lewispandawrites

[lewispandawrites]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandoms: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)

Relationship: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth

Characters: Brienne of Tarth, Jaime Lannister, Addam Marbrand, Robb Stark, Pia (ASoIaF), Josmyn "Peck" Peckledon, Jon Snow, Podrick Payne

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Smoking, Drinking, Snow, Fluff, Overworking, Brienne is Oblivious, audio porn verse, sharing a cigarette, 

Language: English

Series: ← Previous Work Part 3 of the Unexpected series

[lewispandawrites]

Prompt for your "Valkyrie".AU. Brienne has a seat in the back of a conference room. Jaime is giving a presentation with a crap ton of power point slides. So, she gets to listen to him talking about "market penetration" and stuff for a while...

Only after writing it did I realise it didn't fit the setting you requested perfectly but I still hope you'll enjoy it!

Also on ao3.

The fic under the cut.

This was bad. This was very bad, not good at all.

Why had Brynden Tully and Arthur Dayne had to decide on a merger? 

Brienne, as a member of Tully’s team, was sitting now in the conference room, as far away from Mr Jaime Lannister, also known as GoldenLion, as she could. Thankfully, he was the most important member of Dayne’s team, so he sat directly opposite from Catelyn. Who was two persons away from Brienne.

At first, she tried to reason with herself. Why on Earth would Mr Jaime Lannister record audio porn? Surely, he had more important things to do and an array of other forms of entertainment. He could play golf, cricket, purchase sports cars, do anything more fitting to his position. But over the recent weeks she had become very well acquainted with GoldenLion’s voice, and it had to be him. GoldenLion had a great recording equipment (now Brienne knew exactly how he had been able to afford it) and the smooth voice that carried across the table could only be his.

Brienne thought she was doing quite alright. Even more than quite alright. She had mastered a completely blank face years before and she was putting that skill to a good use now. She was also sitting completely still in her seat, save for an occasional note written on her stack of files. No one seemed to be the wiser to her avoiding looking directly at Mr Lannister, let alone what she had been up to last night.

The worst thing was, not looking at him didn’t exactly help. GoldenLion had recorded a very, very good office fantasy, and back then Brienne had been foolish enough to imagine it taking place in this conference room  - where she had barely spent time and wouldn’t be distracted by the memories of it. Or blush every time she entered. But now she was sitting in the very same room with GoldenLion’s voice washing over her in person.

“You know well, Mrs Stark, that both Mr Blackfish and Mr Dayne have been considering external growth and since they know each other well, they decided a merger would be the best option.” Jaime’s voice brought her back from her inner battles and Brienne wished it hadn’t. She almost chuckled at the ‘external growth’.

“Hostile takeovers are also an option,” Catelyn replied. It was no surprise to anyone that she wasn't exactly favouring her uncle’s plans but her hands were tied. She was only here to represent him. 

“But coming together is a more pleasurable option.” Brienne could swear Mr Lannister purred those words, and judging by Jon’s sudden cough, she wasn’t mistaken.

“You seem to be taking pleasure in it,” he purred as her mouth pulled off of his cock, a line of saliva connecting the head to her mouth. His fingers were tangled in her hair and his stump raised her chin so she would be looking at him.

Brienne looked down to doodle a tree in her notebook.

“But takeovers are more common. We’ll have to prepare for being scrutinized.” Robb chimed in, trying to earn his five minutes in the spotlight.

“You seem to like this pair,” he said, hooking his finger into her panties. The sight of him, kneeling at her feet, had her mewling. His lips were so close to her sex that she felt every word he uttered. “I like them as well. You made all those beautiful sounds when I lick you through them.” Just to drive the point across, his tongue drew a line from her opening to her clit, his mouth very familiar with the shape of her. “But they do keep me from tasting you. Don’t you think we should rectify that?”

“With businesses of the same size, mergers run more smoothly,” Mr Lannister added to a point Mr Marbrand had made.

When they had been standing together before, she couldn’t help but think how he was almost as tall as her, a rare thing. Not only did Brienne usually tower over everyone with her 6’3” - she had been working exclusively with the Starks and Jon for much too long to remember what it was like to be around someone her own height.

But it didn’t matter, when he drove into her from behind as her torso was flat on the table. Or maybe it made all the difference, because his lips attached themselves to the nape of her neck, the languid kisses a stark contrast to the harsh snap of his hips. 

“Sweetling.” His breath tickled her skin. His fingers were working her clit mercilessly, rubbing her through her second orgasm. “That’s it. You’re such a good girl. One more, for me. Pretty please.”

Her walls clenched around nothing and this time she had to shift in her seat, regretting all the more her wandering thoughts when she felt the slick between her folds.

“We need more details on your market penetration strategy,” Catelyn asked, looking through the files already presented to them.

Brienne made the mistake of looking at Mr Lannister in that moment. His eyes were staring right at her, pinning her in place and making her feel like a deer caught in the headlines. He was in her yesterday, but also wasn’t. There was no logical way he could know, yet he kept looking at her, his eyes leaving hers to trace down her face and neck.

“Of course. But could I ask for a five minute break?” he asked, looking back at Catelyn. “This merger will take weeks anyway.”

“Yes. I think a break would do us good,” Catelyn agreed and Brienne heard Jon’s relieved sigh. They had been sitting there for much too long.

“Could we also open the window?” Jaime asked, standing up. The others followed him, with Jon even going as far as trying to discreetly stretch his legs while standing. Mrs Peckledon giggled at his antics and he blushed then shrugged. 

“I’m afraid not but I could ask someone to change the AC settings,” Robb replied.

Mr Marbrand stretched his arms above his head and asked Pia if she wanted anything to eat. “But it’s only five minutes. Four now,” she replied, anxious, and Brienne felt for her. She had been in her place. Maybe they could get a drink, once it was over. She wasn’t vain enough to think she could mentor her, as Catelyn had done for her, but sometimes talking about things made a difference.

“We’ll start again in fifteen minutes,” Catelyn told Mrs Peckledon then glanced at Addam to confirm this. 

“I might be running to mine after work, just to get some feeling back into my legs. Do you want something?” Jon asked.

“No, I’m alright,” Brienne replied then watched him go. And she was alright, or at least much, much better than she had been a moment ago. She needed to focus and not let her mind wander again, not in that direction. There was no way she would ever listen to his recordings again, she thought sadly. It would not only feel inappropriate but also extremely awkward, and might mess up with her work. She would have to make do with others, or maybe find someone new. It would do her sex life good, broadening her horizons. She should also make a trip to the bathroom before the break was over, because the slight slickness was making everything awkward.

“Hi. You look much better already.”

She hadn’t heard him move, too deep into her thoughts again, so she almost strained the muscles in her neck as her head snapped to look at him. He was standing next to her with a cup of water in his hand - a cup that was then brought closer to her. “Would you like some water?”

“Thank you,” Brienne replied, not knowing what else to do, and accepted the cup with a nod. “Mr Lannister,” she added quickly.

