Hello everybody! I am so so sorry this took so long to get posted! I really have been working on this chapter every chance I could! I moved cross country a week ago so that took up a couple weeks of my time, but now I'm pretty settled and in a good place to write again! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and we are getting closer to our Malec being together! Happy Reading!
~~ Nine Months Earlier~~
Alec was so nervous he felt like he might lose the contents of his stomach all over the hallway floor outside of Jonathan's room. The soft lighting suddenly looked intimidating and the hum of the air conditioning roared in his ears. He had no idea how Jonathan would act towards him right now. His father had had a very enlightening talk with him when they had been trying to have one peaceful night together playing pool. Alec should have known it was not an innocent gesture. He really should know how Robert Lightwood works by now.
"Jon," Alec called softly as he laid a hand on the door. He heard rustling inside and could only imagine the emotions working through his boyfriend right now. "Your sister let me in, but I can go if you need me to."
"You know," Jonathan said flatly as he opened the door with a blank face. Alec nearly flinched at the lack of emotion there. He had come to read Jonathan to easily, and right now, he couldn't. "Your dad is a fucking piece of work."
"I know," Alec muttered in sympathy. Jon left the door open as he went back over to his desk. Jonathan's room was easily twice the size of Alec's own, which was really saying something. Right now it was a complete disaster and the reason why made Alec's chest hurt. The walls were bare above Jonathan's bed, the ones where all of his Columbia posters had hung since the first day Alec had met him. He had had so many different posters, pamphlets, banners, and anything else he could get his hands on. He had worked incredibly hard to get into Columbia with his football scholarship. Alec remembered well the day his acceptance letter came in the mail. They had all celebrated and he had scooped Alec off his feet to kiss him. They had both celebrated since Jon would be staying right there in the city and at the school of his dreams. It was the perfect solution for next year and Alec couldn't have been happier about it all.
Unfortunately his unwavering happiness was the cue for his father to mess his life up, starting with Columbia.
"He knows everyone," Jon ranted with pain starkly evident in his voice. He was taking magnets down from the board behind his desk to throw them in the box with the rest of the things that only symbolized all he was working for, all of his dreams. "It's uncanny how he could know my football coach and the dean of admissions to Columbia."
"I'm so sorry." Alec knew his apology wasn't going to make anything better, or make the dreams any more a reality.
"You don't need to apologize." Jon's voice was slightly softer as he flopped down next to where Alec sat on the edge of his bed with his entire body tense. "It's not even entirely your dad's fault to be honest. I probably would have been miserable there considering. I would have had to be in the closet for another four years and who can say if I'd want to do that?"
"They were horrible for taking it away because of your sexuality," Alec agreed quietly. "That doesn't make it any less my fault."
"Would you quit it with that?" Jon snapped at him, but his eyes held a loving look. "This is in no way your fault. You don't control your parents."
Alec was shaking as he played with a thread on the duvet below him. He knew this had to end tonight. He had come over here knowing what he had to do to make this better for Jon. He didn't want to do it, actually he felt physically ill thinking about it, and yet it was what had to be done. Jon wouldn't put it together the way he needed to and do it for him. Alec knew the pieces all too well. He desperately wanted to be selfish and keep Jonathan as his, but that wouldn't be fair.
"We have to end this," Alec said to his feet, his eyes mysteriously dry. He heard Jonathan still his movements of packing up every trace of his dream. For a long moment, there was nothing but torturous silence.
"What are you talking about? Why would we end anything? You are not the problem here, only your father." Jon had gone very pale and very still, unsure of where to move and how. Alec had never wanted to hurt him, but now he saw there was no other way for this all to go.
"My father destroyed your dream of an Ivy League school," Alec said quietly and calmly. "He outed you to your school and he didn't feel an ounce of regret. What will stop him from your next choice of school, or the one after that? My dad is not angry with you, he's angry with me. He's angry I'm different. He hates that I like men. He's attacking you because of the way he feels about me."
"That doesn't mean…" Jonathan's voice didn't hold as much conviction as before, and Alec knew he was starting to see things the way he did. He was seeing how skewered their future would be.
"I can't have you ending up at some tech school or community college when you want more than that. You've worked hard to get into a dozen universities with outstanding scholarships. You deserve all that you've worked for," Alec wiped the few tears that had traitorously escaped his eyes.
