Malec One-Shots

Soulmates

Even before he was taught to draw runes, Alexander Lightwood had one on the back of his left hand. It was like no other rune his parents had seen, made up of intersecting lines in a cross formation. As a child, Alec liked to say it was a tic-tac-toe board turned on its side with a line through it from top to bottom. No matter where his parents looked, they couldn't find a reason or a meaning behind the rune on his hand. They'd called in other Shadowhunters that specialized in runes, and when that came up dry, they begrudgingly called in a warlock. By this time, Alec was 17 and annoyed with his parents' insistence on finding out what this rune way. He liked his rune; it was unlike any other he'd seen, and it felt special to him, like it meant something important.

The warlock that Maryse called to the Institute was the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane. As much as she disliked the man, he was the closest available warlock to the Institute, and he seemed to be an expert in strange runes, and strange things in general.

Magnus arrived three days before Alec's 18thbirthday. He had been told to figure it out before Alec turned 18, and he'd put it off until then just to annoy Maryse and Robert. Magnus had seen the look on Alec's face when he was dragged by Magnus' place to meet him before he actually investigated, and he looked like he didn't want this dealt with.

When Magnus did come by, he had a book of runes from many cultures tucked under his arm and more glitter in his makeup than usual. He may be here to solve a problem, but damn was he going to impress Alexander. He was attractive, the kind of guy Magnus liked.

Maryse and Robert sent Magnus to one of the briefing rooms where Alec was waiting, trailing behind him. They let Magnus step in by himself, the pair of them staying outside the door to simply watch.

"Hello, Alexander," Magnus smiled, placing the book on the table in front of him as he sat down.

"Please, just Alec," the boy said, his chin resting on his folded arms, eyes level with Magnus' collar. He seemed bored and unamused, which were bad qualities in Magnus' opinion.

"Alright, Alec," Magnus nodded. "May I see this rune your parents are concerned about?" he requested, opening up his book.

Alec sighed, unfolding his arms and showing Magnus the back of his left hand. The ink-black rune stood out against his pale skin, the straight lines a sharp contrast to the rounded Shadowhunter runes decorating his arms. Magnus gave him a look that asked if he could inspect his hand, which he earned a nod for. Carefully picking up Alec's hand, which was calloused and warm, he tilted it a few different directions to see the whole thing at a new angle.

Dropping Alec's hand, Magnus ignored the feeling in his chest just from touching Alec's hand. It looked like Alec was fighting something similar, red creeping into his cheeks and eyes darting down to the table. If Magnus were to say so, which he wouldn't, it was adorable.

Turning to his book, Magnus tarted flipping through the pages, scanning each one quickly. He already knew what the rune was, but the flipping was for the benefit of the pair standing outside the door watching. He figured this would be a touchy subject for the three members of the Lightwood family present, so he backed down from his usual bravado. He knew what it was like to be in Alec's shoes, in a manner of speaking, and it wasn't pleasant when it came to parents.

Coming to the page he was looking for, Magnus turned the book towards Alec, who looked up from the table to read the page. The page explained the meaning and origin of the rune, as well as the cultural significance of such an occurrence. Alec's eyes snapped up to Magnus', a look of panic on his face that wasn't there moments ago. His parents weren't going to like this, not one bit. He worked for his parents' approval, but he knew how they felt on the subject in question.

Maryse had finally had enough of the silence and lack of information, so she entered the room and walked over to the spot next to Alec so she could read off the page as well. Her eyes widened for a moment before narrowing to slit, her gaze trained on the back of her son's head. It was an angry gaze, the kind that made Alec feel like a little kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

Robert entered the room when he noticed Maryse's reaction, scanning the page quickly. His eyes widened as well, turning to his son questioningly.

The silence was maddening. Alec had two sets of eyes glaring at the back of his head, and another trying to comfort him from the other side of the table. Magnus had gone through something similar, but it was less awkward and more yelling.

Finally, the silence was broken by Maryse, her voice devoid of any emotion or hint as to what she was feeling.

"Alexander," she said coldly. "What haven't you been telling us?" It was an accusation, not a question, and Alec knew it. Whenever his mother called him Alexander, he knew he was in shit.

"Nothing," Alec lied. It would've been easy to pick out that he was lying, his gaze still averted and his voice hitching.

"Alexander," Maryse repeated threateningly. "Don't lie to me. We're beyond that point."

Alec sighed, running a hand down his face. "I didn't know what, what the rune meant until now," he muttered. "But I knew... I knowwhat I've felt for a while now."

"And what does that mean?" Robert asked, finally speaking up.

"I've known I'm not attracted to girls since I was 15," Alec muttered under his breath, hoping his parents hadn't heard.

Maryse flared her nostrils, keeping herself level-headed and neutral. "As you said, you didn't know what the rune meant until now," she repeated, "yet you've known that for three years." It was another accusation, based on the hurt Maryse felt that her son didn't come to her about this.

Alec nodded slowly, turning in his chair to face his parents behind him. "I know what you're thinking, and I didn't because I've heard how you two speak of homosexuals," he said flatly. "The look you get when someone mentions the word, whenever you see a homosexual couple in public, or even here." He didn't know where the sudden surge of confidence came from, but there it was, bubbling in his chest. "I won't apologize for not coming to you," he went on. "I was justified in not telling you, as it as a potential risk to my safety."

Maryse let out a noise that could only be described as furious. She said nothing more, simply walking out of the room. Robert gave him a sad look before following behind his wife, hoping to calm her down before she hurt somebody.

