Whew. Let me tell you what, this is a long way coming... Anyway, I'm trying to make Dora both likeable but flawed. Tell me how I'm doing.
DISCLAIMER: Don't own it. Trust me. I'm a doctor (like the fifth time I've used this XD)
Waking up at Magnus' was quite an experience for Dora. At first, for one brilliantly bright moment, she thought she was at home. But, no, she couldn't be. It was too... foreign. Too cool, too perfectly silent. At home the TV would be on-probably some commercial. She felt the familiar hollow feeling in her chest as she sat up.
Alec.
The thought of the name sent a shudder of disgust through her. She couldn't help it... she hated him, with every fiber of her being.
A sudden knock on the door made her suddenly self conscious, pulling the covers up to cover completely.
"Y-Yes?" she called.
Magnus opened the door, greeting her with a loud 'GOOD MORNING!"
Dora stared at him, mouth hanging open. She'd known Magnus was... erm... excentric. After all, he had been wearing a lot of glitter when she met him, but...
He wore pink and baby-blue zebra-striped leather pants, a frilly white shirt and he had glitter around his eyes and pale blue lipstick on.
"G-Good morning..." she said, studying him. Despite his bright and colorful outward appearance, he didn't seem happy. There was something... off in him, she decided.
"Get dressed-we're going to meet Alec in the park, then we can grab breakfast and come back here. You'll have to stay in here for most of the day-clients." he said apologetically, but Dora just shrugged. She was used to staying in one place for a day. Her family wasn't exactly an 'exercise and fresh air' type.
Magnus left, and Dora walked hesitatingly over to the dresser on the side of the room. Would there be clothes in it? It was a little creepy, Dora thought, as she opened the drawers to find shirts-all in her size-folded neatly.
'Magnus must have borrowed them' she thought with a wry smile. One drawer was filled with the exact shirts she'd wanted from the catalogues in her room, the next with shirts that were no doubt from the most popular teen stores, and the bottom ones were a mix of the two. She cracked open one of the top drawers and grinned broadly. Brightly colored socks filled it. It was the one thing that was perfect at home too. She collected strange and funky socks.
She tugged open the other top drawer and blushed. Oh GOD! Had Magnus actually... she blushed as she gazed down at the neat stacks of underwear and bra's. OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD repeated itself in her head as she carefully shut the drawer. He was gay, so he wouldn't be... but still... PRIVACY?
The closet at the side of the room was a little too large to be non-magically enhanced. There was no way that many clothes could fit in there! Dora pulled out a pair of jeans and changed quickly, tugging a gray t-shirt with a peace sign on it over her head. She brushed her hair quickly, making a face into the vanity mirror. Everything about this was so... surreal.
Dora left the-her-room and made her way down the hall to the living room. Magnus stood by the large picture-window at the side, and the morning sunlight cast strange shadows on him, causing him to look even odder. Strange beauty, Dora thought absentmindedly, watching him.
A tear caught the sunlight, refracting it a million times over as it slid down his cheek. Dora looked down, ashamed. He was crying, she suspected, because she was taking Alec away.
Even though she had no interest in him-though she would be lying if she said he wasn't gorgeous-she could feel it. She felt like the worst kind of thief.
Dora squeezed her eyes shut, making a silent vow to Magnus that she wouldn't take Alec away-she would rather die of need than cause anyone that kind of pain.
When she was finished, she looked up and cleared her throat, alerting Magnus to her presence. He looked over, smiling faintly.
"Ready to go?" Magnus asked, and Dora nodded.
Magnus didn't blame Dora-or at least that's what he'd told himself all throughout the morning. She'd only been walking down the street. And he felt sorry for her.
When he'd been trying to fix up her room, he'd had to have a reference point. So he 'borrowed' some notebooks from her room at home-he promised himself to return them. One of them had been her diary.
In it she wrote of her life, having friends but still feeling alone. She drew too, pictures of devastatingly beautiful roses and boys with smiles that were sharp. Each page started with a basic outline of her day, and Magnus was surprised to see that many entries were nearly identical. She woke up, ate, read, wrote, ate, and slept. She wrote of the beautiful things she saw in everyday life-a sunset here, a rainbow there.
A little bit more investigating uncovered catalogues with things circled and crossed out... a survey from school asking for basic information-for which Magnus was immediately grateful. He wanted to make her as comfortable as possible-but he didn't think it was possible.