"School isn't everything," Jon said softly, coming to sit next to Alec on the bed and putting an arm around him. "A degree is a degree no matter where I get it from. We could stay together and work things out. You only have another year at home anyways, and then all of this will be over. Alec, we can't-"
"School means a lot, and you deserve all of it," Alec said as the tears fell faster now. "I'm not having you-"
"This isn't up to you," Jon said sternly. His green eyes were bright like Clary's got when she talked about art and Jace, her two passions. He was looking at Alec as if he loved him, and they hadn't gotten that far yet. They'd only been dating a few months, and it had to be over. If this was the moment Jon decided to tell him that he loved him, it would break Alec's' heart completely. "Alec, there are two of us in this relationship. Your father is insane, we both know that. His temper makes him do crazy, horrible things. I'm not afraid of him. I will get into college, just maybe not as football. I'll have to go to a cheaper school, and that's not the worst thing in the world."
"You want to be a surgeon," Alec reminded him. Jon had talked of nothing else the last few months. "Your dreams are important."
"I can accomplish that through any college with a medical degree." Jon had a frown appearing on his forehead. He stood up again and studied Alec. Alec was trying to hide his tears, but it was getting more difficult. He sniffed hard and tried to not let his mind spiral into what losing Jonathan would be like. He had to get through this moment, and then he'd get through the rest of his life. He wouldn't be falling apart over a boy, that wasn't how this was going to end. His life would be just fine even without Jonathan. "You're afraid of him."
"What?" Alec's head snapped up and for a moment his own grief was forgotten. "What are you talking about?"
"You're afraid of your father. You think he'll come after you if he's through with me." Jon was acting like he had figured out a difficult word problem, and Alec wasn't convinced he was wrong.
"I have another year at home," Alec said before he could filter the words spilling out of his mouth. "I have a year and a half left to take care of Jace and Izzy and Max. I have eighteen months before we can get away from him."
"We'll get a place together," Jonathan soothed him. "I can get an off campus apartment, and then you'll be safe with me. We can get you away from Robert."
"I have school," Alec saw a million flaws with this. "I have siblings to take care of. Lord knows my dad won't do it. He's never there, except to make them feel awful. My mom only walked out on us last year. There is no way I can just run away like this. Wouldn't you do anything for Clary?"
"Your dad is abusive," Jon strode back over to him and took his face in his hands. Alec was back on the verge of tears at Jon's large hands cradling his face. "He isn't good for you. Your brother and sister have each other. They'll be okay. I love you Alec, so much. I can't let you go over some homophobic asshole." Jon had said the words aloud, and there was no way to take them back. They hung in the air between them, tangible and heavy. The first time a boy said he loved him, and he had to break both their hearts.
"Jon, there isn't a future for us," Alec said, but the words were like knives rolling off his tongue. He felt the same way Jonathan did, or he knew he could. It'd be so easy to fall completely in love with Jonathan.
"Why are you letting him win?" Jon's voice was rising in both anger and slight hysteria. It was clear to both of them that plans of running away were not going to happen. This wasn't that kind of love story. Theirs was the kind that was so horribly unfair you wanted to hit something as hard as you could and scream into the abyss. "Why are you doing this, Alec?"
"I have to do this, for us both." Alec stood on knees that felt like jelly. His heart was aching so badly it felt like it was literally going to break apart. "You love me too much to do this. I love you too much not to." He took a deep breath and laid a hand on Jonathan's face, his blonde hair tickling his fingers. The green eyes were void of tears, but they still told every bit of pain Alec was causing him. "You got into Yale as well. Go there and be happy. New Haven will put you far enough away that my father won't care any longer. Go kick ass and be a surgeon and play your heart out."
"Alec, please don't do this. I don't want you protecting me. I'm telling you I don't care about whether I go to an Ivy league school or not." The pleading tone in Jonathan's voice was making the tears fall all over again.
"I know you better than that," Alec sobbed as his knees wobbled. Jon moved as if to put his arms around him, but Alec moved away before he could. He only had an ounce of resolve left, and walking away would take all of that and more. "You do care, more than you want to admit. It's everything, Jon. He controls my life until I'm eighteen and you know that. He'd probably charge you with kidnapping or something stupid even if I did leave." Alec took one step forwards to press his lips to Jon's smooth cheek, only a hint of his five o'clock shadow present on his lips. "Go live your life Jonathan, and I'll let you be who you need to."
Jon didn't call his name as he wrenched open the door and he didn't dare hesitate before he left the house for the last time.
