"So tell me what his roommate said again?" Isabelle asked, lounging on Alec's bed reading a magazine as he fiddled with the buttons of his, well Jace's, shirt standing in his bathroom in front of the small mirror.
Alec sighed not liking recalling this part of the date especially since this would be the seventh time he told Isabelle the part about Ragnor's unfortunate and embarrassing interruption.
"I've already told you about a million times Iz. Why do you want to keep hearing it?" Alec asked, as he finally got the last few buttons of his dress shirt.
"Because it's hilarious and I need a good laugh."
Alec ignored her and went to the last button on his shirt, only to realize he must have buttoned something wrong or missed one because he saw the shirt was uneven as he glanced in the mirror.
"Damnit!" Alec cursed, quickly unbuttoning the shirt and having to start all over again.
Isabelle looked at him from her magazine with a pitiful glance, "Are you having problems getting dressed Alec?"
"No," he growled, glaring at her through the mirror, "I just missed a button or two that's all."
With a roll of her eyes, Isabelle put her magazine and got off the bed going to aid her fashion helpless brother even if he was too stubborn to ask her to do so. Once in the bathroom Isabelle snatched the shirt from her brother and was met with an icy blue glare and he tried to grab it back only to be swatted away.
"Just shut up while I fix this and for future reference," Isabelle said, glancing up at her brother as she quickly buttoned the shirt up, "it's best to always start at the bottom of shirts like this."
In just a few seconds, Isabelle had managed to do what Alec couldn't in the past five minutes, and she was smoothing out the slight wrinkles that had appeared over his chest.
"Is this Jace's?" Isabelle asked, tugging at the shirt and realizing that unlike most of Alec's clothing it wasn't three sizes too big. It was only slightly loose in the chest area, which would make sense as Jace had a broader chest.
"Yes," Alec replied, and it was his turn to swat her hand away, but this did nothing to stop Isabelle as she looked at him with a mischievous smile.
"What?" Alec asked, feeling slightly uneasy under her dark gaze.
Isabelle dismissed his question with a shrug, the smile fading into an indifferent look.
"Nothing."
Alec looked at her suspiciously, but decided not to press anything, if Isabelle didn't want to push it than neither did he.
"So what did Jace say why you asked to borrow it?" Isabelle asked, leaning against the door and inspecting her nails.
"Um, I didn't exactly ask ... I sort of just borrowed it without asking." Alec explained, feeling a bit ashamed as he fixed his shirt collar in the mirror, something still not looking quite right about this look to him. He had no choice but to borrow from Jace as his only button down shirt was ripped the other week and he had yet to go buy a new one.
Isabelle looked up from examining her nails with a smirk.
"And by sort of borrowed without asking you mean you stole it?"
"It's not stealing; I'm going to give it back."
"Whatever, you took it without asking which I must say is very un-Alec of you. I approve."
Alec shot her a disapproving look, "It's not un-Alec of me that doesn't even make sense. Jace borrows my stuff all of the time without asking permission."
"Yeah but that's Jace, you're responsible Alec."
"Responsible Alec? That's my moniker?"
Isabelle nodded, "Yes. Well it used to be, you're becoming quite the rebel these days. Which I think was my place in the family. I've got to do something, maybe a shorter skirt. . ." Isabelle trailed off, twirling out of the bathroom as Alec followed behind her.
"You'd better not," Alec not, already not a fan of the length of the skirt she currently wore, which ended slightly above her knees.
She rolled her eyes at him. "I said maybe Alec. Besides I doubt Lewis could handle that."
"Louis? I thought you were going out with Simon."
"I am his last name is Lewis. You really haven't been paying attention at all Alec!"
Alec flushed, feeling ashamed at not having paid close attention to his siblings this past week or so. He opened his mouth to apologize but Isabelle stopped him.
"Don't apologize Alec, it's a good thing. I'm glad you're getting a life," Isabelle explained reaching up to put a hand on his shoulder.
"But if this gets serious you are going to have to talk to Jace."
Alec must have visibly tensed at the thought because Isabelle gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"It doesn't have to be now, but you know he'll have to find out eventually and it'll be better to find out from you." Alec nodded and Isabelle gave him a small, comforting smile.
"Thanks Iz," Alec said, truly feeling relieved thanks to her words.
She nodded and dropped her hand from his shoulder, only to whip back and backhand him across the chest.
Alec stared at her, wide eyed and shocked, but not too hurt.
"What was that for?"
