Harry
All the crew was there since 4 in the morning. It didn't matter how soon you arrived, there were always about 100 people there waiting for all the actors to start, in this case, the rehearsal. The director has stated the day before that we would rehearse for at least two hours before shooting. Giving to it a whole day to film was already a big deal. They hadn't given that much of importance and time to a scene since the first episode. I remembered, the first shots of Magnus were carefully planned, the lights, the colors, the outfit, everything was on top those few first days of filming, including the cat eyes that I would like to come back. I felt that Magnus looked especially Magnustic with those. Matt thought the same, but you know, our budget wasn't that big yet for that kind of details.
We rehearsed for two and a half hours. The lines, the steps, the positions in the chapel. Matt was really concentrated, he usually joked around, and also me, but as Matt said once, I was the most mature of all. Since Magnus had a whole different way of moving and talking, I was very carefull about staying on character most days. Or at least there were mannerisms that stayed during the hours of shooting, as hands movements, the walking, the cat-like behaviour in general that defined Magnus so much. But I was getting used to him, so it was easier and easier every time.
-I think we are ready. You must remember that the rythm is quite important -the director said, while Matt was starting to crack up on the altar. He was wearing his sweatpants and a t-shirt.
-What song did they choose? -I asked, realizing that in this case the timing between the song and the scene would be vital.
-Ruelle, of course -Matt said, laughing already, and coming down from the altar with script in hand- . I wish "Where do we go from here" was in this episode, but it was already used in...
-Sixth ep, I think?
-How can you remember? It's impossible for me -Matt, laying a hand on my back to walk toward the back of the set.
It was darker there, with lights off and meters and meters of blind walking.
-You have way more scenes than me, Matthew. Oh, shit, I stepped on some... cord...
-Don't call me Matthew, please. Dom keeps joking about you calling me Matthew. Magnus is the only one that calls Alec Alexander...
-Hey! -Dom's voice sounded at the distance. He appeared between curtains with a bright smile on his face, along with Kat, Alberto and Emeraude. Matt and Dom hugged and the blond inmediately started to joke about the scene we were about to film- I can't believe. The big day is here! I feel envious, this amount of production was never seen in Clace kiss scene.
-Clace? -I asked, a bit lost.
-Clace is Clary + Jace -Matt explained.
He was aware of all the stuff happening on Twitter and Tumblr. I was a bit afraid of visiting Tumblr. They said it was a mine field.
-Harry -the make up artist was calling for me. At last. She appeared earlier than the ones who would prepare the others for shooting. My process was always longer, so I used to miss all the jokes that happened between these "kids". I was especially nervous this day, so I felt happy about having private time while they helped me to dress up.
Matt made a sad face and pushed me towards Mary, the make up artist, and I walked behind her through the back of the set.
When I saw the outfit of that day -the director insisted on keeping it a secret- I almost fainted. It was the most beautiful outfit ever for Magnus. It was a bit more serious than the other ones, so I liked it more, which made me feel a little guilty. I like Magnus as a character but sometimes, so many details and different colors were overwhelming. I wouldn't wear them in real life, but the one for Malec episode, for the wedding, was in a whole different leve. It was elegant, the color was sober and the sensation of wearing it was soft and light, the kind of outfit you would see in a fashion show. Also the hair had a matching pink color that highlighted the jacket color, and the shirt was shiny and closed under my neck, very serious and playful at the same time. Also, the make up was simple but intense, and made my brow more eloquent.
-That looks good, I tell'ya -Isaiah said when I got out of the dressing room.
-I think it's the best one so far -I said a bit overwhelmed, while touching the jacket cuffs. I walked towards the entrance of the set, I bit nervous, and I heard a few compliments on my way. I felt my face blushing and I smiled a bit to low my nerve.
-Daddario has a camera the crew gave to him -an assistant said while looking inside the shiny set. The light was bright compared to the darkness behind it.
