07/01/2011 19:14:00

Title: Nervous Game

Magnus meets a younger version of Alec at swim practice, after knowing each other for a while; they decide to play a game. AU. Middle school Alec. High school Magnus.

Date: January 7, 2011.

Time: from five in the after noon to 7:45 in the evening.

Place: University of *c*i*t*y* in the student center, at the pool, out on the street in front of the center.

Song: "Queer"- Garbage

The song isn't what the title implies

It had been a while since Alec had gone back to swimming practice. He had missed the team while he was away in North Carolina, missed coming home ready to pass out. Now at home in Florida he was back to the pool, and his inevitably pale skin had only darkened a fraction of a shade in the five days he had been back at swimming.

The Pool was at the local college, only a few blocks away from the school he was attending eighth grade in. Orange and green were shared school colors of both of them. The difference between the two was their Mascot. The mascot of the college was an Ibis, while that of his school was a hornet. Alec found this pleasantly coincidental, but did not dwell on it for very long.

Either way, his swim cap had broken the day before as he was taking it off after practice. His cheeks stained pink from the exercise, he had cursed. Swimming without a cap was not suggested, anyone without a buzz cut was told to get one. Swimming is difficult enough if you are in a team, and swimming with hair in your face only made it harder to get to the sparse oxygen you were allowed to breathing every four strokes.

It really couldn't be helped, he would have to skip practice the today to buy a new one. He took out his phone, an old touch-screen contraption with a damages screen. He called his mother and asked her to pick him up. "Uh, hey mom. Yeah, I'm fine. No I don't know where Jace is. Yeah, can you pick me up? Yeah… Okay… I'll wait, call me when you get here." Alec's mom was going to her church with a bunch of honest to goodness Jesus freaks in North *c*i*t*y* which was at least two hours away from their home. Alec went to the place where he normally sat, only intending to sit for a moment. If he sat there to long, Clary was almost guarantied show up.

Not that Alec had anything against her, but she was pretty rich and spoiled, and sometimes her disregard for personal property ground on his nerves. Alec was about to leave when the urge to use the bathroom made him jump out of his chair and run towards the gender indiscriminate bathrooms that had somehow found their way into a co-ed college. Before he managed to dash in through the swinging door of the bathroom, he sees a flash of red hair and curses; there goes that whole "avoid Clary" Idea.

As he used the rest room he mentally prepared himself for her voice. "Alec hurry up, I have to pee too!" she screeched, making it suddenly harder to keep his thoughts on peeing and not strangling her. But she and Alec always hung out together, Lord knows why. The fact that she clings like a limpet might have something to do with it.

"Watch my bag I put it by yours!" she yelled, rushing into the stall the moment I had exited it. Alec sighed and walked over to what had once been his hiding place. Till that witch came along and ruined it. Alec sat by their stuff and pulled his money for snack out of his eternally messy backpack, being fourteen years old and in sports left Alec terminally hungry and searching for edibles. He and Clary walked to the C-store, which is what everyone had nicknamed the miniature grocery store that had everything from jerky to ice cream to locks to tampons, not that many people purchased that last one. He picked up a pastry, an apple Danish of some sort, and paid, waiting outside for Clary who would throw a fit if he didn't wait for her.

She came out of the store clutching a package of Double-Stuffs Oreos, an unused coffee cup, and a small plastic bottle full of milk. She sat down on one of the armchairs that lined the hallway in the student center that had once been my sanctuary. The C-store was on one side, and then next to it was the student union bank. Then, the entrance to a café that was along with most other restaurants closed due to the fact that for most of the students winter break was still on.

After that there was the computer lab, dark and closed off. The school was a veritable ghost town at this time in the year. Usually this place was teeming with people, but now it was almost deserted. On the side of the stores and bank there were couches and armchairs of questionable taste, and on the other there were vending Machines of different kinds, Video games, movies, snacks, sodas, ice-cream (we have that in Florida), and so on. There were also tables and chairs with neat little wheels attached to each of their straight aluminum legs.

