-*-*-*-*-*-*-Time And Place Get's Complicated-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Chapter 3:
Awkwardly Cute Or Cutely Awkward
Chapter Complete! *~********~*~********~* Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec *~********~*~********~*Magnus stood up, dusting himself off, brushing his hair back. He glanced back at Alec, eyes trailing over him once more, flashing a curious, playfully flirtatious little smile. Alec smiled back, nodding faintly, beginning to fold his arms before stopping, thinking better of it, putting his hands in his pockets instead.
Oookay…think of something to say…
Wow he's pretty…
Alright, something besides that. I mean it's definitely true but kinda forward so far as the second thing you've ever said to someone goes…Especially when your new supervillian boss doesn't so much as bother to make up an even remotely convincing lie and basically just tosses you in a room together…
God…this feels like an awkward school dance.
Come on, just talk!
ANYTHING…
His Job…
Your new job…
Oasis…
Odette The time traveling Dinosaur…
Sports…
The Weather…
SOMETHING!
He took a deep breath,
"Umm…s-so…"
Alright…that's almost a start…keep going…
"Umm…So…hi…"
Oh god this is actually bordering on physically painful really w-
"Hey," Magnus said reaching up, fiddling with a silver cuff like dragon thing on his left ear.
He swallowed, clearing his throat, giving a soft laugh, rolling his eyes at himself,
"Damnit I am SO gonna get that obnoxious brat back for this…"
That startled a laugh out of Alec, he blinked faintly,
"What?"
Magnus huffed again, waving him off,
"Oh Raph- he is such a jackass sometimes. He purposely made this as awkward as possible. It's alright I'll find a way to get back at him for the both of us. Plaster the building with the pictures of him from high school when he had Barbie pink hair…maybe even reset the décor in his office to match. I'm thinking lots of fluffy pillows, hearts and motivational cat posters."
Alec burst out laughing, shaking his head faintly,
"Uhh- I did not hear that…but if you do is there a security feed we can watch to see his reaction?"
Magnus chuckled, eyes sparking mischievously,
"Technically no; he encrypts the feeds from his office- but I found out how to get around them months ago so we can totally have a front row seat for it…I'll even make popcorn for the show."
Alec laughed, shaking his head,
"Oh wow…okay he may be a supervillian but he was right about one thing…you definitely need security…or a straight jacket. Clearly you like to live dangerously."
Magnus shrugged, smirking,
"Does tend to keep things interesting…and he did start it…I'm just going to finish it." he smiled, stepping forward, extending his hand,
"Anyways…hi, Magnus Bane; chief scientist for Oasis."
Alec chuckled, reaching forward, taking his hand, shaking firmly, lingering.
"Alec Lightwood new head of security…and apparently your new bodyguard/babysitter."
Magnus huffed, rolling his eyes,
"I do not need security."
Alec snorted,
"Uh no…you do…you really, REALLY do…"
"I do not!"
Alec quirked his eyebrow, smirking,
"So…all the things Raphael said…they weren't true?"
"Well…no, they were bu-"
"So you were almost eaten by a Spinosaurus, and a sea serpent and a bear?"
"Yes but that's taken out o-"
And you did chase a herd of Troodon through a mall?"
"A flock- not a herd."
"Uh huh…right totally different. And the pirate ship?"
"Okay now there is a VERY good explanation for that one."
Alec quirked his eyebrow,
"And that is?"
Magnus rolled his eyes, gesturing animatedly,
"It was a pirate ship!"
Alec burst out laughing, shaking his head in disbelief,
"Uh yeah…no you most definitely need security…and I most definitely need to be sure I keep my health insurance up. No wonder the policies here are so good. I SO should've read the fine print."
Magnus chuckled,
"Wouldn't of helped, Raph oversees all of the new hire forms. It'd take a team of lawyers and an expert in cryptology to actually make sense of those damn things. Pretty sure a contract written by an actual demon would be more straightforward."
Alec laughed, giving a slight shrug,
"Probably less unsettling first meeting too."
Magnus snickered, quirking his eyebrow,
"That bad huh?"