-Oh -I said- . I'll find him. I wanna take some pictures. My phone is sadly kidnapped by the crew. They won't let me have it.
-They want everybody to be concentrated. If you ask me, this is the most important episode of all.
Every female member of the crew was a Malec fan. Oh, my god.
-I suppose -I said, smiling tense. The kiss was making me nervous. Kiss scenes were always awkward to shoot- . Is Cassie here?
-I don't think so. She is busy with the new book. About Matt, he's ready. I saw him in the outfit. The director wants you to rehearse a bit and be together for a while to talk about the script.
Isaiah appeared again behind me to see the set. The color and details were beautiful.
-Are you gonna stay to watch? -I asked him.
-Yes. They say Stephanie looks stunning, like a Disney Princess. so I wanna see.
-You're always hunting, you...
-What are you talking about? -he said playing the fool.
-"What are you talking about?" -I repeated.
I heard a flash behind us and when I turned to see, as I expected, it was Matt with the said camera. He was in his outfit, all in gold and white.
-They have the Rune crystal behind the altar -he said- . You wanna see it?
-Oh, you guys are gonna talk about the script. I'm gonna go -Isaiah said, with an innuendo in his voice.
-We gotta be ready. There are millions of fans, Isaiah.
-Good luck. As I always say, pretend you're kissing your wife.
-My wife is shorter than me! -I claimed, pretending to be angry.
-May be I can kneel -Matt joked, making a hint.
-Don't do it -I warned him.
-Hey, come. In the back of the altar there's more light. I can take a better picture there.
-Who's gonna release those photos? -I asked, starting to miss my phone again.
-Some of them are for the Freeform's Twitter, Shadow's twitter, I don't know.
-You have your phone with you?
-No. Be careful, there's a stair here -he said in the almost complete darkness of the back of the set. I felt his hand on my shoulder and we were finally on the back of the altar. The crystal for the wedding runes was there, and its like was on. It was beautiful.
-Don't understand how they do this kind of stuff -I said, a bit frustrated. There were really talented people in the world. Sometimes I wanted to be able to do all that stuff, but unless I was Magnus for real, I wouldn't have all the time to develop such skills.
Matt was already positioning himself for the photos. He was beside the crystal with the camera up, while I stared at this piece of art. I looked up, and the flash shine red and then white, taking the picture just there.
-That outfit is beautiful -he commented, approaching to touch the fabric- . Wow, it's soft...
-Inside is also soft...
-Wow.
-I would actually wear this in a party.
-We could ask them to give it to you.
-I don't think they would do it -I said, shaking my hear from side to side.
-I wonder where these costumes go to after this -Matt said while taking another photograph
-I suspect they use the fabric again to make other clothing. I don't know -I touched the crystal carefully. It was hot, but not that much. Matt took another picture. I smiled without looking at him. I felt blush in my face.
Usually I was the one who took the pictures. There were a few I had in a foulder in my laptop that I planned to post in Facebook and Twitter during the episodes' release. But the camera Matt was holding was a professional one. He was like a kid with a new toy. He was such a kid sometimes. It was cute, especially for a person of this size. I wouldn't say this to him, of course.
-We should probably talk about the script -Matt said, moving the camera lens from a wider distance- . I wanna take a picture of the outfit.
-We talked a lot about the script with the cast and crew the other day -I said, walking to the background to please Matt's requirements. He was playing the part of the professional photographer- . What else can we add on it?
-May be... ahm... the... the director said he wanted a long kiss. But I don't get how long, so... we must change positions. I mean, if we decide the changes and positions now...
-Like a choreography... -I said.
-I feel that it will be easier.
-Right. But they will tell us. They did that with Dom and Kat.
-Yeah, but... have you kissed a guy? -he said, frowning.
I made a weird face, opening my eyes wider.
-No. But in Glee when Blaine and Kurt kissed, it was all directed in the moment.
-Well, obviously Alec has to be the one who guides here. He's the one who decides to kiss Magnus, so...
