Family Day

Fandom: Shadowhunter Chronicles

Ships: Malec

Plot:

Family Day should just be another day on campus for them; but a few words gone wrong change a normal day into a suddenly heart pounding adventure that Magnus and Alec can’t really get out of.

Part of the Dorm Life Drabble series [aka: my gifts for @ofdemonicmagic]

Family day.

Alec had stayed in the dorm for the better part of the morning, ignoring what little noise he could hear. Parents coming to see their kids and ask about them and see the classes and the campus in a more knowledgeable setting. Alec wasn’t holding his breath. He was leaning back against the arm of the couch, silent and watching tv, when the door opened and Magnus came in, followed by Isabelle. Alec arched a brow as his sister looked less than put together. Which actually meant she was overly put together. “Izzy?”

“Mom and Dad are coming.” Izzy said quickly, fingers fiddling with the high collar of her midnight blue dress.

“What?!” Alec sat up, legs swinging off the couch as he watched his sister, blue eyes widening. The commotion was enough to get Magnus’ attention from where he was beginning to cook (the plan they’d made weeks ago when Family Day had been announced), and he turned towards the startled sound in Alec’s voice.

“Alexander?” He asked, concern in his voice as the siblings looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

Alec ran a hand over his face and through his hair. “Our parents are coming.”

“Why? I thought they basically didn’t talk to the two of you anymore.” Magnus felt thrown off for a moment.

“Dad did, which makes it hard to talk to mom. Because of him, she haven’t said a word to me since I told them I was going to follow what I wanted.”

“And refusing to marry Lydia so publicly.” Isabelle replied, giving a proud little smile.

“Lydia wanted to marry someone else. I wasn’t going to let our parents, no, our dad, take that from her.” Alec retorted, making Magnus smile.

“So why would they come here now?” Magnus asked, wanting to know.

“It probably has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to see us.” Alec assured. “Fifty dollars says it’s all just for show.” The resigned tone in his voice made Izzy bite her lip nervously.

“Dad must be going for re-election.” She added with a quiet sigh and a clearly resigned nod, moving to sit down on the couch next to Alec. Ebony hair fell over her shoulder as she ran slender fingers through her ponytail. “Which means he wants the younger age bracket votes.”

“And he thinks that using his own kids will fix that?” Magnus asked, clearly unhappy by the idea of it. “That’s ridiculous!”

“It isn’t so much about Izzy as it is putting on a show with me as his little puppet.” Alec said, his jaw tense as he stared at his hands.

“Pardon?” Magnus asked. “Why would one of you be more important than the other?”

“Making a show of supporting Alec after the hell dad caused last campaign would make him look better to younger voters given the current big issues.” Izzy answered. “When Alec came out last year, people supported him while our dad disowned him. It makes it hard for us to have a decent conversation with mom because of it.” She watched Magnus take in the information, his dark eyes pondering. When a spark lit in those pretty brown hues, she arched a brow. “What is going through that head of yours, Magnus?”

“Why not invite them for dinner?” Magnus asked, giving a smirk. “We can test his resolve to putting on a show.”

“IT would be nice to see how well his acting is,” Alec replied, chuckling.

“How exactly are we gonna do that? It’s not like Alec has a boyfriend.” Izzy countered, but as she said it, she gave a grin. “Oh my god, yes. Magnus, you could pretend to be Alec’s boyfriend.”

Having his initial idea derailed by the enthusiasm from his roommate’s sister, he blinked a little. “Uhm…Isabelle…”

“No, no, it’s perfect!” Izzy said, clapping a little. “I’ll invite them over, you two get ready!” That being said, she was up and out, in much better spirits than her arrival just minutes before. There was a terribly awkward silence between the young men as they stood there.

