DAMN IT I was going to ask for Magnus/Alec/Lucifer but then saw the "no smut" request. You’re no fun, Morgan ): Fine then, how about winged!Malec teaching their kid how to take care of his/her wings? (I just want something cute and I don’t trust you not to twist my prompt into angst if I’m even a tiny bit vague)
SDFJLSKDFDKFJ
Sorry to disappoint with the no smut request xD
Hope this fluff fills that void <3
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“This is so boring,” Tyler groans as he falls back, splaying on the ground.
“Tyler this is important,” Alec reminds the ten-year-old.
Magnus and Alec decided that today was going to be the day that they taught their son how to groom his wings on his own. Magnus cleared their living room of all the furniture, only leaving the rug and record player to play some soft music during the lesson. With the size of Alec’s and Magnus’ wings, it would have been difficult to have this lesson around furniture without something breaking.
“They’re not even fully grown yet!” The boy gestures his arms at the ceiling before flopping them on the ground. “Shouldn’t we wait until then?”
“That’s not important when it comes to wing grooming, Ty,” Magnus says, leaning over his son. “If you don’t learn now, then that means Dad and I will have to groom your wings until you’re eighteen.”
“Would that be so bad?” Tyler pouts before putting on his most charming smile. He pushes up on his elbows looking at his parents. “You guys are the best at it.”
Alec snorts at the suck-up. Magnus turns his head to glare at him while Tyler’s smile cracks just a bit. Alec shrugs at his husband not even trying to hide his smile.
“He definitely got that from you,” Alec points out.
“Please, Alexander,” Magnus scoffs. “I am the picture of innocence.”
Alec and Tyler share a look and a raised eyebrow before turning back to Magnus. Magnus huffs and crosses his arms.
“That he definitely gets from you, darling,” Magnus pouts while the two dissolve into giggles.
“Alright, alright,” Alec relents, reaching over to pull Tyler up into a sitting position again. “Papa is right, pipsqueak. This is important to learn at a young age. I was the same way and waited until I was sixteen to learn how to groom my wings and it was rough.”
That gets their son’s attention. He perks up at the words, his tiny blue wings shake behind him.
“What happened?” he asks.
“Well I had to get some feathers pulled out,” Alec winces at the memory. His wings shake behind him, some dark violet feathers fall to the ground. “It’s not a great feeling. I thought I could get by and be okay, but the pain of twisted feathers on your wings. It makes it difficult to fly when every time you flap your wings pain laces throughout it.”
“Oh,” Tyler trails off, his wings curling towards him. “I didn’t know it could get like that.”
Alec smiles at his son, scooting over to curl a wing and arm around him. Alec ruffles Tyler’s head and pulls his arm back before his son can swat it away.
“Dad!” he groans as he fixes his hair. Alec pulls his son in closer before he can protest.
“I get that it’s tiring work, but in the long run, it’s going to benefit you so much,” Alec explains. “Besides, once you learn, you can pass on these skills to people you love and you can help Papa and me groom ours.”
Tyler perks up a that. “You’d really let me groom your wings, Dad? Without Papa there?”
“Of course I would, pipsqueak. But you have to let Papa and I teach you first. Before you can groom someone else’s wings, you have to learn how to do it on yourself.”
Tyler nods rapidly, his floppy hair bouncing with the force of the nod. Alec looks over at his husband and sees Magnus’ eyes have a glow to them. Magnus once told him that he could watch Alec and Tyler interact for the rest of his life and be content. That he never imagined having a family of his own. A spouse and a child.
Alec sends Magnus a smile before beckoning him to come closer. Magnus scoots until he’s right next to Alec, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Tyler gags at the display of affection and mutters ‘gross cooties’ under his breath getting a laugh out of his parents.
“Just wait until you’re older,” Magnus notes. “I’m sure you’ll be singing a different tune.”
“Not in a million years,” Tyler declares.
Magnus whispers in Alec’s ear. “I give it 200 years.”
“I give it 50, only because I’ve seen the way he’s been looking at Madzie,” Alec whispers back.
“I can hear you!” Tyler exclaims with a faint blush on his cheeks, his hand cover his ears. “I would like to learn how to groom my wings now.”
Magnus reaches over and pulls Tyler’s hands away and presses a kiss to his head.
“Okay, down to business, my little bluejay. No more joking.” Magnus sits up straight stretching out his golden wings, Alec following suit. They watch as Tyler straightens as well, stretching out his wings, serious face on. Alec wishes he had a camera to capture the moment.
“Now we’re going to start with the furthest point of our wings…”
The grooming session takes all morning. Magnus and Alec carefully instruct their son through the process of combing feathers and how to untwist them. There were moments where Tyler got frustrated with his wings but Alec and Magnus had reassured him that it was normal for younger wings to be more difficult than adult wings.
By the time noon came around, there was a pile of dark violet, gold, and blue feathers in the middle of them. Tyler once again fell on his back with a cheer of accomplishment only to sit up with a hiss. He forgot that his wings would be sensitive right after grooming them. Magnus stifles a laugh while Alec shakes his head at their son.
“We’re done!” Ty exclaims. “Can we eat lunch now?”
“Moving on before we’re even done?” Magnus asks, getting off the ground and stepping out of the room. Tyler’s wings sag at the words and turns to Alec.
“There’s more?” he whines.
“Just one more step, pipsqueak,” Alec reassures.
They both watch as Magnus reenters the room with a small chest. He sits back down in his original spot and sets the chest in front of him. With a snap and wave of his hand, the chest expands and grows in size. Opening the lid reveals a plethora of gold and dark violet feathers.
“Would you like to do the honors, Ty?” Magnus asks.
Tyler looks between the feathers on the ground and the chest. He stares up at his fathers with wide eyes. It seems that their son had forgotten this detail of grooming. Gathering the discarded feathers and locking them away in a box, so no one would be able to use your feathers against you. Tyler hadn’t really started to shed until a few days ago which sparked this grooming session.
“I get to join mine with yours?” He whispers.
“Of course you do, Ty. You are our son.”
Tears gather in their son’s eyes as he starts to gather the feathers off the ground and gently place them in the chest. Magnus grasps Alec’s hand and squeezes tight, both of them trying to reign in their emotions watching their son delicately place their old feathers in the chest. Magnus’ wing reaches around Alec’s back and curls around him. Alec gladly leans into the touch and rests his head on Magnus’ shoulder.
His husband never had a good grip on his wings when he got emotional. It’s one of his favorite things about him. Alec got so many wing cuddles after Magnus had a long day at work, but he would never complain. The fact that Magnus’ wings reached out to him and Tyler when he was exhausted spoke a thousand words about his love for them.
Magnus stops Tyler just as he was about to put the last few feathers in the chest. The only ones left were a feather from each of them. With a wave of his hand, the three feathers became connected at the shaft by a small string, making a necklace. Tyler looked at the jewelry in awe and rushes to put it on. He looks down at the three feathers resting on his chest.
Alec and Magnus wait with bated breath when suddenly their son launches at them, wrapping his arms around their neck and ducking his head below theirs.
“I love you, Dad and Papa,” Tyler mutters into his fathers’ necks, his voice just a tinge wobbly.
Magnus presses a kiss to the top of his head as Alec wraps his arms around the both of them. Magnus’ wings come around all of them sheltering them from the outside world as Tyler’s sniffs fill the loft.
“And we love you, Tyler,” Alec whispers in the small space. “Forever and always.”
The first fic of many for the Malec Server’s Wingo Fic Challenge!
Prompt: Plucking
Read on Ao3 here
Fic based on this writing prompt
Eleven days. It’s been eleven days and his captor has not heard back from his family. He’s not surprised by this, or not as surprised as he thought he would be. When the man kidnapped him while he was out on a hunt in the woods, he expected his family to at least worry. Alec shifts his shoulder causing his wings to move behind him. He hisses out at the movement. Looking down he sees the clumps of feathers on the floor.
While his captor has been kind to him, the realization that no one was coming to rescue him hit harder than he expected. He lets out a shuddering sigh as he moves his left wing in front of him and plucks another feather out, wincing at the pain. He twirls it in his hand, the raven feather shimmers in the light from the fireplace, showing off its purple and navy hue. How a simple color could cause him such pain.
People don’t take kindly to those with black wings. They consider them to be cursed, an ill omen, a monster. Pluck. When his wings first appeared as a child, Alec remembers looking in the mirror, excited that his had finally come in. He ran to show his parents, only for them to cry out in disgust and call him a freak. He was five at the time, but the look on his parents’ faces still haunts him to this day. Pluck.
Jace and Izzy as they got older said there was nothing wrong with the color of his wings. They would never understand the struggle it was to walk through life with black wings. Jace’s beautiful cream colored wings were loved by all. Izzy’s light blue wings were the attention of all the men and women. Two people were not enough to stop their village and their awful words.
“Freak!”
“Stay away from my family, you monster!”
“If you come any closer, I’ll kill you!”
“Why don’t you cut them off? Save the village from having to worry about a looming disaster, you bad omen!”
Pluck.
When he was able to, he made a harness that would hide his wings behind his back. It hurt, cramping his wings inside the contraption, but it had worked. The looks and the shouting subdued a bit by hiding his wings. The adults in the village still steered clear of him, but the children seemed to like him.
He goes to grab another feather when a hand clamps his wrist before he can. He jumps back startled, he hadn’t even heard his captor enter the room let alone kneel in front of him. His captor releases his wrist and looks down at the pile of feathers on the ground. Alec doesn’t move and he watches his captor reach down and pick up a feather.
Alec waits, his body tensing the longer the silence goes on; for the comments, the scathing remarks. He had hidden his wings from his captor, afraid that they would kill him once they found out his wings were black. His captor, Magnus, looks up at him with his brow wrinkled softly and a tinge of sadness etched across his face.
“I didn’t realize they wouldn't come for you,” Magnus admits, clutching a black feather in his hands. “I’m… I’m sorry.”
Alec nods at him but can’t bring himself to look Magnus in the eyes. He averts his eyes to look anywhere but Magnus. He focuses on the beautiful burgundy wings on Magnus’ back. “It’s… It’s okay,” he whispers out. It’s not okay, but he’s not about to show more weakness to his captor after he found him plucking out his wings.
“Alexander,” Magnus says and the man reaches out a hand to touch his knee, but Alec moves back. He doesn’t know if he can handle being touched again right now.
“If it’s alright, I want to go to sleep now,” Alec says, still avoiding Magnus’ gaze. He sees Magnus nod and stand up.
“There’s a tray of food over there.” Magnus points to the small table in the corner. “Make sure to eat something before you fall asleep.”
Alec nods but he knows he’s not going to eat anything. He hasn’t had an appetite since he hit day eight of his captivity. He hears Magnus let out a sigh and a door closing and he knows he’s been left alone.
Alec doesn’t waste time pulling his legs up on the bed and laying on his side. His wings hurt from where he pulled out his feathers, but he doesn’t care. He just wants to fall asleep and not think about how his family abandoned him. He thought that at least Jace and Izzy would come for him and not hearing from them broke whatever was left whole inside him.
He lays on his side, staring into the flames of the fireplace. He watches at the logs crackle and burn in the heat. Eventually he finds himself falling into a fitful sleep with his wings curled around him.
Alec’s not surprised by the nightmares that come to him. He was expecting them. What he wasn’t expecting was to see his brother and sister next to his mother and father, telling him that he was a burden to the family. That they wish he was never born and that he should die already. The nightmare goes from bad to worse as he watches his family approach him with knives. He begs them not to do this but invisible hands hold him down and pull his wings back.
“It’s for the best,” his mother says. “Once they’re gone, we can go back to being a happy family again.”
“Please don’t do this,” he begs the nightmare.
“We’re only doing what’s best for you,” his brother says.
Alec screams as he feels the knives dig into his back right at the base of his wings. He screams and begs for them to stop. He doesn’t want this. They’re hurting him. The nightmare doesn’t listen, but why would it?
