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There is a day where your soul mark appears, it isn’t known exactly why it’s different for everyone. It’s not like it can be preempted, one moment the skin beneath your collarbone on your left side is clear and free, the next you get the birth flower, date and initials of your fated.
Everyone has a different story. Isabelle had met her soulmate without being aware of it. The two worked together in the local 24-hour coffee shop, interacted both in work and out of work. Somewhere between the late night shifts ending and the early morning strolls to the subway together, they steadily became friends, and so the slightly deeper running feelings began to make themselves known. Their marks, however, didn’t appear until months into their friendship. The two were walking through the streets of Brooklyn in solitude, stars bright on the late autumnal night, the streetlights paving the way with a soft glow and a light pattering of rain against the umbrella they shared.
Isabelle’s arm was linked with Simon’s and so she slowed them easily to a stop.
“I’m glad you misplaced your umbrella, it gives me an excuse to be close to you,” and Simon had always seen Isabelle so self-assured and to see her like this, a tentative smile on her lips and bright eyes missing their usual glint of mischief was not unwelcome. So Simon, lovely Simon, turned towards her and slipped a hand around her waist and replied.
“Even you, Isabelle Lightwood, do not need an excuse to get close to anyone.” And then, there it was, the pleasant sensation of warmth below their collarbones, the slight glow of gold and the newfound feeling of being complete.
Jace, well Jace’s wasn’t exactly as lovely as that. Jace’s mark appeared at Isabelle’s and Simon’s house warming party, he didn’t know exactly when because he was royally fucked and it wasn’t until he decided that Isabelle’s bathtub was a suitable bed, and stripped off, that he caught sight of his soul mark. The gladiolus stood stark against his skin complete with the initials CF and 23.08.91. Jace stared at the mark, ran his fingers over the raised skin and sprinted out of the bathroom singing like a canary.
“Isabelle! Izzy! Izzybelle! I got it, I got one, you gotta help me!” But it wasn’t Isabelle that rounded the corner, nor was it Simon, it was Clary Fray, equally intoxicated, shouting for Simon, shirt half unbuttoned and pulled over her shoulder, pointing towards her chest where an arrangement snowdrops, with JH and 18.01.91 on display. The two hardly paying attention to where they were going and collided. Clary’s head smacking straight into Jace’s chest, in line with his soul mark. And if they were sober maybe they would’ve had a chance at staying upright but the unexpected impact sent them both falling to the floor, looking at one another bewildered and promptly passing out.
Maia, hearing the commotion, with Simon and Isabelle in tow saw the two, a tangle of legs on the floor and noticed the corresponding soul marks pressed into their skin.
“Man they’re gonna wake up with a wicked headache, sore asses and hopefully some shame.” Simon laughed at the state his best friend had landed herself in and moved to cover her with his jacket. Isabelle, meanwhile shared a look with Maia and rearranged the two carefully before turning back, with Simon, to the party.
and so Simon was right, when Jace and Clary came to way past noon the next day their heads were sore, asses numb and at least Clary had a modicum of decency to cover herself.
“So, I owe Alec fifty bucks.” Jace cursed as he pushed himself up off the floor, pulling Clary with him.
Clary dusted herself off whilst admitting, “I owe Magnus twenty-five.”
“They both bet on it?” Clary shrugged but carefully twined their hands together and pulled him towards the kitchen. The kitchen where Simon, Isabelle and Maia sat, steaming mugs in their hands and amused smiles teasing at the corners of their lips.
But despite Clary, Jace, Simon and Isabelle finding their fated, Magnus nor Alec had not. If you were to ask anyone, they’d be adamant that Magnus and Alec were meant to be.
Magnus and Alec complimented each other perfectly, their shared loft in Brooklyn was a perfect example of the chaos that is Fashion Magazines, sketchpads and Science journals and the order that is Shakespearean plays, case files and research papers. They also communicate in the way only people truly comfortable and at ease do. If Alec’s had one too many alcoholic drinks the night before, courtesy of Magnus, there’ll be a steaming mug of black coffee, a takeout bag from the bakery down the street and two aspirin waiting for him. Always complete with the note.
If you feel inclined to share your blueberry muffin Alexander I’ll be in the study
- M x
It’s also in the way that when Magnus comes home from a particularly rough day after meeting with potential or returning clients, or one too many Skype conferences and Alec just knows to order their Hawaiian pizza from the East Village, grab the comforters from Magnus’ bedroom and switch over to the reruns of Ru Pauls Drag Race. Alec also knows that all Magnus will need is a shoulder to rest his head on and a body to curl into and Alec is more than happy to be that for him.
The two are able to read each other like books, it’s in the gentle touch of Alec’s arm when Robert calls or the tight hug and twirl around the kitchen when Magnus lands a huge client.
What nobody but Magnus and Alec knew was that they were indeed fated, they’ve known from the day they moved in together, eleven months ago.