-Yes. I still think we should wait for the director's decisions -I said. It was obvious, but Matt was too worried about it- . We'll do well. I haven't kissed a guy on camera, but I've kissed girls in camera. And it's the same.
-Yes, but...
I started to laugh a bit.
-Matt, you're too worried. Relax -I turned to the entrance, spotting a member of the crew taking pictures of us. I made the peace sign with my hand and I walked out of there.
-I just think we should have a back up choreography -Matt insisted.
-Don't worry. We will probably rehearse the kiss a few times before the actual shooting.
-You think? -he said, walking beside me.
-Yep -I said in a high tone.
-There you are! -the director went straight to us and embraced us from the back- Are you ready?
-Yes. Where are the extras? -I asked.
-You will rehearse first. Again.
-Oh, my god, they will be here? -Matt said.
He complained because Kat and Em were the biggest Malec shippers. I understood what "shipping" meant, at least. They were sitting on the front of the room, smiling in our direction. Matt and I shared a brief head shaking.
We rehearsed all the movements as we did earlier, but we especially repeated the gesture of Matt holding my jacket's lapels to kiss me. The director fobid us to kiss, tho, but he said to us what movements we should do, the positions and stuff, and that we would add changes when the actual shooting happened, which was just two minutes later.
The room filled with the cast and the extras for the scene. Albert arrived all happy and enthusiastic. He was especially happy with his lines, he said they were the highlight of the scene, and Dom didn't stop his mocking about how awkward it would be for us after that.
-It won't be -Matt said, frowning- . Everytime I gay-kiss, I feel better about myself, you know?
-Gay-kiss is a verb? -I asked.
-Then you feel a lot good about yourself -Dom said.
-Yeah. Superb -he said. He looked nervous, tho, and I was... well, I was just silent. I didn't know what to say, really.
-First shot! -the director announced.
-Oh, fuck -Matt said.
He ran to the altar, and I walked to the outside of the set.
That first part of the scene was quite easy. I heard all the screaming and steps of the actors, but the scene itself was mostly in silence, while I was leaning against the outside wall, with Mary sitting beside me, ready for whatever happened to my make up.
-My turn -I said, when the director announced the second part of the scene.
Someone closed the door beside us and I walked towards the entrance of the chapel, braking on the floor for a few seconds as the script said. I found that part particularly pleasing for my character, since Magnus was always in control of himself, with the exception of this day.
Stephanie was in her costume at the altar, and as Isaiah had commented, she was stunning. In front of her, Alec was staring at me with a slightly scared expression on his face. I stayed serious, overwhelmed by the staring of all the extras and cast. It was like dancing for an audience again, and I suspected it made sense in Magnus' case. He dressed for himself and an audience, and here, especially in this scene, he dressed for the Clave, for the approval of the Clave, but staying stylish as he always did.
I briefly cut to see Maryse when she came to question Magnus' presence in there, and then I looked at Alec again.
I started to breathe in a weird way when the moment came. Matt crossed the chapel and I expressed a slight surprise as Magnus felt surprised at the sight of Alec's decision. I maintained myself looking at him, seeing him getting closer and closer until his hands were on my lapels. I wasn't prepared at all, and when our lips met, for a few seconds I didn't know what to do, with the exception of moving them forward while I made my breathing sound noisier. I didn't know Matt was going to do that, breathing that hard, but I thought it was a good choice. I had my eyes closed, barely listening to the director's instructions. Lucky me, I heard him say we separate for a few seconds and then start again. I could barely predict the exact moment when we did it, so my lips followed him and when I opened my eyes, there he was, staring at me with the eyes of Alec in him. I felt a bit embarassed. Matt looked quite different from himself when he was playing Alec, that's why everybody said he was the most different from his character in the crew, which was pretty amazing for a guy with his kind of personality. He had a restless brain, I suppose, which is why he was such an open-minded person. More than me, actually. I was trying to level up, but sometimes it was hard to joke about us being Magnus and Alec. One thing was the characters and another thing was us, and we weren't that close in comparison to Dom and Alberto, for example. We were regular pals, not even regular, but I saw how Matt made efforts to be close to me, since we were gonna be, hopefully, more than one season working together.