“Please, call me Jaime.” Of course, they had already introduced themselves before the meeting, and he had called her Brienne. Oh, she was making it even more awkward. “I wanted to check if you were okay. Forgive me for being so forward but you looked very flushed from across the room,” he explained awkwardly, shifting from one leg to another. “And forgive me for assuming-”

“No, it’s alright. Thank you. I’m much better now,” she cut in, thankful that he seemed as awkward as she was. Yet when he shot her a very charming, grateful smile, she began to question that assessment. 

“You made a really good point, about the name. I’ve been trying to bring it up with Arthur for a while now but he thinks it’s not important,” he started again after a moment of silence. Her traitorous brain was telling her he was trying to keep conversation going but she quickly shot it down. They were the only two people in the room now, so he was probably just trying to be polite and not really interested in her. Or he was trying to dig some info.

“Thank you,” she said, again. Then berated herself for it. “I hope this will go smoothly,” Brienne added, wanting to contribute more to their conversation.

Jaime replied with a grin. “Those things never do but I do believe a merge between those two will be the most pleasant one in history. I’m actually surprised why it didn’t happen sooner. But, maybe it was meant that way,” he added, not taking his eyes from her. 

[lewispandawrites]

hiii j/b fandom!

I was hoping that someone could help me with being a beta for my fic. Although english is my first language and while I enjoy writing, I do struggle and would appreciate someone helping out by looking over it and making sure that spelling/grammar/punctuation/tenses is all good. I would be forever grateful!

The fic is really angsty at the moment, and the first chapter is up on ao3.

Short summary of the fic:

It’s a modern AU and rated M for now. Brienne and Jaime dated, but Tywin and Cersei split them up due to family politics. Each chapter is based on them meeting each year where both of their partners agree that they can spend one night a year together. I know it’s super angsty, but it will have a happy ending, I promise.

If you’d like to do it, please send me a message. <3

[lewispandawrites]

Summary:

Whenever Brienne wants to spice up her sex life, she listens to audio porn recorded by a mysterious GoldenLion. After a long and tiring day at work, she comes home to a nice surprise.

[lewispandawrites]

‘Сause you are loved

Joanna Lannister, now four months old, is the center of her parents' world. All the sleepless nights, odd eating hours and not seeing case files for weeks to no end seems worth it whenever she smiles at them. Both phones are filled with countless pictures of their little daughter and the chats with family and friends are swarmed with updates on what she has been up to. But even with all the love for her daughter - or rather, because she loves her so much - Brienne worries that she's not enough.

On ao3.

[lewispandawrites]

Home

“Someone forgot about the liquidated damages in their contract draft. What a fucking moron!” Jaime’s soft voice was followed by a giggle then some babbling. “Yes, Jo, I agree. It’s a good thing you are reading it over.”

------

Brienne comes back home after a night out with her friends.

Also on ao3.

Brienne stepped out of her heels before opening the front door quietly, shoes in hand. It was after 10 pm so she fully expected her daughter to be asleep by now; her husband was probably stretched out with his case files in the living room, the baby monitor placed on the coffee table. Even before their office had been turned into a nursery, Jaime had preferred to work in the living room - he claimed it had more space to spread out all his notes. Brienne suspected it also had something to do with her liking to work in silence, while Jaime often read certain passages out loud. He knew it irked her, even if she rarely said a word.

“Someone forgot about the liquidated damages in their contract draft. What a fucking moron!” Jaime’s soft voice was followed by a giggle then some babbling. “Yes, Jo, I agree. It’s a good thing you are reading it over.”

Brienne left her heels and her coat in the entrance hall before joining her family.

“Are you reading her your paperwork again? And teaching her how to swear?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, entering the room. Jo squirmed in Jaime’s lap but he held her securely so she wouldn’t fall. 

Ever since Joanna had been born, Jaime held her as often as he could. He would rock her in his arms until she stopped fussing; he would raise her up to show her flowers, trees and any knick knack her grabby hands could reach; he would fall asleep with her on his chest and her tiny fist curled around a handful of his shirt, a blanket wrapped around both of them. One night, when they had been already in bed, Brienne had asked about it. He had told her how he had never believed he could have this - the most amazing wife and the most wonderful daughter; how sometimes he had woken in the middle of the night, thinking it was just a dream, only to hear her breathe next to him. How holding Jo and feeling her warmth against his chest assured him that she was real and she was his. That they were a family.

“And look who’s here! It’s mommy!” Jaime completely ignored her comment and tilted his head for a hello kiss, before handing the baby to Brienne. “We missed you, so we thought we could entertain ourselves with this contract. Whoever wrote it had no fucking idea what they were doing.”

The lights in the room were dim so only when she was up close could Brienne tell the girl was tired, all the squirming and giggling aside. “I missed you, too.” She leaned in to kiss Joanna’s head and the baby grabbed a fistful of her hair in return.

“No, Jo. We’re not doing that.” Jaime stood up to untangle her tiny fist from his wife’s curls. “Let me get her to sleep.”

Brienne was about to protest but his raised eyebrow effectively silenced her. “It’s your night off, Brie. I’ll put her in her crib and make sure she’s asleep while you enjoy the rest of your evening. I know you love Sansa and Margaery but I also know those two can tire you out.”

Brienne handed him Jo back with a grateful smile. “Thank you.” She kissed her head once again before plopping backwards on the couch. “I may be getting too old for this. The noisy bars are beginning to irritate me after a few hours.” Her hands went to the hem of her pants to untuck her shirt, then slid under the fabric to unfasten her bra. She leaned back with a happy sigh, the lace no longer cutting into her sides. “I’m sinking into those cushions. Come and save me if I fall asleep.”

Her husband chuckled quietly in reply. “I promise to be your knight in shining armour and save your old back from sleeping on the couch. Although, you know it is a very comfy piece of furniture.” It had been a witness of countless naps, when either of them was trying to get some shut-eye whenever they could in-between Jo crying herself through another colic; it had also been there when they were too lazy to move to bed after having sex outside of bedroom.

“Thank you,” she replied then closed her eyes. Jaime’s steps echoed down the hallway until the door to the nursery shut with a soft click. Brienne wanted to rearrange herself so she could stretch her legs on the couch, but she also knew that she would surely fall asleep were that happen, so she only tilted her head to block most of the light. The spot Jaime had occupied moments ago was still warm and smelled faintly of his cologne and Brienne breathed it in, smiling at the familiar scent. It mixed with the patchouli candles they kept on the coffee table, and she let out another happy sigh after exhaling. She could stay there forever, warm and surrounded by wonderful scents. Jaime could join her, his weight on her always a welcomed addition. Maybe another night on the couch wasn’t such a bad idea?

But she should take off her makeup and change into something more comfortable - at least fully discard the bra that now shifted under her shirt and uncovered one of her breasts. With a heavy heart she opened her eyes and counted to three, then stood up and made her way to the ensuite bathroom, taking her bra off along the way.