He wakes up when the knives slice through the bone. He cries out as he launches himself to a seated position. Not fully aware of his surroundings, he misses the body sitting next to him and jumps at the hands that wrap around his biceps. Shoving the hands away, he crawls backwards until he hits the bed frame, crying out again as his sensitive wings get crushed. He curls in on himself, ducking his head between his legs and wrapping his arms around his knees.
“Shhh, shh, it’s okay, you’re okay,” a voice soothes next to him. “You need to breathe, Alexander. Listen to my breathing. Can you do that for me?” Alec tries to respond but his lungs won’t work. He jerks his head in what he hopes will come off as a nod. “Okay, that’s good. Now breathe in for me? Hold. Good. Now breathe out. Again.” Magnus’ voice washes over him as he repeats what the man instructs him to do.
Eventually his breathing goes back to normal and he leans back against the headboard, closing his eyes.
“Are you alright now?” Magnus asks worriedly from where he sits. Alec peeks open an eye to stare at the man. The panic and worry shown clearly on the man’s face.
“Yeah,” he breathes out. “I’m okay.”
“Good, that’s good,” Magnus sighs. The man fidgets where he sits and his eyes keep drifting up and down Alec’s body. “Do you want to talk about it?” Magnus winces as the words come out of his mouth. Alec huffs out a laugh.
“No, not really,” he replies. The man jerks a nod at that.
“Right, sorry. Of course you wouldn’t want to talk about it,” Magnus rushes out. The room goes quiet as they both sit there. The only sound coming from the fireplace which, Alec notes as he looks over, has fresh logs put on it. Magnus follows his movement. “I knew that the fire in here was going to die and I didn’t want you to freeze at night so I brought some fresh logs to put in.”
“Thank you,” Alec says. “You didn’t have to do that, I would’ve been fine. I’m used to sleeping in the cold.” Those words seem to anger Magnus, judging by the way his face closes off and his hands curl into fists where they rest on his lap.
“What do you mean you’re used to it?” Magnus asks. “I saw your family’s house, you are well off enough that you most certainly own a fireplace or two to keep the place warm.”
“If I lived in the house, yes, but I don't. My parents made me move out to our barn to keep the bad luck away from the house.” He doesn’t look up from Magnus’ hands as he watches his knuckles turn white.
“They made you sleep in the barn?” Magnus grits out. “Surely someone in your town would have reported them for this?”
“If the town didn’t also hate my presence, maybe.” Alec half shrugs, hisses a bit as the movement jostles his wings. Magnus notices that and raises a hand to help before realizing what he was doing. His eyes widen and he quickly lowers his hand. Magnus stands up from the bed.
“I have some medical salves that should help your wings,” Magnus says, walking towards the door. “I’ll be right back.” Before he leaves, he nods to the tray of food still untouched by the table. “Maybe you should try and eat. It will make you feel a bit better.”
With that, Alec is once again left alone in the room. He sits on the bed in thought, confused as to how the atmosphere has changed. Before, his captor only checked in to give him food and to give him wood for the fire. He never once attempted a conversation. Was it because of his wings? Magnus had never asked him to show his wings before. Now that he’s seen them, is he going to kill him?
Alec panics at the thought before he remembers how angry Magnus looked when he talked about his living conditions. Surprised at the barely kept in anger the spread across the man’s whole body. Was he upset that he discovered too late that the person he kidnapped had black wings? That no one was going to pay the ransom to get him back?
As questions fill his mind, his stomach lets out a loud grumble. He looks over to the table where the food from yesterday still sits. Deciding for the best, he slowly crawls out of bed, giving his body a long stretch that has him groaning at the needles that shoot along his spine. He walks over to the table and sits down.
Fruits, nuts and veggies cover the platter in front of him. Magnus must have stopped trying to give him hot foods after he stopped eating a few days ago. His stomach’s persistent grumbling has him picking up a few nuts and tossing them into his mouth. It’s like a damn breaking, he starts to eat more and more, grabbing piece after piece of food. He grabs the glass of water on the table and downs the whole thing in one go.
“You know you can make yourself sick if you eat too quickly,” the voice by the door says. Alec looks up and sees Magnus leaning against the frame with a basket of vials in his hands. He looks back at the tray and sees that most of it is gone. He hadn’t even realized how much he ate. Magnus chuckles at the blush that crawls up Alec’s face, his wings doing nothing but admitting his embarrassment by curling around him.
Magnus pushes off the frame and sets the basket on the table, he grabs the other chair and moves it next to Alec’s. Sitting down, Magnus sifts through the basket and looks for what he needs. Alec takes the time to really look at the man.
The first thought that comes into his mind is how beautiful Magnus' wings are. The burgundy wings attached to the man’s back are rich with the color. Alec’s not sure if the fire is playing tricks on his eyes, but Alec’s pretty sure there’s gold flecks spread throughout the feathers, making the wings glitter in the light. Looking away from the wings, his eyes scan the navy button up that accentuates his wings to the dark tan pants.
“Aha!” Magnus exclaims, snapping him out of his trance. He looks at the man’s hand and sees a vial full of a mysterious green liquid. Magnus turns to him with a grin on his face. “This should help soothe the aches from where the feathers were pulled out earlier.” Alec eyes dart back and forth between Magnus’ face and the liquid causing the man to roll his eyes. “It’s not going to kill you, I promise.”
“You’re okay with touching my wings?” Alec asks instead, watching as the man’s face drops.
“Of course I’m okay with that,” Magnus spoke softly. “There’s nothing wrong with your wings. They’re beautiful.” Alec can’t help the snort that leaves his body. “They truly are, Alexander,” Magnus persists. “The way they have a navy and purple tint in the light. They remind me of the night sky, when you can see the galaxy and the stars in it.”
“You can’t mean that, Magnus,” Alec whispers out.
“But I do. They truly are gorgeous.” Magnus reaches out slowly towards his wings, pausing just before. Alec hesitates before nodding and Magnus gently touches his wings. A shiver runs through his whole body at the sensations. No one has ever touched his wings, not even his siblings. He wouldn’t let them. Didn’t want to risk them getting bad luck from touching them, but something about the way Magnus looked at him made him trust the man.
“Can I put the salve on?” Magnus asks as he continues to pet his wing.
“Yeah,” Alec says, his voice more hoarse than he expected. Magnus sends him a kind smile and goes about pouring the liquid on his hands.
“Spread your wing out for me, darling,” he says gently. Alec can’t help but comply and stretches his right wing out slowly. Looking at the wing, he can see a small patch where feathers used to be. It’s barely noticeable, but anyone who looks close enough will see that there are feathers missing. A feeling of shame passes over him and he scolds himself for being so weak.
Magnus touches the feathers around the area, moving them out of the way while his other hand rubs the salve on the sensitive skin. Alec can’t help the moan that leaves his mouth as the cool salve touches his skin. He already begins to feel the stinging pain fade away. Magnus chuckles at his sounds as he finishes up the spot moving back to appraise his work.
“There, all done.” Magnus smiles at him and he can’t help smiling back.
“Thank you, Magnus,” Alec says. He fidgets a bit while watching Magnus clean off his hand and put the vial back in the basket, wondering if he should ask the question that’s on the tip of his tongue. Magnus catches his movement and gives him an encouraging nod.
“What’s going to happen now?” He blurts out before he can stop himself causing Magnus to give him a puzzling look. “I mean, you know that you’re not going to get a ransom from my family so are you going to let me go? Or are you going to kill me?”
A look of sheer horror passes over Magnus’ face at his words.
“No! I would never, never want to kill you,” Magnus says. Turning fully towards Alec, he grabs both of his hands and grips them tight. “Alexander, you deserve to see the world for what it’s truly like, not what your backwards town thinks the world is like. There are so many people with wings like yours in the world. There’s nothing wrong with you. If I have to spend the rest of my life proving that to you then so be it.”
Alec stares at the man in front of him, like he’s seeing the man who’s been his captor for the past eleven days for the first time. There’s determination set in the man’s eyes, that he’s not willing to let Alec go easily. But only one line is repeating in his head.
“The rest of your life?” Alec gets out, his mind racing. He clutches back at the hands still holding his.
“Yes.” Magnus doubles down on the words. “I won’t let you go back to that hellscape of a village. I can’t. You deserve to be happy, Alexander. And I want to give that to you. If you’ll have me.”
Alec thinks over the words, the offer Magnus is giving him. He’s never left the village before, never wandered past its boundaries in the forest. Too afraid of what will attack him because of the color of his wings. This would be his chance to escape, to be free. He’s surprised at how quickly his answer comes to him.
“Okay,” he says. A smile slowly spread on his face. Magnus’ face lights up with joy and the man rushes to embrace him. Alec stiffens for a moment before melting into the hug.
“I promise you, Alexander,” Magnus whispers in his ear. “You won’t regret this.”
Prompt: Broken Wings
Summary: Alec takes Max to get ice cream and discovers that his past has caught up to him
Read on Ao3
“Come on Alec! We’re going to miss it!” Max said impatiently, tugging at Alec’s hand to move faster.
“Alright, alright,” Alec laughs as he picks up the pace. “The ice cream shop isn’t going to go anywhere. Why the rush?”
“Because they have new flavors!” Max rolls his eyes as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You know how fast their new flavors go and I will not miss them because you are a slowpoke!”
“Just because you turned seven last week doesn’t give you the right to be bossy,” Alec comments as he picks up Max. The child screams out in delight causing a few heads to turn their way as he hoists Max up onto his shoulders.
“I’m the tallest kid in Edom!” Max declares and he pumps two fists in the air.
“Hold on tight, Max,” Alec laughs looking up at him with a smile. Max’s bushy, curly hair bounces with every step he takes.
Max’s laughs echo along the sidewalk as Alec power walks to the ice cream shop. Above him, Max makes whooshing sounds with his black wings spread out behind him, pretending like he’s flying. Alec can’t wait to see Max’s first flight. His wings are not strong enough to carry him yet, but once he turns eight, Alec knows that Max is going to drag everyone out to see him fly. He has stated so, multiple times, to anyone who will listen.
They make it to the shop in record time. Alec almost drops Max as the boy tries to climb down his six-foot-tall body by himself. The second his feet touch the ground, Max makes a dash for the door and is inside before Alec can even blink. Alec chuckles at the boy’s excitement and heads in after him. He doesn’t understand why they need to rush, there’s barely a line to the counter.
“Alec!” Max waves a hand and flaps his wings to get Alec’s attention as if Alec couldn’t already easily spot him in a crowd.
Since living in Edom, he and Max are the only two that he knows of that have black wings. There was a merchant who came to town a few months ago that had black wings, but the woman was only in for the week before she moved onto the next town to sell her goods.
She had told Alec that he was the second person she had met with black wings, but warned him to be careful should he leave such a welcoming city. The words didn’t come as a surprise to Alec because of his upbringing. He’s well aware that there are places where he would not be welcome.
They approach the counter and Alec sees a plethora of flavors that he can’t decide which one to pick. Max, on the other hand, knows exactly which ones he wants to get. He points out to the confectioner which ones he wants and asks the man about their new flavors. Alec stands back and allows Max to get what he wants. He’ll have to send an apology message to his parents for the sugar rush Max is going to have for the next few hours. Maybe he can take the soon to be hyper kid to the park for a while before taking him back home.
“Alec!” Max calls, he already has his bowl of four flavors. “You still have to pick!”
“Right.” Alec turns to the confectioner. “I’ll just have the chocolate and vanilla twist.”
“Boring,” Max drawls, stomping his feet on the ground in protest at Alec’s choice. “Come on, Alec! Pick something fun!”
“Chocolate and vanilla are fun,” Alec defends with a huff, his feathers mock ruffling behind him.
“But there are so many flavors to try!” Max insists as Alec takes his cone from the worker.
