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The loft was quiet, the low hum of the city outside filtering through an open window. Magnus lounged on the couch, his position appearing casual, but the book he had propped open in his lap was ignored. His tension hid within him, intensifying with each half-hour that passed.
Eventually, finally, thank the angel, a key turned in the lock. Magnus's head snapped up.
Alec slipped inside, the door clicking softly shut behind him as he paused for a moment to lean against it. His hair was a mess, a smear of blood on his jaw and his bow slung haphazardly over one shoulder.
"You're late," Magnus pointed out. He kept his voice as even as he could, not wanting to cause Alec any more stress, but his concern was clear in his tone.
Alec shrugged, setting down his bow and shrugging off his jacket. Magnus gestured lazily at the fabric, cleaning it with a single wave of his hand and then sending it to drape itself over a chair. "Patrol ran long. Sorry." He offered a slight smile.
"Hm, clearly. You look like you were dragged through a hedge." Magnus snapped his fingers. A warm globe of light washed over them, illuminating fresh bruises on the other's face, darkening his cheekbones with angry-looking patches of blue and purple. "Honestly, dear Alexander… would it kill you to come home in one piece?"
Alec shrugged, rolling his eyes at what he considered to be a rather dramatic reaction from his boyfriend. "Please. Stop fussing, I'm fine," he insisted.
Magnus ignored the protest. He got to his feet, crossing the room to where the Shadowhunter stood with just a few long strides. "You're bleeding, darling," he whispered. He hovered his hand over the cut on Alec's jaw, watching the skin knit back together beneath his fingers.
Alec sighed softly. "I could have handled that."
Magnus shrugged, grabbing his hand and gently tugging on it—enough to guide, not enough to put any more pressure on his already weary body. "Why should you have to, darling," he drawled softly, "when I can do it faster and with considerably more style?"
It had taken a lot for Magnus to even use his magic for everyday things, let alone being proud of it. After the way it had ruined his early childhood, he'd spent a long time believing that his magic, his otherness, was the root of all of his problems. It was only fairly recently, seeing how he could use the powers he had been born with to help people, that he realised that maybe his early life and his magic were less connected than he thought. Correlation was a rough thing, but he had learned to separate that from causation, and was now much more comfortable both using and talking about his magic.
"Come on now, sit," he told Alec, guiding him towards the couch. "I'd rather you didn't drip Nephilim all over the rug."
Alec obeyed without much complaint, though he did roll his eyes at the rug comment. Suddenly, a cup of steaming tea was pushed into his hands. "Magnus. I don't like tea." He moved to put the cup down on the table in front of him, but was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.
"Just humour me, won't you? It's chamomile. Calming. Good for stubborn Shadowhunters who won't admit they're not invincible."
"I could just use a rune to—"
"Runes don't taste good. Drink your tea, Alexander."
That drew a soft laugh from Alec, and he gave in, kicking his boots off and tucking his feet beneath him to finally take a sip of the tea. Damnit, that did taste good. How did Magnus do this?
The pair sat for a moment in content silence, Alec drinking his tea while Magnus focused on making him comfortable. He'd summoned a blanket from… somewhere, and draped it over them both so they could curl up together.
"You worry too much," Alec said finally. "You don't have to wait up for me every time I'm out on patrol."
Magnus shrugged. "Of course I do. Who would patch you up when you come home looking like you've been through hell?"
"We have runes for a reason," Alec tried, but that argument got shut down once again.
"I like helping you. Besides, it's terribly dull trying to sleep alone. Almost never happens." The smile that earned was small, but real. Alec ducked his head down, fingers running over the soft fabric of the blanket.
"I love you," he whispered. He spoke the words before he'd even truly realised he meant them, and way before he realised that this was the first time he'd ever actually said them.
The silence that followed made him wonder if there was some kind of rune or spell that would allow him to take it back, to unsay it.
There wasn't.
A slow smile spread across the warlock's face. Oh, god, that smile was so beautiful. Alec felt almost dizzy seeing it. "Well," he said finally. "Took you long enough, darling."
Alec looked down again, a dark flush spreading across his cheeks. He wasn't used to being able to express his emotions freely. He was still learning that it was something he could do with Magnus. "I…" he tried to speak, but his words trailed off like he couldn't quite keep hold of them.
Soft hands cupped his face, lightly tipping his head back so that his gaze met the soft cat-eyes of the warlock. "Don't run, sweetheart. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."
Alec swallowed. If not for the hands gently but firmly holding his face, he would have ducked his head down again to avoid the piercing gaze that was fixed on him, devouring him with just a look. "I… probably should have said it sooner," he admitted.
"Mm, perhaps. But you've said it now. Is that not all that matters?" Magnus leaned in, capturing Alec's lips in a soft kiss. "Oh, and in case there was any doubt. I love you too, Alexander."
Alec hummed, shoulders slumping as the relief that washed over him finally let him relax properly. He leaned in to kiss Magnus again, this time with a soft smile ghosting over his lips.
When they broke apart, Magnus tugged Alec closer to him, practically wrapping himself around him. The atmosphere seemed lighter now, any tension either man held gone, replaced by a tender calm.
The loft fell quiet again, but this quiet was comfortable. Soft and safe, and Alec finally felt as though the rest of the world could wait. All that mattered in that moment was the two of them, and their love, newly voiced and so perfect.