Her pyjama was already waiting for her on the edge of the tub, neatly folded. When she had been younger Brienne had preferred old t-shirts and cotton bottoms to sleep in, but with age she had grown to appreciate silk with a lace trim. At least Jaime’s preference hadn’t changed, he ‘preferred her’, no matter what she wore. It would never stop amazing her to see how his eyes traveled up and down her body, whether she was wearing fancy lingerie or a knitted sweater with holes in it. He seemed to see something in her that no one else seemed to see, herself included.

First, Brienne opened the drawer and took out a hair tie to create a bun. She didn’t understand the fascination with ‘messy buns’ - all her buns were messy, she didn’t even have to try. It was a perk of having unruly, frizzy hair. 

After she made sure no stray curls would get in her way, Brienne started to clean her face. Developing a skincare routine has been a gradual process - and even in her thirties Brienne couldn’t state that hers was perfect. She had done a little bit of research while at college, when she had first had started to care for her face, but the sheer amount of information - and opinions - had almost overwhelmed her. It was only after she had become friends with Margaery and Sansa that her routine started to have some shape to it. The girls, testing countless new cosmetics each month, always picked the products for Brienne, or sent her things to try out. Without them she would probably still be using the same soap she had used at the age of twelve. They knew what her skin needed and what Brienne needed - which was to not have to spend 30 minutes in the bathroom each morning and evening on taking care of her face alone. 

Once her face was clean, she moved to her teeth. She would still have to apply a few more products to her face - fortunately not too many - before being able to rest.

She was almost done when Jaime entered the bathroom.

“Jo went out like a light when I started to sing to her. I think she was just waiting for you to be home.” He picked up her pyjama and took its place on the tub. “Or my singing skills are that bad and she preferred being unconscious to listening to me.”

Brienne snorted and turned around to look at her husband. He still had his reading glasses on; the thin, round ones that made him look like a college professor. It added warmth to his image, even if Brienne prefered to look at his eyes without any barrier separating them. The frames might be thin, but they still concealed some of his crow’s feet - which might be the one feature of aging that Brienne enjoyed on her husband the most.

She walked up to him and took off his glasses, then ran her thumb over the lines she loved so much. Jaime closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, exhaling happily against her palm. His warm breath tickled her skin. “I will never not be bewildered by how my wife finds beauty in the most unusual things.” He commented, opening his eyes to look up at her.

“It’s a privilege to see you grow old beside me. To see time pass and still have you by my side, even if sometimes it’s hard to believe you chose me in the first place,” she replied, quietly.

Jaime only had to wrap his stump around her middle and pull her towards him to be able to bury his face in her stomach. In return, Brienne tangled her free hand in his hair and held him close. They stayed like that, breathing quietly, for what felt like hours, before he planted a single kiss against the fabric of her blouse and let her go.

“I think those are yours.” Jaime handed the silky pyjamas back to his wife, then cleared his throat. She took them from him and waited patiently for him to leave the bathroom. “What?” he asked, looking up at her with a boyish smirk. “There’s nothing I haven’t already seen.” 

“Get out, you smug bastard,” Brienne couldn’t help but laugh as Jaime winked at her, but stood up without her having to drag him up. “Get changed so we can finally sleep.”

“Did you mean - get undressed so we can finally…” he didn’t get to finish because Brienne covered his mouth with her hand then guided him backwards and out of the door. 

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she promised before closing the door.

Just as Brienne had said, not a minute had passed before she joined Jaime under the covers.

“Hi,” he whispered then rolled onto his side to face her.

“Hello,” she whispered back and reached for his stump to caress the skin of his wrist. Jaime had used to wear a prosthetic that chafed his skin, but a few years back he had decided to ditch it and not wear anything at all - he used to feel ashamed by having lost a hand but now he proudly proved everyone and anyone that being crippled didn’t turn him into someone useless. Yes, life was definitely harder but he was still the same old Jaime - the same Lannister Lion who was both feared and loved in court.

“Did you have fun tonight?” his breath ghosted against her lips as he asked that.

“I did. But I could have a little bit more,” Brienne replied then closed the gap between them, kissing Jaime softly. On autopilot, his left hand traveled down her back to stop at her hip, so his thumb could brush against the sliver of skin revealed by her top. It never failed to make her shiver.

This time, though, another urge became much stronger. Brienne broke the kiss just in time to cover her mouth and yawn loudly. Jaime buried his face in her shoulder, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

“So sorry,” she apologised, blushing furiously. “The night out may have worn me down.”

Jaime kissed her skin then drew back to look at her face. “Let’s go to sleep. My pride would never survive you falling asleep on my cock.” Despite still feeling embarrassed, Brienne snorted at his words.

“Maybe tomorrow,” she said and snuggled closer to him. “So your pride stays intact.”

“Maybe tomorrow.” He tucked the covers over them then wrapped her in his arms.

[lewispandawrites]

Looking for a beta

Hi! I’m writing my first fic in the Braime/GoT fandom and am looking for a beta.

It’s a sci-fi au, where both of them train to become generals - then become generals, and a huge war breaks. And they end up on the opposite sides of the conflict.

The main focus, though, is not the war/separation itself. The fic goes from them meeting at the academy (and being enemies), to learning to respect the other, then becoming best friends. They graduate, fall in love, and are separated by a conflict that splits their galaxy in half. Then, there’s a time jump to when they meet again, so the fic stays (mostly) fluffy-ish.

Some excerpts from the fic:

“So, what are you doing here?” someone asked before plopping down in the seat opposite her. She raised her head just to see a pair of green eyes staring expectantly at her, waiting for an answer. 

“Uh,” Brienne started, not knowing what to say. The man sitting opposite her smirked at the lack of reply. He was clearly older than her, the darker shade of his uniform giving away that he had spent more years at the Academy.

“Ah, another one of those. I wonder if you are going to last one year,” he said then began to stand up.

Something in Brienne snapped at his rudeness.

“If someone who cannot form a clear question managed to stay for as many years as you did, I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine.” She stared right into his eyes, barely blinking as he sat back down.

“I almost graduated early but they weren’t ready to make an exception, not yet. Those old pricks.” Brienne snorted into her own drink. “But they will with you, you’ll see.” This time she rolled her eyes. “Aye, Tarth! I need my second in command!” 

“I will not be your second in command. You will be mine.”

I only have 8-10% of the fic written for now, but I already have the whole thing planned.

The rating will probably be circling around M - mostly due to all the awfulness of the war + talking about sex. I’m not sure yet whether there will be an actual sex scene. If anyone is interested but would like to know the triggers/plot first, let me know!

[lewispandawrites]

Christmas cookies

Jaia, 2411 words, T rated

Huge thanks to my beta - @wewalkadifferentpath <3

It was barely after 5pm, when Maia got home. It had been an eventful day at the Youth Centre where she worked, so she felt as if she had been on her feet for 20 hours, instead of 8. Christmas was a tense period for the kids from dysfunctioning families who went there, so her service as a psychologist was needed more during that time. She just wished she could help all of them, but her abilities were limited. Were it not for Luke, who had ordered her to go home, she would probably have stayed at work until the late hours of the night.

