Malec Moments

No More Secrets

As dawn broke on his first day living with Magnus, Alec found himself already awake. He was used to rising earlier. His Shadowhunter training had demanded it from him his entire life. Magnus, on the other hand, usually woke when he felt like doing so.

Alec rolled onto his side and watched Magnus sleeping. He had done this many times before, but it seemed to have new meaning today. He was struck by the beauty, innocence, and vulnerability that Magnus's face showed as he slept. He wasn't sure how a four-hundred-year-old warlock could manage that expression, but it was their none the less. His mind drifted to a memory of Magnus looking the most vulnerable he had ever seen him.

They were sitting on a rooftop in Alicante after returning from Edom, discussing whether or not they would give their relationship another try. Alec remembered wanting so badly to say YES! and throw himself at Magnus, but he knew that would not settle any of their problems. Magnus drew his long legs up to his body and said, "I love you." Alec was proud, and still a little surprised, that he had managed to stand his ground when Magnus had done that. He had looked so beautiful, outlined against the night sky, so exposed and defenseless, naked. Alec had never wanted the warlock more than he had at that moment.

Magnus's sleeping form mesmerized Alec. Magnus was laying on his stomach, the covers pooling around his waist exposing his bareback. One arm pillowed his head, and his normally spiky hair fell elegantly across his eyes. Alec felt a twinge of jealousy at how graceful Magnus looked, even in sleep. Magnus may not have the heavily chiseled body that Jace has, but Alec knew how deceptively muscular he was under his soft skin.

Alec watched the rise and fall of Magnus's chest as he breathed, his back muscles constricting and relaxing. His eyes took in the sharp angle of Magnus's shoulder blades, the gentle slope of his shoulder, his smooth, flawless skin. They traveled over the rises and indentions of his spine, the slight narrowing of his slender waist, the sharp tip of his hip bones peaking over the edge of the blanket. They had fallen asleep naked, in each other's arms, last night and he knew what he would find if he carefully peeled the covers back farther. His fingers itched to touch Magnus. They had been apart for so long, and, as spectacular as last night was, he wanted more. He would always want more of Magnus. He smiled a little at the thought.

He remembered their first kiss, how he had felt like his legs had turned to jelly. He remembered running through the rain with Magnus, finally taking shelter at the door to his apartment, and Magnus pushing him up against the wall and kissing him. He remembered the way his body always responded to Magnus's touch, arching toward him with a yearning so deep his whole body seemed to melt. He remembered the first time they made love and every time since.

His fingers crept across the sheets toward Magnus. His self-control was faltering. If Magnus didn't wake soon, he was sure it would break.

"Why are you staring a hole through me, Alec?" Magnus muttered sleepily. He rolled onto his side, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Alec looked sheepish as he reached out to Magnus and ran his fingers up the warlock's arm. His nerve endings ignited and the gentle touch was suddenly not enough. He moved closer to Magnus so that their bodies were nearly touching.

"What were you thinking about?" Magnus asked, his body fully awake now from the nearness of Alec's.

"This," Alec said, and closed the space between them. He kissed Magnus deeply, leaving no doubt as to what he had in mind.

Magnus pulled back briefly and said, "For the record, if you are going to wake me up, this is my favorite way to do so." And he rolled on top of Alec, resuming the kiss.

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Alec laid his head on Magnus's bare chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat slowing to normal. His body still trembled pleasantly. The ghosts of their mingled sigh moans and whispered names echoed through Alec's mind.

Alec sighed contently, and whispered, "Is this real?"

Magnus kissed the top of Alec's head and said, "If it's a dream, I don't want to wake up."

Alec smiled and draped his arm across Magnus's body, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

Magnus trailed his fingers down Alec's arm, lightly tracing the scars he encountered along the way. He knew every Mark, every scar on Alec's body, for he had memorized them long ago. Of course, there could be some new ones from their time apart. His finger traced over an iratze that hadn't been there before, and down to Alec's wrist where he discovered two small, white scars he'd never seen before.

"Alec? What the -?" Magnus looked at him in alarm. "Did you get bitten by a vampire?"

He sat up straight, locking eyes with Alec. His first thought was of Camille and anger welled up in him. If Camille had bitten Alec…but of course, there was nothing he could do. Camille was already dead. The thought just pissed him off more.

Alec averted his eyes, which was answer enough for Magnus. "Who bit you?" he demanded.

Alec chewed on his lip, then, finally, said, "Simon."

"Simon?" Magnus said, incredulously. "Simon bit you?"

Alec nodded and launched into the story about the alternate Accords Hall in Edom, and Jace attempting to take the skeptron from the statue of the alternate Jonathon Shadowhunter, and the demon attack that ensued. He told Magnus about Isabelle's injury and how he was sure for a few moments that she was going to die, and it had nearly broken him. Then he told him of Simon healing Izzy, draining his own body of blood for her, and his starvation.

