Chapter Text
A few months later, Alec walks into Pandemonium alone, his new collar on his throat. It’s a dark blue with gold letters adorning the inside, spelling “aku cinta kamu”. On the outside, it’s patterned like a star-speckled night sky, Magnus’ initials and a D-ring at the center. It’s the collar Magnus gave him for their ceremony, when Alec had knelt before him in the middle of the club, and they’d made their vows. The memory alone sends shivers down Alec’s spine.
Magnus isn’t at the club tonight, but Alec doesn’t want to be approached by anyone and the collar is the best way to guarantee that. He presses his fingers to Magnus’ initials, nodding at a now-familiar security guard, and enters the club’s VIP area.
Maia is waiting there, dressed mostly in leather, a red-headed sub kneeling at her feet. The girl’s posture is relaxed, her forehead pressed to one of Maia’s knees, her hair hiding her face.
“Alec,” Maia greets with a wave.
Alec nods back, setting down his backpack. “Maia. Thank you for meeting me.”
“Anytime. Alec, this is Clary.” Maia brushes her fingers through Clary’s hair before giving an obvious tug. “Clarissa, say hello.”
Clary tilts her head enough to make eye contact. “Hi, Alec.”
He returns the greeting, a little unsure about what comes next. Usually, when he’s at the club, he’s firmly focussed on Magnus. It feels weird to be there without him.
“So, what did you want help with?” Maia asks, leaning forward, her eyes on Alec’s backpack.
He swallows, suddenly doubting himself. He’s not good at talking about BDSM with people who aren’t his boyfriend. But he wants to be able to give this to Magnus.
“I need to learn a harness.” He reaches into the backpack for a spool of rope. Then he fiddles with it, absentmindedly tying knots around his hand. “Something full-body, but with a ripcord.”
Maia raises an eyebrow, lips already pulling up into a smirk. “Hoping to surprise Magnus for his birthday?”
Despite the flush that rises to his cheeks, Alec manages to keep eye contact. He chooses his next words deliberately, careful not to say more than Magnus would be comfortable sharing, even if it is with the one of his best friends. “He wants to do more, but whenever we try anything that takes time to undo, he panics. We have safety shears on our nightstand, but we need something that works better on a mental level.”
“Of course.” Her smirk fades to a genuine smile. “I have the perfect thing in mind. There’s a mannequin you can practice on while I demonstrate on my little rope bunny.” The last few words are spoken to the sub at her feet.
“Great.” Alec sets the rope back into his bag, hefting it over his shoulder as he stands. Maia rises as well, coaxing Clary to her feet before leading the way to the back rooms.
As odd as it feels to be in a room clearly meant for scening and rope practice with two women, which sounds like something out of a nightmare for Alec, Maia is right about the mannequin. The whole room is designed for bondage, complete with a Saint Andrew’s cross and a hook from the ceiling for suspension.
They get their stuff out and Maia walks him through the steps. It’s all basic knots that Alec already knows, in a new pattern. While Maia ties up Clary, Alec follows along on the mannequin, committing the steps to memory.
When they have two fully formed harnesses, Maia nods to his. “Alright, test it out.”
He tugs the end of the rope and the perfectly-crafted design falls apart completely. “It’s perfect.”
“Try it again,” Maia orders, moving back to mess with the ropes she’d tied around Clary.
Alec dutifully sets about recreating the harness from memory. Once it’s formed, he snaps a picture of it in case he needs to figure out which knot goes where later. Like the first one, it comes apart with one tug.
“Thank you, I owe you,” Alec breathes as he starts wrapping up his rope.
Maia gives him a warm smile. “Just keep making my friend happy and we’ll call it even.”
“I’m going to spend my life trying to make Magnus happy,” Alec swears earnestly. He exchanges goodbyes with Maia before glancing at Clary. She’s still tied up, eyes closed, swaying slightly. She’s probably deep into subspace, so he doesn’t try to say goodbye to her.
Maia nods and he waves before making his way out of the club. He’ll practice a few more times at home, and then… and then he’ll show Magnus.
A few days later, after he’s had more time to practice, Alec brings it up over lunch. He presses his ankle to Magnus’ under the table. “I have something I want to show you.”
Magnus raises an eyebrow, looking interested. “Oh?”
There’s a simmering of nerves deep in Alec’s stomach, but it’s outweighed by excitement. They both love bondage, but Magnus’ past has stopped him from enjoying any complicated ties and now— now Alec might have found a solution. He’s fully prepared for it to go poorly, for Magnus to refuse to even try it, but maybe, just maybe, it will go well.
“I want to tie you up.”
There’s an audible inhale before Magnus carefully sets his fork down. Alec feels a little guilty for bringing up the topic mid-meal, but he’s found that good timing is more of a myth than a reality.
“I know you panicked when we tried full body bondage before,” Alec starts, when Magnus doesn’t say anything. “So I learned something with a ripcord that we can pull at any time. I thought it might help with the mental aspect, since that’s what had you spiraling last time, but, as always, there’s no pressure.”