“Guess we’ll have to come back another time then.”
Max perks up at that and begins to bounce on his heels. His black wings almost knock over a stanchion in his excitement. Alec finishes paying for their ice cream and they make their way outside. The weather is nice enough that it won’t melt their frozen treats too quickly. They sit down at an open bench right outside the shop.
Max’s legs are swinging back and forth underneath the table as he greedily eats his ice cream. Alec has to tell him a few times to slow down or he’s going to get a brain freeze. Which of course Max ignores and proceeds to get brain freeze. Alec feels bad for laughing at a seven year old’s pain, but he did warn him. He at least tries to hide the laugh by covering it with his hand and looking away from Max.
He makes eye contact with the two men sitting at the bench across from them. He remembers passing them on their way to the shop. Something is off about the way they’re looking at him and Max, but he doesn’t have time to decipher what it is when Max is shoving a spoon in his face to try one of the new flavors.
Once they are finished with their ice cream, he leads Max to a trash bin to toss out his spoon and bowl.
“What do you say we spend some time at the park before heading home?” Alec asks. “We got a few more hours before your parents are done with work.”
Max nods his head rapidly, jumping giddily in place. “I want to go on the monkey bars!”
“One set of monkey bars coming up,” Alec grunts as he once again lifts Max to his shoulders.
He thanks his job every day for allowing him to lift Max with such ease. The heavy sacks of goods that he’s had to carry these past two years is enough to give any man back problems. Having a boyfriend who not only grooms wings but gives the best back massages has its perks. Especially when the back massages are boyfriend exclusive only.
Max is singing some tune above him as they make their way to the park. They are a few blocks down the street when he feels eyes on them again. He uses the excuse that his back is starting to hurt to lower a dissatisfied Max to the ground and looks behind him.
He sees the two men from before and something in Alec’s stomach drops. He puts on a fake smile for Max so he doesn’t freak out and continues their walk to the park, every once in awhile looking behind them. They have four more blocks to go. He subtly glances around at anything that can be used to get away but with it being the weekday, most of the shops are closed. Alec curses under his breath and slowly picks up his pace.
Max doesn’t seem to notice the change of speed as he asks Alec how many bars he thinks he can skip this time going across. Alec tries to pay attention to Max’s words to make it seem like he hasn’t noticed the two men. They have two more blocks to go before they make it to the park and Alec sighs in relief that they’re almost there, but as he turns the corner there’s a man on the sidewalk front of him, wearing similar clothes to the two men behind them. Alec halts his steps, pulling Max into his side.
“Alec?” Max says uneasy, looking from Alec to the man.
“Hello Mr. Lightwood,” the man says. “We’ve been looking for you.”
“Well, you found me,” Alec grits, his wings bristle behind him in a threatening manner. His instinct to protect Max outweighs his own safety. “You can leave now.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the man chuckles, pulling out a knife from his holster. “You see, there is a nice price on your head and I intend to cash that in.” Max whimpers and Alec pulls him underneath his wing. The man laughs at the movement as he fiddles with the sharp object. “Apparently mommy and daddy aren’t too happy to find out their mistake is still alive.”
Dread washes over him like a bucket full of ice cold water at the words. The mention of his parents makes his skin crawl and alarms go off in his head. He should have known that Robert and Maryse would assume he was dead when they didn’t pay the ransom. That his captor would have killed him when he found him no longer useful. Guess they didn’t factor in Magnus being his captor.
“Well they’re going to have to stay unhappy,” Alec spits at the man. “Because I’m not going with you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to come with us. We just need evidence that the problem is taken care of,” the man cackles. “And your wings look like a pretty nice trophy. ”
“Max,” Alec says as calm as he can. He glances down and sees that the boy’s hands are shaking where they clutch at his shirt, his wings curled around himself and Alec’s thigh. “Max.” The boy looks up. “When I say run, I want you to head for the nearest open shop and call for help.” Max shakes his head and plasters himself to Alec’s side. “You have to, buddy.”
“But Alec-”
“Hey.” He gives Max his most reassuring smile, before looking back at the man. “It’s going to be okay, but I need you to go get help.”
He waits until he feels Max nod against his side. He looks behind him and sees that the two men have gotten closer. Just a few steps more and they’ll be within striking distance. It’s been a while since he’s been in a full out fight. He mainly settles small disputes between vendors, rarely do fists fly.
As soon as the two men are within range, Alec spreads his wings out and twists, hitting the men hard. One man flies into a wall and gets knocked out. The other falls on the sidewalk with a loud grunt.
“Max, run!” Alec shoves Max in the opposite direction and the boy takes off. Max looks behind him as he runs, fear prevalent in his eyes. Alec is going to make these bastards pay for that look.
Alec doesn’t watch to see if Max gets to safety when he hears the footsteps running towards him. He twists out of the way but not in fast enough as he feels the knife plunge into his left wing. He cries out at the pain but doesn’t let it stop him. The bastard has a sick grin on his face as he pulls the knife out. Alec quickly tests the wing, stretching it out to its full span. The knife didn’t hit anything critical so he’s still able to use it. It’s only then, does he start to feel a numbness spread throughout it.
He looks down at the knife coated in his blood and sees a strange substance on it. The numbness reaches the base of his wing and he sees more than feels his wing drop. Alec tries to move it but it stays fallen.
“Amazing, ain’t it?” The man boasts. “Made it myself to help with taking those nasty wings off people’s backs. Of course, I keep the person alive. After all, I am saving them from a life of pain.”
“You’re cutting off their wings!” Alec growls, his hand goes up to his numb wing to make sure that it’s still there. “How is that saving them?”
“Having black wings is a curse,” the man casually explains. “A bad omen. It’s surprising that this town hasn’t crumbled from your presence.”
“Black wings are a blessing,” Alec states. It had taken him a long time to accept that, but thanks to Magnus and the friends he’s made in this city he can proudly wear his wings out for everyone to see. He’s going to do anything to make sure Max never has to hear the vitriol this man is spewing.
“Seems you need to relearn some things,” the man barks.
Alec gets tackled from behind and falls to the ground. He tries to use his right wing to get the crook off his back, but the man takes the wing in his hands and presses his knee against it. Alec realizes what the man is going to do and doubles his efforts to shake the man off. He begs for his left wing to move but it lays motionless at his side.
He lets out a gut wrenching scream as he feels the bone snap.
“Should have let us do our job,” the leader tuts as he crouches down in front of Alec. The man behind him presses a knee to his back so he can’t move. Not like he could anyway. The pain from his right wing is overwhelming his body. “Maybe this wouldn’t hurt as much.” The man pulls Alec by his hair to make sure he’s looking at him. “Don’t worry though, we’ll make sure that little disease that was with you gets the luxury treatment.”
Alec spits at the man which gets him punched in the face. One particular hit to the temple makes his world tilt more than it already was. The man lets out a wicked laugh as his head hits the ground.
He should move, he has to move. He has to make sure these bastards don’t lay a single finger on Max. He won’t let them, he can’t. Alec tries to push himself up but the man on top of him slams his knee down on his back right between the base of his wings, jostling his broken one. He lets out a whimper.
“Not so tough now are we?” The goon above him cackles. “Why don’t we start with the right one, boss?”
Alec cries out as pain shoots up his wing when the men grab it. He doubles his effort to break free and get the man off his back. The two men laugh at his poor attempt and Alec receives a kick to the face.
“Now be a good boy and let us do our job,” one of them says. He can’t focus on anything anymore, the pain is too much and his head has been hit too many times. Alec closes his eyes and accepts his fate.
He feels the knife begin to slice through his wing when suddenly the weight on his back disappears and the knife is gone from his wing. He hears shouting and the sound of fists being thrown. He should help whoever is there but any movement hurts.
“Don’t move,” a voice soothes. They brush the hair out of his face and Alec sees long red hair fill his vision before he sees a young woman come into view. Alec wants to ask about Max, if he’s okay, if he got away. Whatever expression is on his face makes the woman curse. “I need some help!”
“Oh my god... is he gonna be okay?”
“You have the right to remain silent.”
“He’s a freak! You should be helping me get rid of monsters like him.”
“Get them out of here.”
“Alec! Alec!”
Alec lets out a sob as he hears Max’s voice although it’s tinged with fear and worry. He’s glad that one good thing came out of this and it was Max’s safety. He would have never forgiven himself if Max had gotten hurt or worse, gotten his wings cut off.
He wants to stay awake to see Max with his own eyes to be sure he is unharmed, but the pain is becoming too much. The woman must see it and pats his hair again.
“It’s alright,” she reassures. “You’re safe now.”
~~~~
Alec wakes up to the sound of sniffling. It takes him a moment to register his surroundings but he finds himself on his stomach on a bed. Judging by the familiar smells, it’s his and Magnus’ bed. There’s a hand in his, clutching so tightly that Alec is worried that his hand might break. He gives the hand a light squeeze.
The body attached to it freezes as gasps and sobs leave their mouth. The hand in his squeezes back even tighter than before. A chair crashes to the ground and a thump echoes through their room. There’s a dip in the bed next to him as Magnus moves closer to his body.
“Alexander?” Magnus says, voice hoarse. There’s a gentle hand brushing hair out of his face. “Darling, open your eyes for me? Please.”
How could Alec ever say no to his boyfriend? Opening his eyes takes effort, his right eye is a bit swollen. His pupils adjust to the low light and directly in his line of sight is Magnus, bathed in a golden halo of the fireplace behind him. He looks beautiful, he thinks. A wide but wobbly smile is on his boyfriend’s face. His eyes are red and puffy and his makeup has left streaks down his cheeks.
“Hi,” Alec whispers. Magnus doesn’t even try to hold back a sob and he lifts their joined hands to his lips.
“Hello, darling,” Magnus says. “You gave me quite the scare.”
“I’m sorry to have worried you,” he mumbles into the pillow. The hand on the back of his head feels wonderful as it pets through his hair. He almost falls asleep again when he remembers the day’s events.
“Max,” Alec gasps. His body tenses at the memories, causing him to whimper as his right wing is jostled by the sudden movement.
“Hey hey, relax.” Magnus rushes onto the bed to stop his wings from moving too much. Magnus gently moves his hands across the top of his wings. “Max is okay. Terrified, but okay. He’s with his family right now. Let’s focus on you getting better, okay?”
He relaxes back into the pillows knowing that Max is okay. Magnus’ hands on his wings feel delicate like he’s afraid to break them more than they already are. It’s his turn to let out a shaky breath as he feels Magnus’ hand touch his left wing and Alec can feel it, relieved to have known that the paralyzing toxin was only temporary. Now that Alec has calmed down, he realizes that Magnus’ hands are shaking.
“Come here,” Alec says, bringing his arm around to tug at Magnus’ hands.
“Alexander, we shouldn’t,” Magnus advises.
“You won’t hurt me, come under my left wing. That one’s not broken,” he chuckles darkly. He probably shouldn’t be joking about it so soon, but it’s better than talking about it.
“That’s not funny,” Magnus scolds as he slides underneath the wing. “You could have- you almost-.”
“Hey,” Alec whispers as he pulls Magnus to his side. “I’m here.”
“But you almost weren’t,” Magnus sniffs, snuggling into Alec’s side. “God, when Max’s mother rushed into the shop with fear on her face, I thought the worst. Then I got to the house and saw the doctor tending to your wing and the broken angle it was at. The officer explained what happened and it was like all of my nightmares had come true.” Magnus’ wings are tucked tightly behind him as he and Alec try to get comfortable with as little movement as possible.
“After everything you told me about your childhood and of that hell town, to hear that hunters came after you,” Magnus’ breath shakes, “I couldn’t breathe properly until I saw you with my own two eyes. Then to see your wings…” Magnus reaches out to brush feathers on his left wing. “The wave of relief I felt to see them still on your back. I was so terrified that you had lost them to those monsters.”
