#gifts21
Merry Christmas, @rinledraws!
Nothing more family-centric than shopping for breakfast as a unit! I hope you like this as much as I enjoyed drawing it, Rinle!
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For@cakelanguage<3
*****
Love Eases the Aches
Alec and Magnus Lightwood-Bane were the soulmate pair. They hadn’t even known they were matches when they met, warlock and shadowhunter being such a rare pairing that no one had known how it manifested well enough to realize. By the time they’d figured it out, Alec’s mark blooming gloriously along his spine, curving possessively over his collar and ribs, down his arms, they’d been madly in love.
His Bapak always said he thought maybe they loved each other hard enough that fate had bent to them instead of the other way around.
Life with them wasn’t always easy, but it was always full of love, for each other and for their children. They made the best of the rough times and they worked hard to always come home to each other, to hold their sons close and to revel in the simple warmth of them.
Rafael supposed that was why it was such a shock when his Dad just… didn’t. His Bapak was pacing their living room, clearly trying to pretend he wasn’t worried even as he glanced repeatedly at their front door.
For @bloodspeckledraphael. Happy holidays to my giftee! I know you said you enjoy celebrity aus so I hope you enjoy this! I tried to have a lot of fluff and minimal angst but a tiny bit did creep in so I hope that’s okay haha.
*****
I hate accidents
Except when went from friends to this
1.
Imasu: I’ve come down with the worst flu. I’m so sorry Magnus, but I’m not going to be able to make it to the shoot.
Magnus stares down at his most recent text in disbelief. Of course his lead love interest for his first ever music video shoot would call in sick the day of the shoot. Of course .
Magnus quickly types out a reply that sounds much more calm than he actually feels.
Magnus:Don’t worry about it! Feel better. I’ll figure something out.
This is his first big break as a musical artist. He doesn’t have the money to hire a new actor on the spot and he only has today for the shoot. If they don’t get it done today there won’t be a music video.
For @ladswithflags. Heyyy! Merry Christmas! Writing this was so fun, fluffy!malec supremacy! ( A little note: imagine Season1!Magnus ). Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had in writing this.
*****
Lemon Slices and Silk Masks.
One more line.
Two more strikes.
Two more verses were written.
One more page was torn and thrown.
Writing always came naturally to Magnus. The words slipped fluently and rhymed in the way he wanted them.
After all, he was Magnus Freakin’ Bane. The lead singer and backup drummer for the band, Zoom Around the Sound.
6 hours later~
Magnus had thrown a birthday party for his cat, Chairman Meow. It was a masquerade. Nothing formal except for a mandatory mask.
He was wearing a purple tux jacket and trousers with a yellow silk button-up with only a few buttons closed. A few long necklaces hung around his neck and several thin silver rings around his fingers and knuckles. He had an arrow ear cuff on and a few studs on the other ear.
But the show stopper was his mask. Because. It wasn’t a mask at all.
Magnus had asked his make-up artist, Clary Fray, to paint an elaborate and very intricate design onto his face.
He was quite proud of the work. It had a midnight blue base with a silver and gold iridescent design. The colour seemed to shift as the light hit his face from different angles.
It spanned across his nose, curling sharply upwards and covering his forehead.
His usually spiked hair, was fluffy today. And gelled, it fell partly across his left eyebrow. The tips were highlighted in purple.
He sat on a barstool. Drinking limoncello. He usually enjoyed the crowd. To feel lost in a world of loud head-bangers and occasional hook-ups. But today he felt out of place.
When he went to the dance floor he felt as if he were watching himself across the room, alone. Out of focus.
So, he returned. He sat near the stool and tried to feel light with a glass full of lemon sugar and vodka.
“Ugh, Izzy I’m going to leave in exactly 3 more minutes. I don’t care if this Magnus person knows we’re here or not. Not as if he’d care to notice two college students who apparently got ” invited" to his party. A masquerade party.“ A certain black jean-black shirt and leather-jacketed fellow with a silk black mask said to a sparkly black-haired girl, Izzy. She just patted him on the shoulder and walked towards the dance floor.
