Fading Scars: A Series of Malec One Shots

Alec Lightwood Likes To Sniff Books

Alec drabble. Inspired by yet another concept from Twitter

If Alec Lightwood kept secrets from most of his friends and family, they were probably kept secret for a reason. It was probably very embarrassing, very humiliating, or just a very weird secret altogether.

He liked to sniff books.

There was nothing else in the world he loved more (besides Magnus) than sitting down with a good book and having a good sniff before he started reading it. Whether it was a brand new book or a book that's seen a few hands holding it, the smell of books was simply intoxicating. There wasn't a better scent in this world than the smell of a book.

As of right now he was reading The Wizard of Oz. He knew it was a popular mundane classic but that's all he knew about it. Mundane books were foreign to him. Magnus had suggested he read Harry Potter, but Alec honestly didn't think the story was that interesting. A boy wizard with a scar on his forehead going to a wizard school? Not appealing. If anything, it was something Max would love to read.

He was halfway through The Wizard of Oz when he decided to lift the book to his face and have a little sniff. Such a wonderful smell. The only other smell that could've topped this was Magnus' cologne. That fragrance was just heavenly; both books and his cologne were on par with each other. He couldn't possibly pick a favorite.

Another thing he enjoyed doing was feeling the pages with his fingers. Just gently running a long finger over the words, memorizing the feel of them for no particular reason at all. He discovered that every book had a different feel it them; some had smooth pages, some were kind of rough, and others had a combination of both. Some books even had a couple of blank pages at the end. Alec assumed they were for writing notes on so he would jot down a few thoughts he had about a certain chapter or even doodle some runes on there.

It was the cover that he admired the most. Covers were a lot like people. They tell you not to judge a book by its cover, and Alec couldn't believe how irrelevant this was. You can judge a book by its cover, but you don't know what their story is. Same with people. You can judge them but you don't know what their story is. Every cover was different and unique, just like people are.

Another thing he loved about most books was that they were written with passion. He could tell sometimes when he was reading that the story was written out of pure love and passion for the craft of literature. When a book grabbed his attention, it's normally because he was drawn in by a love for storytelling. He wasn't going to read a poorly written book. That's ludicrous. Nobody would. But when the story is captivating and it draws you in even more with each passing page, then you know it was written solely for the purpose of passion.

Finally, Alec preferred hardcovers over paperbacks. With paperbacks he found that it was easy to tear the cover or bend it, whereas with hardcovers it was more solid and sturdy. One wrong move with a paperback and it was bye bye mint condition. He couldn't stand it when pages were bent to mark a page it when covers had floppy dog ears. It was called a bookmark. They have a specific purpose and one purpose only: to mark where you left off without having to ruin the pages of your book. It was a simple concept that Alec found baffling when people didn't seem to understand that they existed. Mundanes were often stupid. Another baffling concept.

Magnus poked his head into the reading room, hair messy from just waking up. "Alec? Is that you?"

Alec closed his book and smiled. "Yeah. Sorry I'm up so late. Couldn't sleep."

"It's 3 in the morning, babe. Come to bed." Magnus yawned. "Oh man, I'm tired. Come on, gorgeous. Come back to bed with me."

"Just one more chapter then I'll be in. It's getting good."

Magnus slid onto the couch, resting a cheek on Alec's shoulder. "What book is it?"

"Wizard of Oz. I know it's a children's book but I have a deep appreciation for the classics. Regardless if it's a mundane book or not."

Magnus smiled. "I knew a boy once who loved books almost as much as he loved himself. He had a permanent Mnemosyne rune which helped him remember quotations from books. Sometimes he even recited the whole thing."

"Did you like this boy too?"

"We kissed once but I did it out of curiosity. He was injured at the time. He didn't even remember what happened the next morning. But my point is, he loved books. He liked to sit down late at night, much like you are right now, and just read the night away. Sound familiar?"

Alec placed his bookmark in the book. "He does sound familiar. He sounds like me. Who was he?"

"Ah. I'm afraid I can't tell you that. I'm sworn to secrecy, you see. He'll come back from the grave to haunt me if I tell you."

"Don't be silly. That's impossible. Ghosts aren't real. They're just stories told to kids so they'll do as they're told. Much like Oz here. When you really read it, like really read it, it's a dark story. I'm not sure how children can read this and not be afraid."

Magnus yawned again. "Are you afraid, Alec?"

Alec snorted. "It's just a book, Magnus. The stories aren't true."

"But some stories have a hint of truth to it."

They stared at each other for a moment before Alec pat the warlock on the knee. "Come on. Let's go to bed. I'm starting to get a little tired."

"Finally," Magnus grumbled. "I thought you'd never come back. Your spot is all cold now."

"We can always warm it up."

"I suppose we could do that. But are you going to get up anymore tonight to read some more?"

Alec shook his head. "I'm done for the night. I can always continue where I left off another time."

Magnus smirked and slid a hand over Alec's back. "How we continue where we left off?"

Alec smirked. "There's no place like home."