There were three armchairs next to each other, Alec sat in the middle one, and Clary sat in the seat next to me. The last set went to Clary's Nanny, a kind old Hispanic woman who wore cheaper but more comfy clothes despite the fact that Clary's family bought her the most expensive clothes she could wish for.

Alec was listening to all his songs on his I-Pod Touch in order to decide which ones he didn't like to listen to any more. He was about to add a song to the "delete" play-list, when his I-Pod was plucked clean out of his hands, leaving his long fingered hands holding empty air. She then tried unsuccessfully to download an app, taking a break to make fun of a woman's hair, "awww" at the puppy sleeping soundly in someone's lap. At the end she decided that she would delete some of his pictures to make room for her retarded game. Alec thought they were a waste of time and used his I-pod exclusively for music and email. Alec snatched his I-pod back as she was bout to enter pictures. There were some pictures he would never let anyone see on there, especially Clary, who wasn't aware of his "preference." Alec by no means wanted Clary to find his picture of the characters from kingdom of hearts, Roxas and Axel, doing rather… unorthodox things.

To distract her from the pictures, he suggested she delete tap-tap (his only game app) to make space for her new app; Alec had 969 songs on there, so there wasn't much there could do about memory but delete apps. He told Clary he was going home, since he had no cap, and she cheerfully offered to lend on of hers. Well, Shit. He sat still for a moment deciding if he wanted to swim or not. But then he decided to call his mother and save her the trouble of coming to pick him up, making this choice the other way around would have him home faster he knew, but he had a crush on the coach despite the fact that he was already thirty. With the introduction, "call me coach Luke" Alec had been sold.

Clary on the other hand seemed to dislike him, no almost downright hate coach Luke. Alec only became more infatuated with him when he showed his physical strength by doing all impossible kinds of push-ups Alec could only dream of doing. Like everyone on the swim team that liked six-packs and exotic accents (who doesn't), Alec had crushed on Sebastian, but it had passed, Sebastian was already dating Aline and Alec didn't like to get mixed up in that. Slowly but surely a swimmer named Magnus had caught his eye. Those were in themselves enough reasons to go to swimming practice.

Alec conceded, "All right I'll go swimming with you" he agreed, knowing that Clary by no means wanted to go to swimming alone. Swimming without having anyone to complain to would be no fun for her. He called his mother, who luckily had not left yet and told her not to pick him up after all.

They changed in their separate lockers, and walked out onto the pool deck together. Luckily Alec didn't have to suffer for very long, one of Clary's French pals coming up and beginning to talk to her in a language that to me sounded like running water with sharp rocks in it. Magnus walked in through the same way I had, his bag shouldered. I walked up to him, and when I felt that Clary wasn't looking, I hugged him. It wasn't that I cared whether we were seen hugging; the other guys here did that as well. But Clary, she seemed to have a 6th sense for gays.

Therefore when they had hugged the day before she had asked "ARE YOU DATING?" In the loudest possible voice she could muster. Then she had walked up to them and began telling him how to greet people in France, two kisses one on each cheek. It made me wonder how that made it look less like we were dating. It probably wouldn't. Then she went on to say "and what happened to you face!" referring to the traces of glitter still in his eyes.

Still, Magnus and I were just friends, and though I had never told him, I think he knew I kind of liked him. We had talked about things that normal friends don't really talk about, like physical attraction and such. We had touched a bit more closely than other "buddies would". He had confessed that he had spent long intervals of time trying to gage my length, which had made me blush, and smack his arm. I didn't discourage him though. Maybe it was curiosity. What did this high school boy know that I as a middle school one didn't? But they weren't dating; neither had asked the other out. And when asked Magnus would say they were just good friends.