"So, this Magnus person would care to notice if you’d tell him your name?”, Magnus said.
Leather Jacket turned around and OH HOLY SMOKES! He had blue eyes. Blue eyes and Black hair were Magnus’s favourite combination. Magnus felt himself smile. Even though it crinkled his paint-on mask.
His celestial blue eyes were lined with black smokey eyeliner. Could he get any hotter?
“Oh, um. I am so freakin’ sorry. No offence to you or your party, which is great by the way. I just don’t like crowds and loud music.” Oh god, that voice. Magnus could die right there.
“Magnus,” he said as he smiled and extended his hand towards Blue Eyes.
“Alec.” Alec shook his hands and stared at his drink.
“Is it good? I’m not much of a drinker.”
“Yeah, it is actually. It’s one of my favourites. Can I get you one?”
“Sure,”
Magnus ordered one for Alec and turned back to the boy in the silk mask.
“So, Alec, what do you do except not like crowds and loud music?”
“ I am a senior college student with a major in Psychology and Mass Communication. ”
“ Oh, fancy! I’m just in a band,”
“ You say that as if it’s not what you thought it would be like?”
“Well, sometimes it feels too overwhelming. The sounds, the fame, the media,” said Magnus. And he continued,“ Sometimes it’s suffocating. Like tonight. I was so excited about this. I planned it for weeks. But now it feels like this place is filled with people I don’t know or people who don’t care about me. Talking to you has been the highlight of my evening, ”
“Oh,”
“Was she your girlfriend?”
“Who? Isabelle? No. Nah, she’s my sister,”
Perfect.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Magnus raised an eyebrow.
“Nope.”
“Boyfriend…?” He asked with a tiny smirk.
“Yeah, nope. No one.”
Even better. Magnus broke out into a grin.
Magnus stood up from his chair and extended his hands, “I am not vibing here and you don’t like crowds. What do you say, we leave?”
“But it’s your party,”
“No one’s going to notice as you said.”
And Alec smiled. “Okay,” he said and nodded. They took their woollen coats from the coat rack, Magnus wore a pair of gloves and Alec wrapped a baby blue scarf around his neck. He clasped hands with Magnus and they walked out of the club, away from the buzzing sound of churning people and loud music.
And that was when Magnus noticed the tattoo on the other boy’s neck. “What’s that tattoo?”
“Oh. One night I got drunk and accidentally ended up at a tattoo parlour. My sister, Izzy, convinced me to get this. It’s called a Deflect Rune. In some script it stands for deflecting negative vibes and aura and stuff.”
It made Alec look incredibly sexier, Magnus had no clue how that was even possible. Blue Eyes had reached maximum sexiness and yet he was getting hotter by the minute. “It looks cool,”
People always just assumed Magnus had a tattoo, or rather tattoos, considering his band and the stereotypes his job offered, but he had none. He wasn’t opposed to the idea but he had never found something meaningful enough.
It was a little chilly outside; the New Year was almost here.
They laid down under the clear sky, on the dew-covered grass.
“That’s the Orion,” Alec said, pointing towards a constellation.
“No, it’s not.”
Alec laughed, “Yeah, I don’t know shit about stars.”
“Me neither, but that one kinda looks like a grumpy cat-face.”
“Sure it does,”
“What look!” Magnus took Alec’s hand and pointed it in a certain direction. Alec squinted.
“You know what, it actually kinda does. And that one is a butterfly. Look, there,” Alec said, a smile on his face.
Magnus burst out laughing, Alec joined. The silence that followed was calming.
“This feels so amazing.” He turned his head around to look at Alec.
Alexander looked him straight in the eye.
“People these days are just so pretentious. Partying, drinking the night away. Maintaining a media presence completely different from what they are in real life.” Magnus looked up at the sky again, a sad little smile on his face. “This sounds just like me.”
“No. If you were pretentious, you wouldn’t be here with me. You would want to stay at the party even if you hated it there. You think you are just like those two-faced people because that’s how you’ve been shaped to portray yourself since you were a teen. How old were you when you first started this career?”