“What happened?” Alec reaches for the hand on his wing and twines it with his own. He stares at their joined hands as he rubs the back of Magnus’. “Last thing I remember was someone with red hair leaning over me.”
“Those bastards got arrested,” Magnus growls. “Max was able to find a family walking down the street and luckily the father was an officer and the mother was a nurse. They were able to arrest the hunters and tend to your wings. Their daughter, Clary, was the one who stayed by your side until I could get here.”
Alec kisses the back of Magnus’ hands in silent apology. He can still see tension throughout his boyfriend’s body and shuffles the short distance to kiss him. His heart breaks as Magnus lets out a sob during the kiss.
He knew that this might happen one day, his parents threatened him with the idea of hunters enough times that he knew to hide his wings was the best option for him if he wanted to still have them. If he still wanted to live. It’s one of the many reasons he wore a harness all the time.
Alec will never go back to that life. He’s glad that it’s behind him and that he has the life he has now.
“I love you so much, Alexander,” Magnus whispers into his lips.
“I love you too, Magnus,” Alec whispers back.
Magnus tucks himself under Alec’s chin and settles in for the night. Alec feels a hand rest over his heart and the other wraps around his back.
~~~~
They’re taken out of their peaceful rest by an incessant knock on their door. Alec groans into Magnus’ hair, burrowing into it.
“It’s late,” he whines. “Who knocks at this time?”
“It might be the officers from earlier,” Magus says as he scoots from under Alec’s wing carefully. He leans down to press a kiss to Alec’s head. “I’ll only be a moment.”
“You better, or I will get up and kick them out myself,” Alec grumbles, already missing Magnus’ presence from the bed.
“You will not move from this bed or I will tie you to it,” Magnus warns, before leaving the room. Magnus hears a faint laugh from the bed before making his way to the front door.
He checks himself in the hallway mirror to fix up his face and get rid of any more noticeable makeup smudges. It’s not the best but he doesn’t look like he just dunked his face in water. Magnus hopes that this will be quick, he doesn’t want to spend one more second away from Alec’s side even if it’s to give another statement for the case. The knocking starts again, louder this time.
“Impatient much?” He complains as he unlocks the door. “Hello, officer, how can I-” His words stop in his throat as he takes in the couple in front of him. He leans against the doorframe, annoyance already leaking out. “You realize it’s nine o’clock at night. Normally the people who want to sell us things show up in the morning.”
The blonde-haired man shoots a glare at him, his golden wings bristling behind him. The dark-haired woman with him puts a hand on his arm, her light blue wings reaching out to relax the man.
“I’m sorry,” the woman says. “I know it’s late but we were wondering if Alec Lightwood lives here?”
Immediately his hackles rise, wings puffing out, ready to defend his home. He keeps his face neutral as he takes in the two who notice the change. The woman is smart enough to take a step back, but she has to pull the blonde man with her.
“What does it matter to you?” He asks, biting back the anger.
The duo share a hesitant glance before gathering strength to answer his question.
“I’m Isabelle Lightwood, this is my brother, Jace Lightwood,” Isabelle says. “We’re Alec’s younger siblings and we want to see him.”
Prompt: Wing Cuddles
Summary: It’s the one year anniversary of when Alec left his old life behind him.
Read it on Ao3
It’s the one year anniversary of when Alec left his old life behind him. He doesn’t regret leaving. He misses his siblings, but the fact that they did not try to pay the ransom doesn’t make him miss them as much as he wants to. Izzy and Jace always made sure to include him in anything they could until someone saw them all together. The number of times Alec had to walk home alone because he was unwanted was too many to count.
He sits in his room, leaning against the headboard of his bed. He thinks back to his old life and realizes it doesn’t make him as sad as it first did. The memories from a year ago don’t send an ache through his heart.
The life he has with Magnus, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. The amazing people he’s met in this city of Edom; Helen and Aline are now close friends of him and Magnus’. Friday’s just aren’t right if those two are not over for a night of food and drinks. His neighbors know his name and greet him with a smile when he leaves for work in the morning.
The kid with the black wings he saw the first few weeks he and Magnus moved to the city asks him to play all the time. And also to brag about how he and Aec are twins because they share the same color wings. Max is his name, Alec comes to learn.
The people of the market pull him left and right asking for his assistance. There’s never a dull day. People ask how he’s doing, offering him goods from their stalls without him having to ask or pay them.
He finally feels wanted.
Alec pulls out the feather he’s kept hidden in his nightstand for 5 months now. He’s made sure to keep it in pristine condition but even after being careful, the vanes of the feather have become a bit frayed. The burgundy and gold still shine in the light of his room. He knows it’s weird that he’s kept a feather of Magnus’ after their first grooming together, but it was the first time someone trusted him with their wings and vice versa. His heart still swells at the trust Magnus has for him.
He wants to cherish that first grooming for the rest of his life. Magnus and Alec have groomed each other’s wings plenty of times since that day, but Alec will never forget the intimacy of their first grooming for as long as he lives. They made it fun. The sounds that leave their mouths end with a laugh rather than awkward silence. Alec never feels like a bumbling fool because Magnus makes him feel comfortable.
If only he had the courage to tell Magnus how he feels about the man.
A knock on the door has him hiding the feather under his pillow. He grabs the book on his nightstand to make it look like he’d been reading and not fawning over a feather.
“Come in!” he says, playing it cool before Magnus enters.
“Hey,” Magnus smiles at him, opening the door. “I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner tonight.”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“Well...” he trails off and plays with his ear cuff, a sign that Magnus is nervous. “You remember that restaurant that we went to the first month we came here?”
“Yeah, the Italian place?” Alec nods, moving so that his legs and hanging off the bed. “Didn’t they close down for maintenance?”
“They did, but they just reopened last week and I thought… Well, I thought we could see if their pasta is still as good as it was all those months ago.”
“That sounds great, Magnus.”
“Excellent,” Magnus cheers, clapping his hands together before turning to leave. As he gets to the door frame he turns around. “Oh, make sure to dress nice. Apparently this place is now deemed as fine dining and doesn’t allow people in street clothes to enter anymore. Guess our street look made them reevaluate.”
Alec laughs as Magnus closes the door behind him. He grabs the feather and puts it back in his nightstand before standing up from the bed and making his way to the closet. Alec only has a few nice dress outfits from the times that his neighbors have invited them over for their monthly cocktail parties. It should worry him how many times they have the parties but after the first few, Alec has found that he enjoys the small gatherings.
Alec picks out his outfit, a black suit with matching black shoes. He lays out the suit on his bed, eyeing it to decide what tie he should wear when he remembers the gift that Aline had given him for his birthday. He goes to his dresser, pulls open the top drawer, and grabs the small box that has kept the tie in pristine condition until he found the courage to wear it. Opening the box he looks at the tie and smiles.
Guess tonight is the night.
---
Alec makes his way downstairs to the living room. It had taken him longer than he had thought to get ready, but he wanted to make sure he looked his best. When he looked at himself in the mirror and the only color he had on him was the tie, he knew he made the right choice. He looks down at the burgundy tie and the gold swirls that twist around it and adjusts it for the twentieth time that night. He’s gelled up his hair so that it’s not the normal poofy mess he has to deal with.
He looks around and doesn’t see Magnus yet, which means the man is probably still getting ready. He shakes his head. He thought he was running late, but he forgot that Magnus wears makeup and won’t settle for anything less than perfect.
Alec wanders around the living room, not wanting to sit so he doesn’t crinkle the suit. His mind drifts again to the past year and his time with Magnus. The house is now filled with memories of them. A small statue of a raven on the fireplace mantle that Magnus had brought home one day saying that it reminded him of Alec. Alec had been a sputtering fool only able to choke out a thanks before placing it in the spot it rests now.
There’s a guitar on the ground in the corner next to a record player that Alec had gifted Magnus after he witnessed Magnus help fix a street performer’s guitar on his lunch break. Watching Magnus strum a tune while making it sound right, Alec could tell that he could easily play a song. When he passed the music store one day and saw the acoustic guitar sitting in the window, he just knew he had to get it. He’s glad he stuck to his gut because the look on Magnus’ face when he saw the guitar sitting in the corner was everything to him.
His weekends were now filled with soft strums of guitar and a silky voice singing the sweetest of tunes.
Alec turns his gaze to the wall and all the framed photos that hang. He steps up to the wall and takes in each photo. The one of him and Max showing off their wings in the park. Max had insisted on a hero pose and how could Alec say no to the little guy. He could hear Magnus laughing with Max’s parents, but he couldn’t feel embarrassed when Max was looking at him like he was the coolest person on the planet.
The next photo was of Magnus and Aline both laying in chairs soaking up the sun’s rays in the back yard. Their wings spread out behind them, not caring that they were in the way of everyone else. What the photo doesn’t show is Helen sneaking up behind them with a bucket of water. Alec doesn’t think he’s laughed that hard before in his life, watching Aline chase her wife around the yard yelling profanities. He remembers looking over to where Magnus had sat up in the sun chair looking like a drowned rat and seeing the softest smile on his face instead of anger.
Alec goes to the next photo. This one is probably his favorite of them all. It was later in the evening with Aline and Helen that they decided to have a bonfire in the back yard. They had invited their neighbors and Max and his parents over for smores. Aline had Max sit between her and Helen as a way to punish her wife for her earlier antics. There’s a visible pout on her face as she watches Aline help Max get his marshmallow on his stick.
Their neighbors are chatting it up with Max’s parents. It was the first time they had met and they had hit it off immediately which meant they had added three more guests to their monthly get togethers. This also made Magnus sad because it meant less alcohol at the party, but Magnus got over it quickly once he saw how happy Max was to be hanging out with Alec more.
In the two-person wicker chair sat him and Magnus. He hadn’t even realized they had practically snuggled against each other until their neighbor had given them the photo a few days later. He may have drunk too many sangrias that day, but Magnus had felt so nice next to him. His wing decided to make the decision for him and curl around Magnus, pulling the man into his side.
He remembers Magnus relaxing into his side, his own wings pulled behind him so that Alec’s could curl around him. The photo shows them looking at each other with smiles on their faces. He forgets what was said to cause them to look at each other with such tenderness.
That was the moment he fell in love with Magnus.
Alec is taken out of his trip down memory lane when he hears footsteps coming down the stairs. Turning to ask Magnus what took so long, his words die before they even reach his lips.
Magnus was wearing a burgundy suit that matches his wings, gold seams around the edges of the blazer that shine. Golden cufflinks at the ends of the sleeves also glint in the light. His makeup flawless as always, eyeshadow the perfect match to the rest of his look. As Alec’s eyes look him over, they pause on the black tie around Magnus’ neck. When it hits the light just right, the colors of purple and blue shine through, just like his feathers. Alec’s throat dries up.
He finally looks at Magnus and sees the man is also checking him out. When his eyes reach his tie, there’s a glow to them that wasn’t there before.
“Alexander,” Magnus whispers, finally looking at his face. “You look stunning.”
“As do you,” he whispers back, voice a bit more hoarse than he wishes.
They stare at each other for a moment more. Snapping out of it with an awkward cough, they make their way to the front door. Alec locks up the house behind them before meeting Magnus on the sidewalk. The two begin the slow journey to the restaurant on the other side of town. Walking side by side, Alec has to put his hands in his pockets to stop himself from grabbing Magnus’. His wings, on the other hand, have no problem with showing his true emotions and his left wing is slightly extended behind Magnus. If the other man notices, he’s kind enough to not mention it.
“It’s a beautiful night out,” Magnus comments.
“Yeah,” he says. Not as beautiful as you, he thinks.
They walk in comfortable silence until they reach their destination. Nuovi Inizi is lit up in a soft glow. New Beginnings, Alec muses, how fitting. The owners really outdid themselves with the remodel as they step inside the restaurant. The ceiling lights are dim as candles fill the room in a soft glow that truly sets the mood. Magnus approaches the hostess, saying they have a reservation as Alec takes in the place.
