A/N: This is for Shadowhunters AU Mondays for the Fake Dating theme. This can also be read on Tumblr and Ao3. This turned out to be a lot longer than I originally planned, but I like the way that it turned out. I think I made them a little occ, but that ok.
Oh won't you stay with me? 'Cause you're all I need…
Magnus and Alec had been best friends for years. They met in eighth grade, and have been practically inseparable since. They were now neighbors in their New York City apartment building. Magnus had always had kind of a crush on Alec, and lately it's been growing into more than a crush.
Magnus was lounging on his living room couch, laying on his stomach. He had his laptop open, and he was scrolling through Facebook. As he was looking through his friend's updates, he heard his cell phone ringing. He looked at the caller ID, and saw that it was his mother calling.
"Hey, mom." He said, answering the phone.
'Hi Magnus, honey! How was your day?' His mother asked.
"It was alright. I just got back from work about a half an hour ago. It was a long day, so I'm just relaxing now."
'Okay, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing, dear, I just need to ask you something quick.'
"Okay, shoot." He replied, wondering about what she could be asking him.
'So, you know that our family dinner is this weekend, right?'
He rolled his eyes. "How could I forget?" he replied. It's not that Magnus didn't enjoy their family dinners; he really did enjoy them. His family was great, and he wouldn't trade them for the world. The problem was his grandparents; more specifically his Grandmother. Grandma Bane was the most judgemental woman he's ever met, and she was unbearable to sit with at a dinner table.
'Well, Grandma Bane called today. She wanted to know if you were bringing a date to the dinner." She said, sounding like she dreaded having to ask that.
"Of course she does." Magnus responded, exasperated.
'So, honey, what should I tell her?'
"Yes," he said, his mouth moving faster than his brain, "tell her yes." He didn't know why he said that, it was a huge lie. Maybe he just wanted to prove his Grandma wrong for once.
'Wait, you are? I didn't know you were dating anyone. Who are they.'
Oh God, he thought, how am I going to dig myself out of this one? "Oh, you'll them this weekend." He said, trying to sound sneaky, but probably failing.
Luckily, she didn't see through it, and said, 'Hmm. Well, I can't wait to meet them!'
"Mmhm. Okay, mom, I have to get going. It's getting late."
'Okay, I'll see you this weekend then. Love you, honey!'
"Love you too." He said, hanging up.
Magnus had to think of a plan, and quick. He just lied to his mother about having a date to the dinner! He was never going to get out of this… Except…
Magnus took out his phone, and dialed a number. Alec.
'Hello?' Alec's voice said through the phone.
"Hey, Alec. Are you home?"
'Yeah, I'm home. Why, is everything okay?' Alec asked, sounding concerned.
"Yeah, no, everything's fine. I just need to talk to you about something, and I'd like to talk in person."
"Of course. My door is unlocked, so you can come right over."
"Okay, I'll be there in a second." Magnus replied, hanging up. He put his phone in his pocket. He walked out of his door to walk down the hall to Alec's apartment. He walked right in.
"Hey, Magnus." Alec said, standing up from his seat on the couch.
"Hey. I need to ask you something important." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I need you to pretend to be my date to my family's dinner." He let out all in one breath, bracing himself to hear Alec's answer.
"Uhh...alright."
"Wait, you will? Seriously?" Magnus asked, flabbergasted. He didn't think he'd actually agree to do it.
"Sure, why not? Besides," he said, a blush forming on his cheeks, "I've, um, always kind of had a, uh, small crush on you." He stuttered out.
Magnus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Seriously? You have a crush on me? I've had a crush on you pretty much since the day we met!" He exclaimed, the confession coming out as more of a breathless laugh.
"Yeah, I may have noticed that." Alec said, a laugh escaping him.
"You did?" He was shocked to hear that.
"Well, you weren't exactly subtle about it. I started to notice in 10th grade." Well, Magnus definitely couldn't argue with that.
"Yeah, I admit it. It's all true." Magnus said, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "So, maybe we should get together tomorrow to set up a game plan for how it's all gonna work?"