“12,”
“See, exactly my point. It might have felt fun when you were younger but people change as they grow old. Times change. It’s fine if you don’t like this anymore and it’s fine if you love this job every day even more. What matters, is that you should enjoy what you are doing.”
“I am enjoying myself here. Thank you, Alexander, for coming here with me.”
Then Alec quickly stood up and brushed the grass off. “Wanna go to 24/7 ice-cream shop? It’s just around the block,” said Alec.
They stopped at a medicine store and Magnus got a pack of make-up wipes and when to the restroom to take off his paint-on mask. When he returned, Alec had also taken off his mask. Magnus was bombarded with the other boy’s beauty.
Some people were hot, some were cute, some were beautiful. Alexander was perfection.
They reached the shop and got a Salted Caramel for Alec and a Belgian Chocolate for Magnus and walked out. They stood near a lamp post and ate in silence; the road was almost empty.
“You’ve got a little bit on your cheek,” Alec said, tapping his own cheek lightly. They had completed the sugary delight.
Magnus tried to rub it off but couldn’t, “Help me?”
Alec leaned forward. He brushed his lips across Magnus’s cheek and licked the ice cream on his lips. Magnus turned around and captured Alec’s lips between his own.
The bells chimed, “Merry Christmas, Alexander.”
“Merry Christmas,” Alec brushed his lips again with Magnus’s, ever-so-slightly, and leaned his forehead against Magnus’s. “Is this a one-time thing, Magnus?” Alec asked, and added in a whisper, “Please say no,”
Magnus looked him in the eye, “No,”
Alec smiled, he looked like an angel. “My apartment is near here, would you like to come over for a nightcap? It’s getting chilly,”
Magnus nodded and wrapped a hand around Alec’s shoulder, Alec leaned into him, and held him close as they walked towards Alec’s house.
They both had a flushed face when they reached the flat, it had started to snow. The apartment was small, basic. It had a living room, a bedroom down the hall and a kitchen and a bathroom on either side of the hallway.
Then they sat on the couch, kissing, warming themselves up.
Alec made two cups of hot chocolate for them. They sat on either end of the couch, their legs intertwined. A warm blanket was spread over their legs.
They drank the cocoa and talked about anything to everything. Talking to Alexander felt so easy, just how he wanted his entire life to feel easy. Talking to Alexander brought Magnus newfound happiness he never knew existed. Talking to Alexander was Magnus’s new favourite activity.
Later Alec and Magnus had a debate of “No I’ll sleep on the couch,” “No you are technically a guest here” “No” “No”. Ultimately Magnus had won and Alec had made him a makeshift bed on the sofa.
Alec receded into his bedroom and peeked from the doorway, “Good night, Magnus,” he said with sleepy eyes and a sleepy smile.
“G’Night, Alexander,” replied Magnus.
***
Alec shifted slightly and dropped a kiss onto Magnus’s head and snuggled him closer. He knew his boyfriend wasn’t yet awake, so he left the bed as quietly as possible.
He wore a pair of black sweats and padded to the coffee machine and turned it on. He poured milk for the Chairman and went off to brush his teeth.
He watched the cat drink from his bowl and took out ingredients to make pancakes. He mixed them into a bowl and set it aside. In the last 4 years if he had learnt anything it was: Magnus loved fluffy pancakes. The fluffier the better.
The Chairman rubbed against his calf, so he picked him up. “Good morning,” he whispered to their cat and scratched his head.
“Good morning,” said the voice he loved the most.
“Good morning,” he smiled. “Did I wake you up?”
“No such thing,” Magnus said and walked towards him and ran his fingers through the Chairman’s fur.
Alec leaned forward and kissed him. It would seem that the years would have changed the way it felt to kiss Magnus but every time it was an explosion of fireworks through his entire body. Magnus pulled away and bopped his nose with his own.
“Let’s drink in the balcony,” Magnus announced as he took both the coffee filled cups from the machine. Music poured through the loft from Magnus’s morning playlist. It had a few hundred songs, repetition was not an issue to worry about.
Magnus had started liking his job again after he met Alec. He had fired his old manager and Alec had found him a new one, Jace Herondale. He was a classmate of Alec at NYU and he seemed to understand Magnus, his style and his tastes. He was perfect for the job.