“Follow me this way, Mr. Bane,” the hostess says. Magnus grabs his elbow and they follow the woman through the restaurant. They pass by a few couples that are also enjoying a night out, but they pass by them all and make their way through a set of french doors to the patio next to the ocean. Alec freezes at the sight causing Magnus to come to a halt as well. Magnus looks at him nervously and he understands why.
The patio has been cleared of all tables except for one in the middle. Fairy lights hang from the trees scattered around the area, illuminating the patio in a soft glow.
“Magnus…”
“Is it too much?” Magnus asks anxiously.
“I don’t,” he stutters finally looking at the man. “What is all of this?”
Magnus gets even more nervous if possible. He rubs his hands together, biting his lip before speaking.
“It’s the one year anniversary from when you decided to join me,” he says. “I wanted to celebrate the moment in a special way because it means a lot to me that you chose to come with me.” Magnus’ wings get smaller behind him and Alec realizes that whatever his face is doing is scaring Magnus. “We can go somewhere else if it’s too much-”
“No,” Alec blurts out. “It’s- You did all of this,” he gestures at the table, “for me?”
“Of course I did, Alexander,” Magnus admits, his wings losing their tension. “There’s no one else in the world who deserves this more than you.”
If Alec wasn’t sure he was in love with Magnus, he is now. He closes the small space between then and grabs Magnus’ hands, holding tight.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “It’s beautiful.”
Whatever tension Magnus had in his body leaves and he pulls Alec towards the setup. The hostess left their menus on the table before disappearing back inside. Alec pulls out Magnus’ chair before sitting down in his own. He grabs the menu and everything is new. None of the foods they had last time are on the menu.
“Wow,” Alec laughs, peering over his menu. “It’s like they completely threw out the old place.”
“That is for sure,” Magnus agrees with a laugh of his own. “You think they would at least keep the ravioli I had last time, don’t think I ever had it that good before in my life.”
The waitress comes back with a bottle of red wine and takes their orders. They fill the night with talk of work and life. Just like any night before this, words fall easily from their lips. Their laughter echoes on the empty patio and they have to stop themselves from getting too loud lest they annoy the patrons inside. When their dinner arrives, they’ve almost finished the whole bottle of wine and Alec feels warm inside. He’s pretty sure it’s mostly the wine but with Magnus sitting across from him, he can’t tell. Magnus always had a way of making him feel warm inside by just being in his presence.
Small talk continues during dinner and after. Alec’s pretty sure they’ve stayed past their welcome but their waitress has not said anything so Alec isn’t going to either. Alec sits back and closes his eyes. He lets the sound of the ocean wash over him and that’s when he hears it; music drifting from inside the restaurant and reaching the patio.
Decision made, Alec sits up from his chair and holds out his hand.
“Care to dance, Mr. Bane?” Magnus stares at the hand and back up at him. Alec raises an eyebrow. So he may be feeling a bit more confident due to the wine, sue him. It’s not like he’d have this courage if he was sober.
“Lead the way, Mr. Lightwood.” Magnus grabs his hand and Alec leads him to an open space.
He holds Magnus’s right hand in his left and wraps his other around Magnus’ waist. Magnus’ other hand wraps around his neck and brushes at the hairs on the back of it.
In this world of ordinary people
Extraordinary people
I'm glad there is you
They sway back and forth, barely moving as they stare into each other’s eye. Alec has never been happier for Helen, that she taught him how to dance one drunken night.
In this world of overrated pleasures
And underrated treasures
I'm glad there is you
Alec leans his head forward to rest against Magnus’ and it feels like he’s truly found his place in the world.
I live to love, I love to live
With you beside me
This role so new I'll muddle through
With you to guide me
Alec doesn’t know what he would do without Magnus. What he would be. Who he would be. He shivers just thinking about it. Magnus must feel the shiver because the grip tightens before the fingers start stroking the back of his neck.
In this world where many many play at love
But hardly any stay in love
I'm glad there is you
More than ever
I'm glad there is you
“I love you,” Alec whispers in the small space between them. Magnus’s eyes shimmer in the soft glow of lights at the confession, a soft smile on his face. He looks even more beautiful than he has all night.
“I love you, too,” Magnus whispers back. They stare at each other for a moment before he closes the space between them.
The kiss is everything he imagined it to be. It’s not rushed or hurried. It’s gentle and soft, like they’re something fragile that needs to be handled with care. He tightens the hand he has on Magnus’ waist and feels the hand on the back of his neck drift into his hair. It never becomes heated even if he wants nothing more. Right now is not about that. It’s about the man in his arms and the fact that he loves him back.
He pulls back, laughing as Magnus follows his lips. He gives a small peck and leans his head next to Magnus’. Magnus tucks his face into the crook of his neck. Alec hums the lyrics of the song as they sway back and forth on the patio. The arm Magnus has around his neck drops to his shoulders and holds on tight. Once again his wings have a mind of their own and curl around Magnus’ wings. Their own little cocoon, tucked away from the rest of the world. He knows the wait staff will come to kick them out eventually, but right now?
Right now, Alec wants nothing more than to dance with the man he loves.
It’s dark out by the time Alec leaves his job at the coffee shop. He doesn’t know why he agreed to pull a double shift at a place that is open from 6am to 9pm, but he’s in desperate need for the extra cash. If working overtime a few days a week helps him out, he will gladly take the hours where he can. Alec locks the door behind him and begins the trek through the alley towards his apartment.
He’s happy that he found a place to work so close to his one bedroom apartment. He puts one ear bud in and with low volume on, puts on a podcast to fill the silence. He’s not dumb enough to completely block out the world, especially walking down an alley by himself at night in Manhattan.
Alec is almost at the end of the alley when he hears what sounds like a fluttering of feathers followed by what is the saddest meow he’s ever heard. He stops the trek to his apartment and follows the noise of the meows. He peeks his head around a dumpster and sees a cat with fur black as the night surrounded by grey feathers. The cat mewls again this time walking towards him.
“Hey little guy.” Alec crouches down to the cat's level, holding out his hand in front of him. “Are you okay? You were making a lot of noise.” Alec watches the cat sniff his hand curiously before rubbing its tiny head against his fingers. Alec smiles as he lets the cat rub itself against his hand. He looks behind the cat at the feathers on the ground and comes to the conclusion the cat was chasing after a pigeon but lost its prey. “Did your meal for the night escape?”
The responding meow is all the answer he needs. Looking at the cat who is now between his crouched legs rubbing up against him with loud purrs, Alec knows what he’s going to do. Maybe he’ll regret it, but he can’t just leave the cat alone in the alley. He picks up the cat slowly just in case it doesn’t like being held. When he feels no struggle, he stands up cradling the cat in his arms. He doesn’t like how he can feel the cat’s bones so easily. The purring feels louder with the cat pressed against his chest. Smiling, Alec turns and continues back on his way to his apartment.
“Let’s get some food in you huh?”
~~
Alec kind of regrets his decision on keeping the cat, now properly named Loki, in his apartment. He knew the trouble that would come with taking in an adult stray off the street, but didn’t think it would be this much trouble.
Alec sighs as he looks down at the destroyed couch pillows on the ground. Both are completely torn open and the feathers are strewn about his living room. Loki sits on the couch licking his paws like he’s congratulating his claws on a job well done.
It’s only been a few days since he brought the cat back to his apartment to give it some food. The cat chowed down on the bits of tuna Alec gave him and then proceeded to meow for more until he gave in. Loki had not stopped purring, rubbing up against him after the meal that he didn’t have the heart to put him back out on the streets.
Staring at the carnage on the floor, he kinda wishes he wasn’t such a good person. Letting out a sigh, Alec leaving the mess on the floor and heading to the kitchen. He hears Loki let out a confused chirp and a familiar thump hitting the floor. He doesn’t have to look behind him to know that Loki is following him.
Kneeling by the kitchen sink, he grabs a trash bag out of the cabinet below. Loki head butts his leg hard causing him to land on his butt. Loki climbs into his lap and meows for attention. Alec stares at the bundle of fur and can’t help but laugh. He runs a hand down Loki’s back.
“I really can’t be upset with you,” he chuckles. He picks Loki up and carries him back to the living room, setting him down on the couch.
Alec goes about picking up the feathers around the room. He grabs the two destroyed pillows off the ground. He gives them one last look before tossing them in the trash bag as well. Thankfully he had gotten the pillows at the thrift store so it wasn’t a huge loss. He ties up the bag and sets it next to the couch. He looks around the room one last time just in case he missed any feathers when a tearing noise is heard. He looks at the trash bag and sees that Loki has torn open the side and is playing with the small pile of grey and white feathers that has escaped the hole.
This is going to be a test of patience for sure.
~~
Alec wakes up to a sunlight room, which wouldn’t be strange if he didn’t know he closed his blinds before he went to bed last night. Looking at his sunlit wall, he sees the shadows of his curtains move followed by the sound of ripping fabric. He turns over in his bed and sees Loki halfway up the curtain trying to rip them in half but seems to have gotten stuck.
Loki tries to shake free from the curtain but his claws won’t release the fabric. He lets out a loud mewling scream that has Alec sighing as he pushes himself out of bed to go rescue Loki from the curtain’s clutches.
“Okay, okay hold on,” Alec yawns as he walks towards the distraught cat. Loki tilts his head behind him and lets out a sad mewl. “That’s what you get for playing with things you shouldn’t.”
Alec calmly approaches Loki and wraps his hands around the cat’s stomach. Loki immediately squirms in his hold causing more damage to happen to the curtain as Alec tries to release him. A hind leg comes up and scratches his wrist causing Alec to let out a hiss of pain, but he doesn’t drop Loki.
Struggling for a few more minutes, Alec eventually untangles Loki from the curtains and watches as the cat hisses at the cloth before rushing out of the room. Alec can’t stop the laugh that comes out of his mouth even if he tried. Maybe he should think about getting the hyperactive cat some toys so he can protect his dwindling count furniture.
Alec grabs at the pole holding the curtains up and slides the now shredded cloth onto the ground. It’s going to be a while before he can replace them which means sleeping in on his days off is no longer an option. Not with his window facing the sunrise. Alec looks at his bedroom door and sees Loki peeking his head in though quickly turns around and runs at seeing Alec stare.
Alec chuckles at the sight. He bends down and picks up the destroyed cloth on the ground preparing it for the trash when he catches sight of some grey feathers on the ground.
Guess he didn’t get all of the feathers from the couch pillows.
~~
“Loki,” Alec calls out to the suspiciously empty apartment as he closes the front door behind him. “Where are you, bud?”
Alec doesn’t like how quiet it is. He hasn’t heard the apartment this quiet since the day before he brought Loki home. Not that he misses the quiet. Alec can’t deny that the little furball has brought a joy into his life that he hasn’t remembered feeling in years. All the havoc can’t be blamed on the cat either.
The poor thing was homeless before Alec took him in. The stray was used to not being confined to the tiny box that is his apartment. The toys Alec brought for Loki seemed to do very little to stop the gremlin from going after his furniture, but they did help in stopping the destruction from happening so frequently.
Which is why he’s now suspicious of the quiet in his apartment. Normally Loki greets him at the door when he comes home from work. This is the first time in the two weeks he’s had the cat that he doesn’t see a blur of fur rushing to head butt his legs.
“Loki,” Alec draws out this time. He checks the living room and finds nothing. Same thing with the bedroom, nothing. He quickly checks the bathroom even though he knows Loki wouldn’t be caught in there anymore. Loki learned the hard way that jumping into the shower with Alec was not a good idea and was quickly drenched in water. Alec winces at the memory of a panicked cat and sharp claws. Loki hasn’t gone to the bathroom since.
Closing the bathroom door, he hears a crash in the kitchen. Alec leans against the door, closing his eyes he lets out a long sigh. He should’ve checked the kitchen first. At the sound of another crash, Alec pushes himself off the door and makes his way to the kitchen.