Granted I was in my last year of Middle-school and he in his second year of high school, swimming was the only place I saw him, so before and after swimming we would hang out as we waited for practice to start or for our parents to come and pick us up. It was about ten minutes before practice started for me; being younger I was in a lighter practice. So we decided to take a walk down the deserted campuses out door halls. Actually he said "accompany me" when Alec asked him why it was because "I'm afraid some old man with a wrinkly penis is gonna rape me. It happens…" Alec didn't know how his presence would prevent anyone from being raped, but he didn't question Magnus. they saw people setting up tens upon tens of tents in preparation for the art festival.

He walked beside me and then he randomly squeezed the side of my stomach where a small bit of extra fat had settled. "Squish" he joked, and I be ticklish giggled a dodged as his hands went for the other side.

"STOP! Please!" I exclaimed out of breath. "Don't make fun of my fat!" Alec complained one Magnus had stopped teasing his sides.

Magnus wrapped his arm around Alec in a teasing gesture. "Its okay if you're fat, the fatter you are, the nicer your ass looks. You know I actually spend a lot of time staring at it right?" he winked. Alec had heard this before, and this allowed his to brush it off, although it was definitely true. "Has anyone ever poked your ass other than to bug you?"

"Other than my sister, just you."

"Interesting, I have the sudden urge to touch it right now" threatened Magnus, a Cheshire cat grin on his face, and the remains of glitter over his eyes strengthening the effect.

Alec blushed, putting his hands over his face, "you can try!" he challenged, his voice coming out quieter than expected. Magnus made a lunge with his hand, but Alec reacted just a Quickly and blocked. "Keep trying," he goaded, now on his guard. They walked slowly, at an easy pace. Then, when Alec was least expecting it, he felt a sudden pressure and heard himself squeal like a little girl.

"Hah! I am the Master!" Magnus exclaimed triumphantly. Alec jumped and Magnus, preparing to claw Magnus to death with his nails, primitive he knew, but it got the job done. Magnus legs were longer, and Alec had to vault over a wall after him to catch. When he did catch up to Magnus and tackle him however he was too tired to do any clawing. "You okay?" Magnus asked, poking Alec in the side. Alec just glared.

Then he changed the subject something more important: "How do we know when to go back?" Alec asked, not wanting to be late to swim practice. He and Magnus both turned around, deciding mutually that since neither had a watch they shouldn't risk it.

Alec was still late when they arrived, and he speed changed. Usually he hid in a stall change, but this time his clothes his the floor as quickly as his skintight trunks went up. His goggles and fins were already on the pool deck, he rushed over to Clary to borrow her cap "I want that back" she said nonchalantly, to absorbed in her own conversation to pay much attention to him. He pulled the cap over his in one swift movement. Most of the other girls asked for help. Even Clary walked up to him and asked, "Cap me?" and held her red hair in a bun so that I could pull the pearly white cap over her head in one go. But Alec, he knew how to put his messy long hair into the cap on his own.

After making sure no hair would fall out and block his view as he was swimming, he jumped into the deepest lane. He preferred deeper water simply because of the smoother feel of it compared to that of shallow water. He swam a 100 meters to warm, before the coach began to announce the set. They didn't have their regular coach today; instead they had a stricter woman, her hair tied into a tight bun and sharp facial features that could soften completely if she had reason to let them. She wore a long coat that reached her calves, Black t-shirt and skinny jeans, and converse. Despite the fact that she had a child Alec's age, there was not one once of fat or loose skin on her being. Sports made people look younger, so she looked less out of place in her converse than Alec's mother, Maryse, would. Coach Herondale was relentlessly strict.

Clary hopped into the lane with them and somehow a hyperactive little girl named Annie joined them. He was fond of her, but she was a little too excitable on days when Alec was having a headache. She began chattering endearingly about getting shoved into the lockers again as a joke, she was that tiny. The set began, and after it was over, coach began dashing our swimming hopes against the lane-lines by insulting all of our freestyles in detail. For about two hours they all did this: swim, then endure criticisms. After that they climbed out of the pool, cheeks pink and laughing to each other, lightheadedness loosening their tongues. Alec, completely forgetting to return Clary's cap ran, to the lockers so he could change and be out soon enough that Magnus wouldn't be gone by the time he came out.