They drank while enjoying the view of early morning New York City from Brooklyn. Later, when Magnus went to take a shower, Alec quickly made the pancakes, stacked them and drizzled them with caramel syrup.
He arranged a tray with the plate of pancakes, a small candle and something he had made.
It was a shot glass wrapped with a mini black silk mask. The mask was painted on the left side with a silver and gold design, the one he had loved so much. He had contacted Clary, one of his good friends and Magnus’s make-up artist, to help him get the design right.
A dried lemon slice was stuck over the knot of the mask, behind the glass. The glass was filled with pebbles and on it sat a ring.
It was a ring made of intertwined silver and gold wires. It looked gorgeous. He hoped Magnus would think the same.
Magnus came out of their bedroom, dressed in a pair of high waisted maroon trousers and a V-necked khadi white button-up. His wet hair made the fabric on his shoulder translucent; Alec blushed a little.
Magnus sat on a stool and propped his elbows onto the island counter. Alec lit the candle and turned around with the tray in his hands.
“Surprise,” he whispered as he placed the tray on the counter.
Magnus’s head snapped up in realisation. Alec had come around the counter and knelt in front of him. He took his hands in his own.
“Words about love don’t come to me easily, you know that better than anyone.” Alec licked his dry lips and continued. “The love I have for you is a love that knows no bounds. I have loved you since the moment you first showed me the Grumpy Cat and I want to stick around for all the goofy things you have to show me. For the things, we will share in the future. You have made me the happiest I’ve ever been, my life has changed completely and I cannot imagine a moment with you. A future without you.”
Magnus’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
“I want to scream out how much I love you and how much you mean to me and my little heart to the entire world. I want every single person I come across to know that my heart belongs to you, and yours to mine. Marry me and make my dream come true?”
“Yes,” Magnus said, “YES YES YES YES”. He pulled Alec up and hugged him. He twirled them around and dropped kisses on his face. That was when he realised, he had been crying too.
Magnus dropped him and Alec took the ring out.
“Wait,” Magnus said and ran off to the guest bedroom.
He came back with a small black velvet box and pulled the ring out.
“I got this last weekend and planned on proposing tonight. You beat me!” Magnus chuckled.
It was a simple ring with white gold and gold bands parallelly placed.
Alec slid the ring onto Magnus’s left finger and extended his own hand. Magnus slid the ring on.
“Well, hello there, fiancé!”, Alec exclaimed, once he sat down on the stool.
“Hello you, fiancé.” Magnus had the biggest smile. “And look at this!”, he pointed at the shot-glass Alec had modified as he sat back down on a stool. “It’s gorgeous, darling.”
“Aku cinta kamu, sayang,” said Alec.
I love you, my dear,
Magnus’s head turned sharply at that and he smiled his brilliant smile, “Now, aren’t you filled with surprises today?”
Magnus leaned his forehead against Alec’s, his eyes were sparkling more than the glitter he loved so much. “Aku cinta kamu, Alexander,” he said and kissed Alec.
(a little amateur aesthetic board for the story)
For @adaline-blooms. I really hope you enjoy this! I tried to include as many of your likes as I could and the plot bunny really ran away from me so I have more to be posted after the Secret Santa is over!
*****
“No. No, absolutely not. I’m not doing that.”
“Alec, you’re the best person for this.” A photo of Magnus’ smiling face stares back at him. Alec recognizes the picture from last years’ art exhibit. Magnus had modeled for Clary, and she gushed about Magnus’ perfect bone structure and body until Alec, in a fit of jealousy that she got to see Magnus shirtless first, got up and left the dinner table. Not his proudest moment. ”Isabelle and Jace say you know Mr. Bane and how enamored you ar—”
“ Mom ,” Alec interrupts with rising horror and embarrassment. “I don’t know him. We have an American Sign Language class together.”
Maryse’s smile widens, and Alec immediately realizes his mistake. He quickly rectifies it before his mother can get more excited about their not subtle matchmaking attempt. Honestly, it’s unprofessional, and if his boss wasn’t his mother, Alec would… um, report this egregious misconduct. Or something.