Stepping into the room he sees shards of glass all over the floor and a slightly open cabinet that has a swishing black tail peeking out of it. The cabinet door pushes open a bit and another glass cup crashes to the ground.
“Loki!” Alec scolds causing the cat to jump in the cabinet. He hears more than sees Loki bump the shelf above him which causes the whole shelf to fall and send a waterfall of glass to the floor. Loki scrambles out of the shelf and runs across the countertop out of the room. Alec chases after the cat as it tries to evade him.
The cat tries to jump over the couch, but Alec grabs him just in time. Loki squirms in his hold and a low grumble emits from the cat’s chest.
“Hey, hey it’s okay,” Alec soothes, bringing Loki to his chest to try and calm the cat down. “You’re okay, it was an accident.”
Loki seems to pause at those words, pushing out of the hold to look him in the eyes. Alec could swear the cat was looking at him incredulously. Alec pets Loki down his back to soothe the cat.
“I need to check if you stepped on any glass, okay?” Alec speaks softly. “Will you let me check?”
Loki doesn’t make a move to get out of his hold and Alec takes that as a sign to turn the cat on his back. Sitting down on the couch, Alec checks each paw with a careful touch and a sharp eye, looking for any bleeding or glass in Loki’s fur. He lets out a sign of relief that he doesn’t find a single piece.
“You sure know how to scare your owner don’t you,” Alec says as he releases the last paw. Looking up at Loki’s face, the cat’s head is tilted sideways like he’s trying to understand what Alec was doing. Alec can’t help but coo at the adorableness of it. Kissing Loki on the top of his head, he carries the cat to his bedroom and sets him down on the bed.
“Now stay here,” Alec says as he walks to the door. “I’ll let you out once I’ve made sure there’s no more glass on the floor.”
Alec hears a displeased meow as he closes the door behind him. The resounding thump against the door means he shut it just in time before Loki escaped. He ignores the clawing at the door and makes his way to the closet grabbing a broom, dustpan and the vacuum. He sets them down at the edge of the kitchen and goes to put on his work shoes, not wanting to risk slicing open his own feet.
Grabbing the broom and dust pan, Alec goes about sweeping up as much of the glass as he can. The cries have gotten louder from his room and Alec continues to ignore them. If he let Loki out now, the chance of the cat hurting himself is too high. He’ll just have to deal with whatever carnage is waiting for him on the other side.
Alec grabs the vacuum and does a triple sweep of the floor, making sure every corner is covered before he’s satisfied with the work. With one last glance at the kitchen, he grabs the bags of glass and makes his way to the dumpster outside.
Entering back into the apartment, he doesn’t hear the cries for help from his bedroom anymore. Preparing for the worst, Alec opens the door to his bedroom and sees that Loki is sitting on his nightstand. Right next to a cup of water.
“Loki please,” Alec begs with the cat even though he knows the cat doesn’t understand him.
Loki maintains eye contact with him as the cat knocks over the cup of water. The contents of the cup splash onto the ground creating a puddle of water on the floor. Loki meows once before jumping off the floor, making his way to a gobsmacked Alec. Loki rubs up against his leg and saunters out the room.
This cat is going to be the death of him. Alec grabs a towel out of the bathroom to clean up the mess. As he sets the towel on the ground he spots another grey feather on the floor. He picks it up and twirls it in his hands.
“Guess I’m going to be finding feathers forever now,” he sighs.
~~
Alec has almost forgotten what today was. He managed to convince his boss to allow him to do a double shift to make sure he was thoroughly distracted for the day. He knows he has missed calls from his family waiting for him when he gets home. Alec had almost made it through the entire day without thinking about it until he got home from his shifts.
It’s a slow process, entering his apartment. He goes about the motions of taking off his shoes and coat, hanging the item on the hook. Loki runs up to greet him like the cat normally does, but Alec isn’t in the mood to greet him back.
He walks past Loki and makes his way to the kitchen. He hears an offended meow behind him as Loki catches up and runs between his legs to try and trip him up. Alec would normally scold the cat, but he just wants to eat his dinner and go to bed. Loki hops on the counter while he puts the leftovers in the microwave. Loki butts his head against his chest, purring loudly. Alec absentmindedly pets Loki waiting for his food.
The microwave beeps and he makes his way to the living room with Loki right behind him. Plopping down on the couch, he turns the TV on to some random channel and eats. Loki hops up on the coffee table and begins to meow, but Alec ignores the cries. Loki eventually stops meowing and hops off the table.
Alec is almost finished with his meal when he hears a clatter next to him. Looking over he sees Loki on the table that holds pictures of his family. Alec rushes to stand to stop the cat from doing any damage.
“Loki, get down from there,” he hisses at Loki as the cat makes his way across the table. Alec slowly approaches to make sure not to startle the cat. Sadly it does nothing to stop Loki from knocking over a specific frame and it crashes to the ground. It lands face down and Alec can hear the glass shatter on the other side.
Alec quickly moves to the photo frame, ignoring Loki’s accomplished meows above him. He kneels on the ground staring at the downed frame. He can’t help the sob that escapes his mouth as he picks it up. Turning it over, he can’t stop the tears that fall as he looks at the photo of him and Max behind the cracked glass.
It’s his most prized photo of him and his younger brother. Alec had decided to take Max to the amusement park for his 10th birthday. Max had begged Alec to take him on all the rides since he was tall enough. He had never seen his little brother that happy and excited for a birthday before. He remembers the absolute joy in his eyes as Max opened the gift from him and wrapping him in the tightest hug.
“You’re the best big brother ever, Alec!”
Shame that a mugger ripped his little brother from him in a matter of seconds.
Alec cradles the frame to his chest as he cries alone in his apartment. The memories he tried to hide from that day flash in his mind. He forgets that he’s not alone until he feels a nudge at his thigh. Loki is looking at him with a tilted head. He unwraps one arm from the frame and pets Loki on his head giving the cat a gentle smile.
Alec pats Loki on the head one more time before standing up. He takes one last look at the broken frame and sets it down on the table. Leaving his abandoned dinner on the coffee table and the TV on, Alec makes his way to the bedroom. Stripping off his clothes down to his boxers and a tank top, Alec crawls into his bed.
~~
Alec lays in his bed staring out his bedroom window, looking out at the city. He tried to close his eyes and sleep but anytime he closed his eyes he was taken back to that day.
So much for going to bed, he thinks.
Normally he would be worried about the silence of his apartment, but he doesn’t care what Loki gets into tonight. He’ll deal with it in the morning. He tries to close his eyes one more time and begs sleep to come.
Alec hears a shuffling sound at the foot of his bed. He knows it’s Loki without having to even look. He hears the shuffling get close to his side of the bed. A muffled meow is heard that does get Alec to look this time. Glancing down at the cat, he sees that Loki has his favorite hoodie in his mouth. The cat must have dragged it from where he left it on the floor in the living room.
Loki drops it from his mouth and lets out a soft meow. Alec doesn’t know what the cat wants and just stares at the feline on the floor. Seeing Alec not react to the sweat shirt, Loki huffs and struts out of the bedroom like a cat on a mission.
Not a minute later, Loki is back and this time with an arrow in his mouth. The cat must have snagged it from his quiver in the hallway closet. Though Alec is pretty sure that he closed it last time he was in there. Loki drops the arrow on top of the sweatshirt and looks at Alec like he’s waiting for a reaction. Alec looks at him in confusion and Loki lets out a sigh. The cat dashes out of the room again.
Alec can’t stop the smile that’s slowly appearing on his face as he watches Loki waddle his way back into the bedroom with the living room blanket in his mouth. The blanket is ten times bigger than his body and the cat looks absolutely ridiculous trying to carry the blanket into the room. Loki lets out an accomplished meow as he drops the blanket on the ground next to the arrow and sweatshirt.
Loki doesn’t give him time to say anything before the cat is out the door again. Alec waits with hidden glee to see what Loki brings him this time. He hears a loud thump followed by a shriek and a hiss. Alec has to hide his laughter under the blanket as he watches Loki drag the book he was in the middle of reading into the room. Loki tugs the book on top of the pile and nudges the cover closed with his paw. A grey feather flies out from the inside of the book causing Loki to jump back.
Alec can’t help but laugh at the absurdity taking place before him. Loki looks at him with pride at making him laugh. Alec pulls the covers off of him and reaches down to pick Loki up. Almost immediately the cat begins to purr and rub on any part of his body he’s able to.
“Okay, okay,” Alec laughs as Loki doesn’t stop rubbing against him. He holds the cat out at arms length with a smile on his face. “Apology accepted.”
Loki lets out a soft meow and Alec cradles him against his body again. Tucking his legs under the covers again, he lays on his back and sets Loki on his chest. The cat sprawls across his torso letting out a loud purr. Alec can’t help but tilt his head up, kissing Loki on his head. He pets Loki as he drifts off.
“I don’t know what I would do without you,” he murmurs as his eyes finally shut. Last thing he hears is a tiny meow before falling into a dreamless sleep.
Hours later Alec is awoken to a weight on his chest. A heavy weight. Unless Loki ate all the food in the kitchen and got fat overnight, something else was in bed with him. Judging by the slow breaths he feels on his neck, that something is a person.
Alec slowly opens his eyes to not disturb the person who has apparently broken into his apartment and sees a plethora of grey feathers in front of him, crowding his view of the room. He blinks at the sight and realizes he’s staring at wings. Wings. Alec follows the path of the feathers to the person they’re attached to and sees the most breathtaking man he’s ever seen before. The man’s hair is a mess and his makeup is a bit smudged but Alec can’t stop staring at the sleeping winged man before him.
Alec reaches out with the arm not trapped underneath the stranger and touches the wings. They’re soft, softer than Alec expects. Taking a closer look at the feathers, Alec realizes that these feathers are the one he’s seen around his loft for weeks. The man shifts on top of him rubbing his face into his neck. Alec stiffens at the press of lips he feels against his pulse.
The stranger lets out a groan and a sigh stretching his body. Alec watches as the wings expand and stretch in front of him and can’t stop the gasp that leaves his mouth at the sight. The body on top of him freezes, a clear sign that the man is now awake. The man slowly pushes his body up and stares at Alec with shocked golden cat eyes.
“Loki?” Alec whispers out.
“Uh,” the man says uncomfortably. “Actually it’s Magnus.”
“Okay, Magnus. Why were you pretending to be a cat?” Alec winces at the question. He should’ve asked why the man was in his apartment and in his bed. He’s not fully awake to truly comprehend what’s happening in front of him.
Magnus looks even more uncomfortable at the question, like he doesn’t want to answer it. The man debates with himself before giving up with a sigh and pushes himself into a sitting position with his wings tucked behind his back. Alec sits up as well, resting his back against the headboard.
“Originally?” Magnus tugs at his ear. “I became a cat to torment you and make you go crazy.” Alec eyebrows shoot up on his head. Magnus panics at the look and quickly continues. “I’m a trickster, it’s kind of in my DNA to mess with mundanes. I’ve been doing it for years making them go crazy that they’re no longer the person they were before.” Magnus sighs and slumps his shoulders.
“No matter what I did, you never got mad at me. You never yelled, kicked or threw anything at me. I tried everything I could to make you get angry, but all you did was make sure I was okay and that I didn’t hurt myself,” Magnus says as he fiddles with the rings on his hands. “And then I knocked over that picture frame and the way you reacted I thought I had finally broken you.” Magnus hangs his head in shame.
“But then you started crying and I wanted nothing more than to comfort you,” Magnus whispers out. “You’re the first person in centuries to treat me with kindness and patience that I was frustrated. All I could think was that there was no way that this mundane could be that kind. Be this gentle of a person.” Magnus huffed out a laugh. “Turns out it is possible,” Magnus smiles at him.
