Malec Moments

Paradise: Part 5

"Finally alone," Magnus said, pushing himself off the door and closing the gap between him and Alec in two long strides. He held Alec's face in his hands, a soft smile playing at his lips as he leaned in and kissed Alec. Magnus slid his hands into Alec's hair, twining his fingers through the dark locks, and holding his head in place.

Alec melted into the kiss, his body curving against Magnus's. He wound his arms around Magnus, pressing their bodies together, closing all space between them. Their kisses were long and slow and deep, expressions of love that they had been restraining for the last few hours.

"You looked so beautiful tonight," Magnus said in a heady whisper. "I could almost see your angel wings."

Alec shook his head. "I'm hardly an angel."

"You are in my fantasies," Magnus said, kissing Alec along his jaw, inching toward his ear.

Alec grinned, his heart swelling. "If I looked beautiful, I don't know a word to describe you." Alec's hands gripped Magnus's shoulders for support as Magnus continued trailing kisses along Alec's neck and collarbone.

"Lucky. The word to describe me is lucky."

"No, the word to describe you is perfect." Alec was starting to have difficulty thinking clearly. Magnus was having more of an effect than usual on him.

"We can argue about that later," Magnus said, reclaiming Alec's lips with his own.

Magnus held Alec to him as he kissed him breathless. He guided Alec with his body into the bedroom and kicked the door closed behind them. Then abruptly, he withdrew from Alec, his eyes darting to the bed, then back to Alec's, a small crease developing between his eyes.

"Alec?" Magnus said, a worried expression deepening the furrow of his brows. "You remember the spell I performed during the wedding?" Alec nodded. "It will only be complete when we consummate the marriage. You understand what that means?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Of course I understand what that means. The spell will be complete when we make love," he said. A slight blush crept across his face at those words, and he mentally chastises himself for it. He hoped it was too dark in the room for Magnus to notice.

The corners of Magnus's lips turned up, and he stroked his thumb across Alec's cheekbones, leaving no doubt that he was aware of the blush. "The spell will link our souls together forever," Magnus said softly.

"I know that. You have already explained it to me, and I have already agreed to it."

Magnus gently brushed a strand of Alec's hair and tucked it behind his ear. Alec closed his eyes at the sensation, his heart skipping a beat as he leaned his cheek against Magnus's hand. "This is your last chance to back out," Magnus said. "I can still reverse the spell at this point, but once it's complete…" He let the sentence hang in the air, and Alec fully understood his meaning.

"Why would I want to back out?"

Magnus said in an almost inaudible voice, "Forever is a long time."

Alec drew his hands up to Magnus's cheeks, gently cupping his face and forcing Magnus to look him in the eye. "It wouldn't be long enough," he stated baldly.

Magnus made a little gasp, then without hesitation, kissed Alec again. Magnus's fingers gently traced the contours of Alec's face as they kissed. Alec's heart was pounding in his chest as he parted his lips, breathing in the scent of Magnus, an intoxicating mixture of sandalwood and burnt sugar and clean beach air, gasping in anticipation.

When they finally broke apart, Alec said, "So, what happens now?"

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. The Book of the White simply said the spell would be complete when the marriage is consummated. It gave no description of events, or what to expect."

Alec nodded. "Right. Well, I guess there's only one way to find out then."

And he was back in Magnus's arms, kissing him again. The kiss was passionate, if not a little hesitant. They had been together so many times in their three-year relationship but never had so much been at stake. They may not know what to expect from the spell, but they certainly knew what to expect from each other, and that at least helped to settle their nerves. Alec felt Magnus's hands glide up his arms, and grip his shoulders briefly before sliding down the front of his shirt. Magnus's fingers trembled slightly as he unbuttoned Alec's shirt, slid his hands along Alec's shoulders, and dropped the garment onto the floor. Alec fared no better, as he had to fight the ruffles on Magnus's shirt to get to the buttons. When Alec finally got the last button undone and the shirt floated to the floor, he stared at Magnus, his eyes glazing over the silhouette of his flawless bare chest, the smooth caramel-colored skin, the perfect radiant beauty.

Magnus reached out a shaky hand, outlining Alec's shoulders, tracing the runes on his chest. He let his fingers trail down Alec's ribs to the waistband of his shorts. He looked into Alec's eyes, those piercing blue eyes, for reassurance before proceeding. A chorus of nervous giggles sounded through the room as they fumbled with the rest of their clothing.

A hush came over them as they climbed into bed and everything became very real. Alec lost himself in Magnus's touch, his kiss, his scent. As their bodies moved together in the perfect synchronicity that develops between long-time lovers, Alec felt the magic of the spell come alive in his veins. His senses heightened tenfold, every touch was electrified, every kiss shocking him, every sensation breathtaking. There was no pain, just a pleasant, fierce intensity. His heart rate quickened, and each beat seemed to draw the magic into his heart, where it coalesced.

He closed his eyes and saw the blue flames that had engulfed him and Magnus hours before withdraw from his body, bringing with it a red haze. Alec knew instinctively that the red haze was his love for Magnus. His eyes flew open, wanting to see the embodiment of his love, but there was nothing to see. The room was dark. The images were only available to him behind his closed eyelids.

Alec's eyes slid shut again, and this time, he saw not only the blue flames and the red haze but a deeper red, almost burgundy haze. This, he knew, though he didn't know how he knew, was Magnus's love for him. The red and burgundy swirled together, faster and faster until it was impossible to distinguish where one began and the other ended.

