Work Text:
True love irradiates color, thus each soul reverberates with a specific one to find its equal.
Everyone is born with semi-sentient tentacles which only manifests after their 10th anniversary if they have angel or demonic blood. Vampires and werewolves will manifest them one week after being turned. Being the mirror of the soul, their color varies from person to person. All tentacles will share the same color, except one – this one will have the color of the person’s soulmate’s tentacles. When these special tentacles from two soulmates touch each other, their color swaps as if returning to their original owner.
Thus, if a person has all tentacles with the same color it means they’ve already found their soulmate.
Mostly, people keep their tentacles glamoured, but being semi-sentient they dare to expand sometimes and touch other people’s tentacles in hopes to find their mate.
~*~
“Why are you so… sparkling?” Alec sighs while poking at his odd tentacle. His tentacles are mostly navy blue with black linings, except his soulmate mark – a bold and dashingly gold, sparkling as if it was dipped into a bucket of glitter. He doesn’t hate that color, just… think it is awkward. It isn’t a common one, especially for Shadowhunters. Usually, they have more dark colors, with one or another exception. He has to keep them glamoured more often than his peers, even inside the Institute. He doesn’t want more reasons for judging eyes and scornful comments.
His golden tentacle snaps at his finger, seeming offended by Alexander’s tone. He rolls his eyes, but his lips curve a little bit at the corners. So dramatic for a tentacle. Then, it curves around his wrist and wiggles slightly, a gesture it loves to do every time it has a chance.
Alec doesn’t know who his soulmate is, but he already loves him. Yeah, he knows it’s going to be a man, he’s already made peace with his sexuality, even though only his siblings know the truth. And if this man is as sweet as his golden tentacle, Alec isn’t afraid of the future.
About his siblings, they are lucky. They’ve already found their soulmates. Now, Jace has a full set of beautiful onyx tentacles which paired with the copper ones from Clary, a hurricane that stormed into their lives two weeks ago and already gave more headaches to Alec than he has felt in his entire life. And Izzy has rouge tentacles which paired with cerulean ones from Simon, Clary’s best friend and ex-mundane. His sister only found her soulmate because he was turned into a Vampire, and this kind of fate is terrifying to think about. At least, they are happy now.
Alec sometimes thinks if he is going to find his one day. It seems unlikely, he isn’t so lucky like his siblings.
Sometimes it’s better to accept you will never have what you want.
~*~
“Stay for just one more drink and then decide.” Magnus offers a Martini again and Alec is too speechless to say no. He has to go back to the Institute, but can’t make his legs move. Just a simple movement yet he forgot how to walk.
And then it happens.
Three tentacles poke behind Magnus, moving smoothly as if they are curious about something. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they weren’t gold.
Really sparkling and glittering gold.
“Ma… Magnus.” Alec stutters, five shades paler. “Your… Your… They…”
“Oh,” Magnus takes a full minute to understand Alec, but when he does, he grins. “I guess they were bored. Or maybe just as interested in you as I am.”
Alexander feels light-headed. His hands tremble a bit, but he braces himself.
“Your soulmate mark. Which color is it?” He doesn’t want to sound so demanding and curses himself for asking that out of the blue. It isn’t polite. Nobody goes out asking the color of one’s soulmate mark.
But he panics, and the thrills of the possible answer make his heart pounds hard.
“Well, this is unexpected.” Magnus frowns, a bit dumbfounded. “I was hoping we could have at least some dates before getting this intimate, but you seem to surprise me every time, Alexander.” He licks his bottom lip, feeling the strong taste of alcohol. And, as a cue, a navy blue tentacle wiggles behind the Warlock.
Alec’s brain freezes for a split second and the glass he is holding slips from his fingers. However, before Magnus could react and use his magic to hold it in-middle air, all of Alec’s tentacles burst unglamoured trying to reach the glass.
Just one, though, holds it.
His golden one.
At that, even Magnus freezes for a moment. Soon, something brightens his eyes and a small but adorable smile draws on his face. His navy blue tentacle reaches for Alec’s golden one and they finally touch each other. Almost instantly their colors swap as if one tentacle had absorbed the other.
A sense of wholeness fills both Warlock and Shadowhunter, yet doubled. They feel like a piece of themselves is finally back, with something extra. Something they’ve been craving, and now everything makes sense.
Their – once – different tentacles are still touching each other, and soon others do the same.
Then, Alec decides two things: First, he is almost sure gold will become his favorite color really soon. Second…
“I believe I have time for one more drink,” or ten. He tries to suppress a smile, failing miserably. “I can go back to the Institute later.”
And then he doesn’t.