Once she opened the door, she was greeted with the smell of freshly-baked cookies and the sounds of laughter and christmas songs. She smiled, taking off her coat and hat, then followed the music.

“Mmm. And what is that smell?” Maia said over the tune of ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’.

“Mommy!” an excited voice shouted, then two tiny arms wrapped around her middle. The woman chuckled, petting her daughter’s hair, then looked at her younger child, who was wiggling in Jace’s grasp.

“Zoe! Let go of mom, your hands are dirty,” Jace chastened, while trying to keep Aisha firmly in place.

“It’s okay. Those clothes need to be washed anyway,” Maia replied, and only then did Jace put Aisha down on the floor so the girl could run up to join the hug.

“We made gingerbread cookies!” Zoe proudly announced, looking up at her mom. Her own clothes were protected by a linen apron, that stated ‘best cook in the universe.’ Aisha, on the other hand, was clinging to Maia’s pants, and jumping excitedly up and down, singing along to the song. The words were barely understandable, since she was a little breathless from all the jumping, but she was having fun anyway. Her own apron had ‘unicorns are real’ embroidered at the front, and was a present from granny Maryse.

“So soon? We may eat all of them before Christmas.” Maia looked at Jace in a silent question. She was glad the girls had so much fun, but it was indeed a little bit too early for doing any Christmas preparations.

“Not too early. Cookies are good all year,” Aisha chimed in, then licked the rest of the icing from her tiny hand - most of it had already been transferred to Maia’s shirt.

“Girls. Why don’t you wash your hands, then find another Christmas playlist? This one doesn’t have Ariana Grande on it,” Jace suggested.

Aisha immediately bolted towards the bathroom. Both of her parents knew that she would only wipe her dirty hands on the towel, skipping the washing part altogether, but it was a still a small victory - at least there would be no red or green icing on the keyboard.

“Wait!” Zoe called after her sister, running after her.

Once they were out of earshot, Jace turned to his wife to finally answer her question. “Aisha’s class was baking gingerbread cookies today.” Maia already knew where it was going, and her tiredness came back with a renewed force. “I told her teacher that I could bring carob, so she can enjoy some cookies with her classmates, but her teacher thought it would be ‘too much fuss.’” Jace huffed angilly, while arranging the already decorated cookies on the tray.

He looked up and saw anger and resignation battle on Maia’s face. “Hey.” He wiped his hands clean on the kitchen towel, then walked to her to embrace her from behind, careful not to dirty her clothes even more. “We made more than enough cookies to last us through the whole month. The kind of cookies that you can enjoy.” Both Maia and Aisha were allergic to cocoa, so the family used carob in their recipes instead - it was a safe substitute for the brown powder. But, clearly, baking a few cookies without cocoa had been too much to ask from the school. “And I can always go there again and make a scene. I didn’t want to make one with her present, or take her back home for the day. She was excited to bake with her classmates and she is a smart girl - just like her mom.” He emphasised the statement by kissing Maia’s cheek, and she couldn’t help but smile. “I knew she wouldn’t try to eat them.”

“There’s no need for a scene. But I will have a conversation with her teacher next time I’m at school,” Maia replied, then turned around in Jace’s arms. “Hey.”

“Hello.” He leaned in to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by the shriek coming from the living room. Jace buried his face in Maia’s neck with a smile, while she chuckled.

“That’s what your day is like, when you have kids,” she told him, then pushed him back gently. “Go check what happened and I’ll get changed. Did you leave me some cookies to decorate?”

“Some? Honey, we still have 50 cookies to go through.” Her eyes widened as he showed her the amount of cookies that were on the various plates on the counter.

With a smile, Jace went to check on the girls, who, apparently, had decided to have a throwing contest. Aisha was climbing on a chair, clutching her plushie bunny, while Zoe was measuring the distance between the chair and her own plushie using her steps.

“You are cheating!” Aisha shouted while giggling. “You are making smaller steps!”

“I’m not!” Zoe yelled back.

“Girls.” Jace picked up Aisha before she could stand on the chair again. “You were supposed to pick a playlist, not try to break something.” The little girl giggled again, while her sister crossed her arms.

“We won’t break anything. We’re throwing soft objects, and all the glass things are in other direction.”

“We won’t!” Aisha agreed loudly, then threw the bunny-bun in a random direction, barely missing the lamp.

“Alright, enough of that,” Jace told them. Before any of the girls could object, he motioned towards the kitchen. “Don’t you want to decorate cookies with mom?”

Aisha squeaked in delight, clasping her hands around her dad’s neck tightly, while Zoe reluctantly followed them to the kitchen. Jace felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, so he put Aisha down on the kitchen stool, then checked his texts.

“Anything interesting in there?” Maia asked him, while eyeing Zoe pour sticky green icing over a few cookies, unsupervised. Her husband seemed to be completely elsewhere, while their kitchen turned into a warzone.

“What?” He glanced up from his phone, just in time to see Zoe drop a huge dollop of icing on the counter. “Shook.” He pocketed his phone quickly, then reached for a rag. “The icing should go on the cookies, Zo.”

Maia watched in amusement as her husband and her eldest daughter had a silent staring contest, the little girl still mad that her dad interrupter her fun. All that time, Aisha was drawing eyes and buttons on the gingerbread men, and singing under her breath.

“Stop you both, or no one will get presents this year.” Maia was met with three sets of eyes, one amused and two pleading. Aisha was the one being amused; Jace might be in his 30’s, but he still enjoyed the thrill of unpacking gifts on the Christmas morning, and a threat of not getting to do so was a serious one in his book .

“So.” He glanced down, slightly embarrassed that he had gotten into a staring contest with his kid. “Grandpa Luke has texted me. He and granny Maryse want to take kids out tomorrow, then keep them for the night.”

Out of the corner of his eye Jace could see Aisha getting ready to jump high in joy, so he wrapped his arms around her waist, to ensure that she would land on the stool safely. Zoe’s eyes were shining, the short feud with her dad already forgotten.

“Wow. He didn’t tell me anything at work today,” Maia replied, joining them by the kitchen isle. She reached for a plate full of cookies and a confectionery sleeve, filled up with yellow icing.

Luke was Jace’s adoptive dad, and all three of them had met in the Youth Centre years ago, where Luke had been working. She had been one of the kids who had gone there to escape their families, and then had stayed to work there, inspired by Luke and his heart of gold.

“Maybe it is their Christmas surprise for us, Magnus, and Alec. Baby Max will also be there.” Jace replied, and Maia’s face softened.

“Awww. He is such a cute baby. His eyes are sooooo blue.” Maia slobbered over the little boy. “And he is already sleeping through the whole night. I have no idea how Magnus and Alec managed to find him.”

“Uncle Magnus is a warlock,” Aisha said from her place by the kitchen isle. “He showed us magic tricks last week. And Maxie was helping him.”