For@vaguelyrotten. Thank you for requesting angst and hurt/comfort. You are wonderful and I appreciate you. I hope you like this, and I apologise it’s so short. I had a lot of fun writing it, though, and I really hope you enjoy it!
*****
A Gentle Touch
Alec took a deep breath, trying to quell the anxiety that was rising in his chest. He was doing the right thing. He was sure of it. He knocked twice on the door to his and Magnus’s apartment before letting himself in and kicking off his boots in the foyer. He hung his jacket on the coat rack methodically, ignoring the way his heart skipped a few beats at regular intervals. I can do this.
“Alexander? Is that you?”
Alec froze, his hands on his weapons belt, and swallowed hard before calling back, “Yeah.”
He could hear the soft sounds of Magnus’s slippers on the hardwood floor as his husband made his way over to him, and Alec took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. His hands were trembling at his sides, and he busied himself with putting away the weapons belt and removing the dagger strapped to his ankle. He was home, he was safe. There was no danger to be found.
For@fcstation1063<3
*****
The Not-Christmas Party
“Will you host a Christmas party this year?” Alec asked.
Neither one of them had expected to talk about Christmas when they’d sat down for dinner, but the holiday was only a few weeks away and was permeating everything in New York. After Magnus made an offhand comment about a past party he’d hosted, Alec’s mind had inevitably wandered to Christmas.
“Oh, no,” Magnus said, taken aback by the question. “I never host Christmas parties.”
Alec’s brow furrowed. “Why not? You host parties for everything else. Hell, you host parties for no reason at all.”
“I’ve never hosted a party for Christmas,” Magnus said with a shrug. He looked down at his plate, fighting with himself for a second before he said, “During my childhood, Christmas wasn’t a happy time. My stepfather wasn’t devout for most of the year, but he always became particularly…moody around Christmas. It might have reminded him of what he left behind in the Netherlands. I never asked.”
For@flynnifox. Enjoy the gift, it was a quite a challenge.
*****
Dreaming of You
Magnus was sent away from his home, living with strangers until his birth dad came and collected him, teaching him everything that he should about magic, but nothing prepared him when he was hurt and sent to bed and been dreaming about a boy with the darkest raven hair and beautiful hazel eyes who looked at him like he was in pain.
It looked to him like the boy was sharing his pain.
The next morning, Magnus noticed several marks on his arms and there was one near to his heart.
Magnus asked his dad about it, and Asmodeus only replied to him, that it’s his soulmate, which is rare to get one, but it’s up to him, he could ignore it if he wants.
Magnus was so excited that he wanted to meet his soulmate as he ignored his dad’s words.
Written for the amazing @secretphilosopherwitch, whose likes definitely helped inspire this fic I would have never thought of it before. I hope you love it and have an amazing holidays and happy new year :D
*****
Christmas Valentine
The sounds of the two mixers going at full speed throughout the apartment was barely masked by that of a whisk clicking against the side of a bowl as the icing that Alec was trying to make was refusing to thicken up to the right consistency, no matter how much elbow grease he gave it.
Just as he was about to give up with the icing and put the cake batter into the tins he heard the creak of the door to the other bedroom in the apartment, causing him to look up and see Isabelle rubbing her eyes against the glare from the lighting under the top cupboard units.
“Alec, what the hell. It’s nearly 4am! Have you got any sleep at all?” Isabelle huffed as she walked to the counter and leaned against it as she watched him grab the right tins from the cupboard.
“Not really. I was thinking about the Garroways wedding cake and how I should at least do a mock up so I know what I’m doing.” Alec sighed, picking up the roll of baking paper from under his recipe book and lining the four tins.
“That’s not for at least a month.” Isabelle said, rolling her eyes as she turned off the mixer nearest to her at the same time as Alec detached the bowl from the one nearest him.
For@rainbowsarentjustforhomos. I hope this story fits what you wanted. I’ve decided on the soulmate part of the wishlist (which also has to do with immortal husbands in a way), then Magnus and his bamf powers of protectiveness, plus angst that is there but fixable. Happy holidays!
