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The puff of blue-tinged smoke dissipated in the air in front of him as Magnus ended the spell. The furniture still rattled around him, and his apartment was filled with a barely restrained sense of energy. He looked around and everything was both still the same and yet also different.
He was getting better at this, he thought. It had been weeks since his magic had been revived from its long dormancy, and the more he used it, the stronger he became. He’d finally been successful at moving the apartment into a new location in the city.
Magnus had missed being able to do that, to harness that power and use it just because he was in a mood for something different. After having lost his ability to cast for years, he’d almost forgotten what it was like to just cast with no motivation other than the simple pleasure of casting.
He walked over and looked out the window of his home. He would have to do a little more planning for the next one. He wasn’t sure he liked this location, and not only because the view was atrocious. The world was different now than it was centuries ago, before the war that had led to downworlders living among the mundanes. If he decided to live at this location, he’d need to do a lot of warding and casting to prevent mundanes from finding him here. He’d also need to figure out a way to keep certain handsome mundanes from questioning why he’d moved so suddenly. And how he’d moved so suddenly.
He waved his hands to give movement to the magic and smiled as he thought about that young Clary girl, the one who’d showed him his alternate self’s casting motions. Perhaps she hadn’t been all that wrong about how ridiculous he’d look. To finish off the motion, he snapped once with the fingers of his right hand and closed his eyes to the feeling of the apartment itself moving over the city.
He could feel the magic course through him, and it was something he relished now. The dormancy of his magic had cost him so much over the past few decades, but the more he practiced, the stronger it would become again.
Magnus held his breath and imagined what his magic would look like to a world that had forgotten its existence. He closed his eyes again and pictured what it must look like for his entire loft to be traveling through space, and time, hidden from all mundane eyes, only to right itself back in its original location. He staggered a bit when the apartment set itself down again, and he reached out to steady himself against the closest firm surface.
Maybe one day it would be accepted, would be seen as nothing strange or unusual. Maybe one day this world’s idea of magic wouldn’t be seen as fake and nothing but easily explained optical illusions crafted and manipulated by the magicians themselves.
What he wouldn’t give for a world where warlock magic wasn’t something dismissed as child’s play. But that world wasn’t his, though from his discussions with the Clary girl, he knew that his alternate self lived in a world like that. It was satisfying to know that at least in one universe his magic was something that at least that Magnus Bane could use openly.
Magnus walked through his apartment and briefly looked around to make sure nothing had broken or been dislodged during the moves. He ran his hand along the edges of his bookshelf as he passed, moved into his bedroom and further on, to his bathroom.
He took a quick shower, not to avoid overusing his magic, but more because he just enjoyed the feeling. One of his guilty pleasures had been a decadent bathroom that had been crafted and updated over the past few years.
After showering, he walked over to his closet and took in his choices.
Magnus, up until the Clary girl had visited and helped him unlock his magic, had lived a very boring life. His clothes somewhat reflected that, and that had always been a conscious choice for him. Once he’d lost that ability to cast, seemingly forever, he’d accepted the idea that he would live life as a mundane. He’d chosen an apartment that helped him hide himself, and he chose clothing that accomplished it as well.
Magnus wore cardigans and slacks now. A century ago, he was more daring, but not by much. Two or three centuries ago, he wore the usual fare of the time period. He’d lived in Europe then, the move from Indonesia to Europe happening decades before that. He hadn’t even moved to what would now be called the United States until about sixty years ago.
His life had been spent reinventing himself every so often to keep the mundane world blind to the fact that he never aged. It was easier long ago, before the age of the internet and the advent of photography and digital sharing. He had to be much more careful now that he’d had to be three hundred years ago. He could usually protect himself by leaving a country when suspicion had been aroused, but with the creation of the literally world-wide web, even that could backfire on him.
Magnus grabbed a light blue cardigan and khaki colored slacks and laid them out on the bed as he contemplated whether or not to wear them. He walked over to the mirror and stared into it. He could see vestiges of the old Magnus sometimes, the one who’d been audaciously proud and out as a bisexual man. Long ago, back before the magic had left him. He smiled into the mirror as he remembered some of his old relationships, and he wondered what those old lovers would think of the Magnus he saw in the mirror now.
He’d stopped dating a long time ago. Warlocks, because of their immortality, had a tendency to become calcified to feelings after so many centuries. Magnus had felt the beginnings of it right around the time his magic had gone dormant. He often wondered if losing his magic had actually saved him from a lifetime of never feeling anything. It also made him wonder what would happen to him now, now that his magic was back. Would he live a few decades more before he felt the onset of the calcification? Or would he manage centuries this time? Would he get to the point where it just didn’t matter anymore? Alternatively, if he opened himself up to someone, would it prevent the process from ever happening at all?
His cell phone chirped from his bed, and Magnus walked over to pick it up.
It was Alec Lightwood. Of course it was Alec Lightwood, he thought to himself. Every time he thought about his feelings and his worries spiked concern in him, his magic seemed to float around a figure of Alec in his mind. As if his magic was trying to tell him something, and Magnus just wasn’t listening hard enough.