“That explains a lot,” Jace replied, amused. “Hey, Zo.” The girl turned towards him. “Wanna finish my cookie? I think pink and purple would go great together.” He showed the girl a huge gingerbread heart, already done in pink icing by him, and she nodded eagerly.

“Those cookies are really good.” Maia commented, after biting into one. She hadn’t eaten anything since early lunch, and was now growing hungry. Jace’s eyes landed on her, concerned, and she tried to brush off his worry. But he knew her too well.

“How about the three of you finish decorating, while I make dinner?” he suggested, putting down his confectionery sleeve. The three girls nodded, so he went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

“Mom, look!” Aisha held up her cookie proudly, her tiny hand messing up the icing work. A cookie in a shape of a dinosaur was covered in a checkered pattern of white and silver lines, decorated with pale pink sugar pearls.

“It’s a beautiful cookie,” Maia praised her daughter, and the girl beamed.

“Can I add pearls to your cookies?” The youngest girl asked, pointing out to a plate of gingerbread snowmen, decorated by her mother.

“Of course,” Maia replied, then glanced at Zoe’s workstation. “Those little hearts are very pretty. We could gift some to granny and grandpa.” The girl smiled, then nodded, and started to pick out the most beautiful cookies for her grandparents.

Jace made it back to the kitchen, just in time for ‘Last Christmas’ to come through the speakers. “Daaaaaad,” the girls pleaded, and Jace rolled his eyes, already knowing what they wanted of him.

“I’m only doing it one last time,” he warned them with a smile, then quickly grabbed for a rolling pin and started to sing. “Laaast Christmas, I gave you my heart. But the very next - Aisha, stop jumping - it away.”

Maia laughed, as she saw her husband wipe the invisible tears from his eyes, then reach for a heart-shaped cookie and hand it to Aisha. He then put the rolling pin down, picked up Zoe and twirled her around, while she giggled.

“Once bitten, and twice shyyyyyyy.” Jace dramatically bent over the only clean surface on the kitchen island, lamenting loudly with the singer. When ‘but you still catch my eye’ line came up, he glanced at his wife, and sent her a wink, which made her shake her head in return.

Both girls shouted “Merry Christmas!” when the line came on, as their father walked around the kitchen, dancing and singing to the song. He stopped next to Maia, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“”I love you,” I meant it. Nooowwww, I know what a fooool I’ve been. But if you kiss me now…” Maia didn’t even let him finish - she tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. Zoe’s ‘ewww’ could be heard over the lyrics, but the two adults only smiled into their kiss.

“Thank you all for listening to my amazing performance!” Jace bowed down, after breaking the kiss, then pecked Maia’s lips again, before going to the fridge to fetch some ingredients for dinner.

-------------------------------------

Long after the girls had gone to sleep, Maia and Jace found themselves cuddling on the couch, two empty mugs left on the coffee table. They didn’t have the christmas tree yet, so they took out one set of christmas lights and drapped it over the tv, to create the mood.

Jace was slowly dozing off - the soft lights, the weight of his wife against his chest and the warmth of the blanket wrapped around them lulling him to sleep. His stomach was full of delicious veggie couscous and hot chocolate, that he and Maia had finished a few minutes ago.

“I don’t think leaving the kids with Maryse and Luke is a good idea,” Maia spoke softly, and Jace pried his eyes open, trying to make sense of her words.

“Uhm?” he hummed quietly, careful to not wake up the girls.

“Remember the last time we were left alone, unsupervised? The Bali vacation?” she continued, with a small smile.

“That was 6 years ago. And we behaved nicely - we just had a head start on our second baby,” Jace replied, the corners of his mouth quirking up at the memory.

“Yes. A head start 2 weeks before we’d even started to consider when to have our second baby.” Alec liked to tease them that it was their fault that Aisha was such an energetic child - how could she not be, if she had been conceived during an exotic vacation, where Jace had broken his arm. “I’m afraid we may eat all the cookies while the girls are gone. You have really outdone yourself with them this year.”

Jace looked down at his wife. “If that’s the case, then we will have enough time to bake a new batch. And the girls won’t mind decorating again. We could have them for every meal tomorrow,” he replied, then wrapped his arms tighter around Maia. “I propose that we start celebrating our off day by falling asleep here, just like we did all those years ago.” He was referring to their first Christmas spent together in their first apartment, where they only had a couch - no bed - and a tiny tree, decorated with the cheapest set of lights.

“I knew there was a reason why I married you,” Maia said, then closed her eyes.

[lewispandawrites]

An important conversation

Simon feels nervous about inviting his girlfriend and boyfriend to spend Hanukkah with him and his family.

[lewispandawrites]

To Those Who Leave Kudos

I want you to know that there are many days when that kudos email from AO3 is the highlight of my day. 

[lewispandawrites]

Hello! It’s your friendly neighbourhood Jewish Shadowhunters blog, reminding you that the Hanukkah event is coming!

What is the Hanukkah Event?

the Hanukkah Event is a content-creating event by Jewish Shadowhunters. The goal is to promote understanding and learning of Jewish traditions, and a Jewish holiday.

You do NOT have to be Jewish to participate! It’s open to anyone willing to learn and represent Simon and the Lewis’ religion in their content!

How Do I Participate?

Create any kind of Shadowhunters content involving one or several Jewish characters, and the theme of “Hanukkah”

Submit it to our blog/the AO3 collection before December 7th 2018 (it used to be November 29th, so now you have more time), so it can be posted between December 2nd and December 10th.

But what if you don’t find time to create anything untill then? Do not worry! You can create stuff up untill December 28th - but, please, contact us first if you want to post things after December 10th.

You can add to the AO3 collection by adding “JSHHanukkah2018” in the “Post to Collection” field

What if I have no idea what to create?

Jewishshadowhunters created a list of prompts, that you can use (but using them is not mandatory):

Hanukkah Feast

Gifts (remember - this is Hanukkah, not Christmas!)

Interfaith celebration

Food

Still unsure or have questions? Write to us.

You don’t know what Hanukkah really is? No worries! We have some resources you can use by clicking the link!

And here is the link to the original post, where you can find the rules.

[lewispandawrites]

Hello and welcome to Jewish Shadowhunters’ first Hanukkah Event!

What is the Hanukkah Event?

the Hanukkah Event is a content-creating event by Jewish Shadowhunters. The goal is to promote understanding and learning of Jewish traditions, and a Jewish holiday.

You do NOT have to be Jewish to participate! It’s open to anyone willing to learn and represent Simon and the Lewis’ religion in their content!

How Do I Participate?

Create any kind of Shadowhunters content involving one or several Jewish characters, and the theme of “Hanukkah”

Submit it to our blog/the AO3 collection before November 29th 2018, so it can be posted between December 2nd and December 10th.

You can add to the AO3 collection by adding "JSHHanukkah2018” in the “Post to Collection” field

What are the Rules?