Isabelle smiled and sauntered towards the door, "For not paying better attention to me and for you trying to steal my moniker. I am still the princess of this family and expect to be treated as such."
Alec snorted as Isabelle left his room, shaking his head glad she was likely the only female he would have to deal with in his life time, besides his mother of course.
0o0o0
"Am I really being kicked out of my own apartment?" Ragnor asked, allowing himself to be led towards the door by Magnus.
"Yes, and don't be so surprised, the same thing happened last Saturday."
"Yes but last time I wasn't physically forced," Ragnor retorted.
"But last Saturday you didn't leave on time, like I had asked you to," Ragnor opened his mouth to protest but Magnus spoke over him, "and therefore humiliated my date. I could practically feel him blushing from behind me."
Ragnor raised his brow. "Did you really fuck him so hard that you can feel that?"
Magnus just glared, not amused. He opened the door and shoved his friend out into the hallway without a word.
"You better get into a kinder mood before Wonder Boy gets here. No way you're gonna get laid with that attitude!" Ragnor huffed through the door; the only response from Magnus was muffled and sounded an awful lot like "Fuck off."
Ragnor just walked off with a victorious smirk, deciding himself to be the winner of this round.
0o0o0
Alec adjusted his shirt once more, still feeling quite conscious as he wasn't used to clothing that actually fit. He pressed the buzzer after taking a deep breath, counting down from ten in his mind before doing so. Not even a minute later, he heard Magnus's alluring voice from the speaker.
"Yes?"
Alec smiled. All it took to ease his nerves was the sound of Magnus' voice. It was a reminder that Magnus was as happy to see Alec as Alec was to see him.
"It's me. Alec." Alec responded, waiting to hear either a flirtatious remark or a buzzing sound- possibly both.
Instead, he got a chuckle.
"I know darling, I saw you from the window."
Alec flushed, unsure of what to say back when the buzzing saved him from having to do so. With another deep breath, Alec made his way into the building and up to Magnus's flat. Alec wondered if Magnus seeing him from the window meant he had been watching for him. The very thought made him smile again.
The doorway to Magnus's flat was open, just like the last time Alec had come here. However, unlike the last time Magnus wasn't standing against the doorframe waiting on him. Alec gently rapped on the open door, not yet comfortable enough with Magnus to just barge into his home.
"You can come in, just have a seat." called Magnus, sounding as if he was in a backroom or something.
Alec slowly complied with Magnus's request, feeling a little less awkward than he had last time. In just a few seconds, Magnus was strutting into the living room, a smile on his face as his eyes landed on a well-dressed Alec. It was the first time Magnus had seen Alec in a shirt that actually fit, well aside from his soccer jersey- and Magnus had to admit he liked the sight, though he found the oversized sweaters and holey jeans quintessentially Alec.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in an outfit that is actually your size?"
Alec, having been messing with the sleeves of his shirt and staring at his shoes in an attempt to quell his nerves hadn't seen Magnus come in and jumped at the sound of Magnus's voice. Magnus did his best to stifle a laugh, and when he failed to he covered the sound with a pretend cough.
Alec gave him a sheepish look, "Sorry I uh- didn't hear you come in."
Magnus waved off the apology.
"Glad it wasn't the outfit that scared you." Magnus teased, adding a wink to make sure Alec was aware he was only joking.
Alec's eyes immediately scoured over Magnus- the man wore tight black jeans paired with a silk purple shirt, a few buttons left undone at the top revealing his thin honey colored and glittered chest. His eyes then drifted further upwards to Magnus face was done with minimal makeup, mainly just eyeliner and lip balm, but Alec's focus was mainly on Magnus's hair. It hung down, shiny and black, halfway to his shoulders. For once there was no gel or glitter or spikes, it was just his hair, left completely alone and never had Alec wanted to touch it so much, it just looked so soft and silky.
Alec, realizing he had been starting for a good minute or so, cleared his throat and shook his head.
"No, definitely not the outfit," Alec breathed.
Magnus smirked, enjoying watching Alec's obvious and very open perusal of his outfit.
"Good. Thought I'd try something new, a simpler look I guess." Magnus explained, taking a few measured steps towards Alec.
Alec snorted, only Magnus would consider this a "simpler look".
"What's so funny Lightwood?" Magnus teased, taking a few more steps towards Alec, their faces now just inches apart.
Alec smiled, eyes locking with Magnus's.
"Nothing, I just think you're the only person I know who would consider that simple."
Magnus shrugged. "That may be true, I like to think it's part of the charm."
