Bittersweet Musings

A/N : so I believe it's safe to post this here now... (italics is flashbacks)

Everything had been going well.

Alec and Magnus had received a distress call from Simon and Raphael, not long after the two vampires had set out to gather information on the pack of werewolves repeatedly threatening to attack Luke.

Naturally, both Magnus and Alec had internally grumbled at the thought of cancelling movie night but grabbed their coats, their weapons and magic at their disposal within seconds. It had just been a regular battle, full of demons and dust – as well as the small addition of werewolves - with Alec and Magnus fighting beside one another, seraph blades and flames working together. It had just been their regular routine... until one of the werewolves' demons had managed to sneak up on them.

Neither Alec nor Magnus had noticed the surreptitious creature slowly inching towards across the battlefield, taking advantage of shadows and clouds. Just as Magnus had fired at the rogue werewolf heading towards Alec, said shadowhunter had briefly left the warlock's side to save Jace from what would have probably been certain death.

Of course, that was the pivotal moment.

As soon as Jace gratefully smiles through gritted teeth and a wave of relief washes over Alec, he hears something he'd rather not: Magnus' cry.

As much as he tries to stifle it, Magnus can't help crying out when the poisonous tip of the demon's tail pierces his skin. Alec watches in mute, frozen horror as more and more of the weaponised tail digs itself into his skin, until the sharp appendage has travelled all the way through his body. It may have been the blink of an eye for others, but for Alec, it's seconds full of eternities, all full of a pain he can't name.

He remembers the time he'd been worried about something piercing Magnus' skin...

"Alexander?" Magnus calls from their study, his voice quiet and yet the brightest one Alec's ever heard and ever will hear, he's sure of it.

"Yeah?"

"How do you feel about sushi?"

"What?"

"How do you feel about sushi?"

"Who's that?" Alec asks, then curses himself when he hears Magnus laugh.

"The food, love, the food."

Alec groans in embarrassment, giving up on his book and pulling himself to his feet, his eyes immediately drawn to Magnus' warm smile as he opens the study door, folding his arms. "Sushi's great, I guess."

"Great! Do you want candlelit or movie night?"

Alec frowns for a second, then realises what Magnus is asking and something inside of him – most likely his heart - melts. "You're making dinner?"

"There's nothing to say we can't have it for break-"

Before Magnus can finish his sassy remark, Alec walks forwards and presses their lips together as softly as he can, for only the briefest of milliseconds. As expected, Magnus blushes and smiles, holding his hands up in mock surrender as he goes silent.

"Movie night sounds great," Alec whispers, stepping back to go finish his book and let Magnus work on the spell his last client had asked for.

Unfortunately, he fails to see the little box behind him and crashes into it, sending the little needles showering down, a few of which land on Magnus. Most of them bounce off but one lands directly on his arm, piercing his flawless skin, and he flinches, pulling the sharp object out and rubbing his arm.