“You are the nicest person I have ever met, Alexander.”
Alec blinks at the man in front of him. The admission was a lot to take in. Loki is Magnus, Magnus is Loki. Alec knows he should be freaking out more. Maybe he could blame it on the emotional night and just waking up. He thinks back on everything that has happened since he took Loki/Magnus into his apartment and suddenly things start making a lot of sense.
“So that’s why you freaked out so badly when you jumped in the shower with me,” Alec blurts out. Definitely not what he wanted to say and he can’t tell it’s not what Magnus is expecting either judging by the blush that appears on his face.
“Ah yes, that,” Magnus says. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so attractive under all the loose sweaters that you wore and then I saw your, you know what and I guess I panicked?”
“You destroyed my shower curtains,” Alec laughs. Yeah, there’s something wrong with him. Magnus huffs, crossing his arms at being laughed at. Though that doesn’t hide how the blush gets redder on his cheeks.
“Well can you blame me? You’re a walking Adonis. It’s truly not fair to the people on this earth that you hide that kind of body underneath flimsy sweaters,” Magnus snaps while waving an arm in the direction of his closet. The wings behind the man scrunch up, like they’re also embarrassed. It’s quite adorable.
“So what happens now?” Alec asks. “Now that I know your secret, are you going to leave?”
Alec doesn’t want the answer to the question he’s asked. He realized last night how much Magnus’ cat form helped him be happy again. Something he never thought he’d feel again after his little brother’s death all those years ago. The cat was able to make him laugh, truly laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. Alec felt the need to care for himself again after allowing the cat to stay with him. He felt alive. His inner thoughts are interrupted by Magnus.
“I’d like to stay,” Magnus murmurs out like he’s afraid of the reaction the words will receive. “I will even stay in cat form for the rest of my time here. If you still want me around that is. I understand if you don’t.”
“No I,” Alec stutters out. “I want you to stay.” The smile that appears on Magnus’ face is as bright as the sun that drifts in through the window. Before Alec can think, Magnus launches at him, wrapping his arms around his neck. He’s frozen for a moment before returning the embrace. He can feel a slight purr emanate from Magnus’ chest and sees the grey wings curl around them.
“Thank you,” Magnus says in his ear. “I promise to never knock another glass over or tear up your furniture ever again, but I won’t say no to joining you in the shower again. Though with less claws.” Alec smiles into Magnus’ shoulder at the words. For once, his future looks brighter.
“Sounds like a deal.”
As the two make their way to the kitchen to make breakfast, Alec looks at the table and sees the picture of him and Max is fixed.
Prompt: Mystery Feathers
Summary: Alec takes in a stray cat and gets more than he bargained for
Read on Ao3
It’s dark out by the time Alec leaves his job at the coffee shop. He doesn’t know why he agreed to pull a double shift at a place that is open from 6am to 9pm, but he’s in desperate need for the extra cash. If working overtime a few days a week helps him out, he will gladly take the hours where he can. Alec locks the door behind him and begins the trek through the alley towards his apartment.
He’s happy that he found a place to work so close to his one bedroom apartment. He puts one ear bud in and with low volume on, puts on a podcast to fill the silence. He’s not dumb enough to completely block out the world, especially walking down an alley by himself at night in Manhattan.
Alec is almost at the end of the alley when he hears what sounds like a fluttering of feathers followed by what is the saddest meow he’s ever heard. He stops the trek to his apartment and follows the noise of the meows. He peeks his head around a dumpster and sees a cat with fur black as the night surrounded by grey feathers. The cat mewls again this time walking towards him.
“Hey little guy.” Alec crouches down to the cat's level, holding out his hand in front of him. “Are you okay? You were making a lot of noise.” Alec watches the cat sniff his hand curiously before rubbing its tiny head against his fingers. Alec smiles as he lets the cat rub itself against his hand. He looks behind the cat at the feathers on the ground and comes to the conclusion the cat was chasing after a pigeon but lost its prey. “Did your meal for the night escape?”
The responding meow is all the answer he needs. Looking at the cat who is now between his crouched legs rubbing up against him with loud purrs, Alec knows what he’s going to do. Maybe he’ll regret it, but he can’t just leave the cat alone in the alley. He picks up the cat slowly just in case it doesn’t like being held. When he feels no struggle, he stands up cradling the cat in his arms. He doesn’t like how he can feel the cat’s bones so easily. The purring feels louder with the cat pressed against his chest. Smiling, Alec turns and continues back on his way to his apartment.
“Let’s get some food in you huh?”
---
Alec kind of regrets his decision on keeping the cat, now properly named Loki, in his apartment. He knew the trouble that would come with taking in an adult stray off the street, but didn’t think it would be this much trouble.
Alec sighs as he looks down at the destroyed couch pillows on the ground. Both are completely torn open and the feathers are strewn about his living room. Loki sits on the couch licking his paws like he’s congratulating his claws on a job well done.
It’s only been a few days since he brought the cat back to his apartment to give it some food. The cat chowed down on the bits of tuna Alec gave him and then proceeded to meow for more until he gave in. Loki had not stopped purring, rubbing up against him after the meal that he didn’t have the heart to put him back out on the streets.
Staring at the carnage on the floor, he kinda wishes he wasn’t such a good person. Letting out a sigh, Alec leaving the mess on the floor and heading to the kitchen. He hears Loki let out a confused chirp and a familiar thump hitting the floor. He doesn’t have to look behind him to know that Loki is following him.
Kneeling by the kitchen sink, he grabs a trash bag out of the cabinet below. Loki head butts his leg hard causing him to land on his butt. Loki climbs into his lap and meows for attention. Alec stares at the bundle of fur and can’t help but laugh. He runs a hand down Loki’s back.
“I really can’t be upset with you,” he chuckles. He picks Loki up and carries him back to the living room, setting him down on the couch.
Alec goes about picking up the feathers around the room. He grabs the two destroyed pillows off the ground. He gives them one last look before tossing them in the trash bag as well. Thankfully he had gotten the pillows at the thrift store so it wasn’t a huge loss. He ties up the bag and sets it next to the couch. He looks around the room one last time just in case he missed any feathers when a tearing noise is heard. He looks at the trash bag and sees that Loki has torn open the side and is playing with the small pile of grey and white feathers that has escaped the hole.
This is going to be a test of patience for sure.
---
Alec wakes up to a sunlight room, which wouldn’t be strange if he didn’t know he closed his blinds before he went to bed last night. Looking at his sunlit wall, he sees the shadows of his curtains move followed by the sound of ripping fabric. He turns over in his bed and sees Loki halfway up the curtain trying to rip them in half but seems to have gotten stuck.
Loki tries to shake free from the curtain but his claws won’t release the fabric. He lets out a loud mewling scream that has Alec sighing as he pushes himself out of bed to go rescue Loki from the curtain’s clutches.
“Okay, okay hold on,” Alec yawns as he walks towards the distraught cat. Loki tilts his head behind him and lets out a sad mewl. “That’s what you get for playing with things you shouldn’t.”
Alec calmly approaches Loki and wraps his hands around the cat’s stomach. Loki immediately squirms in his hold causing more damage to happen to the curtain as Alec tries to release him. A hind leg comes up and scratches his wrist causing Alec to let out a hiss of pain, but he doesn’t drop Loki.
Struggling for a few more minutes, Alec eventually untangles Loki from the curtains and watches as the cat hisses at the cloth before rushing out of the room. Alec can’t stop the laugh that comes out of his mouth even if he tried. Maybe he should think about getting the hyperactive cat some toys so he can protect his dwindling count furniture.
Alec grabs at the pole holding the curtains up and slides the now shredded cloth onto the ground. It’s going to be a while before he can replace them which means sleeping in on his days off is no longer an option. Not with his window facing the sunrise. Alec looks at his bedroom door and sees Loki peeking his head in though quickly turns around and runs at seeing Alec stare.
Alec chuckles at the sight. He bends down and picks up the destroyed cloth on the ground preparing it for the trash when he catches sight of some grey feathers on the ground.
Guess he didn’t get all of the feathers from the couch pillows.
---
“Loki,” Alec calls out to the suspiciously empty apartment as he closes the front door behind him. “Where are you, bud?”
Alec doesn’t like how quiet it is. He hasn’t heard the apartment this quiet since the day before he brought Loki home. Not that he misses the quiet. Alec can’t deny that the little furball has brought a joy into his life that he hasn’t remembered feeling in years. All the havoc can’t be blamed on the cat either.
The poor thing was homeless before Alec took him in. The stray was used to not being confined to the tiny box that is his apartment. The toys Alec brought for Loki seemed to do very little to stop the gremlin from going after his furniture, but they did help in stopping the destruction from happening so frequently.
Which is why he’s now suspicious of the quiet in his apartment. Normally Loki greets him at the door when he comes home from work. This is the first time in the two weeks he’s had the cat that he doesn’t see a blur of fur rushing to head butt his legs.
“Loki,” Alec draws out this time. He checks the living room and finds nothing. Same thing with the bedroom, nothing. He quickly checks the bathroom even though he knows Loki wouldn’t be caught in there anymore. Loki learned the hard way that jumping into the shower with Alec was not a good idea and was quickly drenched in water. Alec winces at the memory of a panicked cat and sharp claws. Loki hasn’t gone to the bathroom since.
Closing the bathroom door, he hears a crash in the kitchen. Alec leans against the door, closing his eyes he lets out a long sigh. He should’ve checked the kitchen first. At the sound of another crash, Alec pushes himself off the door and makes his way to the kitchen.
Stepping into the room he sees shards of glass all over the floor and a slightly open cabinet that has a swishing black tail peeking out of it. The cabinet door pushes open a bit and another glass cup crashes to the ground.
“Loki!” Alec scolds causing the cat to jump in the cabinet. He hears more than sees Loki bump the shelf above him which causes the whole shelf to fall and send a waterfall of glass to the floor. Loki scrambles out of the shelf and runs across the countertop out of the room. Alec chases after the cat as it tries to evade him.
The cat tries to jump over the couch, but Alec grabs him just in time. Loki squirms in his hold and a low grumble emits from the cat’s chest.
“Hey, hey it’s okay,” Alec soothes, bringing Loki to his chest to try and calm the cat down. “You’re okay, it was an accident.”
Loki seems to pause at those words, pushing out of the hold to look him in the eyes. Alec could swear the cat was looking at him incredulously. Alec pets Loki down his back to soothe the cat.
“I need to check if you stepped on any glass, okay?” Alec speaks softly. “Will you let me check?”
Loki doesn’t make a move to get out of his hold and Alec takes that as a sign to turn the cat on his back. Sitting down on the couch, Alec checks each paw with a careful touch and a sharp eye, looking for any bleeding or glass in Loki’s fur. He lets out a sign of relief that he doesn’t find a single piece.
“You sure know how to scare your owner don’t you,” Alec says as he releases the last paw. Looking up at Loki’s face, the cat’s head is tilted sideways like he’s trying to understand what Alec was doing. Alec can’t help but coo at the adorableness of it. Kissing Loki on the top of his head, he carries the cat to his bedroom and sets him down on the bed.
“Now stay here,” Alec says as he walks to the door. “I’ll let you out once I’ve made sure there’s no more glass on the floor.”
Alec hears a displeased meow as he closes the door behind him. The resounding thump against the door means he shut it just in time before Loki escaped. He ignores the clawing at the door and makes his way to the closet grabbing a broom, dustpan and the vacuum. He sets them down at the edge of the kitchen and goes to put on his work shoes, not wanting to risk slicing open his own feet.
Grabbing the broom and dust pan, Alec goes about sweeping up as much of the glass as he can. The cries have gotten louder from his room and Alec continues to ignore them. If he let Loki out now, the chance of the cat hurting himself is too high. He’ll just have to deal with whatever carnage is waiting for him on the other side.