Alec nodded in agreement, unable to find his voice as Magnus leaned forward, straightening out his collar. Alec figured he had messed it up on the subway ride over, his nerves getting the better of him.
"So I guess this is your idea of dressing up?" Magnus asked as he took a step backwards, getting another look at Alec's outfit.
It was Alec's turn to shrug.
"I uh, didn't really know what to wear since you said we were going out. It's the nicest thing I own, well besides a suit- and I had to borrow this shirt from my brother."
Magnus raised his eyebrows in surprise, "And did he ask why you were borrowing his shirt?"
He was sort of hoping that Jace had indeed asked Alec, and that maybe Alec had been honest with him. He doubted it though, as that was something he thought Alec would share with him even if they weren't officially together it seemed like something Alec would tell him as they were at least dating.
Alec shook his head, "Uh he doesn't exactly know . . ."
Magnus just laughed, not letting his disappointment show.
"So am I dating a kleptomaniac or something? I feel like that is something I should have been told . . ."
"No, it was a onetime thing. I just wasn't sure how to ask."
"How to ask to borrow a shirt to go on a date with the guy you met at the party? Seems pretty simple to me," Magnus teased, doing his best not to sound pushy.
"It's not that." Alec replied, feeling ashamed and looking at his feet.
Magnus tentatively lifted his chin with a long finger, making Alec look him in eyes, brushing back the boy's dark hair from his face.
"I was only teasing."
Alec stared at Magnus a moment, wanting to confess everything he was feeling. He wanted to tell Magnus how he dreamed of him almost every night since they met, how when they were together he didn't worry about his parents or Jace or anyone finding out about him, how he so badly wanted to be like him: out and proud, but something always stopped him. Alec wanted to tell Magnus that for the first time in his life he didn't feel like an abomination, but like he was worth something, and even if this never went as far as Alec wanted it to go, he owed Magnus so much for making him feel that, even if it was for just a short period of time.
He had seen the look in Magnus's eyes; he could tell Magnus wanted him to at least tell his brother about them.
Magnus had misinterpreted Alec's silence, thinking he had upset the boy, and quickly wanted to change the subject.
"So, do I at least get a hello kiss?" Magnus asked, his finger still tilting Alec's chin upwards.
Alec flushed, his attention now back on Magnus instead of his thoughts, and leaned up to kiss Magnus, which was quite easy as Magnus was only about an inch taller than he was.
"So uh, where are we going?" Alec asked as they pulled away, hoping he would find some way tonight to make this up to Magnus.
Magnus just snickered in response. "Nice try Alexander, but this is meant to be a surprise."
Alec scrunched up his nose, not a fan of surprises and Magnus immediately noticed, moving his hands from Alec's face to his wrist.
"Don't worry, it's not a bad surprise and I promise there will be no allergic reactions this time- well peanuts are the only thing you are allergic to, right?"
Alec nodded, "Right."
Magnus smiled, tugging at Alec's arm to pull him towards the door.
"Good, then no allergic reactions this time."
Alec smiled, allowing himself to be pulled towards wherever their destination was with no complaint.
0o0o0
Alec, who had been following Magnus quite closely for the past twenty minutes, suddenly came to a complete stop, not at all trusting his surroundings. He had never been much of a fan of Brooklyn, his siblings calling him a snob for this opinion, but the city had always unnerved him for some reason, and now that he was down a dark alley way, unfamiliar and dangerous territory, those nervous feelings came back tenfold.
Magnus upon no longer hearing Alec's footsteps behind him turned around, a concerned expression on his face.
"Is everything alright?"
"Uh yeah, it's just . . . where are we?"
Magnus chuckled, moving closer to his date.
"We are taking a . . . unique route to our destination. We're almost there we just had to take the back entrance."
Alec scrunched his face up and Magnus did his best not to smile at how utterly adorable the boy looked when confused.
Magnus put a hand on his shoulder; Alec found the gesture oddly comforting, especially coming from someone he could barely go five minutes without blushing around.
"Trust me Alec; it'll be well worth the rather unpleasant course."
Trust. That had always been for Alec- Izzy was the person he trusted the most in his life and there was still a lot she didn't know about him. Alec felt a tight sensation in his chest, almost like it was choking him. But more than anything, Alec wanted this- he wanted to trust someone whole heartedly, to not feel so alone. He didn't ever want to be like Dylan, paranoid and angry to the point of being bitter at the entire world.
"Okay uh- sorry I just got a bit confused . . . this looks like a dead end or something," Alec explained.
Magnus chuckled, "Well that's because it is."