We kissed again with the same fake breathing of two lovers wanting each other, synchronized. From outside, I felt it was real.
-That was good! -the director practically screamed- But, when you separate make the following more obvious -the director said to me- . For the first time, Magnus is losing control.
I affirmed, feeling lucky that my brief mistake was being seen as acertive. I smiled, eyebrows included and I heard Matt laughing nervously in front of me, while I was looking at the director.
-And Matt, when you kiss him for the second time... make it more eloquent.
-Yes. And Harry, when you separate, I feel like there's a moment of hesitation from Magnus.
-Hesitation and fear -I pointed out.
-Exactly. Make it visible, but subtle.
-OK.
-Harry, you're the master of improvisation -Matt said, while walking towards the altar.
I opened my eyes widely, planning on confessing my mistake at least to him.
We made the changes required by the director after that. It wasn't easy, kissing each other over and over while others were screaming at us more suggestions was the most awkward experience possible.
In the other hand, Matt had shaved as always for the scene, but I still could feel the roughness of his skin. It wasn't pleasant, but a couple of times, when we separated, we rested our foreheads on each others', and it was a pretty funny moment while staying on character. It was intimate, and I slowly started to move my arms towards him every time we separated to look at each other. I suspected that scene would be a close-up, but my arms still embraced him, making the moment less awkward, even when it was all fake.
At the ninth shot, we cracked up and the director announced it was over. Matt was laughing.
-I'm so sorry, kiss scenes are always weird -he said solely to me, while adjusting the lapels of my jacket.
-That was beautiful, guys. Thank you so much. But we are not over, OK?
-I know. Now it comes Simon. Oh, god, I love his dialogue here -I commented, while feeling my lips warmer. Someone brought water for us and Matt drank and drank until the bottle was empty. I looked at him while he did it.
-It wasn't easy -I said, mocking him.
-It's never easy. Well, this kiss was different, anyway.
-More passionate -I said.
-Yeah. But the next ones will be even more intense.
-If they happen -I said, and I drank more water. My mouth was dry- . I hope season 2 happens. I'm feeling more and more comfortable here and I know almost all the crew
-Yeah? -he asked, looking at me with attention, more than usual. He smiled at me in that way he always did, in a cute way, like if I was a puppy or something. It didn't bother me, but... he had that kind of eyes, lost, barely steady, like if he was thinking of three more things at the same time, like if he was on the moon, far away from us. It made you wonder if he was talking seriously. All the time.
-Yep.
Matt squinted with disbelief, pulling the collar of his shirt.
-But... you are always the first to leave.
-Yeah, 'cause the hours of shooting are pretty long, so I barely see my wife two hours a day now. It's a bit upsetting -I said with my eyes down, moving my feet- . But it's an opportuniy.
-Yeah. And that's the actor's life. Don't you miss dancing?
-I'm always dancing.
-The guys wanna go party after this, but I told them you... would probably go home -he said, scratching his neck.
-I'll see. I wanna go. If we finish early, I go. I promise.
-Awesome -he said, punching me slightly on my shoulder.
I laughed briefly, looking at him while he was looking away.
Damn, he was gorgeous. If I was gay, I would be probably sweating after so many kisses.
The next ones would be easier, I said to myself. But to accomplish that, it was important to get more intimate with Matthew, like Dom and Alberto, in that way the kisses would be less awkward.
-At least we got something new after those smooches -he joked, moving his feet along with the background music. "Smooches". Oh, my god. Someone had Le Disco playing, "Shiny Toy Guns". Probably Em, who was always looking for the soundman so he would play her favorite songs. The director allowed us to play some background music to support the scene's emotions.
-What new?
-You stopped calling me Matthew.
