Fading Scars: A Series of Malec One Shots

Heart of Roses

Alec didn't celebrate Valentine's Day. He didn't have a reason to, really. It was a day for couples to rub it in single people's faces that they have someone to dote on and buy expensive gifts for and the singles out there were left thinking they were forever alone and they were never going to be good enough for anyone.

At least that's how Alec once felt.

Magnus was a breath of fresh air that just breezed into his life and made his life easier to breathe in. That feeling of never being good enough was suddenly a thing of the past; Magnus made him feel like he was the only person in the world that existed and truly mattered. Of course, he wasn't used to feeling this way. It scared him at first. He didn't like the fact that Magnus was always there for him and encouraging him when he was so used to being put down. He half expected his parents to show up out of nowhere and tell him otherwise.

Now he had a reason to celebrate Valentine's. Seeing how it was their first one together as a couple, Alec wanted to make tonight special. He was cooking a nice meal (recipe provided by one of Isabelle's cookbooks) accompanied by gentle music and scented candles. The candles were tricky because he didn't know which scent Magnus would like the most so he ended up getting a nice vanilla scented one.

Magnus wasn't home yet. He'd gone out earlier that day to "help a friend move" which Alec knew really meant "I'm leaving the house so you can prepare your secret Valentine's Day dinner". Not that Alec minded the fact that Magnus knew what was going on. At least this way if things go wrong, it wouldn't have been a complete surprise and then maybe Magnus won't be as mad as what he could've been.

With all things considered, cooking was going quite well. Alec now had the chicken breasts inside the oven so they could get a crispy skin and he was working on the salad. A garden salad seemed like an appropriate choice so he chopped up some lettuce and other vegetables and prepared it inside a large bowl. Once that was done, he checked on the chicken. It had a beautiful, golden crisp to the skin but that didn't mean it was cooked through. He cut them open to see if they were cooked or raw. The meat wasn't pink. It was tender and moist to the touch.

He set both their plates on the table and put a silver cover over them to keep the heat inside (the salad remained on the counter. Warm salad wasn't good salad, in Alec's opinion). Magnus was expected to be home around 8, and it was getting close to that time.

Footsteps could be heard just outside the door. Magnus waltzed in with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, whistling a jolly tune. When he turned around and saw the candlelit dinner, he froze in place, a surprised expression on his face.

"Surprise," Alec smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Alec....this is lovely. Look at the candles! They smell fantastic! And the salad! What's under the cover?"

"Chicken breast," said Alec. "I was waiting for you to come home before I put the salad on our plates." He pulled out Magnus' chair for him. "Your seat, handsome sir."

Magnus blushed. "I love how I'm getting the full dining experience here. It feels like I'm at an actual restaurant."

Alec popped open a bottle of wine and poured some in Magnus' glass. "That's what I was aiming for. It's not cheesy, is it?"

Magnus shook his head with a smile. "I love it, Alec. I can tell that a lot of thought went into this and I appreciate every ounce of effort you put into tonight. Thank you."

It was Alec's turn blush as he put some salad on their plates. "Dig in. I know this might not be the fanciest meal you've ever had-"

"Alec. It's perfect. Don't beat yourself up over it. This meal looks delicious and I honestly can't wait for dessert."

Alec's face turned a deeper red. "I actually have something planned for dessert...."

Magnus, his wine glass raised halfway to his mouth, made a confused face. "Okay. What is it?"

"Can't tell you right now. Eat your dinner first."

"Yes mom," Magnus chuckled. He cut a piece of chicken off and put it in his mouth. Immediately, he was met with an abundance of flavours that seemed to be having a party on his tastebuds. "Oh wow. Alec. This is amazing. What spices did you use?"

"Uh....salt and pepper?" Alec shrugged sheepishly. "I stuck with something simple. If I made it more complicated then it needed to be, I would've ruined it completely. So I just stuck with simple spices."

Magnus took another bite. "Well I think it's tastes superb. The flavor is phenomenal. You should cook more often."

Alec blushed. "You and I both know how horrible I am in the kitchen."

"This meal begs to differ."

As the finished up, Alec put the dishes in the dishwasher (Magnus protested and said he could do them with magic but Alec put his foot down and said no) and quickly cleaned off both the table and countertop.

"So what's for dessert? Cake? Ice cream?" Magnus leaned back in his chair as Alec cleaned the kitchen area.

"Actually...." Alec dried his hands off in a towel. "Follow me. I'll show you."

Magnus got up and followed behind Alec, who oddly enough was leading him to the direction of their bedroom. "Alec....what's going on?"

Alec put a finger to his lips. "Patience. I'll show you."

Magnus snorted. "I'm over 400 years old, Alec. I'm the most patient person there is-"

He fell silent as Alec opened the bedroom doors. The room was lit with over a hundred candles, giving it a romantic glow as they flickered and burned. On the bed, Magnus could see rose petals on top of the sheets in the shape of a heart, making its way to the floor and stopping right where they stood in the doorway.

"There's petals in the bath too. Just need to fill it up with hot water later if you wanted...." Alec cleared his throat and ran a hand through his messy black hair. "So....do you like it?"

"Do I like it?" Magnus snorted. "Alexander, I love it. I love that you did this all for me without me even asking. No one's ever done something this nice for me before."

Alec blinked. "Really? Never?"

"Never. This is my idea of a perfect Valentine's Day. Coming home to a nice meal. Being led to the bedroom for a nice surprise. Spending it with you. I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Alec blushed as Magnus kissed him. "You're welcome. I didn't think you'd like all of this. Clearly I was wrong."

"Clearly. I don't know why you assumed I wouldn't. I mean....you won me over with the heart of roses," Magnus picked up a petal and smelled it. "You still never told me what dessert is."

At the mention of dessert, Alec's face turned from a blush to a mischievous smile. "Me."

Magnus almost choked on air. "What did you just say?"

"Dessert is me. I'm the dessert. That's if you really want it and still have room for it...."

Magnus felt like dying right there and then. Alec's voice had dropped to a low rumble and it sounded so sexy and seductive that if he did die right there, at least he'd die happy. "Wow. Wow. Okay. I always have room for dessert, Alexander."

Alec smirked. "Good. I knew you'd say that."