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One of the last things Magnus ever expected to portal home to was his living room turned into a pillow fort.
He has to stop and stare for a good moment, wondering if he’d taken a wrong turn mid-portal. The furniture has been moved around so the two large chairs and couch are closer together, supporting the sheets and blankets piled over them. It forms a makeshift fort, fairylights strung around it and glowing gently in the otherwise dark loft. Pillows are carefully placed so as to improve the structural integrity of the entire thing. It looks both well-constructed and incredibly cozy.
Magnus is still staring when the sheets between the chair and couch shift and Alec’s head pokes out. His hair is adorably rumpled, and there’s a light flush on his cheeks as he smiles at Magnus. It’s barely six in the evening, but Alec is already changed into sweats and a loose T-shirt. “Hey.”
Unsure if he’s having some kind of fever dream or hallucination, Magnus allows himself to smile back. It's hard not to return Alec's soft, sweet smiles.
Magnus toes off his shoes as Alec emerges from the fort. “Hello, Alexander. May I inquire as to why our living room looks like this?”
Alec leans in to greet him with a welcome-home kiss, a habit that Magnus is, frankly, thrilled about. There's nothing better than coming home to Alec and his kisses. When Alec moves away, Magnus shrugs off his sequined jacket, shedding his metaphorical armor now that he’s home safe with his husband.
“Today kind of sucked.”
There’s a heaviness in Alec’s tone that tugs at Magnus’ heartstrings. He discards his jacket, dropping it and letting his magic put it where it belongs, so he can step closer to Alec and cup Alec’s face in his hands. “Would you like to talk about it?”
While Magnus is always up for moaning about his difficult days over a drink, or five, Alec’s coping strategies depend on his mood and the type of bad day he’s had. Sometimes he’ll vent to Magnus while pacing the room, sometimes he wants to be held, and sometimes he wants to shoot arrows until his hands bleed. Magnus is still working on urging Alec away from the last one and towards healthier outlets. Nonetheless, he’s learned to ask what Alec needs rather than assuming or trying to guess.
Alec’s eyes flutter shut as he leans towards Magnus, making him look even more tired. “Not right now.”
“Okay.” Magnus brushes a soft kiss to Alec’s lips, just enough to show he isn’t upset about Alec’s decision. His hands find Alec's hips, holding tight and using his thumbs to rub small circles over Alec's shirt. “Want to tell me about the fort then?”
He knows he’s asked the right question when Alec’s smile grows wider. “Yeah, but it'll be better if I show you. Here, come in with me.”
Magnus releases Alec and watches him crawl back into the fort. He’s amused, and very endeared, by the sight of his stoic Shadowhunter acting almost childlike. Lilith knows Alec could use more fun in his life.
After taking a moment to magic himself into something comfier, a pair of soft leggings and one of Alec’s sweaters, Magnus follows Alec into the fort.
He’s surprised to find an air mattress in the center, a couple of blankets spread out on top of it, pillows resting at one end, supported by the couch behind them. More fairylights are adorned around the inside of the fort, held in place by what Magnus is sure is quite a significant feat of engineering. He'd think it was magic keeping them up if he didn't know better. Of course Alec would go all out, even with something as frivolous as a blanket fort.
Alec makes himself comfortable, leaning back against one of the pillows and snuggling under the blanket. He smiles shyly at Magnus who hurries to join him. It’s a little awkward with the top of the fort only a few feet above his head when he’s on his knees, and the air mattress keeps shifting beneath him. Still, he manages to shuffle over to recline beside Alec. It's actually quite comfortable once he's situated.
“Hey,” Alec murmurs.
Magnus huffs out a small laugh, wondering how his 6’2 demon-hunting husband can be so adorable. “Hi.”
“I looked up cozy date night ideas,” Alec admits, voice hushed. “Movie marathon in a fort came up a lot.”
“You did an amazing job with the fort. Where did you even get all of this?” It’s undoubtedly more sheets and pillows than they own. Not to mention, the blanket they’re currently cuddled under is ridiculously soft, and definitely unfamiliar.
“I stopped on my way home.” Alec shifts a little lower, moving closer to Magnus and tucking his head into the crook of Magnus’ neck.
“And how did you know how to build a fort?”
Magnus imagines a young Alec hard at work designing a pillow fort with equally young Isabelle and Jace, but Alec’s answer destroys any idealistic notions Magnus might harbor about Shadowhunter childhoods. “I researched, read a lot of articles and watched a few videos. Is it… okay?”
“It’s perfect, darling. I don’t think I could make one this well even with all the magic in the world. ” Magnus gently squeezes Alec’s waist and kisses the top of his head.
Alec huffs like he doesn’t believe Magnus, and then shifts to pull something out from beside the mattress. A laptop. Alec rests it on his thighs and opens it. “What do you want to watch?”
“Your pick.”
Magnus settles in a bit more, content in the comfortable fort with Alec pressed tightly against him. He hates that this is all because Alec had a bad day, but he can’t imagine a cozier date.
Alec selects a movie while Magnus relaxes. He can't imagine a better remedy for a bad day than a movie marathon in a pillow fort with his husband.