Alec huffed, rolling his eyes, ticking them off on his fingers,
"Well…let's see; just going into his office felt like entering the lair of a supervillian, he even did the dramatic chair turn reveal thing- I half expected an eye patch…no eye patch but he was twirling a dagger- he said it was a letter opener but I have my doubts. Then he knew a scary amount about me- like classified, top secret things and even my very first crush- which was SO far beyond creepy…Though not as creepy as when I thought he was hiring me because he thought I was hot…
Yeah…definitely the most uncomfortable first meeting with a boss I've ever had…and with my job history that's saying a lot."
Magnus chuckled again, shrugging
"Sorry about that-Raph does rather like his little games; just think of it as an initiation, and a way to weed out those who can't hack it. I swear he isn't really that bad once you get to know him- so long as you stay on his good side. He just tends to play to his strengths."
Alec quirked his eyebrow,
"Supervillianny, snark and intimidation?"
Magnus shrugged,
"Yes…and if all that fails there's always good, old fashioned seduction…It's surprisingly effective."
Alec shook his head quickly,
"Oh, thank goodness the first three worked with me."
Magnus chuckled,
"Not really your type I take it?"
Alec scoffed, again shaking his head,
"Uh…no…really not into short, oddly intimidating bond villains types."
"G-good to know…" Magnus laughed, eyes sparkling with amusement and maybe a bit of something else, flickering over Alec,
Wow…that was just…
Wow…
Alec blinked, flushing slightly, trying to keep the awkward tongue-tied feeling from coming back,
"I-umm…I guess at least now I do kind of get why it's so crazily complicated…this place really is something else, no wonder it has so many disclaimers and confidentiality agreements."
Magnus smiled, nodding excitedly,
"Yes it is rather a necessity with our work. There truly is no other place like Oasis…"
Alec gave a slightly too loud laugh, nodding, rubbing at his face. He pushed his hair back, slumping faintly against one of the tables, the reality of all of this suddenly hitting him full force.
"Understatement of the century…This really is completely insane. Honestly up till now I've been half convinced I was slipped something and just hallucinating this. I mean we're talking about time travel and dinosaurs and I just walked past a family of saber-toothed cats! Hell the only reason I don't think it's a hallucination is because I don't think I'm creative enough to come up with even half of this…" He swallowed, realizing that sounded bordering on pathetic, shrugging faintly,
"Sorry to kind of bring this down…this is just a lot to take in. It's kinda just really hitting me that this is my new reality…and…It…It's a lot."Alec paused, taking a deep breath, giving a somewhat hopeless shrug,
"I really don't know if I can process all of this. I mean I thought I was taking a nice civilian job- just security at a tech firm. I've been a soldier, worked for the government. I've faced crazy, terrifying missions, danger and insanity pretty much my entire adult life. I thought this was a break from all that…
And now I'm working for what I am fairly certain is a supervillian in the making as head of security for a clandestine organization trying to corral a ridiculously pretty mad scientist and dealing with time travelers, dinosaurs and terrifying monsters from the past.
L-like I said…it's just a lot."
Magnus gave a gentle laugh and a kind smile, shaking his head faintly, settling closer next to him,
"Sweetheart, there's no need to apologize, you're absolutely right. It is a lot. A lot to process, a lot to realign with your view of the world, a lot to experience…it is just a lot; period.
I've been working here for nearly four years ever since we first discovered the anomalies- I still sometimes wake up in the morning and wonder if it was all a crazy dream. It is insane; we work with dinosaurs, travel through holes in time, meet people from the past, get glimpses of the future…
We get to see it all.
I realize right now when you haven't even known about it for an hour it seems uncomprehendible, and daunting…like it is just far too much to even begin to handle…
And even after you adjust there will still be times when it feels like that.
I am not going to lie; our work is dangerous, and insane, terrifying and at times near maddening…probably more so than any job or mission you have ever had.
But honestly, after being here I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.
It is a lot…
But it is so SO worth it." He reached over, resting his hand on Alec's, squeezing gently, tilting his head, a bit of something sparking in those deep, strikingly beautiful brown eyes.
"I realize this is not what you signed up for…it is not anything like you thought it would be, but give it a chance, please? Just a chance. Let me give you a tour, answer your questions, introduce you to some of the other people; I promise you will be surprised at just how well you fit here.
What do you say?"
Alec sighed, eyes flickering over his warm, hopeful smile, feeling any resolve he had melting away,
Yeah…there's no real argument against that smile….
