F and K for the fanfic ask
F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
This is super old from The Vampire, The Witch, and Vengeance so the style is a bit different to how I write now but I still really like how I’d gotten Magnus’ voice in this scene.
Magnus chuckles slightly before answering, and Alec admires the way his eyes crinkle slightly as he does.
“Well, after Iris sent you barrelling into a wall, she made a quick escape. Jace and I brought you back here so I could tend to your quite fatal wounds.”
Alec’s stares at Magnus in shock. It made sense that Magnus would have been the one to heal him, but he hadn’t put the pieces together.
“Why didn’t you go after Iris? She couldn’t have gone far that quickly.”
“And leave you to bleed out on her floor? Not a chance, I just started to like you pretty boy.” Alec flushes at the compliment and tries to hide it by asking another question.
“Why are you helping us?”
Magnus looks genuinely startled at the question but answers quickly.
“We’ve been over this. You’re pretty, and I like pretty things.”
Alec rolls his eyes, the compliment not having as much effect the second time.
“I don’t think you’re that shallow,” he challenges.
Magnus’ grin fades slightly at that, and Alec cringes inwardly. Maybe he took it too far. Magnus looks Alec up and down for a long moment, and Alec gets the feeling Magnus doesn’t know the answer to the question himself.
He sighs before bringing his legs up onto the bed and sitting criss cross in front of Alec.
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe not all of us are evil?”
Alec stares for a second. He hadn’t thought that Magnus could be helping them simply out of the kindness of his heart.
“When I was young and I first found out I was a witch I had no one. My stepfather wanted nothing to do with me, my mother killed herself.”
Magnus says it’s casually, but Alec can tell from the way that his hands are curled in his lap that it’s anything but casual for him to talk about this.
“I’m sorry,” Alec gets out in a whisper, scared to break the fragileness between them.
“It was a long time ago,” Magnus sends him a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes but it’s better than nothing so Alec smiles tentatively back.
“Navigating the life of a witch on my own was terrible. So I vowed to myself that if I ever stumbled upon a monster that was struggling to cope with being pulled into this world I would do everything I could to help them,” he nods towards the door, “that’s how I stumbled upon our friend Sheldon.
Alec laughs. “It’s Simon.”
Magnus waves a hand and grins at Alec. “Same thing.” Alec is comforted by the smile on his face despite the serious conversation.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re helping us, me and Jace, I mean. You don’t seem to like hunters very much.”
Magnus’ eyes turn sad again, and Alec worries he’s said something wrong for at least the third time in the conversation. He really is terrible at this.
“You’re right. I do. Usually I despise your kind. All holier than thou, kill all monsters on sight. You’re all a bunch of arrogant assholes to be honest.”
Alec should be offended by that, but for some reason he isn’t, instead he feels an odd pang of guilt. He’s met a lot of people this week that he definitely would have killed on sight if Magnus hadn’t stopped him. How many innocent monsters had he probably killed in in life?
“Hunters killed one of my best friends. For absolutely no reason other than the fact that he was a witch. I didn’t like hunters before that. But that tipped me over the edge, I’ve despised your kind ever since.”
Alec feels his heart drop at the way Magnus’ eyes seem to shine with unshed tears.
“I-“ he tries to say something comforting. Something to apologize but nothing comes out. What is he supposed to say to that?
“When I first saw you I thought you were the same as every other hunter I’d ever met. I wanted to despise you. I tried to, but you’re different. I trust you for some reason.”
Alec just stares. He has no idea what to say.
“You listened to me. You didn’t use the bullets even though it would have been easier,” he looks down at Alec with a small smile. “You probably wouldn’t have broken ribs right now if you had used them.”
Alec chuckles slightly despite himself, wincing slightly when the movement sends pain into his ribs.
Magnus places a hand on his ribs, and the pain seems to fade a bit. He looks at Alec with wide honest eyes, and Alec can’t look away no matter how hard he tries.
“I trust you too you know? Though I have no idea why.” he says it softly and revels in the answering smile Magnus sends him.
“That’s why I’m helping you.”
K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?
Hmm I think it would have to be the fic I wrote where Izzy dies and Alec and Jace are not okay.
I’ve written other pretty angsty things too but this fic also started an angst war in the malec discord so I think it deserves to win haha.