The swirled colors, their mingled love, divided into two halves. One half entered Alec's body, directly into his heart, and the other entered Magnus's. Alec felt a jolt through his body, his heart swelling with the intensity of their love. He wondered, fleetingly, if his heart would burst, if his heart could withstand the power of their combined love. He heard Magnus suck in a breath and knew he was having a similar experience. A warm feeling then spread throughout his body, elevating his pleasure, and strengthening his love.

Abruptly, a white-hot searing sensation consumed Alec. Pain, similar to the feeling of a stele on his skin, penetrated his mind, heart, body, and soul. The wounds that he and Magnus had inflicted on each other, the lies, the secrets, the pain, and anguish, healed completely, sealing closed into thin, red lines, then dissipating until not even a scar remained. He found he could still recall, in perfect detail, everything that had happened, but it no longer hurt him to remember those events. He was whole, unblemished.

And with that healing, Alec found that all of his lingering worries and doubts abated. He no longer worried that his mortality would be an issue down the road. His fear that Magnus would no longer be attracted to him when he was an old man seemed to evaporate. His anguish over what would happen to Magnus when Alec's mortality finally caught up with them went by the wayside.

As abruptly as the white-hot searing started, it was gone. Alec could feel Magnus trembling on top of him, and ran his hands soothingly along the warlock's back, encouraging him to continue. As Magnus gave in to Alec's ministrations, Alec felt and saw something he had no description for, a vague yet substantial mist, and he instinctively knew it was the embodiment of their souls. Their souls entwined, knitting together as if sewn with a needle and thread, inseparable, until they were truly, irrevocably, one.

They held each other tightly, lost in the feel and smell and love of the other, as their bodies shuddered apart, and Alec knew the spell was complete. Magnus buried his head in Alec's neck, and Alec did the same in turn. And they lay there, holding each other, until their bodies somehow, inexplicably, recovered.

Magnus drew away enough to look into Alec's eyes. Magnus's eyes were shining brightly in the dim light, and Alec could just make out tear tracks on Magnus's cheeks. It wasn't until that moment that Alec realized his own face was wet as well. The experience had been too emotional for them to completely contain. When Magnus kissed him, a soft, tender, loving kiss, Alec knew he had felt everything just the same as Alec had.

Magnus sank onto the mattress and pulled Alec to him, holding him tightly, neither wanting any space between them. Alec draped his arm over Magnus's chest, and his wedding band sparked in the dim light. Magnus caught Alec's hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on the small band.

"Are you alright?" Magnus said, placing gentle kisses along Alec's wrist and forearm.

"I am. But I can see why there was no description in the Book of the White. I wouldn't know how to describe that either. That was..." Alec began but found he had no words to describe what they had just experienced.

"Intense," Magnus finished for him. They both laughed softly in the dark. It had been intense and beautiful and passionate all at the same time. Alec felt sadness that so few couples ever got to experience something like that, never knowing the physical melding of their entire being with the person they love, the person they were meant to be with.

"I love you," Alec whispered, then scolded himself for saying something so cliché. As true as those words were, they couldn't possibly do justice to what had just happened between them.

Magnus, however, didn't seem to mind. "I love you, too, Alec…" He paused, angling his body to look at Alec. "What am I supposed to call you now?"

Alec lifted his head from Magnus's chest to look up at him. "What do you mean? I'm still Alec," he said.

Magnus chuckled. "I mean, we've never discussed what we are to each other now. Clearly calling you my boyfriend isn't going to work."

"Oh. I hadn't really thought about that," Alec replied.

"Me neither. Until now. I guess some of our options would-be partner, spouse, husband. I don't know, can you think of any others?"

Alec was contemplative for several moments before saying, "Partner is not descriptive enough. It doesn't imply that we are married so that one is out. I honestly think I like 'husband' the best."

Magnus grinned. "Oh good. That means I can call you my hubby!" He looked utterly delighted at the thought. Alec groaned.

"Do you have to?"

Magnus laughed. "Yes. So, what about our names?"

Alec gave him a wary look. "Our names?"

"It's traditional for one person to take the other's last name when they marry."

"No," Alec said slowly, "it's traditional for the wife to take her husband's name…" He looked at Magnus pointedly.

"Well, I think you should become Alec Bane," Magnus said.

Alec groaned again. "That's horrible! And I couldn't even if I wanted to, which I don't. I'm a Shadowhunter. I'm required to have a Shadowhunter name," he said, a note of relief coloring his voice. Then, as the thought struck him, he said, "Surely you're not suggesting you become Magnus Lightwood."

"Can't. I doubt any Downworlders would hire a warlock with a Shadowhunter name. Somebody has to pay the bills around here," Magnus said. Alec laughed at that. "I suppose we could hyphenate our names. Alexander Lightwood-Bane?"

"Magnus Bane-Lightwood?" Alec countered. "Those are all terrible. Perhaps we should just keep our old names."

"I think you might be right on this one," Magnus said, kissing Alec softly. "Besides, Chairman Meow would get so confused with having such a long name."

"Oh, the horror," Alec teased. He laid his head on Magnus's chest, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "Goodnight, Magnus," he said sleepily.

"Goodnight, hubby," Magnus said, his chest shaking slightly with his laugh. Alec signed deeply and rolled his eyes.