They had another date tonight.
The first one had gone well, at least in Magnus’s opinion. Once Alec had stopped being cocky and began acting real with him, Magnus had started to feel drawn to him. The man was young, and though Magnus would always consider everyone young, he meant that literally with Alec. He was twenty-one years old. Compared to Magnus’s centuries of life, Alec seemed like a child in comparison.
But he was not a child. Not even close.
Alec had taken him for drinks. And then dinner. Even though the initial invite had not included dinner, Magnus had felt himself agreeing to extend their date further into the night. Alec had been charming and self-confident, and the combination had been extremely sexy to Magnus.
Magnus had also spotted some shyness in the man, and that made Magnus curious to get to know him better. He was openly out, and while Alec had owned up to the fact that he was outspoken about his sexuality in order to anger his parents, there was also a truth behind his actions. Alec enjoyed being out, in spite of all naysayers and critics, and Magnus could see it in every behavior and every flirty comment that Alec engaged in. Alec would not be forced into a closet for anyone, and that was something Magnus admired about him.
Alec seemed to find Magnus fascinating, though there was little Magnus could have talked about that would even give Alec that impression.
Magnus was… in a word… staid.
He looked at himself again and took in the straight black hair that was always combed over to the side. He used to wear it differently, decades ago. Centuries ago. He remembered the times that he would literally use magic to make his hair look irresistible to people. He remembered the days he loved to attract attention. Had he lost that Magnus back when he’d lost his magic?
Did he even want that Magnus back? He wasn’t sure.
He turned around and took in a side view of himself in the mirror. He was still fit and toned, though one would never know it to look at him thanks to the layers he wore most of the time. His skin was once adorned with make up, decades ago, but he could barely remember those times now. He wore no rings or other jewelry, no necklaces to attract attention. Most of his clothes were tones of black or brown. There were a few colors in his wardrobe, like the light blue cardigan his friend Maia had purchased for him last Christmas.
Magnus remembered that he once had really loved dark purple, but he doubted he still had anything in that color anymore. He pulled out a black button down and held it up in front of him. With one snap, the color of the shirt changed to the dark purple he enjoyed, and he removed the shirt he was wearing in order to try it on. It saved on magic and on money for him to just change what he already had available rather than trying to conjure up something new.
The purple looked good on him. But it was missing something.
Did he even own any jeans, he thought as he perused through the back of his closet. He used to, because he could clearly remember having worn some in the past. He shifted through the racks of his clothing and came across a pair that had seen better days. Probably in the 1970s.
He pulled them out and looked at them, the raise of his eyebrows a testament to how little he remembered even owning these.
Well, he could change colors without trouble, but could he change textures and fabrics without too much trouble or damage to the material? He laid the pair of jeans down on the bed and waved a hand over them, while concentrating on what he wanted to replace them with, and then ended the spell with a snap of his fingers.
A more modern pair of jeans were in their place, and he picked them up, his hand smoothing over the soft denim. They were what Maia would call skinny jeans, and he could not even remember when he’d worn something tight. Maia continued to encourage him to do it, because as her wingman, she very often reminded him that she had to be seen with someone hot when they went out. Not that they were usually interested in the same people. He was into more than one gender, but she was interested exclusively in her own. Though they usually found the same features attractive in the women they met when they went out.
He pulled on the jeans and then took a photo of himself to send to her.
Maia: Nice. Date night tonight? With the Alec guy, right?
He texted back two consecutive affirmative answers and then asked her what she thought of the look. She texted back her approval and told him to have fun tonight.
Magnus unbuttoned the top button of the shirt and then looked back in the mirror again. He felt a little bit like a combination of the old him and the newer him he’d accepted a long time ago.
It would have to do, he figured. He used magic to style his hair, and it was more of a tousled look than he was used to using. He put on the glasses he wore sometimes. His vision had corrected itself again now that he was using magic, and his warlock mark came back with its return, but he’d spelled the glasses to help him conceal the mark in the event that he lost control of his magic.
It also didn’t hurt that Alec had admitted being attracted to men in glasses. And to having seen him wear them in the commercial he’d made for his Tarot business.
He glanced back at himself in the mirror one more time. He looked very different from the Magnus that had been on that first date with Alec. But if this was ever going to work out, he would have to be more of himself and less of the man who’d been forced to live as a mundane.
He texted Alec that he’d see him soon, since Alec was due to arrive in just a few moments.
Magnus walked into the kitchen to feed his cats and then returned to the living room just as the knock sounded on the door.
He waved his hand briefly in front of the door as he approached it, to test out his ability to spell the door into transparency. It was definitely Alec on the other side, and he watched as Alec fidgeted a bit as he leaned against the door frame. It looked as if Alec was trying to act unflustered and “cool” and Magnus was equally amused and charmed by it. It was times like this when the shyness in Alec was obvious and utterly adorable.