The art festival that would open at a date that Alec didn't know blocked off the regular place Alec usually waited. Sitting there on the benches where all the swimmers waited was only Vault, a tiny girl who was named Vault because if there was a child-swimming prodigy, it was she. So the team had collectively dubbed her Vault because of how fast she was. "Hey Maya," Alec said, using her real name instead of the team nick she had acquired. She held a box of Cheez-its in her hands, and seemed to be waiting in the wrong place to be picked up. He had heard all the other swimmers go in the other direction, and was about to tell her when a light seemed to go off in her head and she began looking frantically for something.

"Could you call my phone?" she asked about to panic. Alec did as she asked and on the second time he called Magnus voice came smoothly over the lines. "Uh, hi" Alec said, forgetting what you said to someone when they had you lost phone. He held the phone to Maya, speech lost. She took it and spoke for a few minutes, her whole postures more relieved. Alec thought she was far to stressed for her age, which was even younger than his own measly fourteen years.

"Magnus is the only person here I trust" confided Maya, "everyone else is a bit crazy." Alec nodded, understanding how she felt. After waiting a while Maya began to worry that he had gone in the wrong direction, so Alec went to go check if Magnus was still on the pool deck. Maya followed him and found him buying candy from the quarter vending machine outside the pool.

"So that's where you were!" Alec said, surprised.

"Yeah" responded Magnus plopping a few of the saccharine candies into Alec's hand. "Here's your phone," he said winking and giving it to Maya. The three of them walked out, and on the way they met Simon, making it a foursome (Maya and Simon are not together). Simon made it his personal mission to steal Maya's Cheez-its. Even though she claimed to need the label, when she left she walked away without it saying "your welcome"

Simon grabbed the cheese snacks and began stuffing them in his mouth, then he rubbed them all over his mouth making moaning sounds "oh yeeaah. I love you little white cheezits!" He took a longer moment, "well they're not really white are they."

Alec laughed. "Naww" he said, "they look more pale yellow… Like Asians!"

"Imagine if ninjas attacked you!" Magnus laughed. Simon began using the cheezits as weapons yelling kung fu phrases like "Whatataya" "Haiya!" well you get the picture. Eventually he sat down, going.

"I always take cheezits with me to do math tests, cause Asians are so smart." Joked Simon. "Cheezit do you know the answer?" he put the cheezit to his ear "yes, I see" he feigned writing the answers on as test.

"Have you ever played the 'Nervous Game'?" Magnus asked, looking up at Simon, then winking at Alec when the others head is turned. "Do you want a demonstration?" Magnus asked, when Simon confessed he had never heard of it. "Well it goes like this" Magnus put his hand on Magnus thigh, close to the knee. "Nervous?" Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow. Alec shook his head and Magnus hand rose further up his leg, "nervous?"

"Whoa!" interrupted Simon, who wasn't homophobic, but wasn't a voyeur either. "You know, that reminds me of a girl in our school, people walk by and just grope her, and she doesn't eve care." They started talking about the best places to play the 'Penis Game'*. Eventually he was picked up, so Magnus and Alec decided to move to the street corner. By this time it was about 6:45 and dark as dead of night. In the winters of south Florida, there was barely any sunset. Since they were on the equator it was either dark or light. It was also cold.

Magnus shivered. Alec noticed and comforted, "I'd give you my sweater, but I'm not wearing a shirt under it."

"Really, can I borrow your sweater then?" Magnus joked.

"Yeah right,"

"Damn!"

An African American man driving his car was stopped by a police barricade that had lined up to protect the art tents. The barricade was also what kept their parents from picking him up at the usual location. "Racial profiling" Magnus stated simply as the police walked up to the car and knocked on the window with their flashlights. Alec disagreed, the police didn't have the "Let me see you papers attitude" Alec was proven right when the Cop and the black man began chatting as if old friends. Magnus and Alec turned their attention back to each other; bored cops didn't hold ones attention for long

"So, want to play the nervous game?" Magnus said, poking the soft flesh of Alec's thigh. Alec being ticklish, shied away from the touch giggling softly. Alec pushed Magnus hand away weakly, not putting any serious effort into it. Magnus suddenly became fascinated with the skin of Alec's Calf and rubbed his hands over it. "Warm," he murmured softly.