“Alec, I didn’t mean-”

“No, I know. Izzy kind of gets ideas and takes off with them.” Alec interrupted him, blushing a little even though he didn’t really like when Magnus called him Alec these days. Magnus calling him Alec usually meant that Magnus was uncomfortable, tired or trying to stop him from talking. And since they had been up long enough to be awake but not long enough to want a nap and Alec hadn’t been talking, it made it easy to figure out which option was most likely. And Magnus had every right to feel that way. Pretend to be boyfriends? Alec wasn’t even sure if he was Magnus’ type. How could that work when Alec was fairly certain that he loved the other man? “But, uhm, if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have-”

“Why would it make me uncomfortable?” It was Magnus’ turn to interrupt, tilting his head as he walked over to take Izzy’s place beside the raven haired man. “Alexander, if there is anything that would not make me uncomfortable, it’s showing your dad’s act up.” And it would help that being fake boyfriends would make it easy to steal kisses; at least while ALec’s parents were around. He could handle that….couldn’t he? “Besides, no one can throw a good dinner party like me.”

“Are you sure Cat wouldn’t mind?” Alec asked.

“Why would Cat…?” Magnus trailed off before shaking his head. “Oh, Alexander, darling, no. Catarina and I are just really good friends. We go way, way back.” he explained, resting a hand on Alec’s knee. “I’m sorry if we came across as more than that.”

“So you’re really okay with this? Pretending to be dating?”

“I mean, we’re already living together.” Magnus countered. “IF anyone could pull this off and make it look real, it’s us.”

Alec couldn’t help but smile because Magnus was right. They could pull this off for a few days while his parents were in town. The real question was if they could go back to being just friends when the time came for his parents to go home. “What can I do to help get ready?”

“Let’s get dinner started.” Magnus said with a wink, leaning to kiss Alec’s cheek and get up. “Maybe if we have time, a few practice kisses.” He went to start back on preppign dinner, glad when Alec joined him with a blush on his cheeks. This was going to be a test Alec’s father couldn’t pass, Magnus would make sure of that.

TMC Fanfic – Moving Day

Fandom: Shadowhunter Chronicles

Ships: Malec

Plot: Art Major Magnus Bane and Music Major Alec Lightwood met the day Magnus transferred onto campus from a French univeristy.

Part of the Dorm Life Drabble series [aka: my gifts for @ofdemonicmagic]

Freshman year for his sister meant that Alec was expecting a new roommate. The roommate he’d had the last two years – a fairly handsome man named Underhill – had graduated early and left Alec feeling oddly lonely despite not being very social. He supposed it helped that Underhill had been like him, but hadn’t pushed for a relationship or anything. The male was a really good friend to Alec, like an older brother, so now a sophomore, Alec was hoping he could be as helpful to whomever walked in the door as his new roommate. Isabelle, darling sister that she was, kept insisting she would be his roommate, but Alec knew the odds were unlikely. The university tried to make siblings grown on their own and believed that pairing them up would hinder that. So he wasn’t at all surprised when he got a call from an irritated Isabelle, which lasted until she discovered her roommate was a freshman named Simon, and Alec could hear the crush develop instantly over the phone. He had laughed and promised he would help her unpack as soon as his own roommate arrived, and his baby sister was quick to hang up.

He went to make himself some tea, setting it down before picking up his Gibson TG-1, his favorite acoustic for the rich sound, and began fiddling with tuning it so he could work on a new video. He was tuning his F sharp chord when there was a knock on the door. Carefully setting the instrument on the couch next to him, Alec stood and moved to open the door –

And had to catch his breath.

The man standing on the other side of the door was just a few inches shorter than him, with caramel skin, dark eyes accented by a dark blue glittery eyeshadow, hair done in a mohawk while a black and silver backpack wrapped over his shoulder. It was beautiful and intriguing and Alec was sure his heart had stopped until the man spoke.

“Hello. I’m sorry if I interrupted anything.” the male finally greeted, having been momentarily stunned at the contrast of dark hair, blue eyes and pale skin.

Alec snapped from his reverie at the sound, and the music major wanted to faint because no voice should sound that damn good. “Not at all. You didn’t have to knock, though. I thought the admin office gave out keys still?” He replied inquisitively, stepping aside to let the other inside.