But he'd conjured the best things he could, designer clothes and a shiny Apple Laptop...
And yet here they were, leaving the apartment, and he found himself being slightly snarky to her. Not outright, but enough so that he could see the hurt look on her face.
He wasn't vindictive, but... he felt bad about acting that way, but he couldn't help it. The way Alec had held her so close last night...
The thought brought tears to his eyes, and he tried very hard to keep them in line. The way he had clung desperately to her, the way they had curled together...
He let Dora walk ahead of him on the street as he struggled to think of something else... anything else... But it was hard to, when Dora looked back at him, green eyes confused as he stopped completely, shutting his eyes, trying to tug his thoughts away from the images cycling in his head.
A cool hand on his arm jerked him out of his head. He opened his eyes to see Dora standing beside him, hand on his forearm, looking at him worriedly.
"Are you alright?" she asked, and he made a non-committal sound and hurried her off.
This was not a good morning for Alec. He'd been roughly shaken awake by Isabelle, who told him to get dressed because they were going to meet Dora and Magnus before breakfast. He'd dressed sleepily, and was being towed down the busy streets by Isabelle.
"Where are we meeting them?" he asked, yawning widely.
"By that diner, Maggie's or whatever. Magnus suggested it, cause it's halfway between the two of us. We figured you and Dora can meet there, but since you sleep over at Magnus' and..." Isabelle continued talking, but Alec's thoughts were a million other places.
Maggie's was where Magnus had taken him on one of their first real dates. They'd giggled over hot-fudge sundaes and nearly ran home. But his thoughts were also on Dora.
The thought of her made him kind of mad. He didn't like her-she was argumentative and hated him. But he also couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to see her. Not an emotional want like him and Magnus, but a physical need, like the one for oxygen.
"ALEC!" Isabelle yelled back at him, "Are you even listening?"
He blushed and shrugged.
"As I was saying, since you usually sleep over at Magnus', you two can do... whatever, in the morning, and then you'll leave to demon-slay with us, and then go back at night. Magnus and I worked it out last night." Isabelle said, self-satisfied.
Alec tried to sound enthusiastic, but he just wanted this to be over with. He didn't want to have to have a schedule... he just wanted Dora to go back to... wherever she was from. Pennsylvania? Whatever.
He just wanted some normalcy.
Magnus saw Isabelle pulling Alec and his heart leapt into his throat. As they drew closer, Alec surged in front of Isabelle.
Even though Magnus was expecting it, it was still hard to see that Alec reached for Dora first, pulling her close. They embraced on the street, before finally breaking away.
"Magnus!" Alec said happily, reaching out to kiss him enthusiastically. Some part of Magnus knew Alec was purposefully overdoing it, but he kicked that part and shut it away, losing himself in Alec.
Dora turned away from the embracing couple and smiled at Isabelle.
"Hello." Isabelle said, smiling brightly.
Dora said hi back, but truthfully... well, truthfully, Isabelle was kind of intimidating. Even now, at 5 AM, she looked straight out of Vogue.
The two of them talked vaguely about trivial things, clothes and the weather. They were trying to give Magnus and Alec some privacy as they kissed and talked in hushed tones.
Eventually they had to part-Isabelle got a text from Jace, alerting them to a call they'd gotten a few blocks away. Alec and Magnus gave one last embrace, and Dora and Alec grabbed each other's hands, holding on for a long second, before parting as well.
Magnus and Dora went not to Maggie's but to swanky café a block away, where Magnus ordered something fancy and French, while Dora ordered coffee and a bagel-extra cream cheese.
"So, um... what do you do exactly?" said Dora, staring down into the dark depths of her coffee.
"Well I try and resolve magical problems people have. Give them basic potions, enchantments, etc." Magnus said, taking a leisurely sip of his mimosa.
"That sounds... fun." Dora said, sipping her coffee gingerly.
"Sometimes. But it can get unbelievably annoying. My hours are... well, always. It's not exactly fun at 3 AM." he said, smiling at her.
They ate in comfortable companionship. While neither was quite comfortable with the other, they were getting along pretty well. Magnus still harbored a sort of resentment for her, and she was kind of freaked out by him, but they were... alright.
For all involved, the day passed quickly. As did the day after that, and so on and so on for nearly a week.
Over the days, they had settled into a strange sort of routine, and Dora was starting to resent Alec less and less. It was hard to, especially at times like when someone on TV had mentioned some anime show and Alec had burst into tears. Magnus explained to her that his little brother, Max, had died recently, and he had been a fan of that manga.