Alec blinked, what did that even mean? Were they meant to climb the wall or something? If so, Magnus certainly wasn't dressed for the occasion.
"This," Magnus said gesturing to a large black door, "is our destination."
Slipping a silver key out of his pants pocket, (how anything fit in those pockets was beyond Alec) Magnus opened the large door, revealing what looked like the back entrance to a large restaurant.
"Honestly Bane! You scared the hell out of me!" A dramatic voice shouted, as Magnus and Alec entered the building and they were now standing in what looked like the restaurant's kitchen.
Alec turned to see a short burly man with green eyes bounding towards them, looking less affronted than he sounded. Magnus smiled and he opened his arms, embracing the man in a small hug as he neared. Alec felt a strange, unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach at the scene. He did his best to quell the feeling by reminding himself that Magnus was the type of outgoing, social butterfly personality that threw parties and knew many people- so of course he would have close friends that he hugged and owned a key to their very expensive looking restaurant.
Alec had had this unpleasant feeling earlier in the night, as they had been stopped several times by passersby who knew Magnus and wanted to chat with him. Of course, the feeling hadn't been quite as potent as all of those people had been female and certainly hadn't hugged him.
The hugged ended shortly, though it had been much too long for Alec's liking.
The man looked Alec up and down, and he went from feeling angry and annoyed at this strange man to self-conscious and shy.
"My my Magnus, you've got quite the catch here."
Magnus, seeing Alec's face redden, quickly came to his aid.
"Now now Woolsey, hands off of him."
Woolsey gave Magnus an indignant look.
"I wasn't going to grope the boy! I was just admiring him, black hair and blue eyes always were your favorite combination."
Alec didn't know how to react to that. It was good that he happened to have Magnus' "favorite combination" or whatever but what did this Woolsey man mean by "always". How many people had Magnus dated that looked just like him?
"Anyways," Magnus said, his voice holding a warning tone, "Woolsey, this is Alec. Alec, this is Woolsey."
Alec just stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do or say until Woolsey reached out a large hand, gesturing for Alec to shake it. Alec slowly complied, though nervous because whoever this man was he was quite unnerving.
Which was odd to think because as Alec was 6'1" and quite athletic, more than capable of holding his own in a fight, this man was around 5'7" and while burly, it wasn't as much muscle as it was his being big boned. It was more of the man's look that was unsettling, as he stood ramrod straight and confident, a superior glint in his green eyes, his long dark hair neatly styled and a colorful scarf wrapped around his neck. The man looked much more Magnus's style than Alec, who considered jeans without holes and a button down shirt "dressed up" and maybe that was what Alec found so intimidating about the man that someone likely ten times better suited for Magnus was standing right in front of him.
"Quite a grip you got there," Woolsey noted with a smile as they released each other's hands, and Alec hadn't noticed until just then that he had unconsciously squeezed that man's hand tighter at the thought of him being with Magnus.
"Ugh, sorry," Alec said sheepishly- and he was . . . a little bit.
Woolsey much like Magnus, Alec noted, just waved off the infraction and smiled good-naturedly.
"No problem, it was a compliment gorgeous." Alec flushed at the wording and this just seemed to amuse Woolsey.
"Now," Woolsey began turning to Magnus who was looking pleased with Alec and Woolsey's conversation, "go show your new boyfriend around while I get things ready."
Woolsey winked at Magnus as he began to push Alec towards the kitchen exit, "Glad you're playing for the right team again."
Magnus just laughed, as Alec wondered what the heck he meant, but once again, had to quell his curiosity.
"Get things ready?" Alec questioned as Magnus began to lead him away from the kitchen, Woolsey shooing them out.
Alec was ahead of Magnus, who was behind him pushing his shoulders, leading him where they were meant to go.
"Yes," Magnus explained, leaning into Alec's ear, "he's preparing dinner for us. Well, he's making his workers prepare dinner for us."
Alec blinked, not sure if he trusted a man who looked like a walking fire hazard in a kitchen.
"Really?" Alec asked, trying not to let his disbelief show.
Magnus snickered. "Yes, he is the owner of this place after all and Woolsey is quite the master chef, but I doubt he's doing the cooking tonight. He tends to be a bit of a diva."
"Oh, he doesn't look it," Alec replied, unable to help his blunt response.
"He doesn't look like a diva?" Magnus asked, disbelieving.
"No, I meant he doesn't look like a chef." Alec explained, though he wasn't quite sure what that meant- it's not as if you had to look a certain way to become a chef.
