"The Inquisitor isn't happy with the way you've been handling all the Downworlder chaos, Magnus. She wants to have a word with you," Alec said.
Magnus really wasn't in the mood to deal with Imogen Herondale and her – what he thought – pointless questions, so he casually said, "I'm perfectly satisfied with the way I'm handling the chaos, Alexander. I have got this under control." He emphasized on the last part, annoyance lacing his tone.
"I don't know…" Alec started and trailed off.
"Do you not trust my word?" the warlock said in a low tone. A small smile had formed on his face and his eyes held the slightest look of disbelief at the fact that his lover was doubting him.
"Magnus, come on," Alec said in a tone that begged him to understand.
The warlock's face turned stiff and he looked away from Alec. "Get out," he said coldly.
Alec let out a defeated sigh and gave him a kicked puppy look before walking past Magnus to the door. The door closed with a click, making Magnus flinch.
Eight hours.
Four hundred and eighty minutes.
Twenty eight thousand eight hundred seconds.
That's how long had passed since their fight that morning. Magnus had been counting.
The Sun was starting to set in Brooklyn and the sound of New York traffic began to get louder. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Magnus missed his blue-eyed Nephilim. But even if he missed Alec, he wasn't going to be the one to apologize first. What was the point of being in a relationship if there was no trust in it? It pained the warlock to see that Alec still didn't trust him completely.
So it was Alec who had to apologize and that was final. But at the same time, his heart felt heavy.
And he was going to do something about it.
"Magnus! I'm back!" Dot called out. She had just returned from the grocery store with two brown paper bags in hand. The brunette was getting tired of opening the refrigerator only to find it almost devoid of any food. Magnus really ought to stop ordering takeout so often and since he kept dismissing her requests, she had taken the job of doing grocery shopping.
When Dot got no reply, she walked further in and scanned the house. "Magnus? MAG—" she stopped midway when she found her warlock friend sitting on one of the couches in the living room, about to open a second bottle of wine.
"Oh no you don't…" she said in a dangerously low tone and waved her hand. A long line of magic having the width of a rope shot out of her hands and wrapped itself around the bottle like a lasso, pulling it out of Magnus' hands and depositing it to that of Dot's.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, sharply glaring at Magnus.
"Oh hello, Dorothea," Magnus said coolly. She wasn't surprised at the fact that Magnus was completely sober even after having just finished a whole bottle of wine for she knew of the warlock's excellent alcohol resistance.
But if she hadn't stopped him when she did, she would be dealing with a very drunk Magnus by now. And from previous experiences, drunk Magnus was not good.
"Oh God don't tell me that Shadowhunter boy dumped you…" she sighed exasperatedly.
"Hmm? Oh! No, no he didn't. We had a fight this morning." Then, pausing for a moment before continuing, said, "I think."
Okay, maybe he was slightly tipsy. Dot wondered how strong that wine was.
"Magnus, you can't keep drinking every time someone breaks your heart!"
She knew Magnus wouldn't listen, but that didn't stop her from saying it.
Magnus didn't reply, instead looking at her like she was a peculiar insect. Dot rolled her eyes, walked forward and slapped him hard. The result was Magnus indignantly screaming, "Ow! What the hell was that for?!"
"Dorothea? When did you get home?" Magnus asked confusedly.
The person in question audibly sighed in relief. Magnus had remembered that she had gone out which Dot took as a sign that the warlock was back to normal.
"A few minutes ago. You can't turn to alcohol for help every time something happens with your latest fling," she replied.
"He's not a 'fling'! We've been dating for six months, Dot! That's the longest I've been in a relationship ever since Camille. We're serious," he defended.
She raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! But I'm still not going to let you drink your sorrows away. Get up," she said plainly.
"Why?" Magnus asked confusedly.
Dot smirked and snapped her fingers. A soft, soothing melody started playing out of nowhere.
"Because, Magnus Bane, we are going to dance."
Magnus could only smile. Dot knew him well.
Alec had returned to the Institute and lied to the Inquisitor that Magnus was too busy at the moment to meet with her. He knew the consequences of telling her the real reason behind Magnus' refusal. Luckily, Imogen Herondale too was busy. So she let it go, albeit with a disapproving glare at Alec.
And so Alec went about his duties for the day, but with a heavy heart and a guilty conscience. It had affected his work greatly. He kept assigning people the wrong missions, messing up the paperwork and signing in the wrong dash.
Finally, having faced enough pain in the past ten-or-something hours, he decided to go apologize and asked Jace to cover for him.
And that's how he found himself standing in front of his boyfriend's door with his hands – which were sweaty – shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He didn't know how Magnus would react. Would he even give Alec the chance to talk?