Your content must include one Jewish character from the show Shadowhunters. It can be a canon character (any member of the Lewis family) or a headcanon character (any other character)

If you choose to write a ship, at least one of the characters in the ship has to be Jewish (canon or headcanon)

Include a mention of Hanukkah/make it Hanukkah-themed

Crossovers are allowed as long as it includes one Shadowhunters character and one Jewish character

Forbidden Content:

abusive ships like Jordan/Maia, incest ships like Jace/Alec, ships erasing a character’s canon sexuality like Alec/any woman, Underhill/any woman, Aline/any man, any ship with Camille, Sebastian/Jonathan or Valentine.

erasure of a character’s canon religion: non-Jewish Elaine, Rebecca or Simon Lewis, Bubbe Helen or non-Catholic Raphael Santiago

content that mocks Jewish people, Jewish culture, Jewish religion and Jewish traditions, content that promotes antisemitism

You don’t know what Hanukkah really is? No worries! We have some resources you can use by clicking the link! 

Questions 

[lewispandawrites]

If any writer wants to talk about writing/fic ideas - hit me up here or @gingerangelofthursday. I loooooove to talk about those things.

[lewispandawrites]

Hello! Welcome to Jewish Shadowhunters! This blog was created as a way to make resources on Judaism more accessible for non-Jewish writers and content creators in the Shadowhunters fandom (though the resources are applicable in any other fandom). We want to promote learning of Judaism, and Jewish life, and an appreciation and celebration of the Jewish representation on the show Shadowhunters. We are also here to encourage creating more Jewish shadowhunters content - from edits to fics and metas, both canon and non-canon. Our team is here to help, if you are too afraid to ‘get something wrong’ but want to create something. Our askbox is always opened! The Lewis family are the main characters we will be discussing, but any Jewish headcanons are welcome! There is something hurtful to a Jewish person when seeing the religion and culture of a character like Simon be forgotten, or ignored, by creators. The general concept behind this blog is: “Trying and it being flawed, is better than not trying at all!” We, the Jewish Shadowhunters blog’s team, are both Jewish and Non-Jewish, and work to promote love, acceptance, and understanding of Judaism in the Shadowhunters Fandom.

[lewispandawrites]

@enkelimagnus‘ Six of Swords || 4am malec

“Magnus had always felt like 4 am was like a forgotten pocket of time, like a bubble where there was no morning or evening, some kind of protected universe. And everything that happened at 4 am was… out of time.” 

Go read Six of Swords on AO3

Afficher davantage

[lewispandawrites]

I thought it was impossible to love you more (but baby, you keep proving me wrong)

Claia, 882 words, T rated

A birthday gift to @enkelimagnus, inspired by her fic Six of Swords

“Ugh, I want to eat nothing else in my life, but Sutlach.” Clary whispered into Maia’ ear, as they walked around the room.

The other woman chuckled, amused by what her wife had said. Wife. Wow. She had never been happier, than she was right now. Maia had all the people that loved  and respected her and Clary, surrounding them, and she had just married the love of her life. Her soulmate. They would spend the rest of their lives together, as wives.

She thanked G-d again, for putting Clary in her life, before focusing fully on the other woman again.

“Where are we going?” At first, Maia had thought that Clary had wanted to get her somewhere private, to kiss her without having to worry about watchful eyes. But they had long since passed the bathrooms and the kitchen, and Clary was still walking.

“You will see.” Clary replied, then looked around to see if anyone was watching them.

“Are you planning to escape from our wedding reception?” No one had said birkat hamazon yet, and the wine hadn’t been blessed. “We can’t just disappear. We are the brides!”

“Just trust me with this.” Clary’s eyes met Maia’s and the other woman didn’t even hesitate before nodding. If anything, she had trusted Clary with her life. And she would follow her everywhere, even to the edge of the world, just so they could be together.

Clary opened the front door, and Maia could see an Uber driver waiting for them. His eyes widened when he saw their white dresses, but Clary was quick to calm him down. “We are the brides! No one is running away from abusive husbands.”

The man didn’t ask any more questions, only opened the door of the car, and helped to fit two gowns inside. It were moments like this, when Maia was grateful they had both decided on a simple A-line skirts, and not huge ball gowns. Clary had given him some address, written on a small piece of paper, and his eyebrows shot up high. “You sure you are okay?” He asked with a thick accent.

“Yes!” The redhead replied. Maia could feel her vibrate with nervous energy right next to her, so she reached for her hand. A moment of gratitude passed  between them, as their eyes locked, and Clary visibly relaxed.

The drive didn’t take long, but the streets they were passing didn’t clear the confusion in Maia’s head. She had no idea where her wife was taking them, or what awaited at their destination.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” The driver asked, after stopping the car. Maia looked out of the window, but the neighbourhood didn’t look familiar at all.

“No, thank you.” Clary replied, as she handed him the money. He walked out to open the doors for them again, then got back into his car, without even wishing them ‘everything best’.

“Just one more moment.” Clary reached for Maia’s hand again, and led her inside a small restaurant. The place was awfully empty, but the old man behind the counter didn’t seem startled by their presence, nor their clothes.

“Ahhh, yes.” He said, after spotting them. “You sit down here, and I bring it.”

They both sat in a small booth, facing one another. Maia took in their surroundings - the dirty yellow color of the walls, a few flowers in the short vase on the table, the squeaky brown upholstery - but she could feel Clary’s gaze on her the whole time, and it was distracting.

Before she could ask what was going on, the man came back with a dish in his hands. “Enjoy!” He said, before putting it down.

“Surprise!” Clary said, as Maia stared down at the familiar shape. “You told me so many times last week, how much you miss eating kubaneh, so I found this guy. He had amazing reviews online, and promised to cook one for you.” For some weird reason, Maia had never tried to bake kubaneh, while living with Clary, even though it was one of her favourite dishes of all times.

Clary continued to talk. “So I thought, what a better gift than to take you out on our wedding day, so you can eat it. It even has the grated tomato dip.” She gestured towards the small white bowl, that came with the bread.

Maia just reached for the bread, and tore off a piece. She had never expected to eat a traditional Yemenite Shabbat food on her wedding day, yet, here she was, in a small restaurant, doing just that.

Clary watched her chew and swallow, anticipation clear on her face. “So? How is it?”

“This is absolutely..awful.” Maia lowered her voice, so the man wouldn’t hear them. The bread was terrible - nothing like she had had. She didn’t believe it could even pass as the kubaneh.

Clary’s face fell at those words, so Maia was quick to reach for her hand. “Hey.” She said. “This is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done to me. I thought it was impossible to love you even more. Marry me.”

“We are already married.” Clary replied, the smile back on her face.

Maia couldn’t help herself, so she leaned over the table to steal a kiss.

[lewispandawrites]

Something unexpected, Malec, 3153 words, T rated.

A birthday gift to a wonderful @enkelimagnus - inspired by her fic, Six of Swords

The bookstore was usually quiet and calm - it was one of those ‘hole in the world’ type of places - but people who would come there, came with purpose. Teenagers who only looked for school novels rarely visited the Reading Nook, but it still was a favourite place of many book lovers. They had many different sections, that were organised in an unusual way. Categories, such as ‘dragons’, ‘not-so-happy endings’, ‘lgbt history’, ‘animal characters’, ‘second life of a good book’ and ‘readers’ choice’ provided a different approach to finding a suitable book, and many people found it helpful. If anyone was lost, as to where look for a book they might enjoy, they could always ask a person sitting behind the counter.