"Looks can be deceiving," Magnus said with a shrug and Alec was inclined to agree.
He was just about to say something of the like, but was suddenly with a feeling of realization. He had been here before, with wide eyes he turned back to Magnus.
"How did you . . ." Alec trailed off, unable to articulate his question.
Magnus simply smiled and gestured to a booth, and Alec quickly sat down, still in awe of how Magnus managed to befriend the owner of one of the most popular restaurant's in the area. Upon second glance Alec noticed something rather odd.
"Why is no one here? The last time I was here my parents had had reservations for months!"
"It helps to have connections darling."
Alec blinked, still disbelieving.
"You. . . rented this whole place out?"
"Eh, I didn't exactly rent it out. Woolsey is an old friend who owes me a favor- this is the favor."
"But I mean . . . why?"
Magnus shrugged. "I know you're not exactly comfortable with the whole public thing yet and I love the food here, so why not?"
Alec could only stare, once again not sure how to articulate just what he was feeling and he feared if he did speak he would say something entirely stupid.
"You're amazing Magnus."
Magnus smiled again, his teeth blindingly white, as he grabbed a menu from the well-dressed server, "So I've been told."
Alec shook his head, and let out a small laugh, taking his menu as well, hoping he could concentrate on his food options instead of the fact that Magnus was way too good for him.
"I'm thinking of getting the Greek Combination Platter, you?" Magnus asked a few minutes later, peering over his menu to look at Alec.
Alec, who had decided what he wanted a long time ago and had spent most of his time secretly, admiring Magnus, barely managed a reply- his thoughts being interrupted by Magnus's question.
"Um, the spaghetti and meatballs, supposedly they have the best Italian food in all of New York here." Alec explained.
It was true, his parents had even said so the one time they had come here in the four years Alec had lived in New York. Varieties, the name of Woolsey's restaurant, was famous for its mixed cuisine- ranging from Greek to American to Italian to French- but the most buzzed about was certainly the Italian food, which worked perfectly as Italian was Alec's favorite.
"It does," Magnus said knowingly, lowering his menu.
Alec smiled, happy to have conversation again at the past few minutes had been silence as they looked over their menus (well, while Magnus looked over his menu).
"Italian's my favorite," Alec replied.
Magnus grinned, "I know. It's part of the reason I brought you here."
Alec tilted his head curiously, "How did you know?"
"You told me that night in the woods, remember?"
Alec blinked, suddenly recalling the conversation and that he in fact did tell Magnus this random tidbit of information.
"I'm surprised you remember."
Magnus shrugged. "I tend to remember the important things."
Alec was pretty sure his mouth dropped. That was it, Magnus was and always would be way too good for him, Alec was sure of it now.
So instead of stammering another idiotic reply, Alec leaned forward in his seat, reached across the table and grabbed Magnus gently by the face, crashing their lips together in a heated kiss.
Magnus looked slightly dazed when they pulled apart.
"What was that for?"
"For being amazing," Alec replied, smiling and sitting back down as their waiter came to take their orders.
"Oh darling, you haven't seen anything yet." Magnus teased with a wink as the waiter walked away.
Alec gnawed on his lower lip, lowering his lashes, looking at Magnus through half lidded eyes.
"You didn't have to do all of this," Alec whispered, gesturing to the empty restaurant. He couldn't believe Magnus had somehow managed to get it open to only them, just for Alec. It made him feel horrible.
Magnus waved it off, as if it were absolutely nothing.
"Relax darling, this didn't cost me a dime. Woolsey owes me," Magnus said, accepting his beverage with a ring laden hand from the waiter.
Alec did the same, muttering a small "Thank you" as the waiter left.
"Well do I at least get to plan and pay for our next date?" Alec asked suddenly, not even thinking about the implications of the question.
Magnus smiled playfully. "So we're already planning our third date huh? Though I guess technically it would be the fourth or fifth if you count the night we met and your soccer game."
Alec buried his hands in his face, trying to cool down so when he came up for air the blush would be gone. After a few seconds Alec peered up at Magnus through his fingers, his blush actually subsiding when he put his hands back on the table.
"I didn't mean. . ." Alec trailed off as Magnus placed his hand on Alec's.
"I was only joking sweets, of course you're paying for the next date and whatever you plan it better be nice," Magnus ended his comment with another teasing wink and a squeeze of Alec's hand.
"You're so-"
"Amazing? I know." Magnus joked, smiling and moving his hand away, leaning back in his seat as their waiter delivered their food.