He waits with baited breath until Magnus reaches for his hand across the table. The club owner gives him a soft smile. “I would love to try.”
Alec smiles back at him, pressing a kiss to the back of Magnus’ hand. He’s not going to get his hopes up, but Magnus’ willingness to try, and his own dedication to helping Magnus enjoy every possible aspect of subbing that he’s interested in, are fueling him.
“Okay,” he murmurs against Magnus’ hand. “We’ll plan a scene.”
Given their impatience and relatively flexible schedules, it’s only a day later that they’re standing in the bedroom, ready to try Alec’s new tie.
Alec is holding a spool of gold rope; his favorite color to use on Magnus. His sub is already dressed down to a pair of boxers, a tank top, and his collar.
He still looks a bit nervous though so Alec takes the time to press two fingers to Magnus’ chin, tilting his head so they can exchange soft, slow kisses. Gradually, he can feel the tension leaving Magnus. His sub dutifully keeps his hands to himself, not asking for more than Alec is giving him.
When Magnus looks calmer, Alec steps back, letting most of the rope fall to the floor around him, the end held in his hand. “Color?”
“Green.”
Alec steps behind him, using his free hand to massage Magnus’ arm in soothing motions. He leans in and nips at Magnus’ shoulder before soothing it with a lick, followed by little kisses. “Remember, you can safeword at any time, and all it takes is one little pull and you’re free.”
Magnus breathes in a deep, audible breath, and then lets it go. “Okay.”
They keep safety shears nearby, currently on the nightstand, that they’ve had to use before, but Alec is hoping the ripcord will help circumvent that particular anxiety issue. He thinks, should Magnus safeword, it’ll also make freeing him faster. It’s a win-win.
He starts with Magnus’ wrists, tying them behind the sub’s back. Magnus is generally okay with having his hands restrained now so it’s an easy enough process. As Alec moves up to tying the rest of Magnus’ arms, he checks in again and gets another green.
When he gets to Magnus’ torso, he moves in front of his sub to tie it, making sure to keep as much of their bodies connected as he can, hoping the touch will offer some comfort. “Color?”
Magnus hesitates before saying, “Yellow. I’m okay just… a little nervous.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Alec pauses and catches Magnus’ lips in a soft kiss. “I can undo it in one tug. Do you want me to?”
“No.” He sounds determined, and he still looks composed. “I just need a minute.”
“Okay. Take as much time as you need, kitten.” Magnus practically mewls at the name and Alec fails to bite back an enamored smile.
They spend a little longer, exchanging soft kisses, Magnus’ arms still tied behind him, the rope resting idly in Alec’s hand. Then Magnus nods, eyes still closed from their last kiss, face relaxed. “Green.”
“Alright, I’m going to tie your torso.”
Magnus nods in response and it’s enough for now. Alec goes back to the knots, making sure to check with Magnus every time he so much as readjusts anything.
And then, suddenly, the rope harness is fully tied. Magnus is adorned in brilliant gold, angelic with the way it curves around him, the bright color complementing his darker skin.
Alec leans in to rest their foreheads together, brushing his nose against Magnus’. “You look so beautiful, kitten.”
Magnus lets out a soft noise in response, eyes still closed, face peaceful. Still, Alec checks his color. Magnus’ response is a bit slurred, but very clearly ‘green’. Alec realizes, with a bit of awe, that Magnus is in subspace, or at least on the edge of it.
He helps Magnus down to his knees, then sits behind him. He adjusts until Magnus is leaning back against him, head on Alec’s shoulder. Alec’s legs extend on either side of his sub, and he wraps his arms around Magnus’ torso.
He’s willing to wait patiently, one hand against Magnus’ stomach, the other against his chest, keeping Magnus pressed against him, and simply appreciate the closeness. Maybe in the future he’ll find a way to tie Magnus’ legs up too, maybe they’ll experiment with suspension. For now, this is utter perfection.
Eventually, Magnus starts coming down and after Alec checks in with him, he pulls the ripcord and lets the ropes fall to Magnus’ lap. Alec pushes them to the side, and Magnus shifts in his arms, turning around so they’re facing each other. He leans in and rests his forehead against Alec’s collarbone.
Alec brushes fingers over Magnus’ undercut, one hand firmly on Magnus’ lower back. He’s amazed, once again, by how absolutely in love he is.
A little while later and they manage to move from the floor to the bed. Alec coaxes Magnus to drink some water and eat a snack while he massages the skin where the ropes had been tied.
Once the food and water is gone, Magnus curls into him again with a yawn. “That was amazing. Where did you learn that?”
“Maia,” Alec answers into Magnus’ hair. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“I owe her a fruit basket.”
Alec snorts softly in return.
“Meeting you,” Magnus says softly, a little while later, “is undoubtedly the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Alec’s breath catches, his heart squeezing with emotion. There’s only one answer he can give in return. “I love you.”
“And I you.”