MBALMBALMBAL
Almost a year had passed since Alec had seen Jonathan in that bedroom on one of the worst nights of his life. He had sobbed for weeks after he had let Jon go. Isabelle had been the only person he'd really talk to for a while. Slowly people had figured out he had broken it off with Jon, and nobody had really understood. Now Jonathan was here, and it felt like some kind of balm to his soul with everything going on. Izzy had something going on, and then his recent panic attack. His father getting worse every day. Max and his anger, duly deserved but no easier to watch. Jonathan was someone outside the drama that understood everything. Things had always been easy with Jon.
The two of them lingered outside after the rest had gone in to enjoy dancing and drinks. They were supposed to be out by eleven, but the owner always let them stay for the drag show and dancing as well as serving them drinks under the table. He was a good guy, if not the most responsible. Jon pulled out a pack of cigarettes; a filthy habit Alec had tried to get him to give up last year. It seemed none of his inspiring talks on the effects of smoking tobacco did much good.
"I can't believe you're here." Alec couldn't keep the grin off his face as he took in Jonathan's tall, thin, lean frame next to him.
"I had to see the first show of the year. It's always amazing." Jon shot him a fond grin as he took a long drag from the cigarette dangling between his fingers.
"We got lucky finding a new drummer," Alec confessed with a small shake of his head. "We must have auditioned almost twenty people before Will walked in."
"Musical talent isn't that prominent at Idris," Jon agreed. He flicked his cigarette and leaned away to blow out a trail of smoke. "So, how is everyone? Your siblings and your parents? I know it's only been a few months, but I know the Lightwood family never stays the same for more than five minutes."
"They're okay," Alec said shortly, not wanting to talk about that mess right now, and especially not with Jon. "You don't have to act like you don't wish my dad would drop dead already. I do some days." He said the last part quietly, but the mixed look of understanding and pity told Alec he had heard perfectly.
"Izzy isn't here," Jon commented with a curious tilt of his head. "That's not normal."
"She had a fall, and now has a concussion." Alec said, keeping it as short as possible. He needed a drink if they were going to be talking about any of this. The Isabelle mystery felt like it was eating him from the inside out. He knew something wasn't right, but he didn't know where to start looking for answers.
"A fall?"Jon had straightened from his lounging position against the wall and now his green eyes were no longer lit up. They looked sad and deadly serious. "What sort of fall Alec? This Robert thing was getting out of hand last year, but this-"
"God no!" Alec exclaimed, realizing where Jon was headed with this. "No, she actually fell. I just…..I'm sorry I'm making it sound worse than it is. It's complicated. Everything is so complicated." Alec sighed softly and looked down to play with a loose thread on his jeans. He bit his lip before divulging something he knew he probably shouldn't, but at the same time he felt like Jon would be someone who would understand. "My panic attacks are back."
"Oh Alec," Jon dropped his cigarette promptly and put the remaining embers out with the toe of his boot. "You never called Why wouldn't you tell me?"
"After three months I stopped trying," Alec lightly snapped, not needing a lecture right now on his inability to rely on people for help.
"I'm sorry for that," Jon looked down as he gripped his left upper arm with his right hand, his gaze dropped to the pavement. "After you left I was a mess, and then I just wanted space until I got through college applications… and then it was midterms...and then it was the senior paper….and then finals and graduation. There isn't an excuse in the world for me not to answer my phone."
"Yes, of course there was." Alec could remember being furious with Jon several times in the past for not answering his calls. He had only ever called after his dad had been home for some evening chat. It wasn't right of him to use Jon as a crutch for his emotional baggage, not as his ex. "I never called you to say hi. I only called because you...well you always calmed me down when things got hard. You were good at helping me manage my anxiety and stuff."
Jon's hand rested on the side of his neck, and Alec would be lying if he didn't admit to feeling the shivers his touch brought all the way down to his toes. He glanced up into the green eyes that always held such kindness when his world was so harsh. Isabelle and Jace did what they could to support him through it, but they were dealing with their own lives and emotions. Jon was the one who Alec leaned on after his mother had left them for good. Back then it had been as just a friend, that was until it became something so much more.
Alec's heart overruled any rational thought as he leaned forwards to kiss his ex boyfriend. He knew there was no future for them right now, but then again maybe Jon had been right this whole time. Maybe it was stupid to throw away how crazy they were for each other because of his father. Maybe they could make it work for the next few months until he was free. The moment his lips crashed into Jonathan his mind went blissfully blank. There was nothing to upset him, or be upset about. Everything was okay for this precise moment. He forgot about Max, Izzy, Jace, school, and his father.
"Alec," Jon's voice broke through his pleasurable haze as he held Alec by both shoulder gently, his eyes incredibly sad. "Alec, I can't."