Even when the argument includes time traveling dinosaurs and a super villain boss…
Alec flashed a slight smile, shrugging, pushing off the table,
"I say this is insane, and I'm pretty sure by the end of today I'll be in need of a psych eval…but so long as the tour doesn't take us anywhere near sub basement B or the entomology lab I'll give it a shot. Where do you want to start?"
*~********~*~********~* Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec *~********~*~********~*"And so then the damn thing charged right at him and Raph had to leap out of the way and straight into a pond overgrown with some type of bright orange algae. Bindy and Valarie did finally manage to herd the Triceratops back through the anomaly and it was pretty far out there so we didn't have to try to come up with a press release explaining why there was a pissed off triceratops traipsing about the everglades but still Raphael was furious. It was his favorite suit and the Algae stained…quite badly in fact…especially his skin. He looked like a very fashionable, VERY pissed off oompa loompa for over a week."
Alec laughed, shaking his head in disbelief as they took another turn, moving along the hallways, Magnus pointing out various projects, chattering on animatedly, eyes bright and sparkling with excitement. He's been here nearly an hour, Magnus catching his hand, leading him around the facility.
They were supposed to be heading over to the medical unit- Magnus seemed quite insistent that's where they should start, though he was pretty vague as to why, however he seemed to keep getting distracted. Bounding from one area to the next, breathlessly trying to explain everything he could as quickly as he could, almost as if he's still trying to convince Alec to stay…
Yeah…by this point it's pretty much irrelevant, he's not going anywhere.
Magnus's enthusiasm was practically infectious. Alec still had a bit of the 'this has gotta be a hallucination…there's a freaking dinosaur RIGHT there…time travel exists and is going to be part of my everyday job…A BIG part' nerves thing, but one look at Magnus's sparkling bright eyes and excited smile and all the craziness seemed less daunting and more intriguing.
They were making their way to the Medical bay on the second floor, Magnus filling the silence with stories of their missions- paying particular attention to the ones that cast Raphael in a more human light…
It was very entertaining…
Alec smiled, shaking his head, trying to stifle his laughter, glancing back over at Magnus, quirking his eyebrow,
"Wow…please tell me you have pictures of that?"
Magnus gave an impish smirk, winking playfully,
"And I have dozens of other stories just as ridiculous. I realize this seems like an insane, overwhelming, at times terrifying place to work…and that's because it is…but it really is the most amazing job you could ever have. I love this place; I really couldn't imagine working anywhere else." Magnus glanced over, an oddly knowing glimmer to his deep brown eyes,
"The work is amazing but it's the people that really make Oasis so extraordinary. Our staff is amazing- some of the finest, bravest, most brilliant people you will ever meet. It's a bizarre mix of archeologists, paleontologists, biologists, and near all other manner of scientists, medical doctors, military professionals- such as yourself, a couple of interns and what can only be described as 'other' cause really there's some that just there's no defining them, but without whom we'd be lost."
Alec quirked his eyebrow, tilting his head,
"Interns? How's that work with the whole super secret facility thing?"
Magnus laughed, giving a slight shrug
"Well truth be told that wasn't originally planned. Our chief Medical officer's teenage brother happened to be with her when she got a call. She dropped him off with a fairly vague excuse and he ended up following her to an anomaly sight. Kid was crafty as hell, slipped right past our security- saw pretty much everything- the anomaly, the three Bambiraptor's that had came through, the antics of the security staff trying to round them up, all of it. There wasn't really any explaining away three real dinosaurs and a glowing hole in the fabric of time, so we didn't really know what to do.
They brought him back here to debrief and Raphael was fairly impressed with his intelligence- also his ability to slip around our security staff. Ended up conferring with his sister and they offered him a kind of part time after school and weekends job. He jumped at it; I mean what teenage boy wouldn't want to work with actual live dinosaurs? The young man fits perfectly here…he has a very bright future."
Alec shook his head,
"Man, that's something else. My first after school job was reshelving books at the local library…doesn't really measure up. And it doesn't worry you guys at all having a teen involved in all the secrecy and everything?"
Again Magnus shrugged,
"Well, truthfully at first we were all quite apprehensive; I mean this is pretty big thing to expect from a teen. Trying to keep something like this to themselves; seems a pretty big ask. But he has more than surpassed all of our expectations. Hell, the kids better with it than a lot of the adults that work here. Besides it really did turn out to be quite fortunate having him here as a few weeks later we ended up getting our other intern. The kid was absolutely an invaluable resource during that whole thing."