-I still call you Matthew in my mind.
-Oh.
-That's weird -I said to the air, realizing how weird it had sounded.
-Isaiah wants you there, in the party -he said, changing the subject- . You are like in the same level of maturity, so...
-Maturity, what is that? It means I'm boring?
He laughed at my words, but deep down, I wanted to know that for serious.
-Well, in comparison to me, hell yeah -he said with false arrogance.
-Don't play the arrogant. I never believe you -I confessed.
Matt frowned and looked around with a strange expression of fun. I followed his stare, starting to think we were getting friendly-friendly at last, just like Dom and Alberto. I saw them a couple of times during past shootings, a bit envious, taking each other in their arms like babies, probably imitating the way David Castro, who played Raphael Santiago, took Alberto around the set in one of the episodes. I've never had that kind of "bromance", as fangirls called it, with another guy. I was just too shy for that kind of stuff.
-The third part of the shooting starts! -an assistant announced.
-C'mon -Matt said, punching me in the shoulder again.
-I'm gonna respond that punch one day and you're not gonna like it.
-Oh, c'mon, we know who is the strongest one here -he said leaning playfully towards me before walking to the center of the set, where we were when the kiss happened.
-We nee you to kiss again for the entrance of the next scene -the director said.
-Yeah, we know -Matt muttered in a teasing way.
I walked toward him with arched eyebrows and when I was the closest I smiled for myself with eyes down. I couldn't stay serious. I feared that would be a problem, like that time the director had to quit shooting a scene where Magnus said to Alec, in a flirting way, of course, "Think of me when you shoot your arrows". Matt exploded in laughter everytime. It was frustrating because I loved that line, but thinking about it was fun. It would be one of those unforgettable memories.
Matt put his hands on my jacket, trying to remember how exactly he was holding them.
-I think your right hand was higher and... -I said, but I was interrupted.
-Are you ready? -the director asked.
-No, it was... OK.
We smiled at the same time, and then I closed my eyes and the smile was away. Matt kissed me, with my lips still not fully closed, and I felt a bit of wet in his lips when he pressed them against mine. It was soft, I could feel it now, careful and almost tender. And of course, that became a problem, because not shortly after we began, the director shout a "More passion!" at us and a ripple of contained laughter was heared from the background. Matt couldn't take it and burst into laughter, dropping the lapels of my jacket. Only then, I realized how tight he was holding me, but I burst into laughter anyway, while every member of the crew was doing the same.
-I'm so sorry -I heard Em saying- . You guys look so hot... Los fans van a enloquecer...
-You were the one -Matt accused her.
-Kat laughed too, and Alberto, everyone...
-OK, guys, let's focus -the director said, but smiling anyway. According to the hour, we were doing pretty well with time. If we kept doing that well, that party could go, so I deleted every trace of expression from my face, while Matt talked in silence with Em to the distance. When I looked at her, I also spotted Dom with thumbs up in our direction. "You're doing excellent, guys", he was saying.
-OK -Matt muttered, holding my lapels again.
-You're holding them too tight -I whispered, leaning toward him.
-What are you talking about? -he whispered back, but he loosened the grip anyway.
I inevitably smiled again, and I stared at Matt's lips, noticing the red in them. Someone from make up should be there.
His lips were becoming familiar, I recognized for myself. It was really weird, I wasn't even nervous about it anymore. The cast and crew were the ones who were making me nervous now, not Matthew.
-Action!
I closed my eyes a milisecond before we kissed again, and this time his lips were harder on mine. I closed my eyes a bit tight, I started to feel my heart racing quickly. Bad sign, I said for myself, while trying to fake that noisy breathing that Matt was masterfully faking. I felt his lips open widely against mine and he took my inferior one for a moment, slightly taking it with him. A little more, and there would be tongue in there, I said to myself, a bit concerned.
After the kiss was broken, I opened my eyes.
-You never cease to amaze me, Alec -I said, completely concentrated.
I was totally in my zone!