"Look," Alec protested, his heart ruling every word out of his mouth. "Maybe you were right and we never should have split last year. We could make us work until I graduate. We were so right for each other, and we loved each other-"
"I don't think we really did," Jon said softly. Alec was stunned into silence, and the bubble of happiness that had settled in his stomach popped unpleasantly, only dread and anxiety filling its place. "I've done a lot of thinking this year. I hated losing you, I truly did. We had a lot of good times together. Alec, I don't think we were in love. I think you used me as a crutch to get through your parents getting that awful divorce, and I wanted to fix you. I liked comforting you and making you feel better. I won't say I didn't care for you, but now that I have Gabe, I can't say that I was in love with you." Jon's voice was soft, and his eyes were sad, but that didn't make his words hurt any less. Alec couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that Jon was dismissing the relationship they'd had for months. Alec knew he had ended it badly, but how could Jon deny everything they had shared?
"Who the hell is Gabe?" Alec choked out, hurt more than he could have imagined by Jon finding someone else.
"He's my boyfriend," Jon explained. The words felt like someone was trying to pull his heart out through his mouth, but it kept getting stuck in his throat. Alec swallowed hard a few times, not entirely sure how this could come as a shock. They had broken up nearly a year ago. Did he expect Jon to just wait in case Alec wanted a second chance?
Truth be told, that had been exactly what he wanted.
"We met last spring at orientation for school, " Jon kept talking, but the words wouldn't really sink into his brain for comprehension. "We've been talking all summer and then when the semester started he asked me on a date. It's been great with Gabe, a different sort of great than with you I guess. Things with Gabe are simpler, more fun. I feel like I'm getting to know him on a really deep level. I don't know if I even know you Alec, not really. Even with how long we dated I don't feel like I know hardly anything about you."
"Sorry I'm too complicated for you," Alec's heartbreak was coming out as anger. His voice was foreign, carrying a harsh tone he'd never heard himself use. "I guess thanks for coming, but driving five hours to see your ex play in some stupid high school band when you're in love with some other guy makes no damn sense to me. I'm so glad you're so happy and in love and all that shit." Alec stormed off, letting his anger take over rather than focus on how much all of this hurt. Between Jon finding some new, great guy and writing off the relationship they used to have Alec was completely done with talking for the night. He needed alcohol and a heavy bass beat to make everything disappear.
Stepping back into the musky air of the club felt like coming up from drowning. He breathed in deeply and downed a drink faster than he ever had before. He got a second in his hand in no time before going to find Jace, or Clary, or anyone he knew besides Jonathan. Helen and Aline were here, unless they had already disappeared to behind closed doors. He moved through the mass of dancing bodies, trying not to intrude on anyone else's good time when he found someone better than all of the others he had had in mind.
Magnus stood leaning against a wall by himself. He seemed awkward and out of place with no drink in his hand, nor anyone by his side. His friends had clearly gone onto the dance floor, and he'd been left to fend for himself. Alec took a few deep breaths before going over there. Magnus was a good thing, a very good thing, and the last thing he needed was to mess up this one good thing he had going for him. Maybe he could find that something better, something deeper, that Jon had found with his new guy. Maybe, even though he had felt amazing with Jon, there was something even better out there. Besides, Magnus looked far too good to be left standing on a wall.
MBALMBALMBALMBAL
Well, this had turned out pretty much like he figured it would.
Jem and Will had done a decent job of sticking with him most of the time, until an actual good song came on and then they had been goners. They had both apologized and promised to be back soon as they disappeared from sight. Magnus couldn't blame them one bit for going to have fun together in a place that nobody would notice or care. They were careful enough at school that they deserved to let loose.
He shifted uncomfortably and wondered what time they'd actually be leaving. The concert had been quite a high, but the appearance of a tall blonde had made the high fade much more quickly for him than the others. Alec had seemed so happy to see this guy, so much happier than he had to see him. He knew it was stupid to even compare when they only had a first date between them, but Magnus had thought it had been something special. He had thought they had had some kind of connection. He had never felt this way with anyone besides Alec, though to be fair he had never tried either.
"I can hardly believe you're free," Alec's voice reached him just before Alec himself appeared in front of Magnus. His jacket was long gone by now, which left him in only a tank top, his muscled arms free for admiration. The eyeliner was still perfectly in place and it made his eyes pop incredibly. "I thought by now someone would have swept you away into the crowd."