Alec snorted, quirking his eyebrow,
"What? Someone else's sibling followed along again? You know, I'm starting to have doubts about my security staff- Raphael did say he handpicked them himself-which I get the feeling he has a real knack for that, but if two teens managed to outsmart them I may be rethinking that."
Magnus chuckled, shaking his head, waving him off,
"No…no more siblings. Our other intern is actually one of the travelers. He stumbled through an anomaly and ended up lost in the Los Padres National forest. He was lost out there for a couple hours. By the time we found him the anomaly had been closed for quite some time."
Alec blinked, swallowing, steps faltering, glancing over towards Magnus, quirking his eyebrow,
"Wow…poor kid, he's all alone here?"
Magnus nodded,
"Yes it was quite an adjustment. Thankfully we had our intern, he stepped up in a big way. They're the same age so he helped him adjust to all the randomness of being a teen in 2050. Helped him get ready for high school, navigate social media and pop culture, all of that.
As I said while it was never exactly planned it really did turn out to be a blessing in disguise."
Alec smiled, nodding back,
"That's good, probably helped a lot having someone the kid could relate to. I'm glad it all worked out. Are they here today?"
Magnus nodded,
"Yeah, they'll likely be in the Med-bay with his sister. She heads up the med staff- the girl's a force of nature. Even Raphael is wary of getting on her bad side, just to give you an idea."
Alec laughed, quirking his eyebrow,
"So…make sure I stay on here good side? Duly noted. If she makes Raphael nervous I definitely don't want to tick her off. I get the feeling our boss falls well into that 'other' category so far as the staff goes, right?"
Magnus chuckled, nodding, rolling his eyes affectionately,
"Oh yes, most definitely. Raph is in a category all on his own. I've known him nearly his entire life and even I don't think I know everything there is to know about the man." Magnus sighed, slipping a bit closer, catching Alecs eye, flashing a slight smile,
"I really don't want you to get the wrong impression; Raphael IS a good man, truthfully one of the best people I've ever known. It's hidden behind the dramatics, the edge and the whole persona 'thing' he has going, but at his heart he is good. I know he is a lot to take in and truthfully I'm pretty sure he delights in seeing how freaked out he can make someone from the smallest, most innocuous thing or comment, but all of that's just playing…"
Alec snorted, shaking his head,
"So what? You're saying he's not dangerous? Magnus, I may not know about time travel, dinosaurs, anomalies and whatever else is involved with Oasis, but I DO know a threat when I see one…"
Magnus tilted his head in acknowledgement,
"I never said he wasn't dangerous. He can be… I'm not going to lie, in the right circumstances the man can be downright terrifying. But intimidation and the like aside he is only a real danger to a legitimate threat to someone or something he loves.
Trust me, push comes to shove there is no one better to have in your corner."
Alec chuckled, nodding faintly,
"Yeah…I can see that. Absolutely rather be on his side then against him."
Magnus slowed to a stop as they slipped through the door to the Med-bay, turning towards him, clapping him on the shoulder. He squeezed, lingering a moment too long. His eyes flickered down from Alec's eyes to his shoulder and arm appreciatively before moving back up, giving a playful wink,
"See? Smart man. You'll fit in perfectly here."
"Yup…just like a member of the family."
Alec froze at the oh so familiar voice.
W-what?
That…that sounded like…
He shook his head, looking from Magnus over to the speaker,
He blinked,
And he blinked again…
What the hell?
"Izzy?"
Oookay…umm…he may be revisiting the whole 'It's a hallucination' thing…
This had to be a hallucination…
Why else would his freaking sister be randomly standing in the Med-bay of his new super secret, bat crap crazy job? In a white lab coat over a deep red dress, black rose nylons and terrifyingly sharp red heels (He knows how sharp those damn things are- he stepped on them far too many times at her place), looking for all the world like she was totally at home here.
Alec shook his head, blinking a few more times, looking from Izzy over to Magnus, swallowing, pointing vaguely towards her,
"Umm…M-Magnus? I think I might be hallucinating after all…"
Magnus gave a slightly guilty smile, shrugging,
"Only if you see someone other than Dr. Isabelle Lightwood." he brushed his hair back, shaking his head,
"Sorry for the shock darling. I didn't even know myself until your last name clicked and I saw you- there is a hell of a family resemblance, really wasn't any missing it. I really didn't know how to just casually mention your siblings work here…figure-."