Magnus loved working there. The smells of old and new books, mixed with a pot of coffee or tea always brewing in the back room, had become familiar and brought him comfort. During slower days, he could take out his painting supplies, and work on yet another deck of tarot cards to sell. Once in a while, when he wasn’t particularly inspired to paint, and no customer needed his attention, he would choose a book that had the most interesting description, and read - sometimes for hours to end. He also had a green light from the owner - who had rarely visited the place, due to his old age - to re-organise book categories, and the front display as he pleased. Magnus always made sure that something interesting and colorful was visible from the street, so more curious customers would come in. Just last week, he had finished yet another display on Harry Potter, as was his tradition for September.

The place was too small to host any meetings or book clubs, but it had a loveseat squeezed in between the window and an old, wooden bookcase. From time to time, a person or a couple would occupy it, reading or chatting quietly. Magnus had been a witness to people smiling like idiots, or shedding a few tears over a particularly good book. Sometimes, a customer might strike up a conversation with him - it usually happened when a person was looking for a book on a specific topic, but had no idea what to choose. Just last week, a teenager had come in, looking for a book on queer figures throughout history. Although, they had a section for that, they had had hard time finding a book that would be the best, and not cost crazy amount of money. Shyly, they had asked Magnus for advice, and the two had talked for over an hour - Magnus had shared his experience, as a bi man of color, and Remi had taught him about the local trans community in return. Magnus had pointed out a few books that might be helpful for Remi’s school paper, and suggested they would come and read them here, for free. He had brought in a chair from the back room, placed it next to the counter, and offered to share the space, so Remi could take notes on their laptop. After finishing their essay, Remi had sent it to Magnus, and had promised to share what grade they got on it. The encounter still warmed Magnus’ heart, every time he thought about it.

A man had entered the bookstore an hour ago. Magnus had greeted him but had kept to himself, seeing the determined look on his face. He had clearly known why he had come here. But, as the minutes had passed, and the man had kept browsing, he had started to look more and more lost.

Carefully, Magnus had placed his brush in the cup, then approached the man.

“Can I help you with anything?” Magnus asked.

“No, I’m afraid you can’t.” The stranger looked sad. Maybe he had been looking for a specific book, but it hadn’t been there? It had happened before.

“If you are after a specific title, I can see if I could order it for you?” Magnus suggested. It might take a few days, for the book to arrive, but at least the man would get it. The warehouse they got all their titles from was very well-stocked, and Magnus knew an additional bookstore owner or two, in case the book would turn out to be exceptionally rare.

Magnus got a smile in return, but one that didn’t reach stranger’s eyes. “Thank you, but I’m not looking for a specific book. I’m no longer sure, if I’m looking for a book at all.” There was a deep frown on man’s face, and he was hunched forward, looking tired. From up close, Magnus could see the dark circles under his eyes. For some reason, he didn’t want to let the man walk out right away.

“How about I make you something warm to drink, and you tell me more about what brought you here? I’m sure we can figure something out.” Magnus suggested. The other man hesitated, but eventually nodded, and took the chair that had been occupied by Remi last week. “Tea or coffee?” Magnus asked.

“Tea, please.” The man replied. Magnus had left him by the counter, and went to the back room, to boil some water. He took two mismatched mugs, and added a spoonful of his favourite green tea to each, then waiter for the water to be ready.

Not long after, he had emerged with two steaming mugs. “Be careful!” He warned his companion, as he placed a mug in front of him.”It’s still too hot to drink. And you may want to wait until the leaves will sink to the bottom.” The man nodded again, thanking him silently for the beverage.

“Magnus.” Magnus offered his name, as he sat down. He thought it was a polite thing to do, and a good conversation starter.

“Alec. Alexander.” his companion replied, watching the steam curl over the rim of his mug.

“Alexander. What brought you here?” Magnus asked, and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to give the other more space to breath and think, since he looked to be troubled by his thoughts. Something important must have had convinced him to come.

“I’m an art student.” Alec said after a moment. The frown was still on his face, as if it was a permanent fixture to his features. “We have an assignment. To create something using materials, that had already been used. Many people go for plastic bottles, or wine corks. T-shirts, pants... My friend is actually using her old pencils and crayons.” His sister, Clary, had suggested to break a few ceramics, but he wasn’t feeling that.

He called Clary his younger sister, but, in reality, they weren’t blood related. They had become inseparable, though, from the moment Luke and Maryse had first introduced them to one another, and grew up together under one roof, sharing a wall.

She had followed into his footsteps, claiming it had been him and not her biological mother who had inspired her to pursue art, and applied to the same art school one year after him. They both lived separately - Clary had a studio apartment, while Alec lived in a three-bedroom flat, with Clary’s girlfriend. It was the most bizarre combination, but the two had only been together for a few months. Maia spent most of her time at Clary’s, which gave Alec plenty of alone time, to work on his projects in the spare room. But he had been planning to ask Clary and Maia, whether or not they would want to switch apartments - they had been going pretty steady, even in such short amount of time, and Alec didn’t mind living alone, as long as he would have space to work. And he knew that Clary’s studio apartment was good for that.

It warmed his heart to see his little sister and his roommate so happy and in love, and he would do anything to support their relationship. In his eyes, those two were true relationship goals, alongside mom and his step-dad.

“I thought about using books.” Alec continued. “Wanted to cut out the letters, then layer the pages to show how our words turn into incomprehensible gibberish. How being unable to talk is the disease that kills our relationships with other people slowly, and then kills us from inside, when we are unable to express our needs and wants. We become numb, bland and detached from the world, going for the cheap thrills that promise us to fill the void inside, one we are unable to describe.” During his little speech, Alec had begun to gesture widely, and Magnus had found it adorable. What the other man was saying wasn’t anything new to him - he had understood his thoughts and concerns fully. Many writers had written about similar things. Yet, Magnus liked the idea to use this as a message behind a new piece of art - it was an old lesson, but one worth teaching again. “Or just stick to the first part, I guess. Just the gibberish.”

“And you didn’t find any of the books suitable?” Magnus asked, after carefully taking a sip of his tea. It could use a moment of two longer to brew, so he put the mug down.

“I guess I wasn’t going for any specific book. Just books in general.” Alec shrugged. “But…” he started, then grew quiet. They both just sat there, in silence that wasn’t uncomfortable, drinking the tea slowly.

Magnus was about to ask whether Alec would enjoy a homemade cookie, when the other spoke again. “I just can’t bring myself to destroy any of those books. Neither new, nor old. There’s just...so much love. It’s clear someone is taking care of them.” Their eyes finally met over the counter, and Magnus was struck by the sincerity and rawness in Alec’s eyes. Here sat a man, who was unable to destroy a thing, that had been an object of someone’s love. It was so pure and honest, that Magnus didn’t know what to say.