Alec grabs the vacuum and does a triple sweep of the floor, making sure every corner is covered before he’s satisfied with the work. With one last glance at the kitchen, he grabs the bags of glass and makes his way to the dumpster outside.
Entering back into the apartment, he doesn’t hear the cries for help from his bedroom anymore. Preparing for the worst, Alec opens the door to his bedroom and sees that Loki is sitting on his nightstand. Right next to a cup of water.
“Loki please,” Alec begs with the cat even though he knows the cat doesn’t understand him.
Loki maintains eye contact with him as the cat knocks over the cup of water. The contents of the cup splash onto the ground creating a puddle of water on the floor. Loki meows once before jumping off the floor, making his way to a gobsmacked Alec. Loki rubs up against his leg and saunters out the room.
This cat is going to be the death of him. Alec grabs a towel out of the bathroom to clean up the mess. As he sets the towel on the ground he spots another grey feather on the floor. He picks it up and twirls it in his hands.
“Guess I’m going to be finding feathers forever now,” he sighs.
---
Alec has almost forgotten what today was. He managed to convince his boss to allow him to do a double shift to make sure he was thoroughly distracted for the day. He knows he has missed calls from his family waiting for him when he gets home. Alec had almost made it through the entire day without thinking about it until he got home from his shifts.
It’s a slow process, entering his apartment. He goes about the motions of taking off his shoes and coat, hanging the item on the hook. Loki runs up to greet him like the cat normally does, but Alec isn’t in the mood to greet him back.
He walks past Loki and makes his way to the kitchen. He hears an offended meow behind him as Loki catches up and runs between his legs to try and trip him up. Alec would normally scold the cat, but he just wants to eat his dinner and go to bed. Loki hops on the counter while he puts the leftovers in the microwave. Loki butts his head against his chest, purring loudly. Alec absentmindedly pets Loki waiting for his food.
The microwave beeps and he makes his way to the living room with Loki right behind him. Plopping down on the couch, he turns the TV on to some random channel and eats. Loki hops up on the coffee table and begins to meow, but Alec ignores the cries. Loki eventually stops meowing and hops off the table.
Alec is almost finished with his meal when he hears a clatter next to him. Looking over he sees Loki on the table that holds pictures of his family. Alec rushes to stand to stop the cat from doing any damage.
“Loki, get down from there,” he hisses at Loki as the cat makes his way across the table. Alec slowly approaches to make sure not to startle the cat. Sadly it does nothing to stop Loki from knocking over a specific frame and it crashes to the ground. It lands face down and Alec can hear the glass shatter on the other side.
Alec quickly moves to the photo frame, ignoring Loki’s accomplished meows above him. He kneels on the ground staring at the downed frame. He can’t help the sob that escapes his mouth as he picks it up. Turning it over, he can’t stop the tears that fall as he looks at the photo of him and Max behind the cracked glass.
It’s his most prized photo of him and his younger brother. Alec had decided to take Max to the amusement park for his 10th birthday. Max had begged Alec to take him on all the rides since he was tall enough. He had never seen his little brother that happy and excited for a birthday before. He remembers the absolute joy in his eyes as Max opened the gift from him and wrapping him in the tightest hug.
“You’re the best big brother ever, Alec!”
Shame that a mugger ripped his little brother from him in a matter of seconds.
Alec cradles the frame to his chest as he cries alone in his apartment. The memories he tried to hide from that day flash in his mind. He forgets that he’s not alone until he feels a nudge at his thigh. Loki is looking at him with a tilted head. He unwraps one arm from the frame and pets Loki on his head giving the cat a gentle smile.
Alec pats Loki on the head one more time before standing up. He takes one last look at the broken frame and sets it down on the table. Leaving his abandoned dinner on the coffee table and the TV on, Alec makes his way to the bedroom. Stripping off his clothes down to his boxers and a tank top, Alec crawls into his bed.
---
Alec lays in his bed staring out his bedroom window, looking out at the city. He tried to close his eyes and sleep but anytime he closed his eyes he was taken back to that day.
So much for going to bed , he thinks.
Normally he would be worried about the silence of his apartment, but he doesn’t care what Loki gets into tonight. He’ll deal with it in the morning. He tries to close his eyes one more time and begs sleep to come.
Alec hears a shuffling sound at the foot of his bed. He knows it’s Loki without having to even look. He hears the shuffling get close to his side of the bed. A muffled meow is heard that does get Alec to look this time. Glancing down at the cat, he sees that Loki has his favorite hoodie in his mouth. The cat must have dragged it from where he left it on the floor in the living room.
Loki drops it from his mouth and lets out a soft meow. Alec doesn’t know what the cat wants and just stares at the feline on the floor. Seeing Alec not react to the sweat shirt, Loki huffs and struts out of the bedroom like a cat on a mission.
Not a minute later, Loki is back and this time with an arrow in his mouth. The cat must have snagged it from his quiver in the hallway closet. Though Alec is pretty sure that he closed it last time he was in there. Loki drops the arrow on top of the sweatshirt and looks at Alec like he’s waiting for a reaction. Alec looks at him in confusion and Loki lets out a sigh. The cat dashes out of the room again.
Alec can’t stop the smile that’s slowly appearing on his face as he watches Loki waddle his way back into the bedroom with the living room blanket in his mouth. The blanket is ten times bigger than his body and the cat looks absolutely ridiculous trying to carry the blanket into the room. Loki lets out an accomplished meow as he drops the blanket on the ground next to the arrow and sweatshirt.
Loki doesn’t give him time to say anything before the cat is out the door again. Alec waits with hidden glee to see what Loki brings him this time. He hears a loud thump followed by a shriek and a hiss. Alec has to hide his laughter under the blanket as he watches Loki drag the book he was in the middle of reading into the room. Loki tugs the book on top of the pile and nudges the cover closed with his paw. A grey feather flies out from the inside of the book causing Loki to jump back.
Alec can’t help but laugh at the absurdity taking place before him. Loki looks at him with pride at making him laugh. Alec pulls the covers off of him and reaches down to pick Loki up. Almost immediately the cat begins to purr and rub on any part of his body he’s able to.
“Okay, okay,” Alec laughs as Loki doesn’t stop rubbing against him. He holds the cat out at arms length with a smile on his face. “Apology accepted.”
Loki lets out a soft meow and Alec cradles him against his body again. Tucking his legs under the covers again, he lays on his back and sets Loki on his chest. The cat sprawls across his torso letting out a loud purr. Alec can’t help but tilt his head up, kissing Loki on his head. He pets Loki as he drifts off.
“I don’t know what I would do without you,” he murmurs as his eyes finally shut. Last thing he hears is a tiny meow before falling into a dreamless sleep.
---
Hours later Alec is awoken to a weight on his chest. A heavy weight. Unless Loki ate all the food in the kitchen and got fat overnight, something else was in bed with him. Judging by the slow breaths he feels on his neck, that something is a person.
Alec slowly opens his eyes to not disturb the person who has apparently broken into his apartment and sees a plethora of grey feathers in front of him, crowding his view of the room. He blinks at the sight and realizes he’s staring at wings. Wings . Alec follows the path of the feathers to the person they’re attached to and sees the most breathtaking man he’s ever seen before. The man’s hair is a mess and his makeup is a bit smudged but Alec can’t stop staring at the sleeping winged man before him.
Alec reaches out with the arm not trapped underneath the stranger and touches the wings. They’re soft, softer than Alec expects. Taking a closer look at the feathers, Alec realizes that these feathers are the one he’s seen around his loft for weeks. The man shifts on top of him rubbing his face into his neck. Alec stiffens at the press of lips he feels against his pulse.
The stranger lets out a groan and a sigh stretching his body. Alec watches as the wings expand and stretch in front of him and can’t stop the gasp that leaves his mouth at the sight. The body on top of him freezes, a clear sign that the man is now awake. The man slowly pushes his body up and stares at Alec with shocked golden cat eyes.
“Loki?” Alec whispers out.
“Uh,” the man says uncomfortably. “Actually it’s Magnus.”
“Okay, Magnus. Why were you pretending to be a cat?” Alec winces at the question. He should’ve asked why the man was in his apartment and in his bed. He’s not fully awake to truly comprehend what’s happening in front of him.
Magnus looks even more uncomfortable at the question, like he doesn’t want to answer it. The man debates with himself before giving up with a sigh and pushes himself into a sitting position with his wings tucked behind his back. Alec sits up as well, resting his back against the headboard.
“Originally?” Magnus tugs at his ear. “I became a cat to torment you and make you go crazy.” Alec eyebrows shoot up on his head. Magnus panics at the look and quickly continues. “I’m a trickster, it’s kind of in my DNA to mess with mundanes. I’ve been doing it for years making them go crazy that they’re no longer the person they were before.” Magnus sighs and slumps his shoulders.
“No matter what I did, you never got mad at me. You never yelled, kicked or threw anything at me. I tried everything I could to make you get angry, but all you did was make sure I was okay and that I didn’t hurt myself,” Magnus says as he fiddles with the rings on his hands. “And then I knocked over that picture frame and the way you reacted I thought I had finally broken you.” Magnus hangs his head in shame.
“But then you started crying and I wanted nothing more than to comfort you,” Magnus whispers out. “You’re the first person in centuries to treat me with kindness and patience that I was frustrated. All I could think was that there was no way that this mundane could be that kind. Be this gentle of a person.” Magnus huffed out a laugh. “Turns out it is possible,” Magnus smiles at him.
“You are the nicest person I have ever met, Alexander.”
Alec blinks at the man in front of him. The admission was a lot to take in. Loki is Magnus, Magnus is Loki. Alec knows he should be freaking out more. Maybe he could blame it on the emotional night and just waking up. He thinks back on everything that has happened since he took Loki/Magnus into his apartment and suddenly things start making a lot of sense.
“So that’s why you freaked out so badly when you jumped in the shower with me,” Alec blurts out. Definitely not what he wanted to say and he can’t tell it’s not what Magnus is expecting either judging by the blush that appears on his face.
“Ah yes, that,” Magnus says. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so attractive under all the loose sweaters that you wore and then I saw your, you know what and I guess I panicked?”
“You destroyed my shower curtains,” Alec laughs. Yeah, there’s something wrong with him. Magnus huffs, crossing his arms at being laughed at. Though that doesn’t hide how the blush gets redder on his cheeks.
“Well can you blame me? You’re a walking Adonis. It’s truly not fair to the people on this earth that you hide that kind of body underneath flimsy sweaters,” Magnus snaps while waving an arm in the direction of his closet. The wings behind the man scrunch up, like they’re also embarrassed. It’s quite adorable.
“So what happens now?” Alec asks. “Now that I know your secret, are you going to leave?”
Alec doesn’t want the answer to the question he’s asked. He realized last night how much Magnus’ cat form helped him be happy again. Something he never thought he’d feel again after his little brother’s death all those years ago. The cat was able to make him laugh, truly laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. Alec felt the need to care for himself again after allowing the cat to stay with him. He felt alive. His inner thoughts are interrupted by Magnus.
“I’d like to stay,” Magnus murmurs out like he’s afraid of the reaction the words will receive. “I will even stay in cat form for the rest of my time here. If you still want me around that is. I understand if you don’t.”
“No I,” Alec stutters out. “I want you to stay.” The smile that appears on Magnus’ face is as bright as the sun that drifts in through the window. Before Alec can think, Magnus launches at him, wrapping his arms around his neck. He’s frozen for a moment before returning the embrace. He can feel a slight purr emanate from Magnus’ chest and sees the grey wings curl around them.
“Thank you,” Magnus says in his ear. “I promise to never knock another glass over or tear up your furniture ever again, but I won’t say no to joining you in the shower again. Though with less claws.” Alec smiles into Magnus’ shoulder at the words. For once, his future looks brighter.
“Sounds like a deal.”
As the two make their way to the kitchen to make breakfast, Alec looks at the table and sees the picture of him and Max is fixed.