Alec startled,
"Wait Siblings…Plural? But w…" he startled again, eyes wide,
"The intern! Max? Are you kidding me?" Alec blinked, looking from Magnus to Izzy, scanning the room. Over by some big complicated machine Max hesitatively poked his head out before stepping the rest of the way into view followed closely by another all too familiar face, giving a slightly awkward wave,
"Uhh…h-hey Alec…"
"Hey…"
Alec blinked uncomprehendingly,
"Isaac?"
The blond boy shrugged, giving a slightly nervous smile,
"Yup…that's me."
Alec shook his head, looking from the teens over to his sister than finally back to Magnus, trying to make some sense of all of this,
It wasn't working.
"Magnus…what? This is just…So…what?"
Magnus shook his head, giving a gentle, vaguely concerned smile, resting his hand on Alec's arm, squeezing again,
"Breath darling- I know it is a lot to process. I swear this should be the craziest part of the tour. I know it's a lot to take in. Are you holding up okay sweetheart?"
Alec swallowed, shrugging, giving a kind of noncommittal nod,
He really didn't know how he was doing…
His sister and teenage brother work at his super secret, bat crap crazy new job…
Had been working at it for a while.
Max and Isaac have been friends for over a year…which means Max has been interning here for even longer than that…
And Izzy?
Izzy was a doctor, forensic expert and a pathologist. She had numerous medical and scientific skill sets and tended to make use of all of them. He knew her work was a bit secretive as she worked on various, sometimes high profile criminal cases. That's why she never talked about her work…At least that's what he thought…
Apparently that's not the case.
Magnus tilted his head, slipping closer, squeezing his arm once more. Alec met his eyes, giving a slight facsimile of a smile,
"I am sorry for the bombardment darling." Magnus shifted his gaze from Alec over to Izzy, quirking his eyebrow,
"I may have been a bit more prepared if they'd of given me a bit of a heads up beforehand. You are not going to tell me this is just coincidental…"
Izzy huffed rolling her eyes, stepping towards them, the teens moving closer as well, Max looking Alec over worriedly,
"Oh please Mags, you wouldn't have listened anyways. You're a stubborn ass when it comes to the security thing and you know it. I even mentioned once that my older brother would be perfect for it."
Magnus gasped,
"I don't remember that…I would've remembered that!" He glanced back over at Alec gaze slipping over him once more, shaking his head, giving a bit of a sigh, looking back at Izzy, quirking his eyebrow,
"I would most definitely remember you telling me about that."
Alec couldn't help blushing, rolling his eyes. Max and Isaac laughed faintly, relaxing a bit. Apparently they thought that meant he was okay…
He wasn't…but they didn't need to know that,
Izzy rolled her eyes,
"First off? Eww. Next no you wouldn't because anytime anyone brings it up you shut them down cold. You ignored me…Raphael didn't. We've been working to get him on here for months."
Months!? He got the job offer last week!
Alec blinked, glancing over at Max, quirking his eyebrow in confusion. Max shrugged, giving a slight nod.
Oh great so both his sibling were working for months to rope him into this craziness…super…
Magnus gave a surprised laugh
"So…you actually plotted to hire your ridiculously hot brother just to keep me from ditching my security? That's just…Okay so that's actually a pretty solid plan."
She chuckled, shaking her head,
"No- and again, eww- I plotted to have my brother hired as your security because ditching my big brother would get you on my bad side and you know that's nowhere you want to be. Also you know Max would cook up some form of revenge for ditching what is basically his idol and when he really wants to be he's as imaginative as you or even Raphael when it comes to payback…
You know you don't want that."
Magnus blinked quirking his eyebrow at Max, who shrugged back, giving a slight smirk,
"She's not wrong."
Magnus outright laughed at that, shrugging,
"Both excellent points." he paused, glancing back at Alec, sighing faintly,
"Darling I truly am sorry for the craziness of this…if it helps this is probably the most unbelievable thing you will face today…"
Alec shook his head, looking from Magnus over to Izzy and the teens, shaking his head again,
"I…I really don't even know where to start on this. I thought I had questions before, but this is just insane. You're telling me my forensic expert sister and teenage brother have been chasing dinosaurs and god knows what else around the world for over a year…and I knew nothing about it?