“Yeah, well, my last uni was, uhm…active. A lot. Or at least my loftmates were.” The roommate said as he set his bag down behind the couch, turning to look at Alec and offer his hand. “I’m Magnus, by the way. Transferred in from PCA in France.”

“France?” Alec asked before a faint blush colored his cheeks and he shook Magnus’ hand. “Oh, uh, I’m Alec.”

“Oui.” Magnus said with a grin. “I was there to get an adventure. When I finished most of my courses, I decided to come back to the States.” he explained. “The dorms here are quite large.”

“Large and soundproof.” ALec agreed. “Unless the students in this hall are just not getting any.” He crossed his arms a little and laughed with Magnus, looking around. “Uh, do you want a quick tour?”

“Sure,” Dark eyes returned to Alec from where he’d been looking at the guitar propped on the couch. He followed Alec around the couch and to the kitchen area.

“So the kitchen we have to keep stocked. My sister and I split our tips from work and keep each other fed, but our parents send money once a month out of some obligation their friends have guilted them into.” he shrugged, pointing to their right as they faced the living area. “Laundry room and guest bathroom is that way, our rooms are to the other side.” He explained, leading the way. “Both of us have our own bathrooms, walk in closets, and the office area is the one at the end of the hall.” he pointed at the doors across from each other and then the one at the end of the hall as he spoke.

“The university pays to furnish all this?” Magnus inquired, sounding impressed.

“Most of it. If you get your own furniture, you can have campus officials pull out the bedroom stuff. It’s what I did.” Alec answered, smiling. “Do you need help with your stuff?”

Magnus gave a smile and nodded as he went to set his bag in the bed in his room. “That would be great, Alec. Thank you.”

TMC Fanfic – Quiet Moments

Fandom: Shadowhunter Chronicles
Ships: Malec
Plot: Artist Magnus Bane and Singer Alec Lightwood got paired for their dorm room assignments almost two years ago, and after this long, their relationship is in the strange stage where they both want more but are scared to say anything. But there’s quiet moments where they can enjoy and just pretend.

Part of the Dorm Life Drabble series [ AKA: My gifts to @ofdemonicmagic ]

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Being roommates with a music major wasn’t as terrifying as Magnus had originally suspected. Alec’s preferred instrument was an acoustic guitar, thank Nyx, and more often than not, Magnus found himself listening quietly to the lilt of Alec’s voice as he practiced the assigned music or worked on covers for his hobby posting covers on youtube. Sometimes he would just sit and watch, enjoying the way the slightly younger male got into the music. It was beautiful and inspiring. Magnus would never forget the first time he picked up a charcoal pencil and began rough sketching Alec leaning back on their couch, fingers strumming as he taught himself “Thinking Out Loud”. Drawing Alec was something Magnus did to try and keep his feelings for his roommate and friend in check. Today had been rough, professor Fairchild critiquing works meant to be reminiscent of Van Gogh and only a handful of his classmates got a decent amount of praise. Magnus himself had gotten a fair bit of it, but he hadn’t been satisfied with his work, and he had admitted as such. Professor Fairchild – his favorite of the art teachers he’d had – had smiled as she patted his shoulder and explained that it was okay to not like every work he created.

“Sometimes things didn’t fit our usual style, Magnus. It’s okay to not feel complete when we try something new for the first time.”

Magnus had smiled and offered to let her keep his painting, since he didn’t feel he would do anything with it. The lovely woman had agreed and before he’d left, he had helped her hang it next to the vast window near her desk – the forest creek beautiful, but to Magnus not complete. So he’d walked back to the dorm room and gone to put his things in his room, waving at Alec as he passed the other on the couch, smiling back when the blue eyed man smiled and waved as he held his guitar. He set his bag in his room and grabbed his homework, going to the other couch and opening his textbook to read about the Rococo period with Alec’s voice in the background. After finishing the needed chapter and filling several pages in his notebook with notes for the next day, he stopped to get a snack from the kitchen, pausing as he actually began listening to the song Alec was singing. Why was his roommate so damn beautiful? It should be illegal and to top it off, Alec was so talented it was unreal. Magnus was in awe as he watched Alec, the other so lost in the music that he didn’t notice Magnus staring for a long moment. Dark eyes closed and Magnus had to shake himself as he moved back to his spot, pulling his sketchbook from the pile of stuff on the coffee table between them, pulling out one of his finer pencils and glancing up as he began to draw his roommate.