"So, you let Simon bite you?" Magnus said when Alec had finished his story and Alec nodded. "Was it…did you…like it?" he asked softly.

Alec looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What? NO, I didn't like it!" he said incredulously.

Magnus's eyebrows raised until they were lost in his hairline. "Well, some people like it," he said, his voice trailing off at the end. Alec recognized that tone.

"Have you been bitten by a vampire, Magnus?"

Magnus quirked a grin at him. "I have dated vampires, you know. They like to play their games," he added with a shrug.

Now they were both thinking about Camille, Magnus reminiscing, while Alec seethed. Catching the look on Alec's face, Magnus quickly said, "It was a long time ago. Besides, most vampires aren't overly fond of warlock blood. I suppose it's the demon parentage that taints it."

They lapsed into silence for several long minutes. Magnus resumed tracing the Marks on Alec's arm in an attempt to placate his Shadowhunter. Alec rested his head on Magnus's chest again, listening to the steady sound of his heart. However, Magnus's thoughts were still on Camille though.

Finally, he said, "Alec, can I ask you something?"

Alec's anger had long since dissipated, and he muttered, "Sure," into Magnus's chest.

Magnus was quiet as he tried to frame the question he wanted to ask without upsetting Alec. He was quiet too long. Alec sat up.

"What is it, Magnus?"

Magnus sighed and ran his finger along the straight edge of Alec's jaw. "I want you to know that I love you and that nothing you say is going to change that. I know, now, what it's like to be without you and I'm not looking to do that again."

Alec felt a twinge of apprehension. "Just say it, Magnus."

"Why were you in that subway tunnel?" Magnus said, quietly. "I never gave you a chance to explain, and it's something that I wonder about. You said you'd already told Camille you weren't interested in what she was offering, which, incidentally, is not what she told me."

"What did she tell you?" Alec asked, distracted.

"She said you had made a deal. You would kill Raphael and she would make me mortal. Not that I really believe she knew how to do that, but, there it is."

"That b***h," Alec said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Magnus chuckled. "She was that."

"Okay," Alec said, turning to face Magnus, "she offered to make me immortal, which I thought I wanted. You know, a chance to spend eternity with you. But I love being a Shadowhunter, I didn't want to be a vampire, and I didn't want to deal in Dark magic. So she offered to make you mortal if I'd kill Raphael. I thought that, if I could get her to tell me how I could tell you, and maybe you could do the spell if you wanted to. But she never told me anything useful. She was really angry when I told her no."

Magnus laughed again. "I'll bet she was."

"I never really stood a chance against her, did I? She was always going to outsmart me."

"She was devious and cruel, and dishonest. You are none of those things. Yes, she would have gotten the better of you, because that's what she was trying to do. That's one of the reasons I love you, and not her."

After several long moments of silence, Magnus said, "So, I understand why you originally went to see her, but why were you there the day I caught you? Why keep going back to her?"

Alec averted his eyes and said nothing. "If you don't want to tell me…" Magnus said.

Alec shook his head. "It's not that. It's just…you already know why."

"I do?"

"I wanted to know things about you."

"And you chose Camille as your source of information about me?" Magnus said, astonished.

"Well, who else was I going to talk to? It's not like you were answering my questions." Alec broke off at the look on Magnus's face. He started again, a little kinder. "She knew you. She knew what it was like to love you. Please don't take this wrong, but you're not exactly the easiest person to love sometimes."

"I have been told that I can be difficult," Magnus said, grinning sheepishly.

"Well, it's true," Alec said, flatly. "You're prone to mood swings. You can be temperamental, and very stubborn. And let's face it, I had no idea what the hell I was doing when we first started dating. Sometimes, I think I still don't know what I'm doing, to be honest," he added with a shrug.

"So what did Camille tell you about me?" Magnus said, taking Alec's hand and kissing the back of it.

"Nothing useful. And she made fun of me because I didn't know anything about you! It was very frustrating."

"You know things about me now," Magnus said, kissing Alec's wrist and along with the tender spot of his forearm.

Alec smiled and sunk back down next to Magnus. "I do." He drew Magnus into his arms, and kissed him. "I do," he repeated, before losing himself in the kiss.

Eventually, Magnus broke the kiss. He looked into Alec's eyes and said, "I have a proposal for you."

Alec's eyes widened. Magnus waved a hand dismissively. "Not that kind of proposal! I propose that you make a deal with me instead of Camille."

Alec's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What kind of deal?"

Magnus placed both hands gently against Alec's cheeks, cupping his face. He pressed his forehead against Alec's and breathed in his scent, the scent of sandalwood, the light scent of Nephilim, and the distinct scent of recent s*x. "No more secrets."

He felt Alec's smile against his palms. "No more secrets," Alec agreed, and their lips met again, as they sank back into the folds of the sheets on the bed.