"Not here," Alec said, shaking his head. "The black guy and the cops are right there." Alec got up, and Magnus led him between two of the closely packed, uniform white tents. The space was large enough for them to sit comfortably, but three people would be the limit. "I'm uncomfortable being in an enclosed area with you" Alec joked, using Magnus as a footrest to instantly contradict his statement.

"Don't worry, I wont rape you," Magnus said, running his hand over the skin of Alec's leg, then somehow the cold digits made their way to Alec's midriff underneath his mostly (but not completely) zipped gray sweater. Alec jumped from the temperature shock. And Magnus apologized, "Sorry, I'm usually a warm person, I'm trying gain heat." Alec pulled himself part-ways into Magnus lap, Magnus' almost freakishly tall frame dwarfing Alec's average height. Holding him there for a few seconds, before releasing his hold. "Thanks, I'm warmer now" and for some reason Alec felt warmer too.

"You go first," Alec said, referring to the game. Magnus' Hand was fingering the lower Band of Alec's briefs before Alec gulped and conceded. "Okay I'm nervous." Magnus pulled his hand out from under Alec's green tennis shorts. Adrenalin rushed through Alec's system, what I they were caught? His mother would probably beat him. Fear rushed through him.

They played a few rounds, each calling it off before things got too close. It was Magnus turn again, and he hadn't called it off yet. "Before you go on," Magnus said shifting as he sat under the others hand "I deck changed, I'm don't have any boxers on." Alec's eyes widened, but he didn't remove his hand, trying to prove his bravery to himself. Alec slid his fingers, and as he began to feel wiry hair that line the others pelvis, he curled his fingers in.

"That's as far as I'm willing to go, you win." Alec pulled back. "You wanna go again?" he didn't have to ask twice; Magnus seemed to go for any excuse to touch Alec. His hand sliding steadily over his skin in a moment. Magnus was pressing his hand over the front of Alec's briefs before he murmured "I'm nervous." But unlike normally, he didn't withdraw, letting his hand rest over the spot

"How about now?" Magnus asked, looking steadily into Alec's eyes. "I said I was nervous!" Alec said, pulling Magnus hand from out of his shorts. Alec giggled slightly from the rush of blood to the head. Then he saw the silver car that Magnus had described as his mother's drive by. It was a mutual decision to abandon their hiding spot, Magnus going in one direction and Alec in the other. They met again by their bags, shared a hug. Then Magnus drove away, Alec left to sit in the windy cold alone. He called his mother as he had been doing since practice was over, but she hadn't answered. He decided to call his other family members, and eventually he was picked up. As he drove away, his eight-year-old sister Izzy talking about school, he wondered: "What am I to him?"

This actually happened to me, except the groping thing happened to my breasts not my butt. So knowing this, what are we to each other? I'm dying to know.

Cast:

Maya is really a tiny blonde Nicole (Vault).

Magnus (age about 16), a guy in my swim team is really Bruno, not gay (so obviously no glitter on this guy).

Alec (about 14) is I (Oreos the one and only), but I'm a girl (and I'm told I have generous tits) so I changed a few things. Like I offered the sweater while Ricky (Simon was still there) and he also asked me to borrow my sweater .

Simon (about 15): a guy named Ricky, I don't him know to well as of now, but we'll see.

Clary (13): is a girl I know named Julia

Annie (10 or 11) is herself, a hyperactive little tan girl with silky hair and a high, but cute, voice. : 3

Sebastian (16) is Pablo, and yes, all the girls do want a piece of that.

Coach Lucian (30) is actually a coach Jonathan, whom I do slightly crush on! (I'm so messed up…)

The inquisitor (coach Herondale) (40 something): coach Maru