*****
Trust
Just after his scheduled patrol is done for the day and other teams are out in the city, Alec finds himself entering one townhouse made of dark brick, where he’s supposed to be at this exact time for a meeting. The meeting is at his request and although he’s still not sure if it was the right idea, his need for answers is stronger than his second thoughts.
A warlock woman is living here, posing as a psychic and medium to Mundanes and providing other services to the Shadow World members, and she’s who Alec has decided to try to ask for assistance. His issue is an unusual one and he’s spent a lot of time debating with himself which course of action should be the right one.
For@moni26. In the process of writing this fic, at least 4 other ideas were born, so thank you Leonie for organizing this exchange and thank you Moni for having the most open request of all time, making it absolutely impossible for me to decide what to write so I started writing all of them. Cheers.
*****
is it really the wrong number?
“Hello,” the voice that picked up on the other end was not Jace’s voice. Maybe this was Jace’s mysterious date. A guy he doesn’t want the family to meet. Wait, does that mean Jace is also gay? Does it mean Alec’s been in the closet for years to avoid embarrassing the family for nothing? His brother is sleeping around with men while Alec is scared to download a hook-up app to avoid recognition?
He’s taken too long to reply because the voice insists “hello? I can hear you there.”
“Can you put Jace on the phone?” he slurs, pityingly.
“Wrong number,” the man says, hanging up.
Alec frowns. Who does that dude think he is? He re-dials without stopping to check the name on the screen.
“Hello?”
Merry Christmas, @another-random-stranger!
Merry Christmas, @missyousofar!
Dear Rachel! First of all, I would like to wish you merry Christmas! Second of all, I SUCK at keeping secrets so you have no idea how hard it was to keep this from you. We both know who I am, I hope you love it because I put my heart and soul into this and I hope I managed to make your Christmas magical with our favourite couple. Love you loads x
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For@starsarefallinglikerain. Hi! Thanks for sending me such interesting likes, I had a lot of fun writing this fic. I’ve never done this format before, and I enjoyed trying it out. I really hope you like it! I also really hope you’re not a lawyer, because you asked for lawyer!Magnus, and I have only a very limited understanding of how any of the legal stuff in this fic would work in real life lol. Happy holidays!
*****
Draft Deleted, Message Sent
From: [email protected]
Subject: Circle and Idris Merger
Mr. Lightwood,
It is my understanding that you are the owner and proprietor of Idris Coffeehouse, located at 80 Alicante Road here in New York City. My company, Circle Holdings, is interested in merging with your business.
We have a strong belief in preserving the small businesses that make our community strong, and we’ve been tracking the hardships faced by establishments such as yours as chain coffee shops increase in popularity. Our goal in this merger is to ensure that Idris Coffeehouse is still a cornerstone of our community for generations to come.
Please feel free to reach out so we can discuss the details. I’ve cc’d my assistant, Sebastian, on this email. He will be working directly with you from this point on.
Best,
Valentine Morgenstern
CEO, Circle Holdings
For@cuubism. Oof, so when I discovered I had to write for you, I initially freaked (I love your work!). Then I saw the tropes you listed, and I freaked again. Anyway, I ended up attempting to write 2 (because my brain is weird that way), this one found its way to completion, the other one didn’t make it in time. But if I feel like it, that one will be gifted to you at a later date.I’m not sure if this fits your requirements, but I was told it was decent. Anyway I hope you enjoy this. = ) xx
*****
About Last Night…
Alec Lightwood awakened with a start. The room was pitch black, and he was in bed, the silky sheets hitched up under his arms. Still naked…and still shellshocked at what happened a few hours ago.
Turning, he glanced down at Magnus, who was curled in bed next to him, snoozing away softly. He was fast asleep.
Magnus Bane – his best friend, whom he had the biggest crush on since last summer.
Somehow, on tonight of all nights, decision-making ability compromised by one too many vodkas, heightened by the devastating discovery of Magnus’s girlfriend being in bed with another man, Magnus had called him up, despite many months of being MIA, his voice racked with grief.
Of course Alec answered the call.
