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In his Brooklyn loft, Magnus was staring at a toothbrush that did not belong to him. How had that happened? When did Alec bring it here? Are they back on track now? He studied it for a moment, then a gentle smile spread across his face. It was quite a pleasant discovery. When he turned to the other side, he saw his only towel. Alec departed early this morning for the Institute, yet his belongings remained.
Everything had happened so fast since their first date. So many things had been in the way, solving the immortality issue, and most of all, Magnus could not fully commit to Alec and confide in him about the events that had transformed him into the person he was now. But these issues were gone.
Now that Alec was acting head of the Institute, just until things calmed down a bit after the events with Sebastian, it seemed like he suddenly had more and more things to bring with him back.
Sure, Magnus often rearranged the loft to suit his mood. Sometimes he had glittering decorations that were grand and dazzling. Other times, he had ornate Victorian furniture, all very stylish, of course, because Magnus Bane could be no different. No one ever knew what they would see once they entered his loft. But since Alec was here, he had not moved things around so much. He did not feel that boredom, that need to be constantly moving, never to freeze in a place. That fear that if he stopped, he would grow old in his thinking, and the world around him would feel grey. But not anymore, Alec was his anchor in time, and he could afford a little stability.
It crossed his mind to check what Alec had already brought. As soon as Magnus finished a shower, he went straight to the bedroom in a soft satin bathrobe. There was a half-open drawer, so he went to it. When he looked inside, there were several worn-out sweaters, long since faded, but neatly folded and some other things. The drawer was full.
Alec owned the entire drawer now. He might not have had many clothes, but Magnus felt like he had to move everything he had in there. At least he remembered that his room at the Institute was not very full. As if Alec had been a proper soldier, not a young man of almost nineteen. Magnus found that rather sad, and he decided he had to fix it.
So, when Alec returned in the afternoon, he immediately came to greet him and kiss him. Alec looked like he had probably not only run up the stairs, but maybe even rushed the entire way because he was having a little trouble catching his breath.
"Welcome home," Magnus chirped as Alec entered the door, and Alec froze a little.
"Home...?" He watched Magnus for a moment, as if he was not sure he had heard correctly.
"Oh sure, you have moved most of your stuff here already. Or are you trying to tell me your wardrobe is bigger than mine?"
Alec shook his head. He looked around a little nervously, but it lit his eyes with excitement. Then Magnus leaned in a little and kissed him on the lips.
"I'll take that kind of welcome," Alec muttered, pulling Magnus closer to prolong and deepen the kiss.
But after a while, Magnus broke away, much to Alec's displeasure.
"Well, that's not all! We'll have to go shopping. You're missing a lot of things, maybe you need a mug just for you, you can choose different sheets, and how about a new sweater? You know I don't mind, but you could have a few that aren't that torn."
Magnus needed to make Alec feel at home.
Alec looked at Magnus for a moment, looking as if he was thinking hard about something, as usual. Then he just shrugged and nodded.
And so, they were in for a wild shopping spree. Magnus knew that Alec did not like when he was magically stealing things, which was why he had once bought a coffee maker, just for him. Now he was running around the home goods store frantically, putting things in his shopping basket. A mug, a towel, plates, then he stopped at the sheets and winked at his boyfriend flirtatiously.
"Hmmm… look at this blue one, you'd look great sprawled on this," Magnus said almost dreamily, and Alec smiled sheepishly. He was definitely not shy anymore, not when they were alone or among friends, but when they were among strangers, he was still a little uneasy.
But then Magnus started running around again, and Alec walked towards him with firm steps.
"Magnus! Magnus! Wait!"
Magnus stopped and looked at Alec in confusion.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
But Alec shook his head and looked into his eyes with concern.
"Why are you doing this? What's going on?"
Magnus looked away, studying a spot on the ground that suddenly interested him deeply.
"Well… I wanted you to feel at home, you know? After all, when your mother returns to her post, you won't be the head of the Institute anymore, and you can be with me almost all the time, okay?"
Alec sighed deeply and gently took his arm.
"But I don't need things. Things are not a home. You’re my home; I don't need anything else."
Magnus' breath caught. He stared at him for a moment, then a smile started to spread across his face.
"Alec, my Alec, you never cease to amaze me," he told him, leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I never realised that, so… shall we go home?"
"Yes, we're going home."