A collision of hearts
By Writheworth
Chapter 1: Short version
Were his eyes open? Alec couldn't decide. It was just black. Death – the only true freedom. That was the saying, right? Well, if that was true, then he was not dead. No, his body was burning. A wild fire eating away at every cell in his body. Slowly draining every drop of life left in him. He wanted to get away but there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide from the intense pain that was burning him alive. He wanted to scream, but his throat was filled with a thick liquid seeming to flow in both directions. He coughed, feeling the blood run down his face. He took a rattling breath, trying to ease the pain in his throbbing lungs, but only more coughing followed making it worse.
He thought it would never end. He was stuck in limbo, cursed with eternal suffering, never dying. Feeling the fire chew at his body until only ash remained, and then reliving the same experience over, and over, and over… But then… a blue light among the flames, calling him. The light seemed to crash into his chest, chocking the fire there and then working its' way through his limbs, eliminating the pain, leaving a warm tingling sensation behind. The blackness surrounding him inched away, slowly, until only a frame of darkness covered his sight. Above him was the silhouette of a slender figure with its' hair in neat spikes.
"Alexander?"
Alec opened his eyes, blinking away the blurriness. He felt a dull ache in his body, like after a full day's training with Jace and Isabelle. The ceiling was white and familiar, but he couldn't place it until he lowered his gaze and saw the rest of the room. He was at the institute, in the infirmary. How did he get here? Flinching he tried to sit up but stopped in the middle of the movement.
Beside his bed stood an armchair. In it sat none other than Magnus Bane, high warlock of Brooklyn. Well, maybe 'sat' was the wrong word. The warlock was splayed over the armrests in an uncomfortable position; head hanging loosely, his body far too long, it seemed, to fit in the chair in any way. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily.
"What are you doing here?" Alec asked without thinking, in chock after discovering the sparkling character next to his bed.
Magnus awoke with a start almost falling out of his chair. He looked around, disoriented, until his eyes fell upon Alec. Then he smiled and relaxed a little, sitting up properly.
"Can't a man sleep in a chair without being asked questions?" He answered stretching sleep out of his limbs, but suddenly flinching and rubbing his neck, sore from the awkward sleeping position.
Alec hesitated.
"What happened? 'Cause I am guessing something happened, because I'm in the infirmary, but I don't…"
Alec started looking down his body, searching for an iratze or a wound of some kind, but found nothing. The warlock studied his search, brows raised.
"You don't remember?"
Alec shook his head.
"Well do you want the long version or the short version?" Magnus asked watching the confused shadowhunter.
"I'll just give you the short version, I'm craving some coffee. Details can wait." He continued without waiting for an answer. "You and your little friends got a call and went out on your little mission, but on the way you were taken by surprise, attacked by demons. You got slashed and the poison from its claws started spreading. Jace tried to draw an iratze, but all it did was heal your wound, not stop the poison from tearing at your body from the inside, so they called me, which was lucky. Otherwise you might have…"
Even though Magnus has started his storytelling with a cheery kind of mood, it seemed to drop towards the end. Alec trailed his fingers over his back, and found the small irregularity in the skin, indicating a rune, the iratze drawn by Jace. There was a silence. Only their breathing could be heard in the room.
"Thank you." Alec said after a few seconds. The warlock lifted his gaze and met Alec's blue eyes with his own yellow ones. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but then he rose from his chair, stretching tall showing a streak of golden skin between his trousers and his shirt. Alec tried not to stare, but failed miserably. Magnus' smile broadened a little and he started walking towards the exit.
Alec's heart skipped a beat as the panic spread; the fear of not meeting him again anytime soon.
"Would you like to go out with me?"
Alec couldn't believe his own ears. His mouth had formed the words all on its own. Magnus stopped short, looking over his slender shoulder at the shadowhunter whose face was beet red.
"Sorry?" He pushed, having heard clearly, though wanting to push the guy just a step further.
"I said…" Alec tried to swallow the lump in his throat preventing him from pronouncing the words again. "Would you like… To go out… With me."
Magnus turned on the spot and moved gracefully towards the bed.
"What makes you ask me that?" He asked, his white teeth exposed in an amused smile.
Alec frowned.
"Wha… Because I want to go out with you." He tried, not fully understanding what the warlock was looking for.
Magnus snickered and stopped at the foot of the bed, leaning over Alec.
"Have you ever gone out with anyone before?"
Alec hesitated.
"Well…"
"No?" Magnus filled in.
"No." Alec confessed awkwardly, scratching his neck even though there was no itch.
"Delightful! I love first times. Saturday? Dinner. My place."
Magnus stared at Alec, smiling, as though he couldn't quite get enough of his appearance.
"Ok."
Alec tried not to blush under the taller man's gaze.
"It's a date." Magnus said, leaving his post at the foot of the bed, giving Alec one last look before walking towards the door with his long strides.
"See you Saturday." was heard from the corridor after he had disappeared around the corner.