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“I was wondering...” Magnus says slowly, voice still raspy from sleep.
“Hm?” Alec inquires, his breath tickling Magnus's skin from where he's burried his face in Magnus's neck.
A small smile spreads over Magnus's lips and he traces the ω shaped rune on Alec's left arm fondly before moving on to the one on his shoulder that always reminds him of a misshapen frying pan.
“You don't have any runes on your legs. And when we went dancing the other day I noticed neither do Izzy and Clary.”
“And you're wondering why?” Alec mumbles.
Magnus hums in the affirmative. “Is it a coincidence? Three shadowhunters is hardly representative and I'm not really inclined to ask Jace to take his pants off.”
Alec snorts with amusement. “Don't worry, I won't let it come to that.” He pushes up on his elbow, bracing on Magnus's chest and Magnus mourns the loss of contact for a moment, but looking into Alexander's sleepy face is a worthy compensation. “To answer your question, it's not a coincidence. We're not allowed to put runes on our legs.”
Magnus frowns, confusion washing over him. “What.”
“It's one of the first rules we learn in shadowhunter training. No runes below the hip.”
Not understanding this Magnus shakes his head. “Why?” He wracks his brain for a possible explanation. “You can activate runes through your clothes, right? Wouldn't it be advantageous to have some on your thighs? You could still access them during battle, unlike the ones on your back.”
“You're right, and that's actually one of the reasons why it's forbidden. To prevent shadowhunters from recklessly charging into a battle unprepared. If you can't reach all your runes in the heat of the fight you realize the importance of proper preparation before a mission. Assess the situation, make a plan, activate runes, scout the area and only then you go in.”
Alec sinks back on Magnus's chest with a sigh as if recounting the process alone had exhausted him. Magnus resumes his lazy caresses.
“Isn't it an unnecessary risk though? What if you need a rune in a fight?” he muses. He can't imagine going into battle limited to a few spells he chose in advance.
“We still got those on our arms and stomach. That's why placing runes is highly strategical. Their configuration is a reflection of the warrior's combat style. You can learn a lot about a person when you study how they placed their runes.”
He pauses for a moment before giving a chuckle. “Don't tell her, but the way Jace placed Clary's runes makes her look like a total chicken shit.”
“Explain,” Magnus immediately demands, intrigued.
Alec laughs again with a definite hint of malicious glee. “There's the healing rune front and center on her neck, night vision and protection from vampires on her collarbone. Courage in combat on her arm. That many defensive runes in these prime positions aren't the sign of a talented fighter.” He chuckles again. “Sometimes I daydream of telling her. Can you imagine how she would destroy Jace?”
Magnus can imagine the bloodbath that would be sure to follow such a revelation all too well, and they share a laugh.
“It's why I got to keep this secret,” Alec continues. “I like my parabatai alive and well.”
“What about your fighting style?”
Alec thinks it over for a moment. “Jace and I are mostly offensive, though he's better equipped for a close-ranged fight. Izzy couldn't decide between close and wide range so she just plastered the runes for both all over her shoulders.”
He's silent for a bit, contemplating. “There's also our deflect rune. Most old families have a trademark like that. For us it's placing the deflect rune on our neck. You might have noticed Izzy's and mine. Mother has one, too.” He huffs. “Jace refused because he already had one on his arm when we took him in. Said he didn't want to waste valuable space.”
“But you do have some runes twice,” Magnus retorts before he can stop himself. For a second he's concerned what Alec might make of that, but Alec just snorts. “You're talking about Izzy and her angelic power runes, aren't you?”
Magnus bites his lip. “It's hard to miss,” he says diplomatically.
“That's one way to put it,” Alec replies, amusement coloring his voice. “You know the angelic power rune is the first one a shadowhunter receives in a solemn ceremony held by a silent brother. Not even Izzy had the guts to ask him to put it in her cleavage. So after the ceremony she drew a second one herself.” He sighs fondly. “I guess the placement of runes really does say a lot about a person.”
Magnus can feel Alec's growing smile against his chest. “Oh? Are there any more anecdotes you'd like to share?”
Alec just snuggles closer in response. “Jace chose to take his angelic power rune right over his heart. Thought it made him look so cool.”
“But you chose a wiser spot for yours?” Magnus asks, teasing.
“Of course,” Alec counters without hesitation. “Left elbow. Classic, unobtrusive while still drawing attention. It's bad form to put the angelic rune somewhere you can't access it, even though we hardly ever use it.”
“You sound very confident in your choice.”
Alec nods. “I am.”
“So you never misplaced a rune?”
Alec tenses suspiciously. “No.”
Not buying it Magnus ponders it for a moment. “Don't you have a strength rune on your biceps?”
Alec groans, deflating. “I was twelve and thought I was so clever. Izzy laughed at me for a whole week.”
Magnus laughs now, too. “Don't worry darling, I think it enhances your arm quite exquisitely.”
Alec grumbles something unintelligible.
“What was that?”
Alec turns his head a little. “I said at least it's easy to remember where I put it.”
“Did you ever forget where you put one?”
“Not exactly. Never the ones up front, but sometimes I narrowly miss the less important ones on my back when I want to activate them.”
“Less important?” Magnus repeats, stroking over the inky black covering Alec's left shoulder blade that distantly resembles a crescent. His flexibility rune. “Personally I think this one is pretty important.”
“You are absolutely horrible,” Alec says, but he's laughing. Magnus grins contentedly, Alec's happiness rumbling against his chest.
“You said there was more than one reason for that rule,” he picks up their train of conversation and Alec sobers a little.
“Yeah,” he says. “In the case of an emergency it's vital to activate the healing rune as quickly as possible. Every second can mean the difference between life and death. Thanks to this rule you only have to remove the top and search. Though most shadowhunters place their healing rune in a clearly visible place anyway.”
“That.. actually makes sense,” Magnus concedes. When Alec makes a questioning sound he elaborates, “To be honest, when you first told me it was forbidden I assumed it was just the usual with the clave dictating pointless rules simply because they can.”
“Shocking, right?” Alec remarks drily, startling a laugh from Magnus.
Calm settles around them for a moment before Alec breaks it.
“You don't... mind, do you?” he asks. “That they are so unevenly distributed?” He's trying so hard to sound casual but Magnus isn't fooled for a second. His fingers find their way to Alec's chin, tipping it up gently until Alec is looking at him. Magnus smiles, sinking into the familiar dark hazel of his eyes.
“You should know by now that you are breathtakingly beautiful to me, just the way you are.”