He opened the door with a soft smile and watched as Alec took in his wardrobe.
Alec licked his lips briefly, almost as if it was an unconscious action. Magnus smiled and just continued to watch the man. Alec leaned in and looked Magnus up and down before lighting on his face with a look of unabashed hunger. Magnus smirked and beckoned him to come into the apartment.
“Wow,” Alec said softly as he approached Magnus. “You look amazing.”
Magnus gestured to the snug black pants and patterned button down Alec was wearing, and said, “You look very good yourself.”
“Yeah, maybe. But you look amazing ,” Alec repeated.
Magnus laughed. “You already said that.”
“It bears repeating,” Alec smirked. “And I am calling foul on the glasses. Unfair.”
Magnus smiled as he reached for his jacket, “Duly noted. What are we doing tonight?”
Alec stepped closer and Magnus could feel the electricity between them. Alec was aroused, and Magnus could feel it . He’d forgotten what that was like, being able to sense another’s attraction and their level of arousal towards him. It was heady, and Magnus closed his eyes to the sudden spike of want that Alec’s arousal caused in him. This feeling was nothing like the night they’d met, back when Magnus’s magic was newly re-awakened and not honed into any feelings or desires yet. This want was powerful, and Magnus swayed a little under its onslaught.
“I have a feeling that if I said what I want to do tonight, you’ll nix the idea,” Alec whispered.
Magnus opened his eyes and looked at him, “Try me.”
“I’d want to stay in, here, with you. And see what’s under those gorgeous clothes.”
“Oh really?”
Alec stepped closer, “Really.”
Magnus slipped one hand around Alec’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
It was soft and Magnus deepened the kiss just a bit, flicking out his tongue to taste Alec’s lower lip, drawing it inside his mouth briefly before pressing their bodies closer together. Magnus slowed down the kiss, and he smiled a bit when he heard the protesting whine come from Alec at the idea of them not kissing anymore. He stepped back and looked at Alec, who was dazed and looked a little lost for just a moment before he flashed his little half-smile at Magnus again.
“You take me out for whatever you have planned. Then later we can negotiate our terms.”
“Yeah?” Alec looked eager, and Magnus couldn’t help but smile at him again. “Am I gonna need a lawyer for these negotiations?”
“I doubt it. I can be very receptive to the right arguments,” Magnus replied.
“Good to know. Will you take my case on pro bono or will I need to make some kind of arrangements? Because let me tell you... I would definitely do you pro bono.”
Magnus looked him up and down and watched the smug grin travel across his face. He was so pleased with himself for making the innuendo that Magnus couldn’t help but laugh at him. He stepped away and tugged on his coat, and then gestured towards the door for Alec to leave ahead of him. Alec complied, and while his back was turned, Magnus magically locked his apartment and set up the wards with a wave of his hand.
He would need to be careful about practicing magic around Alec, until he was sure the man could handle finding out that Magnus was what this world would call a magician.
Alec took his hand as they walked down the hallway. Alec swung their clasped hands up towards his mouth and placed a kiss on Magnus’s hand. They waited briefly for the elevator to his apartment building, and Magnus caught Alec looking at him with almost a sense of wonder on his face.
“What?” Magnus asked.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that I feel sometimes like I’m under your spell.”
Magnus scoffed, not only to hide his abilities but also because even if he could practice that kind of magic, he wouldn’t. He valued full consent from everyone he’d ever been with, and that wasn’t going to change any time soon.
“I didn’t cast a spell on you,” Magnus answered.
Alec leaned towards him after they entered the elevator, the sharp ding having startled them both into awareness. “Are you sure? You do seem quite magical sometimes.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Magnus replied, his tone not as sharp as his words would suggest.
Alec leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, “Well, whatever you’ve done to me. I like it. And I really don’t want you to stop.”
“Good to know,” Magnus smiled.
The elevator deposited them on the bottom floor, and Magnus thought about how much easier it would have been if he could portal them to wherever they planned to go for this date. Maybe one day he’d be able to do it. Once he was sure Alec could handle knowing Magnus was a warlock.
Alec gestured as if he was planning to open the car door for Magnus, but Magnus stopped him and pressed him closer to the car, “Alec Lightwood, when I decide I’m going to cast a spell on you, I will let you know.”
“Please tell me it will involve a room with a bed,” Alec smirked.
Magnus laughed and pulled Alec in for another kiss, “I’m about ninety-nine percent sure that it would involve a bed.”
“Hell, yeah,” Alec replied with a wink.
“Now take me on this date, and when we get back, we will discuss this again.”
“Just you wait, this is going to be the most magical date you’ve ever had,” Alec promised. “Those Tarot cards of yours can’t be wrong.”
Magnus smiled.
He’d told Alec a little bit about the spread he’d read for him a week ago. And how the cards had predicted some things that Alec and Magnus seemed to be on the same wavelength about.
About love. Risks. Choices. And life itself.
Magnus really hoped that this date would be as magical as Alec promised, because this magician was ready to embrace life again.