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Alexander doesn’t do it on purpose. Not the first time, or the second: not even after a dozen times. But then instinct becomes habit and Alexander continues.
So Magnus learns to watch as Alexander gets ready to leave and how he hesitates.
It doesn’t matter if Magnus is awake or sleeping, in the room or getting ready himself, but Alec will lingers.
Alexander will pace around the room and touches different items. He’ll straighten pictures and brush his fingers over specific items, and no matter how often he does it, Magnus still hasn’t figured out why.
And then Alexander wallows, feet pausing by Magnus’ vanity and his fingers petting over the various trinkets there.
He sorts Magnus’ makeup brushes, and stacks whatever eyeshadow has been left out. Sometimes he even sharpens Magnus’ eyeliner, as if his magic doesn’t do it for him.
And then he hovers over the jewelry. Lifting pieces out and putting them back in and sometimes he takes nothing and other times Magnus hides a smile as Alexander pockets a piece of jewelry.
Magnus knows it will be returned the next time Alexander is back, as if it has never left. And something else will be gone in it’s place, little tokens Alexander takes of Magnus.
It takes time. But slowly instead of pocketing the jewelry, Alexander wears it instead.
Magnus remembers the first time he notices, and truly, since he pays such ardent attention to Alexander, he thinks it must be the first time at all.
It’s a bracelet.
A hand carved wooden bracelet that Ragnor made for him. Polished to perfection and carved with little verses of good fortune and demonic sigils and it's resting on his boy's wrist for all to see, should they care to look.
It peeks out of Alexander’s shirt sleeve and Magnus wants to leave a mark on Alec’s wrist, so that he’ll have two reminders of Magnus.
When they smile at each other across the meeting table of leaders that night, somehow, it’s even softer, but deeper.
It starts to happen more frequently, though Alexander doesn't always wear such visible accessories.
Or at least that's what Magnus thinks until he enters the Institute on a priority call.
Alexander is standing shirtless in the command center and he's already handing off the mangled and dirty shreds of a shirt to a subordinate while another hands him a sleeveless, leather vest. There is a wound healing on his chest and a still raw, newly drawn iratze on his hip.
Somehow, he's still the most beautiful and powerful looking figure in the entire command center and it's clear Alexander's shadowhunters agree.
One of Magnus platinum arm cuffs is snugly curled around Alexander’s bicep. It fits there, as tight as a lovers grip and defines the muscles even more when Alexander moves and he makes no move to remove or hide it.
Magnus licks his lips and tries not to focus on the long silver chain looped around Alexander’s neck, or the pendant tucked into the curl of his chest hair.
Magnus suddenly wants.
In a way that he’s very unused to.
It's nearly overwhelming and it takes everything he has not to fuck Alexander against the main console of the mission room. Instead he tucks himself close, letting his fingers dip into the sliver of space between vest and pants and greedily pets warm skin.
This is a temptation Magnus can no longer bear and he promises himself that the next time before Alexander leaves, Magnus will drapes Alexander in marks and jewelry himself, and then admire the art he’s made later.