He willed himself to push back the fear of rejection and – with a deep breath – knocked on the door. When no one answered after a few seconds, Alec carefully put his hand on the knob and turned it and it opened. He made a mental note to reprimand his boyfriend for leaving the door so carelessly open afterwards.
He was surprised when he heard music coming from inside. It sounded like the kind of music that would play in a masquerade ball.
*Alec's eyes widened when they fell on Magnus.
The warlock was gracefully moving around the room in co-ordinated movements, clearly lost in the music.
The only thing that prevented Alec from thinking it was beautiful was the girl dancing with him. Alec had thought of a million possible scenarios on the way to the loft, but Magnus already moving on hadn't been one of them.
He should've felt heartbroken, disappointed, guilty….But all he felt was jealousy. Somehow, his brain seemed to refuse to accept the fact that Magnus had moved on. He hadn't even noticed that his foot was already one step inside the room.
The click of Alec's boots caused both Dot and Magnus to whirl around and look at him. But Alec didn't see that. All he saw was the girl in the pink dress.
The jealousy of seeing Magnus with someone else – someone who wasn't him – took over and before he knew it, he was striding across the floor towards Magnus.
"Alexander?" Magnus asked, as if he couldn't believe Alec was actually here.
But Alec didn't reply. Instead, he chose to grab Magnus' hand, spin him around and dip him.
But as soon as he did, the wave of jealousy subsided and only then did he realize what he had done. Magnus was looking at him in shock and awe because his mouth was slightly agape. Alec stared back, equally shocked.
After a few more moments of staring, it was Magnus who broke the silence. "D – Darling..?"
"Oh! Right! Um…I have no idea what to do next…" he said in a small voice.
To his surprise, Magnus let out a chuckle and smiled. "You're supposed to pull me back up again," he offered helpfully.
Alec managed to do that, albeit a little awkwardly. Behind them, a voice said, "Points for trying."*
Alec – his arm still around Magnus' waist and holding him close – turned around to see the girl smiling at the two of them fondly. The Shadowhunter – not really knowing what to say – settled stupidly for, "You're Magnus' girlfriend?"
The girl looked at him like she'd gone crazy and then burst out laughing. Magnus joined in. Alec looked bewildered and a lot like a lost puppy.
"Shadowhunters…so quick to come to conclusions," the girl said once she had managed to control her laughter. "I'm Dorothea Rollins, but call me 'Dot'. I'm sure you can tell I'm a warlock. And no, I'm not his girlfriend. You could say we've been good friends for a long time."
Alec looked to Magnus for confirmation. The warlock nodded sincerely in agreement. The Shadowhunter heaved a relieved sigh. "Sorry about that. I don't know what got into me," he apologized, looking sheepish.
Dot waved her hand dismissively. "Don't bother. It always happens with Shadowhunters. Besides, I'd never date this moron. He's a handful."
Magnus scowled and glared at her. Alec raised an eyebrow.
She then briefly looked at the two of them before turning around and leaving to her room. "I'll leave you two to it."
As soon as she left, Alec became suddenly conscious that he still had his arm wrapped around Magnus. He mentally berated himself for not remembering that they were still at odds with each other.
The hazel-eyed boy quickly withdrew his arm. Magnus' face fell ever so slightly.
"Magnus I'm really sorry about today I shoudn't have –"
And just like on their first date after saving Luke, Magnus put a finger to Alec's lips, stopping the raven-haired boy mid-sentence instantly.
"I'm sorry too. For the way I treated you. You were just doing your job, Alexander. You can't be blamed for that." Then the warlock smiled slightly. "Looks like even a centuries old warlock can bow under the pressure," he said.
Alec sighed in relief, glad that they weren't fighting anymore.
"Alexander?"
"Hmm?"
"My waist feels cold," Magnus said with a sly smile.
The music was still playing quite loudly. But as Alec looked into the warlock's cat eyes – which were now on display just for him – it became distant, background music.
"Oh yeah? Well, I think we should fix that," Alec played along and took a step towards Magnus, wrapping his arms around the warlock's slender waist and pulling him close. "All better?"
Magnus pretended to think deeply. "My lips could definitely use a little warming up…"
"You're impossible, Magnus Bane," Alec said fondly.
"Kiss me already," the warlock growled impatiently and licked his lips, voice coated with longing and want. The hazel-eyed Shadowhunter did just that, dipping his head and capturing Magnus' lips in his. Magnus let out a moan and encircled his arms around his boyfriend's neck.
Around them, the world and everything else faded away. The warlock and Shadowhunter stood in the centre of the room, their lips doing the dancing for them and inviting the other for more, saying,
"Dance with me."