That…that's a lot to process…"
Izzy softened a bit, slipping closer,
"I know it is, and we are sorry for bombarding you like this." she paused, glancing over at Max, shrugging,
"We tried to come up with a way to ease you into it, or give you some kind of hints or whatever but…hell…how do you just casually mention 'oh by the way there's an opening at my super secret job and you'd be perfect for it'?"
Max snorted, nodding quickly,
"She's right, we really did try…that's why I've been dragging you to every movie I could think of that had dinosaurs, time travel or mad scientists…admittedly there weren't a heck of a lot of them but I did try."
Alec gave a surprised laugh, shaking his head, moving over to Max, hugging him a bit too tight. Max hugged him back, shaking his head,
"Alec I really am sorry about all the secrecy. We hated keeping it from you but there's no way to explain this place that seems believable…not without actually seeing it for yourself. And that could only happen if you were hired on here."
Izzy smiled, moving over to her brothers, glancing up, meeting Alec's eyes, giving a slight nod,
"He's right…it was actually Max's idea to try to get you hired on in the first place- he really did hate keeping it from you."
Alec quirked his eyebrow, a bit of the tension easing in his shoulders,
"Oh, and you didn't?"
She shrugged,
"I did…but at this point I'm kinda used to it. But I'm really glad you're here. Between my old job and your old jobs it's not like we've ever really been able to talk much about work things. Thought it'd be kinda nice all three of us having people to actually share in the insanity of our day to day. I mean I know it's a huge change and I know you're in full on big brother mode right now, probably trying to figure a way to get us out of it, keep us safe. You're going over all the dangers involved and all the ways it could go wrong, but Alec? I've been dealing with this for nearly three years, Max for half that…we're fine here…we really are.
This place is amazing, the people are amazing, and honestly working here is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are so happy working here- wouldn't give it up for nearly anything…
And I know once the shock wares off and you settle in you'll feel the same way."
Alec looked from Izzy over to Max, sighing, shaking his head,
"I really don't k-"
Isaac stepped forward, meeting Alec's eyes,
"Alec, I know how crazy this seems…and I know what worries you most is Max's involvement- no one could tell Izzy what to do…ever-"
Alec snorted at that, him, Max and Magnus giving pretty enthusiastic nods at that, Izzy gave a dismissive shrug,
"Hey I know what I want, I'm not afraid to go after it…not my fault if that's intimidating to some people."
"Most people…" Alec muttered,
"Try all people." Magnus chimed in with a laugh,
Isaac smiled before focusing back on Alec,
"I know how insane this seems, and it has to be about the last place you'd ever expect to see your little brother, but we need him here. I need him here. And I know that seems selfish but without having him here I would've been totally lost.
I came through an anomaly. I'm from 2100, fifty years in the future. I knew nothing about this town, or this place. The anomalies don't just open to random times, but also places. I grew up in 22nd century Philadelphia. I was on a field trip for school, going through the Pine Barrens and got lost. I stumbled through an anomaly and straight into a national forest on the opposite coast fifty years in my past." He paused, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck,
Alec sighed giving a sympathetic look,
"I'm sorry you had to face all of that."
He gave a slight shrug,
"It was insane, but at least I had Max. I was lost in the woods for hours, then when I finally did end up getting found I end up getting brought to this bizarre, clandestine 'tech company' with saber-toothed cats and giant bugs and freaking dinosaurs and what can only be described as a supervillian boss-"
"Right!? You see it too?" Alec laughed, gesturing,
Isaac chuckled, nodding emphatically,
"Oh yeah totally- he's just a deathray and an eye patch away from being a fully fledged Bond villain. Think the damn dinosaurs are less unsettling sometimes. So I got brought here and it was just insane…they didn't really know what to do with me, they never had any travelers as young as me- not any that were alone in any case. So they're conferencing and planning and going round and round and I'm just kinda freaking out and trying to get a grasp of what the hell's going on because yeah I'm from the future but even in 2100 Time Travel so far as I knew was pure fiction. But while I was waiting for them to figure out what to do I happened to run into Max, and he was great. He sat with me, shared a couple comic books he had with him. Pulled up music and movies and all kinds of random pop culture things. Told me about his school and just random teen stuff…that's what I needed.
He showed me around town, and around school, helped me adjust. I-I literally would not have been able to handle it without him. So I know it seems insane and I know you think he's far too young for all of this but…well…so am I…but I didn't really have a choice in the matter.