"Yeah. Let's do that." Alec responded, smiling.
It was Saturday night, and to say that Magnus was nervous would be an understatement. He's pretty sure he's ruined his suit because of how much he is sweating.
"You ready for this, Magnus?" Alec asked him. He seemed to be a lot more composed than he was.
"Yeah, I think so. I just hope that everything goes to plan, and that no one gets suspicious."
"Don't worry, they won't. Not with this fool proof plan." Alec said confidently.
Magnus and Alec walked up to Magnus's parents' house. Magnus opened the door, and they walked inside. As they walked in, the aroma of cooking food hit them, and Magnus felt his mouth water.
"Magnus, is that you?" Magnus's mother asked, walking towards the open door.
"Yep, it's me; and my date." He said, throwing an arm around Alec's shoulder.
She gasped. "Alec? Magnus, why didn't you tell me you and Alec started to date?" She asked excitedly.
Alec laughed softly. "Hey, Angie. Long time, no see, huh?"
"I'll say!" Angie scoffed.
"Hey, Alec!" Magnus's father walked into the room. "It's good to see you again, and to see that you and Magnus are dating. I always new he felt something for you!" Magnus dropped his forehead into his hands, and started shaking his head in embarrassment. "Why don't we bring this into the dining room, you two? Your Grandmother is waiting to see you, Magnus."
The four of them walked into the dining room to see an older woman already sitting in one of the chairs.
"Hello, Magnus," she said, "it's been ages since I've last seen you. Is this your date?" She asked, gesturing forwards Alec.
"Yes, this is Alec. He lives in the same building as me; we're neighbors." He said, holding his breath in anticipation of her answer. Grandmother nodded her head in approval. Magnus let out a big breath, and he felt like a big weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
"Why don't we sit down and eat now, hmm?" Grandmother suggested. As Magnus's parents brought the food over to the table, him and Alec went to go sit down at the beautifully set table; Magnus sat next to his Grandmother, and Alec sat next to him. Grandmother gestured for Magnus to lean in closer to her, so he did. She whispered to him, "I'll give you this, Magnus. That boy is quite handsome." She smiled at him.
Magnus turned around to glance at Alec fondly. He watched him as he adjusted himself in his seat, and fix his jacket; he saw how his hair swept across his forehead, and how his eyes shown in the dim lighting of the dining room. He smiled. "Yeah, he sure is, isn't he." He said softly. Magnus's parents then walked in with the last of the delicious looking food, and they started to eat.
The night had went way better than Magnus had hoped. They pretty much stuck to their plan the entire time. Alec chatted with Magnus's parents, and caught up on their lives since he'd last seen them, which had been a few months. Alec actually, surprisingly, got along quite well with his Grandmother. Magnus was so sure that she'd make some kind of remark, but he was so happy to see her being civil.
Magnus and Alec were now walking up the steps to their apartments. Once they got to the door of Magnus's apartment, Alec spoke up after being silent for a while.
"So...the night went pretty well, don't you think?" Alec asked, looking a little nervous.
"Yeah, it was. You did great in there!" Magnus said, placing his hand gently on Alec's arm.
Alec took a deep breath before continuing. "Magnus, I...I had a lot of fun tonight 'pretending' to date you," he said, laughing softly, " and we just found out that we both have reciprocated crushes on each other, so, uh...I was thinking that maybe we could, umm…start dating each other for real?" He finished, ending his sentence as a question.
Magnus leaned in closer to him, smiling, and pressed a soft kiss to Alec's cheek. "I'd like that." He said, so soft it could have been a whisper. Alec's face broke out into the most dazzling smile, and Magnus couldn't help but smile just as dazzling back. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Magnus asked.
"Uh...yeah, of course. See you tomorrow, Magnus." Alec replied, walking down the hall to his door.
Magnus unlocked his own door, closing it behind him, and leaning up against it; unable to shake away the feeling that he probably just made the best decision of his life.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Tell me what you thought in the comments, or on Tumblr or Twitter.
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