Magnus stumbled over a few replies before settling on one. "I wouldn't dare let anyone else sweep me off my feet." He felt himself blush right after he said it, but the grin on Alec's face told him it was the right move. "Where's your, um, blonde friend?"
"Jonathan?" Alec's expression visibly darkened at the mention of him, which was a far cry from only a half hour ago. Clearly whatever the blonde had been here for hadn't been good. "He can go rot in hell as far as I'm concerned Let's stop you being a wallflower, yeah?"
"Okay," Magnus agreed, but he was terrified. The kind of dancing he had seen so far wasn't something he was sure he was ready for. If Alec were to do any of the things the other men were busy doing he'd feel more than Magnus was ready for, or rather he wouldn't be feeling enough in the places that tended to matter. He felt insecure about his body, and it would take him time before anyone else saw it from anything other than a distance. He just wasn't good with anyone touching him since he had started the treatments. His body felt too fragile, and too private.
Alec took his hand and led him to the middle of the mass of people. Magnus tried to stay relaxed and only focus on Alec in front of him. The flashing and faded lights were still creating delicious shadows on Alec's face and body as he turned lithely to face Magnus. He was gorgeous in every way imaginable. The smell was making Magnus a tad light-headed, the heady smell of sweat and whatever cologne Alec wore. Alec's long arms came to wrap tightly around his waist and Magnus felt his breathing hitch slightly as their chests brushed and he wound his own arms around Alec's neck. They shared a smile that made Magnus's stomach flip pleasantly, and he thought for just a moment that everything might be okay.
The next song had a heavier bass to it and Alec's hips moved accordingly to brush against his own enticingly. Magnus inhaled sharply at the new sensations coursing through him. He really should have thought about this situation beforehand, but now he had no idea how to react. He couldn't say it didn't feel enticing to have Alec rubbing against him like that. He wanted to be enjoying this moment instead of his mind racing through all the things that might go wrong. He was so afraid of Alec discovering Magnus wasn't what he wanted after all. Alec made him feel as if the past didn't matter, and that the future was full of limitless possibilities. It was nice to feel like he was enough just for being alive.
Magnus felt sweat begin to slowly drip down the back of his neck the longer they danced in the crowded room. People pressed in all around them and he was forced closer and closer to Alec, which he couldn't say was a bad thing. As the second song melded seamlessly into a third, there was no part of them that wasn't touching and he could tell Alec was thinking about kissing him. His wide, blue eyes kept darting down to Magnus's lips, which he kept biting out of nerves. He felt as if he couldn't take a deep breath, a combination of the hordes of people and his own nerves coming up to choke him. Alec had to stop moving his body like that, just for the moment, just long enough for Magnus to feel like he could breathe again.
"You can't kiss me here,' Magnus blurted out, and wincing imperceptibly afterward. He probably sounded like a complete idiot. "I... Just not like this, not in a club. It matters too much."
The lust clouding Alec's eyes seemed to vanish as he stopped dancing to look at Magnus properly. He seemed to come back to the sweet boy Magnus was absolutely crazy about. "No, you're right. We...yeah not like this." He took Magnus's hand tightly in his own and led him away from the crowds to the patio out back they had. Only a few people were out here chatting quietly and smoking. Magnus felt a tad calmer out here, though the light breeze made goosebumps break out over his skin after the hot air inside. Alec had grabbed his jacket again sometime during their way through the crowds and he held it out to Magnus.
"You want a jacket? It's cold out here," Alec smiled gently and Magnus felt his heart skip a few beats yet again. He was falling for this boy that he knew nothing about, and when he did things like offer Magnus his leather jacket, it made him go a tad weak in the knees.
"I'll take it for a minute," Magnus felt their fingers brush and it sent a shiver through him as he pulled on the jacket. It was a bit long and far too big in the shoulders. Alec had far more muscle than Magnus could ever see himself having. It felt nice around him, and it smelled just like Alec which made it his favorite jacket in the world. "I'm sorry we had to leave. That crowd was just a lot to handle."
"Yeah this place is always a zoo," Alec agreed as he leaned his forearms on the railing. Magnus folded his arms around himself as he leaned next to him, their shoulders barely brushing. It wasn't a bad view, the river in the distance with the Manhattan skyline behind that. The tiny lights twinkling in the distance always made him smile, like he wasn't so alone in the world after all. "I did want to, kiss you that is. I was thinking about it."
"I thought so," Magnus said with a small smile, glancing at Alec out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure how he felt about kissing Alec. On one hand he thought it would be nice, but on the other he wasn't sure what kissing Alec would mean. Would he be ready for a relationship, if that was what Alec wanted? Could he give himself that much to someone? Was he too much of a mess to fall for this beautiful boy? "I don't know if I should let you kiss me yet."