“I know it sounds stupid.” Alec said, and broke the eye contact. “But I just...can’t. Maybe if I psych myself up. But not today.”

Magnus reached over the counter, and placed his hand on Alec’s forearm in - what he hoped was - a comforting gesture.

“There is nothing bad about it. You shouldn’t be ashamed of not wanting to destroy something.” Magnus told Alec, and the other man met his gaze again. “Some of those books had lived wonderful lives, and have an additional story to tell. And some had been printed less than 6 months ago. But, they have all been carefully selected, so they would have something to offer to their future reader. I actually think it’s beautiful that you can see that.”

“It’s not only that. It is clear to me how someone had been taking care of them. How much love has been put into keeping them in a good shape, so they can be read by someone one day. I assume you were one of those people.” Alec added. The frown he had been sporting, had somehow smoothed during their conversation. “They are all carefully arranged, and there is no speck of dust on them.”

Magnus could feel himself smile widely, at the praise. No one had ever given him a similar compliment, but it had touched him deeply. “Thank you. I do love to work here.”

Alec’s eyes traveled from Magnus’ face, to the surface of the counter, and his eyes had finally fallen upon the art supplies. “Are you an artist as well? May I see it?” He pointed towards the tarot card. Alec understood that the projects, and the process of creation, could be very intimate and personal, so he had wanted to ask before looking at Magnus’ art.

“Of course.” They both stood up from their chairs, to walk up to the opposite end of the counter. Alec leaned down, to have a closer look at the detailed painting. “What is it?” The small painting reminded him vaguely of something, but he had no idea what it was. Besides, this was Magnus’ project - he probably knew the best. Probably, since the results could be tricky, and sometimes things created in the process made no sense to the artists themselves.

“It’s a tarot card. The Moon.” The bright gold of the Moon was a stark contrast against the dark hues of blue and purple. Alec could vaguely make out more shapes in the dark background - two high towers, two dogs, and a lobster. “This is my take on it, but I wanted to stay within the original design. Can you see a path in the middle?” Alec’s eyes were drawn to a thin line, and he nodded, hoping that he had found the right element. “This is the path that we walk. The dog and the wolf.” Magnus pointed out to two figures, that Alec had previously mistaken for two dogs. “symbolise our animalistic nature. One is tame and civilised, like a dog, and one is wild and feral, like a wolf. The two towers in the background” They were dark, barely floodlit by the Moon. “represent the forces of good and evil. They look exactly the same, to show how difficult it can be to distinguish between those two, in our everyday life. We walk a difficult path.” Magnus traced the middle line with his finger. “between wild and tame, between good and evil, between conscious and unconscious. The pond represents a subconscious mind, and the crawfish” Magnus pointed out the lobster-like animal. “is the early stages of consciousness. The Moon, on the other hand, is the symbol of unconsciousness. This card is the essence of dual nature, and rules the astrological Pisces. Sorry, I’m probably rambling.” Magnus said, blushing slightly.

“No! No, you’re not.” Alec replied. “This is really interesting. I had never seen a tarot card in my life.” Alec admitted. “I know nothing about them. But it’s beautiful. All the detailed work, and the meaning behind it...it’s beautiful.”

Magnus blinked, surprised. “Most people would find it weird or tacky. Tarot readings, magic things and such.” He rolled his eyes at his own words, but deep down he remembered well how much the reality could hurt. “You are a one big surprise, Alexander.”

“A good one, I hope.” Came a quiet reply.

Magnus just rounded the counter, and reached for Alec’s hand, to pull him somewhere. “I may have a few things that could interest you.” He led them to a narrow hallway, that had bookshelves on both sides. There was barely any space for the two of them to fit, without touching each other. Magnus kept whispering under his nose, quiet enough for Alec to be unable to hear, as he scanned the tall bookshelf.

Eventually, Magnus stood up on his toes to be able to reach a thick volume. “Here.” He dusted off the cover, just in case, then handed the book to Alec. It felt heavy, and the only decoration on the red cover were thick, black letters.

“To my Alice. On how to find yourself.” Alec read the title aloud, then looked up from the book.

“I know, it’s very unusual.” Magnus glanced at the cover again. “It had been brought here, a few years ago, by a person who had found it in their attic. He had no idea who Alice was, and the author isn’t mentioned anywhere, but it looks to be a collection of letters, written on a typewriter. I know the volume isn’t exactly college-student friendly. Especially when you are busy. But I have read a few letters, and I seriously recommend them. Maybe it’s not a conventional way to deal with artist block, but I really hope it can help you.”

Alec just looked at him, silent.

“I could just find some books on sculpture or photography for you? Or about the zero waste movement?” Maybe he had taken it too far. He had called whatever state Alec had been in an ‘artist block’, and suggested he read what looked to be an old coaching book. Great. But he had thought they had something...deeper going between them. Apparently, he had been the only one who had felt it. “Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped some boundaries…”

“No.” Alec cut in, his voice barely above the whisper. “This is a great suggestion. I hope it can truly get me unstuck.”

And they just stood there, for what felt like eternity, eyes locked together. One artist bearing their soul to the other. It was always a magical moment, full of vulnerability and trust, but this time, it felt like something more. A ‘Thank you for understanding.’, on both sides. ‘Thank you for no laughing at me.’

Neither of them had realised, when they had gotten closer, but suddenly their faces were only inches apart.

Alec was the one to break the silence.

“Can I kiss you?”

Magnus searched his face for something, anything - he wanted to say yes, but didn’t know id they wanted the same thing. For him, one kiss wouldn’t be enough. He wanted to get to know Alec better, to go out with him, find out his favorite sitcom, and his stance on dog versus cat. He wanted to learn, and learn, until there will be no new informations.

He wanted more.

“Or I could take you out first? If this is what you want, that is. You may say no to both things. Sorry.” Alec was already backing away from him, and Magnus couldn’t afford to lose that opportunity.

“Yes, kiss me. And I know a perfect place for the first date.”

Alec’s blinding smile was the last thing Magnus had seen before closing his eyes. The other man kissed the same way he had interacted with Magnus - at first, shy. Just a brush of lips. Then another, and another, until their lips stayed pressed together. Neither of them knew who had started moving their lips again, but they kept kissing, not being able to pull apart. Magnus could feel Alec’s teeth grazing his bottom lip, before the man grabbed onto his vest, and made a move to push him back against the bookshelf.

Before Magnus’ back could collide with anything, Alec broke the kiss. Magnus was very aware of the wall of books behind him, and wished Alec could finish what he had started - an image of being pressed against a bookshelf, with Alec pinning his body there while they kissed, wasn’t exactly an unpleasant one. But he understood it was neither time nor place for such things.

Magnus leaned in, to steal one more kiss, before he covered Alec’s hands with his own. “Your tea should still be warm. Want to finish our drinks, before we exchange numbers?”

Magnus didn’t believe Alec’ smile could get any wider, but here he was, proving him wrong. “I’d love to.”