It had made Alec seem a million times more human. She started tentatively joking with him, teasing him slightly. At first it had been awkward, but they were now... well, maybe not friends, but on good terms at least.
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, where Magnus and Alec were sprawled on the couch absently watching a chirpy teen show, and Dora was huddled on an armchair, typing incessantly on her laptop.
A news promo flashed over the screen, and a reporter with stiff blonde hair and a beige tweed jacket on barked at the camera.
"Join us after the show for a piece on Isadora Scradr, a small-town girl gone missing in NYC. Hear her mother, brother, father and step-mother speak on her dissapearance."
The promo flashed off, but no one moved.
"I... I guess I expected that. I mean, I am technically missing..." Dora trailed off, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers.
They sat through the rest of the show in stony silence, waiting until the blonde reporter appeared again on screen, standing in front of a tall brick building.
A small, strangled sound escaped Dora's throat, "That's... that's-"
Magnus reached over and pulled on her arm, tugging her over so she was in between him and Alec on the couch.
"I'm here in Cray Hill, Pennsylvania, at the home of Isadora Scradr, a fifteen year old girl who went missing after a Girl Scout trip to NYC."
A picture of Isadora flashed on the screen, she was looking at the camera in surprise, sitting on the floor surrounded by stacks of books.
"I'm here with her family, who have messages for the world."
The camera swiveled to a balding man with an impressive beer gut. He spoke, "I'm Dora's father. I-I was very close to my daughter-"
Dora interrupted, "He's lying. He barely sees me."
"-and I'm a lawyer. I'm willing to pay any amount of money to get my daughter back home where she belongs." he finished, and the camera swivelled to a woman who was crying heavily.
"My mom..." Dora whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. Alec put his arm around her-for the first time to merely comfort her.
"I-I'm Dora's mom. She's such a smart, resourceful girl. I know that she wouldn't stay away if she wasn't being made to. P-Please, I just want to know she's safe." she broke down crying, and Dora squeezed her eyes shut until the next person spoke.
The woman was average height, with short dark hair and a busy air about her, "I'm Helene, Dora's stepmother. If anyone can give us any information leading to her retrieval, there is a $100,000 reward."
Dora sniffled, "My grandparents. They aren't rich, but they're the only ones with near that amount of money."
Finally the camera turned to a tall man, with a five-o-clock shadow and darting bloodshot green eyes. He looked like Dora.
"I-I'm Dora's brother. She's in trouble, I know it. She-she-she's probably hurt, and the government just doesn't-" the feed switched off and the reporter babbled something about phone numbers, but Dora wasn't listening.
She had stood, and was glaring at the television angrily.
"Dora?" asked Magnus.
"I-I can't believe him!" she spat.
"What? Who?" asked Alec, confused.
"HIM! My brother... I can't believe that he'd do that... with me gone, he should be..." she drifted off, still glaring angrily.
"Do what? He looks kind of sick-" Alec was cut off as she swung around.
"Yeah... sick. Right. He's an addict. He was clean for so long, I thought maybe..." she broke off, sighing and sitting down, "I thought maybe he'd kicked it. I just... when I was little, he was my hero. I wanted to believe that he'd get his act together, for mom."
"It's..." Magnus broke off when she grinned at him.
"Crazy? Yep, my whole family is. I think that's why I wanted to get back. I'm the only sane one. My mom... she can't deal with all this. I was supposed to be the uncomplicated one..." she let her head gall back against the back of the couch.
They sat there for a while, watching as the reporters zoomed through various other stories.
Eventually Alec got called away, and Dora retreated to her room, leaving Magnus sprawled on the couch by himself.
He wondered when this had happened... he used to live by himself. He had liked his aloneness. Well, there'd been Chairman Meow, but now he missed the company. He missed Alec... even Dora.
Speaking of Chairmen, where was Meow? He glanced into the hallway just in time to see a tail wave at him before entering Dora's room.
'Furry little traitor!' he thought mutinously, but the doorbell rang, and he dashed off to prepare a potion for a flighty fairy.
Dora heard the door close and gave a sigh of relief, slipping out of her room. It was nearly ten, and Alec would be here soon. She entered the kitchen which, until a few days ago, had gone mostly unused. Magnus had been in a state of shock when she started cooking.
She was in no way a gourmet, but she was a whiz with prepackaged noodles. She'd started making dinner every night-her way of paying Magnus back for letting her stay there.
