Overwhelmed [3] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter One

The morning was cold and dim, the touches of autumn beginning to creep into the stone of skyscrapers. Alec opened his eyes to find a heavy lump against his side, a snoring warlock tangled into the blankets. He blinked heavily as he committed to being alert for the day. He took a deep breath in and fought the urge to pull the comforter away from Magnus' grip – it was very tempting to snuggle back into the warmth they shared.

He reconsidered when he was met with an equally warm, buttery smell drifting through the air. He furrowed his brow and briefly wondered if he were still dreaming. The pale glimpses of sunlight that trickled into the room felt surreal, along with the comfort of Magnus' bed as it soothed his aching back. The cold air on his bare skin struck reality back into him as he pulled his arm away from the warlock, trying to shake the numbness of sleep from his wrist.

Magnus groaned softly at being disturbed and dug his face further into the blankets, his bed-tousled hair thrown up in spikes. He lost the battle with wakefulness when the bed dipped and shifted, peering up at Alec through slanted eyes. The Shadowhunter was in the midst of stretching out his shoulders before going on a hunt for his shirt from the night before.

"Morning," Magnus spoke into his sheets, shamelessly admiring the view; dimpled muscles pulled in the curl of runes on the man's pale skin. Alec crooked his neck to look at him and offered a fond smile and his own greeting. He turned back to the task at hand and perked up when he stepped on a bundle of black fabric. He grasped it quickly before remembering he hadn't been wearing black the night before. He blinked the sleep from his foggy gaze and realized it belonged to Andy, along with the jeans tossed haphazardly onto the floor beside the nightstand. His shirt was still nowhere to be seen.

"What is that smell?" Magnus drawled as the blankets shuffled. He took a long, exaggeratedly deep breath in through his nose.

"I don't know," Alec mumbled, though he was wondering the same thing himself. He couldn't quite place the savory sweetness that had taken over the morning. "Where's my jacket?" He tossed Andy's shirt to the side and resumed his search, rifling through the clutter that had accumulated around the room. He had been over quite a lot lately, to the point where there was a new toothbrush on the sink when he had shown up last weekend.

Magnus lifted his heavy head and raised an eyebrow, still lined darkly from the evening prior. "I wasn't exactly paying attention to where things went last night," he chuckled, watching the Shadowhunter search.

Alec ignored his obvious innuendo as he located the piece of clothing beside the armchair in the corner. He pulled it on and zipped it up, thankful to have a barrier between himself and the morning chill. Magnus soon realized he was going to be left alone in bed if he didn't get up and reluctantly conceded, reaching for one of the many silk kimonos he kept around his loft.

Opening the bedroom door made the smell much stronger and more intoxicating. The air was warmer as well, a pleasant greeting after embracing the bite of the day. They rounded the end of the hallway and were taken aback, both by the bright light cutting into the apartment and by the source of the now mouth-watering scent.

Andina was in the kitchen, hovering over the steel stove with a spatula balanced expertly in her left hand. Her dark hair was tied back lazily to reveal the faded iratze that currently stretched down her neck. She was in her underwear, thighs covered by the hem of Alec's missing shirt. On the counter beside her was a mixing bowl and a plate with a growing stack of pancakes.

The table beside the kitchen was set with plates and cups and silverware and food. A plate of bacon was on display next to four pitchers, a butter dish, and syrup. A bowl of fruit was lit up brilliantly by the sun, freshly washed and dazzling. Alec was impressed; she must have had a soundless rune on to pull all of this off without waking either of them.