Once his parents were out of the room, Alec turned back around and slouched in his chair. "What did I just do?" he muttered, running a hand down his face. He looked up at Magnus, a questioning look in his eyes. "If this is what the book says it is, the mark of the existence of a soulmate, how would I find that person?" he asked. He didn't particularly want a soulmate, seeing as they were rare amongst Shadowhunters and mundanes, but he wanted to meet the person who was supposedly his perfect match.

"There are ways to do so," Magnus nodded. "They require the assistance of some sort of tracking spell, or a warlock such as myself. Shadowhunter tracking isn't strong enough to follow the rune, nor is parabatai tracking."

Alec sighed. "Can you help me?" he asked, sitting up straighter. His mother was probably going to disown him, but he'd like to meet the guy his mother was fuming over, a guy she probably didn't even know.

Magnus nodded, a smile crossing his features. "Of course I can," he said. "But, like all other things, it comes at a price."

"What kind of price?" Alec asked, arching a dark eyebrow.

"That, I will have to decide. For now, I shall help you," Magnus hummed. "We'll have to go back to my place for this. How do you feel about portals?"

Alec stood, ready for anything. "Don't mind them, as long as I don't end up in Limbo," he said, adjusting his jacket.

Magnus grinned, making a motion with his hand near the door to conjure a portal, the swirling purple energy lighting up the room. He offered Alec his hand, which the boy took. He stepped through the portal, tugging Alec behind him.

In moments, the pair were in Magnus' apartment, Alec blinking a few times as he regained his balance. He looked around, taking note of the way it was decorated. It was fancy, much fancier than any place Alec had ever been.

Magnus dropped Alec's hand, going to find the things he needed for this. Alec awkwardly sat on the couch, hands in his lap and posture straight.

Magnus returned a few moments later with a spell book, placing it on the coffee table in front of Alec. He sat next to Alec on the couch, opening the book and turning to the correct page.

"Let me see your hand," he requested, holding out one of his own. Alec obeyed, placing his left hand over top of Magnus', the rune facing upwards.

Magnus began muttering in a language Alec didn't understand, fingers sparking blue as he did. Magnus placed his other hand over top of Alec's, eyes fixed on the pile of hands.

After a few moments, Magnus stopped chanting and released Alec's hand. "Close your eyes," he prompted, "and focus on the rune. You should see at least something of your soulmate's. Maybe a face, maybe a name. It depends on the person."

Alec did as instructed, focusing his attention on the rune as he closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened. A few moments later, as he was about to open his eyes, he saw a set of eyes, someone else's eyes. Golden and cat-like, they were captivating in a way Alec couldn't explain.

Opening his eyes, Alec realized he must have said something without realizing it, because Magnus was looking at his curiously.

"What did you see?" Magnus asked, arching a brow.

"Eyes," Alec told him. "They were cat-like."

Magnus felt a quick pause of his heart, nothing that would've been noticeable to anyone else. "Can you tell me anything else about them?" he asked.

"They were gold," Alec said. "Beautiful. That's the best I can do," he added apologetically.

In a split second decision, Magnus dropped the glamour he had on his own eyes, turning to face Alec. "Like these?" he asked, gesturing to his eyes.

Alec turned, not understanding Magnus' question until he saw his eyes. They were almost identical to the pair he had seen. The same cat-like appearance, the same gold colour. The only difference Alec could find was that Magnus' eyes weren't as expressive as the ones he saw.

Finding himself nodding, Alec spoke. "Exactly like those," he said quietly.

Magnus tilted his head as he thought, letting himself remember the mark he had on the back of his own hand. He kept a glamour over it, as he didn't want people to see it. He wasn't ashamed of it or anything, he just didn't want people pestering him about it. He'd also never tried to find the person the mark connected with, wanting to meet them in person and not through a vision.

He dropped the glamour on his hand as well, his right hand, and showed Alec. Alec blinked, wondering what all of this meant. Could this be the person on the other end of the mark?

"You have a mark," Alec observed, stating the obvious. "I didn't think Downworlders got marks, according to your book."

"It is a rare occurrence," Magnus explained. "In very, very few cases, a Downworlder is matched with a Shadowhunter, and in even fewer, with a mundane."

"Have you ever tried to find the person?" Alec asked, an odd feeling fluttering in his chest.

Magnus shook his head. "I'm immortal; finding the one person that is my perfect match as a mundane or a Shadowhunter would be unfair to that person," he sighed.

Alec felt the feeling in his chest change, to something more bittersweet. He may have only just met Magnus, but he was entertaining the possibility of him being Alec's soulmate. He was intriguing, an open book, so to speak.

Seeing the look on Alec's face, Magnus knew the two were thinking the same thing. Magnus had heard stories of Alexander Lightwood from other Downworlders and Shadowhunters, and actually meeting him, he was intriguing.

Another split second thought had Magnus flipping to a new page. "I have an idea," he said. "There's another tracking spell, one that lets you see through your soulmate's eyes and vice versa," he hummed, trying not to let the beating of his heart distract him. "It supposedly helps to get an idea of where your soulmate lives."

Alec nodded. "I'd love to see what they see," he commented. "I'd like to meet them, so this might help."

Magnus put on a smile, taking Alec's hand and chanting in that language again. Alec felt light-headed and strange as his eyes adjusted to seeing... himself? It was a strange, out-of-body experience, seeing himself through someone else's eyes.

Wait.

Not just someone else's eyes.

Magnus' eyes.

Meanwhile, Magnus' heart was picking up pace again as he stared out of Alec's eyes at himself. For once, I was right he thought, ending the spell by dropping Alec's hand.

"Whoa," Alec muttered when he readjusted to seeing out of his own eyes again.

"Well..." Magnus trailed off. "Care for a drink?"