I know it's a lot, but, please? Give it a chance- I swear, once you see how well he does here you'll understand. This is where he belongs."
Max smiled at his best friend, glancing from him to Alec, nodding,
"It really is Alec."
Alec sighed, looking from the teens over to Izzy, she shrugged,
"He's my baby brother too…if I thought for even one second he was in danger here I'd get him the hell out of here, you know that. He works in the lab, he doesn't go out to anomalies…we've talked about it and eventually he wants to be able to, but that's not happening till he is eighteen and has passed every possible training situation we can throw at him- and trust me we have a LOT planned. At this point pretty much the entire facility sees him as their little brother, they are fiercely protective. No one here will let anything happen to him."
Alec shifted from Izzy over the teens hopeful expressions, and finally over to Magnus. He smiled, nodding,
"That is quite true…the boy is in no danger here, we ensure that."
Max stepped forward, glancing around at the rest of them, before focusing back on Alec,
"Alec, I love it here- this is what I want to do with my life. I know it's a lot, and I know it's insane, but it's also extraordinary and fascinating and almost magical. There is no place like this in the world and…I-I really couldn't imagine working anywhere else."
Alec sighed, faltering, shaking his head,
"Max…it really seems pretty dangerous for a teenager."
He shrugged,
"Well it can be, but I am old enough to make my own decisions. I'll be eighteen in a few months, even if you tried to get me to quit, you've seen the paperwork here- it'd take at least that long for it to go through- then I'd just reapply and as I know everyone here and they all like me I'd be right back. I love it here and I'm not leaving…It can be dangerous, but it is SO worth it."
Alec quirked his eyebrow,
"So what you're saying is even if I don't like it, I don't really have a say in it right?"
Max shrugged,
"Pretty much, yeah. I'd hate to disappoint you but I could not give this place up…I just couldn't."
Alec sighed,
"Max I see how important this is to you but it's just so dangerous…"
Max smirked, quirking his eyebrow right back,
"True…but like I said I'm not going anywhere. Though if you're really concerned it'd be a lot safer with my big brother working here."
Alec gave a surprised laugh, eyes widening,
"Oh wow…that was sneaky…"
Magnus gave a surprised, delighted laugh, quirking his eyebrow, nodding in approval,
"I agree…well done darling."
Max chuckled, sending a playful wink Magnus's way before turning back to Alec, giving an unconcerned shrug,
"Hey, Izzy IS my big sister…had to get something from her…plus I've known Magnus and Raphael for nearly two years now, that's like the trifecta from hell right there. So…are you gonna stay? try to keep Magnus out of trouble? Make sure I'm safe? Please I promise you won't regret it."
Alec blinked, looking around the room at the four hopeful expressions. He laughed, shaking his head, finally giving a slight nod,
"Hell…my teenage brother's working with a supervillian, a ridiculously pretty mad scientist, a time traveler from the future and freaking Izzy…think I have to, just to make sure it doesn't all go totally off the rails."
Max beamed, doing a fist pump
"Yes!"
The others seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly. Magnus settled close to Alec's side, a bright, mischievous spark in those bewitching deep brown eyes,
"Wonderful…I am so glad you are staying, though I still maintain I do not need security-"
He's cut off by a series of four nearly identical scoffing laughs, Magnus huffed, casting a heatless glare around the room before focusing back on Alec,
"In any case I am glad you are staying."
Alec shrugged, giving a slightly hesitating smile,
"I think I am too…"
Magnus chuckled, tilting his head, the impish grin returning ten fold, leaning a bit closer,
"So…you think I'm 'ridiculously pretty', hmm?"
*~********~*~********~* End Of Chapter Notes *~********~*~********~*bambiraptor-1091760
Bambiraptor was actually a thing, it's not just me tossing in Disney things…but once I saw it WAS I couldn't resist…
I wanted something that wouldn't immediately give Alec a heart attack at his brother running into (It's still a raptor and it still ate meat so it's not like it's exactly safe but better than a lot of options)
Okay, I know it's a random cutoff but Chapter 4 will pick up pretty much right here. We got most of the intros out of the way, we'll be moving more into the actual storyline part soon.
What do you guys think so far?
-*-*-*-*-*-*-Time And Place Get's Complicated-*-*-*-*-*-*-
* 26 *