"Yeah," Alec snorted, "that's the word I was looking for."
Magnus tossed his head back with laughter.
0o0o0
It was nearly an hour later when they finally made their way out of the restaurant. Woolsey had insisted they both take leftovers and some dessert that Alec couldn't even pronounce and would most likely wouldn't even try. As they left Woolsey had murmured something to Magnus that Alec didn't quite catch but whatever it was made Magnus smile like the Cheshire cat as they left. Part of Alec wanted to know what it was he had said, but a bigger part of him told him it was best not to ask as he might not like the answer.
What if Woolsey didn't like him and was telling Magnus? What if this night was just some sort of test, to see if Alec could get along with Magnus's friends- he was certain he hadn't made an impression with Ragnor, or whatever his roommate's name was, he seemed to think Alec was just a booty call. Which couldn't be true, could it? After all it was Magnus who said he wanted to take things slow that night in the woods.
Instead of hanging around and possibly overhearing parts of their conversation, Alec decided to stand beside the door, opening and holding it for himself and Magnus as they finally left.
"Such a gentleman," Magnus teased, carrying out their leftovers in a small plastic bag.
Alec just smiled, waving once more to Woolsey who seemed to be watching Magnus and himself intently, a smirk on his face which made Alec feel uneasy.
"So, if you don't mind I have to make a stop before we go back to my apartment." Magnus explained a few steps ahead of Alec who had watched Woolsey with confusion as the back door to the restaurant closed.
"Oh yeah, that's fine." Alec replied as he jogged to catch up to Magnus, taking the bag out of his hand as he got to his side. Magnus just smiled.
"So um, where are we going?" Alec asked, thankful to be out of the dark alleyway and on a better lit street.
"Oh, I have to pick up a painting from a friend, she's an artist and I recently bought one of her pieces. Quite talented actually, even has a daughter in one of the local art schools."
Alec raised his eyebrows. "That's impressive; they're really hard to get into around here."
Magnus nodded, "Exactly."
"So, uh why do you have to go pick it up at this hour? I mean don't people usually deliver this stuff or something?"
Alec knew this from experience, nearly every summer when they went home his mother (the few weeks they actually saw her) would insist on redecorating some part of their very large house and often ended up buying tons of paintings and sculptures from local studios. He always pitied the poor men who had to deliver the pieces of work to their home because doing anything under the hawk like eye of Maryse Lightwood was intimidating and if a painting or sculpture looked so much as slightly scratched or scuffed, they were in for it.
Magnus snickered. "Well, yes but Jocelyn," Magnus used her name as if Alec knew her, "doesn't quite have the money for that just yet. She will one day though, I'm quite sure she will be famous and then I can claim I was one of her first customers!"
Alec snickered, "So why the late hour then?"
Magnus turn to him with a mischievous look, causing Alec to halt his steps.
"Because I had a date with my beautiful blue eyed boyfriend so I told her I'd be a bit late." Magnus explained, gently touching the side of Alec's face before smiling and spinning around, walking ahead of Alec again.
After regaining his composure, Alec quickly caught up to Magnus.
"Boyfriends?" Alec exclaimed before he could think better of it.
Magnus turned to him with an amused expression.
"Yes darling, it's been four dates now- I'm assuming we are somewhat official."
"Technically it's been four." Alec corrected, unable to help himself.
Magnus shrugged, "Technicalities aside, if you don't want the label it's fine I was just repeating what I told Jocelyn."
Alec shook his head, "No, I like it it's just…"
"Don't worry," Magnus said as he came to a stop in front of a large, gray apartment building. "You don't have to change your relationship status on Facebook or anything, but a friend request would be nice and not at all suspicious."
Alec nodded, "Okay, I can do that."
Magnus smiled. "Good."
0o0o0o
Alec shifted uncomfortably in the living room of this Jocelyn Fray, watching as Magnus easily chatted and laughed with this red headed woman. He was barely hearing the conversation, hoping they would leave soon and he would be out of this uncomfortable situation, only hearing bit and pieces until a name caught his attention.
"I really wished Clary could have been here to meet you Magnus, you have no idea how much this means to us…she should be home soon…"
"I'm sorry for being late, I'd like to meet her as well if Clarissa . . ."
Alec thought of the name of nameplate when the buzzed in- Fray. He thought of Jace's description of the girl, an artistic red head, and knew. He was in the home of Clary Fray, Jace's date, who was expected to be home soon and Jace, no doubt wanting to make an impression on this girl, would definitely walk her to the door.