They had finally ushered their friends out of the door and collapsed onto the couch, soda in hand and completely exhausted. Half of their items were unboxed, a coin laid on the table ready to be tossed as ‘it’s only fair to do best of three for the largest room, Alexander.’
Magnus had his head towards his best friend, a content smile playing at his lips and Alec was looking right back with a grin so wide and infectious Magnus couldn’t help but chuckle. Alec noticed the eagerness on Magnus’ face as he kept glancing towards the quarter and couldn’t help the soft huff of breath that escaped his mouth.
“So, coin toss?” Magnus asked, gesturing towards the coin settled on the table.
“Magnus, you know you need the bigger room, you’d use mine as a closet alone.” Alec huffed but reached for the quarter anyway, placing the sodas on the table.
“You know how we’d solve that problem?”
“Knock the walls through and create a giant mattress room featuring a closet wall?” Alec teased, bringing up an old vision of adolescent Magnus’. Magnus smirked and twisted the quarter between his ringed fingers before setting it back down on the table.
“Or we could crash on here, one last night of sofa surfing before we pretend that I don’t know the quarter is rigged to land on me getting the larger room.” Alec spluttered at Magnus’ words and noticed the quirk of his eyebrow.
“H-How?”
“Darling,” Magnus began, before shuffling closer to him, “I’ve known you nine years, give me a little credit. That thing is older than our friendship.” Alec’s cheeks had flushed pink as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“I just want you to be comfortable,” he quietly admitted before peering back up at Magnus.
Magnus barely hesitated in his answer. “I’d be more comfortable if it was you laying beside me.” And Magnus waited, waited for the cheeky comment Alec would make about using him for his own personal cushion, what’s wrong with those ridiculously expensive ones you bought and to which Magnus would reply they don’t radiate heat or hold me closer. But that wasn’t what Magnus got in reply. Perhaps it was the bone-deep exhaustion that made Alec softly sigh his next words.
“God I love you, Magnus Bane.”
“And I love you Alexander Lightwood.”
They both looked shocked at their declaration. The ease of it. As if they’d already said it a thousand times before and they had, except they knew it wasn’t just the joking, offhanded I love you between friends, they knew it was the I love you. The one they had been waiting the other to say but not being quite brave enough to say it themselves. The one that meant they were finally acknowledging the bond they had ran deeper than friendship.
It wasn’t until Alec gently cupped Magnus’ jaw and softly caressed the skin of his cheek that Magnus leant in and pressed his lips to Alecs. His lips parted easily under Magnus’, pliant, warm and welcoming and his hand wound around Magnus' waist pulling him into his lap. It was wonderful, their bodies slotted perfectly together just as their kisses became more familiar but no less thrilling and skin tingling. And it was at that moment that the two felt the beginnings of a bond.
Alec’s chest was now home to paperwhite narcissus, the initials MB bold against the arrangement with 08.12.89 subscript below. And Magnus had asters, AL and 12.11.90 complementing the bronze of his skin. And when they both simultaneously touched the bond beneath the thin material of their shirts it glowed, a soft and warm gold. It was no contender to the grins settled on their face.
Nobody did know, for eleven months, but none of their friends seemed to understand the word privacy, so when they barged in, unannounced one Sunday morning, they were not prepared to see a shirtless Alec sat on the kitchen counter with Magnus settled between his legs, cupping his face gently and kissing him tenderly.
“What the fuck,” The eloquence of Simon Lewis will never cease to amaze Magnus or Alec. And they separated but did not move apart.
“Alec, dude, what the fuck is that on your chest?” Jace spluttered, waving in the general direction of his soul mark.
Magnus cocked his head, eyes twinkling with mirth as he replied, “Are we discussing the hickeys or the soul-mark?”
“Magnus,” Alec chided, sliding off the countertop.
“Alexander?” Alec rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to Magnus’ lips.
“When? How?” Isabelle asked softly, Alec looked towards her and then Magnus, gesturing for him to take the lead.
“Eleven months and four days ago. The night we moved in.”
“You hid them for eleven months! Guys!” Clary exclaimed, now noticing Magnus’ soul mark peaking out of his robe.
“How, all those times we came over to your apartment and sleeping arrangements and we never saw Alec going into Magnus’ or Magnus going into Alec’s?”
“You were either all asleep, preoccupied or too drunk to notice me going into Magnus’ room, well our room. And by the time morning came around, we were already awake and moving around the apartment.” Alec shrugged.
Simon whistled lowly, whilst Isabelle stepped forwards, a look of determination in her eyes.
“I want to know everything.”
“Let's get comfortable shall we, now do you remember that old trick quarter?”
And the six friends descended into laughter as Magnus told the story of how the two came to be and Alec sat comfortably behind Magnus, arms wound around his waist.
Yeah, soul marks didn’t have an explanation, but why would Alec need one when it finally confirmed Magnus Bane was the one for him.