"Oh," Alec said quietly before falling silent. This had clearly upset Alec and had been the worst thing to say. Magnus bit his lip and wondered if he could possibly fix it now.
"It's not that I don't want you to," Magnus stumbled over his words slightly in his haste to get them out. "I only barely finished my transition fully and it's weird to think about things like kissing." Magnus felt himself turn a bright shade of red, not quite believing he had really said that out loud to someone he barely knew. He never talked about his transition, not even with his roommates whom he trusted above everyone else. He never wanted to admit he had been anyone but who he was presently. Raphael said he had to accept that Margaret and Magnus belonged to the same person, the same soul, but Magnus had a hard time with that. He always thought of things as before and after. There was a line so thick it might as well be a wall between the two. The last thing he had wanted to do tonight was make it crystal clear that he was a freak. That he had once been the opposite of what Alec would ever want.
"I thought...maybe I read things wrong," Alec said, and Magnus almost didn't hear him since he more mumbled it than anything. Magnus felt absolutely awful. This boy liked him, truly honestly liked him and here he was hesitating and holding him at arm's length. He had to find a way to make Alec understand.
"You didn't read things wrong," Magnus said softly. He wanted to touch Alec in some way, reassure him, but right now he felt like that might be the worst thing he could do. He never meant to hurt Alec, but if he wasn't honest he would just end up hurting the both of them. "I just need time Alec, that's all. I do like you, more than I've liked anyone. I've liked you since we were sophmores."
"Really?" Alec asked as a grin finally appeared back on his face. "Way back then? Did we have classes together?"
"Well, just P.E." Magnus shrugged lightly as memories whizzed by of those earlier days. "I think we also had a math together at some point."
"I think I would have remembered…" Alec trailed off as his face took on a more serious expression. "I guess I never knew you as Margaret. You must have looked pretty different."
"Yeah, I...um, I did," Magnus really wanted to get far away from this subject, or anything remotely close to it. Alec was studying him closely, his blue eyes seeming to peer through him rather than just taking in the surface.
"Magnus," Alec said, his tone as serious as his face had gotten. "It doesn't matter to me who you used to be. Everyone I know has been through a lot to get to where they are. I wasn't the person I am now two years ago. I like you for the person you are, for the boy that you are. Margaret doesn't bother me."
"You…" Magnus couldn't even finish as his throat closed off his speaking abilities. Alec was saying all the right, wonderful things he'd never dared to imagine any boy would say to him. Alec was beautiful, kind, and attractive. He cared for his family more than any normal person. He had a burning passion for music that he excelled at. Alec was the kind of guy anyone would be lucky to date, and somehow he had Alec out on this patio with him instead of inside with the countless people he could belong with. He swallowed hard several times, not wanting to cry in front of him. Alec could never know what his words meant to him. "You are truly one of a kind, Alexander."
"It's not so hard to be a decent person," Alec was back to mumbling as he turned pink. Maybe he'd let Alec kiss him, not tonight, but someday soon.
"Jem and I are exhausted," Will announced as he came out the patio doors loudly. His hair was mussed, and Magnus had no doubt what those two had gotten up to. "Also, Alec, your two friends are looking for you, the chicks. Simon has had way too much to drink. We need to get home before any disasters happen."
"Okay, okay, give us two minutes?" Magnus asked with a slight laugh. Will sighed dramatically, but acquised to his request. They were alone now on the patio, with the distant music and laughter from inside their only distraction from each other. Magnus gingerly slipped the jacket off his shoulders to hand back to Alec.
"Thank you for the jacket," Magnus said sincerely with a smile. "Alec, just please give me time. You're wonderful and I like you a lot. I just need things to move slowly." Magnus inhaled sharply and leaned in to place a kiss on the corner of Alec's mouth, something for him to look forwards to.
"You sure are a tease, Magnus Bane," Alec said, a grin slowly unfurling across his face. "Keep the jacket."
Magnus wanted to protest, but ended up just hugging the jacket close to his chest. "I can promise I'm worth the wait." With one last smile between them Magnus slipped back inside and made his way out front to join his friends. They were leaning against the car, absolutely exhausted.
"Did you have a good night?" Will asked sleepily as they all climbed in. Magnus sighed happily and settled more comfortably into the seat.
"I had the best night I could have hoped for." As they drove home that slow grin kept playing over and over in Magnus's mind.