Alec visibly paled, feeling nauseous and overheated- the cozy apartment suddenly feeling stuffy.
"Uh Magnus, I have to go outside I uh. . . need air."
Magnus looked at him with concern, as did Jocelyn.
"Do you need anything?" The red haired green eyed woman asked.
Alec shook his head, grabbing the door knob unsteadily- the very thought of Jace seeing him hear literally making him ill.
"I'll call a cab or something while I'm out there," Alec offered, as he knew they would be unable to walk back to Magnus's place with a huge painting in tow.
He didn't get a chance to hear Magnus's response as he rushed out the door and down the stairs, not stopping until he found himself outside the building- breathing in the cool New York air.
Alec leaned against the building, after calling for the cab, in an attempt to get himself together, breathing harshly and mentally berating himself for his actions.
"I'm such an idiot," Alec yelled, slamming his fist into the brick building.
"Alec? Darling are you alright?" A concerned voice asked and Alec saw Magnus, painting in hand, walking towards him.
"Yeah . . . fine I just needed air."
Magnus continued to stare at him with concern.
"Did you call a cab?" Magnus asked softly, breaking the silence.
"Eh, yeah it should be here soon."
Magnus nodded, still looking concerned.
"I'm sorry about in there, I just got overheated or something," Alec said, feeling overwhelmed with guilt.
Magnus shook his head, "There's nothing for you to be sorry about Alec."
As he spoke he gently caressed Alec's cheek, only to have Alec jerk away a few moments later.
"It's here," Alec said stiffly.
Magnus's lip twitched; confused by the behavior of the boy, as they both silently entered the taxi.
0o0o0
Their ride had mainly been quiet as well, only a few words exchanged between themselves and the driver and a "sorry" from Alec when his hand accidentally brushed Magnus's thigh (it was a bit with the both of them and Magnus holding the painting at an odd angle to bit into the cab).
A faint buzzing noise was easily heard in the silence. After struggling to get to his pocket a bit, Magnus turned to Alec.
"Can you check that for me darling?" Magnus asked as his hands were full.
Magnus jutted his hip out, the phone lighting up in his pants pocket. Alec paused briefly, not sure how to grab the phone without grabbing something else, and not at all comfortable reading Magnus' texts.
"It's alright darling, I don't bite." Magnus teased with a wink.
Alec's face warmed but he quickly grabbed the phone, opening it to see a new text from a Tessa Gray.
"Who's it?" Magnus asked.
"Um, it's a text from someone named Tessa."
Magnus seemed to light up just hearing her name and Alec felt a twinge of jealousy.
"Do you want me to read it?" Alec asked, and though he felt it would have been a huge violation of privacy to do so, he couldn't help but want to know what this girl was texting Magnus.
My boyfriend, Alec thought possessively.
"No, it's fine darling. I'll read it later."
"Alright," Alec replied, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Are you jealous?" Magnus asked jokingly, catching his dejected tone.
"No!" Alec replied, cheeks warming. "I just . . . what did Woolsey mean earlier?"
"What do you mean what did Woolsey mean?" Magnus asked, clearly having fun with his play on words.
"When he said that thing about the teams," Alec replied, his voice low.
Fortunately Magnus heard him. Unfortunately, Magnus seemed to just take this whole situation as something to laugh about, as he did most things, while Alec was completely serious.
Seeing this, Magnus ceased laughing and put his hand over Alec's.
"That was just Woolsey being well, Woolsey. You have nothing to worry about, Tessa is just a friend and I am not the type to cheat. And we are official, right?"
Alec nodded and Magnus smiled, patting Alec's hand before shifting around to place his hand on the door handle as they were coming to a stop in front of Magnus's building.
"Besides, I haven't dated a woman in years!" Magnus exclaimed as he got out of the taxi.
Alec froze, halfway out of the cab. Magnus had dated women? So that's what Woolsey meant by playing "for the right team". Magnus was bisexual. It made sense in a way, Alec figured, Magnus seemed the type of guy that appreciated any type of beauty despite gender.
Alec quickly moved the rest of the way out of the vehicle after a questioning look from Magnus. Now the only thing on his mind was how soon it would be before Magnus left him for a better guy or girl.
0o0o0
"So, I'm thinking maybe a movie?" Magnus said as they entered his apartment, gently placing the paper wrapped painting against a wall to hang later.
Alec looked at his phone, seeing that it was late, and gnawed on his lower lip as he looked back up at Magnus.
