so lucky I found you, someone who doesn’t care about these,” he tacks on, tightening the tentacles around Magnus infinitesimally.
“I love every part of you, Alec, and think every inch is utterly gorgeous. How couldn’t I, when you love me with everything you have?”
Alec doesn’t respond but Magnus startles as the bands around his middle suddenly tip him forward. His gasp is caught by Alec, though, and Magnus loses himself to a hold that’s become home.
There’s no doubt about it, he thinks hazily. Magnus loves Alec’s tentacles as much as he does those beautiful hazel eyes and that mile-wide stubborn streak.