Tonight she took chicken out of the fridge-it had spent the day marinating in a garlic herb sauce, and she tossed it in a pan while she poured water and milk and tossed some noodles in the microwave to cook. She lost herself in the familiar rhythm of cooking, allowing herself to get caught up.
Magnus ran his hands through his hair, sniffing the air appreciatively. Dora might be kind of a pain sometimes-argumentative, moody, and depressing. But she was aware of her faults, and fought to correct them by being the ultimate caretaker-Magnus had never been so well-fed or well-taken-care-of.
He surveyed himself in the mirror. Not too bad. He'd re-gelled my hair into spikes, and added some kohl and glitter around his eyes.
He heard the telltale jingle of keys, took a deep breath, and walked into the living room just as Dora was reentering the kitchen. They had it worked out so that Dora and Alec would quickly meet before Magnus came out-he'd admitted to Dora he was jealous. Well, he'd told her he was a tiny bit jealous. The truth was that his cattiness was coming out more and more.
Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec and melted into him, nibbling on his lips. He tasted sweet and salty, and Magnus pushed him against the door.
He tangled one hand in Alec's hair, breathing in the scent of him as he ground their bodies together, capturing his lower lip between his teeth, tugging on it and eliciting a moan from Alec. His tongue stealthily crept in and fought for dominance with him.
They finally broke apart when the microwave dinged. Magnus grinned at Alec, brushing his hair away from his face.
"How was your day?" he asked, struggling to control his breathing.
"Much... better... now!" gasped Alec, recovering.
"Dinner in five!" Dora yelled from the kitchen.
Alec sniffed the air, smiling faintly, "So we still have five minutes..."
And they lost themselves in each other again, only breaking away when Dora threw a pillow at them and screamed hysterically that dinner was getting cold. For the sake of keeping her happy, they decided to eat and then have dessert.
Alec woke up around two in the morning, slipping out of bed and leaving Magnus alone and snoring softly. He tugged on his boxers, but didn't have time for anything more. He'd barely touched Dora when he'd come home-just grabbed her hand and then Magnus had come in and... they hadn't taken their time. The pull was strong, and he barely had time to shut the door before Dora was beside him, reaching out.
It was strange, he thought, clinging to someone this way. He'd clung to Magnus this way, but... this was different.
They sat on the floor, wrapped in each others arms, breathing heavily as they were sated. Alec pulled back first, looking into her tear-damp green eyes.
"I-I-" he stumbled over the words, but she gave him a shaky smile.
"Don't worry." she said, guessing at his discomfort, "We... we're friends, but I would undo this if I could. I'm attached to you... but not romantically." her words were truthful, Alec could tell.
They carefully untangled themselves and stood there for a long, awkward moment.
"I mean... not that you aren't attractive, just-"
"Not your type?" Alec teased, smiling at her.
"I've... the last guy I liked turned out to be gay. I really don't want to repeat that." she smiled a little back at him.
Alec laughed, and bumped into her, "That must've been fun for you"
She grimaced, "Not as fun as it was for his girlfriend."
Alec laughed loudly now, and she joined him this time, giggling until Magnus opened the door behind them.
"Care to let me in on the joke?" he asked, frowning slightly.
Dora felt immediately guilty. She knew how hard this all was for Magnus, but... Alec was her friend. She barely argued with him. Only like two or five times a day. And she definitely didn't hate him anymore.
"Ah, I was just telling Alec not to worry-I've had my share of crushes on gay men, I don't care to repeat them." Dora gave a guilty-looking smile, nodded at Alec, and dashed down the hall to her bedroom.
Alec grinned up at Magnus and wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck, determined to make him forget all of his worries.
And he did.
Dora laid on her bed, eyes wide, trying to regain that sleepy feeling. But it was gone, and in it's place had come a kind of exhiliration.
Chairman Meow leapt onto her bed, curling up beside her. She absentmindedly trailed her fingers down his side.
She wanted to go for a run, she wanted to feel the wind on her skin. She sighed, closed her eyes, and dreamt of fighting strange, lizard-like creatures, who smelled like sewage and spewed black liquid when she touched them with her crystalline knife...
O.o oooh, mysterious! Anyway, in the next chapter there's some serious action, and some angst-ish stuff.
Teaser for next chapters: Alec and Dora encounter a problem on the street, someone is hurt, and there is a dream-ish sequence. 3