"It's getting kind of late." Alec explained sadly, knowing he would have to leave soon otherwise face the possibility of an interrogation from Jace or Isabelle later.
Magnus's face fell, and so did Alec's stomach. He suddenly got a horrible wrenching feeling in his stomach, hating that he made Magnus feel bad.
After further contemplation, and a quick text to Izzy, Alec spoke up again.
"Well, um, what movie were you thinking of watching?" Alec asked, moving closer to Magnus.
Magnus titled his head, a bit confused.
"You don't have to stay Alec, I understand curfew and all."
Alec's phone buzzed and he once again took his attention off of Magnus to check it.
Isabelle: You owe me.
Alec smiled, not bothering to text back as he looked back at Magnus, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around the slightly taller mans' neck, gently kissing him.
"That's not a problem tonight."
Magnus smiled, no, at the moment he was positively glowing as he wrapped his long tan arms around Alec's waist and pulled him even closer, their hips were now touching. He gently kissed the top of Alec's head.
"Remind me to thank your sister sometime."
Alec snickered, "Will do, now about that movie..."
Magnus wasted no time answering as he yanked his boyfriend down onto the couch.
0o0o0
As it turns out, their choice in movie didn't matter as they ended up spending most of their time alternating between making out and talking. It had been nearly three hours when Magnus lifted himself up off of Alec, who after catching his breath sat up as well.
"It's a little past midnight," Magnus said sadly, and while he knew that Alec was already taking a huge risk in staying out past curfew, he couldn't possibly ask the boy to stay the night.
Alec looked over at a small clock on the wall, hoping Magnus was somehow wrong at that it was actually closer to eleven or something. He wanted more time with Magnus, even if it was just for an hour or so.
"Alec," Magnus said, pushing himself off the couch and straightening his shirt.
Alec flushed as he saw a small tear in the front, realizing he might have been the cause of that. Magnus just saw his blush and smiled, leaning down to peck him on the lips.
"I never wear an outfit more than once, so don't even try to apologize."
Alec just leaned more into the kiss wanting more but not getting it as Magnus pulled away, straightening up again and holding his hand out to help Alec up. He took the outstretched hand with some reluctance, standing unsteadily not knowing it would be so hard to steady himself after being pinned underneath Magnus for so long.
"Would it be pathetic of me to admit I don't want you to go?" Magnus asked as he walked Alec towards the door.
Alec shook his head, wanting to say something equally as sweet but there was something that seemed to cut off his ability to speak. Instead he turned to Magnus; staring at him a moment with big, blue eyes hoping Magnus would get the message. He seemed to, as he smiled and pulled Alec close, pressing a kiss on his forehead.
"See you next week?" He asked hopefully.
Alec shook his head sadly. "I have a soccer tournament next weekend. I leave Friday."
Magnus frowned, but he understood.
"So the next Saturday then?"
Alec thought about it before nodding, "The next Saturday works."
Magnus smiled half-heartedly, kissing Alec once more. Once it again it wasn't enough for Alec's taste. Neither was the small smile on his face. Alec knew when Magnus was happy and this wasn't it. Meeting up the next Saturday wasn't good enough either, he couldn't go two weeks without seeing this man and his enchanting gold and green eyes. Or without his lips on his or Magnus's hand squeezing his own, making him feel important.
Alec, however, couldn't find the words to express all of this. All of the want and inexplicable need he felt to be around Magnus. He wasn't like Jace, who was a master of words, always saying funny and smart thing. He was just plain old awkward Alec, who really should have no chance with someone as amazing as Magnus. So instead of trying, and likely failing to say anything, Alec decided to show it.
Alec forced his lips to Magnus's, hoping the kiss would say everything he couldn't explain with words. He found himself stumbling forward, pressing Magnus against a wall and humming into the kiss a little bit before he pulled away. Magnus's eyes were shining and they were both breathing deeply.
"I want to stay the night." Alec huffed, his voice raspy.
Magnus looked at him with surprise, "Alec are you su-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence as Alec kissed him again, this time soft and sweet. Alec pulled back again too soon for Magnus's taste, and his pale hands snuck under Magnus's shirt.
Magnus let out a surprised gasp, and their eyes met, shocked golden green eyes meeting mischievous blue ones, "I'm positive."
0o0o0
I'm sorry this took so long! I want to do weekly updates but school seems to be disagreeing with me these past few weeks. I have this being a bit longer made up for it! And I hope all of the breaks in-between weren't odd or anything.
Thank you all so much for reading this and all of the reviews, alerts and favorites. They make me smile!