Alec wasn’t sure how to respond when he finished the practice of the cover he was working on to find Magnus drawing on a sketchpad. “Mags?” The nickname pulled Magnus from whatever he’d been working on, and he smiled, dark eyes so loving Alec melted inside. Why was Magnus always so perfect? But after a moment he figured he should say something, so he opened his mouth. “You alright?”

“Yeah. I just…I heard you singing and it just kind of…sparked something. I needed to draw it.” Magnus replied, eyes going back to the page and smudging something the lightest bit.

“What is it?”

The artist shrugged a little. “Nothing major. Just a doodle, really.” he replied, waiting a moment with his lip caught between his teeth. “Will you sing again for me, Alexander?” The inquiry came with a smile and Alec forgot completely that he hadn’t been singing for Magnus, or even to his roommate. But he nodded and moved to make sure his guitar was in tune again, letting the song flow from him as he played.

“Pick up the pen, put it on the paper,
Write on my skin, bring me to life.
Can’t start again, there ain’t no eraser,
All of my flaws, you got them so right.”

He didn’t notice as Magnus twirled his fingers to rotate the pencil before the other went back to work, Magnus shading and drawing without looking.

“Everything is blank until you’ve drawn me.
Touching on my body like you know me.
Write on me, color outside the lines.
Love the way you tear me up, baby take your time.
Write on me, give me some wings I’ll fly.
Love the way you tear me up, I’ll never change my mind.”

Magnus didn’t need to look up to get the details right. He’d been drawing Alec for almost two years, after all. But it all came to life as he brought the image to life, drawn in by the music. The faintest smile curving Alec’s lips as he sang, the easy way slender fingers moved along the neck of the guitar, even the way the light filtered through raven hair. Magnus smiled as he filled in places and left others empty, the image perfect as he set the pencil down and closed the book, getting up t wash the pencil residue from his hands. “Should I give you some time to film so you can post?” he asked, looking over at Alec from the little kitchen island as he washed his hands off and dried them.

Alec looked up and smiled. “No, I’m not posting this week. The state contest is this weekend, I won’t have the time to edit. Besides, it’s not quite where I want it to be.” he answered, looking up as he put his guitar away. “How’d the critique go?”

“Good, I just didn’t feel like my piece was complete. Professor Fairchild has it in her room now.” he replied, smiling. “She loved that I went with the nature aspect. Most everyone went with self portrait style.”

“I don’t see why you didn’t do the self portrait.”

“I’m not good at drawing myself, Alexander.” Magnus replied, bringing a soda from the fridge over and handing it to Alec. “Are you nervous about the competition?”

“Not as worried as I was. We finally got results, and I was second chair.” came the reply as Alec popped the cap from the soda bottle and took a drink. “I mean, yeah, I’m still practicing, but I’m not as super worried about it like I was last week.”

“You’ll be fine, ALexander. One more patch and trophy, right?” Magnus teased, not missing the blush on Alec’s cheeks as the other bit his lower lip.

“I’m glad you don’t put much emphasis on my singing. That’s all some people see.”

Magnus arched a brow from where he had situated with another textbook. “Alexander, there is so much more to you than people believe. Maybe it’s because I have such a close relationship with you day to day, but I know there’s more to you than that angel’s voice of yours.” He gave an encouraging smile and Alec smiled back and when he looked back to his book, Alec moved to pick up his own textbook and the two fell into comfortable silence. Magnus didn’t comment on the fair blush painted along Alec’s face, and Alec didn’t mention the way Magnus’ eyes had lit as he’d said the words ‘close relationship’.