I know it's been a while since I updated, so here you go, darlings. Enjoy.
"My favourite board game? You do ask some peculiar questions, Alexander." Magnus chuckled as the two walked hand-in-hand through the tall trees that surrounded the rear of the circus. They were heading towards a small stream not too far, as per Alec's 'date-preference', as Magnus called it. Along the way, they decided to ask each other questions to make the journey a little more exciting.
"Just answer the damn question, Magnus."
"Hmm... Strip Twister." Magnus replied, a devilishly cheeky grin growing on his face and a lascivious look in his eye. "I'd very much love to play that game with you, Alexander. In fact.. I believe some places sell bed sets with Twister dots on, if you're interested?"
Alec stopped in his tracks, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow in feigned anger. "I'm being serious here, Magnus! I'm trying to learn more about you, and all you can do it reply with stupid remarks."
"Oh please, name one other time on this journey that I've made a stupid response to your questions."
Alec resumed walking next to Magnus as he spoke, his hand returning to Magnus', but the look of indignation still very clear on his face. "Okay. How about the time I asked what your favourite pet was and you answered Lady GaGa?" Magnus let out a small chuckle at that, but allowed the boy to continue, "Or! The time when I asked where you're from and you said Narnia 'because the only explanation for my beauty must be magical'. I want honest and serious answers from here on out or I swear I'll slap you so hard that you still feel it next year." Though his final words seemed harsh, he said them in jest and badly attempted to hide his smile.
Magnus nodded, a wide grin gracing his features that lit up his expression and made him seem so very handsome to Alec. "Good." He said, and looked away from Magnus for only a moment but noticed that while they were talking, they had reached the stream. It was so gorgeous. Wild flowers sprouted out from the banks and large boulders that dug deep into the ground lay next to the body of water. Water had splattered small areas of the boulder that had dared to be too close and weeds sprouted through a few of the gaps between the boulders. Small fish, barely the size of Alec's little finger were noticeable just beneath the flowing surface of the stream and every so often, air bubbles from the fish would float up to the surface as they swam. "Wow." Was all Magnus could muster up, for the beauty of the place was truly indescribable.
"Yeah...This was a good choice for a date. Definitely."
"I couldn't agree with you more, Alexander." Magnus smiled softly at Alec for a moment prior to gently taking his hand in his own good one and guiding him to one of the largest boulders to sit down on. They faced the stream as they spoke, but neither looked at it at first- they were too busy staring, or gazing, at each other. "So. Truthfully this time... Where are you really from, Magnus?" Alec asked with an eager look in his blue eyes that glistened like polished sapphires in the sunlight.
"I'm from New York, actually. My mother was born there, but..." His face went dark and he flickered his glance to the stream, as if recalling something painful. "But she died. When I was 14."
Alec's thick eyebrows knitted together in regret. Nice going, Alec. Go for something that brings back painful memories. Asshole. "I'm sorry to hear that, really. It must have been horrible. So did your father raise you?" Magnus scoffed at that, attempting to sound as though he was amused however there was a noticeable underling tone of scorn in it. "Like fuck did he. He stayed in Indonesia and left me to rot in the gutters of New York. Didn't even write once."
Alec gently placed a hand on Magnus' arm. He didn't know why exactly, mainly to comfort him or calm him. Magnus place his good hand over Alec's and flashed him a small smile, Alec reciprocating with a warm and reassuring one. "So no, my father didn't raise me. After mother died, I met a man named Ragnor Fell and his girlfriend Catarina Loss. They were only a few years older than me, but they helped me find my way and introduced me to this fine circus." A reminiscent look pasted across Magnus' face and his lips curled into a small smile as though he was remembering something he thought of often, and fondly.
"Do you still talk to them?"
"We occasionally exchange letters or phone calls, but they have their own lives and love to lead." Magnus took Alec's face into his hand, "And so do I. Now at least." Magnus leaned in and planted a tender kiss to Alec's nose, then cheek, then lips. "But enough about me. It's my turn to ask you something."
"You're right. I've taken control of the asking for far too long. What would you like to know, Magnus?" Alec sat back, crossing his arms and flashing Magnus a cheeky and, to Magnus, slightly libidinous expression that he found very handsome and quite..delicious.
"What I want to know..." Magnus muttered, hesitating for a single moment before he moved quickly closer to Alec, his lips crashing against the other man's with such force that their teeth briefly clashed. He kissed him harshly and wantonly, his good hand curling into Alec's inky black locks and his useless hand resting lightly on Alec's hip. Alec reciprocated the kiss after a moment of being slightly taken aback, moving both hands to Magnus' face to keep it there for a moment longer.
Magnus began to slow the kiss after a few minutes so that their lips were only softly touching and moving. "I want to know if you'll be my boyfriend, Alexander." He stopped kissing Alec so their foreheads could rest against each other. Magnus gazed deeply into Alec's almost luminescent eyes and murmured, "Be with me, Alexander. I know it's soon, but I really can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm falling for you. Say you'll be with me, please."
Alec said nothing for a moment, only moved a hand into Magnus' hair and pressed a tender kiss to his lips, whispering against them, "I would love nothing more, Magnus."
When the pair had returned to the circus, the sun was just beginning to set over the horizon and almost all of the equipment had been packed up. They were leaving during the night to make it easier to travel because being as large as a circus made it difficult to travel, especially during the day time. They were heading to New Orleans next, just in time for Mardi Gras too, and Magnus couldn't wait. He'd been once before, but when he was 10 and didn't appreciate the beauty of it. Alec will love New Orleans. Especially the festival. He thought, fleetingly, a smile coming to his lips at the thought of Alec drunk and dancing with bead necklaces at the Mardi Gras festival.
"What are you thinking about?" Alec asked and tilted his head in question - a motion Magnus couldn't help but grin at due to the puppy resemblance it held.
"Just you. And how much I adore you."
Alec snorted in amusement and planted a chaste kiss onto Magnus' lips. "You're so cheesy. I love it."
"Oh, I know. You get this adorable grin every time I say something cheesy and your nose scrunches up like a bunny- ah! Just like it is now! So cute." Alec's expression dropped as soon as Magnus mentioned his previous look, and he now looked at the man with a feigned pout. "You shut up. Nothing about me is cute. I have the face of a serial killer."
"How about you make me shut up, Alexander?" Magnus muttered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and opening the trailer door for Alec once they had reached it. "Because you'd love it too much, Magnus dear." Alec replied.
Magnus had already stepped inside the trailer and was beckoning for Alec to come in with a single finger. He started up the steps when a thought stopped him in his tracks, "Shit, Magnus, I forgot my headphones in the main tent. If I'm to survive this long journey to New Orleans, I need my music, so I better go before they bring the tent down." He chuckled a moment and continued, "I won't be long. Make me some coffee? I'm gasping." He winked and Magnus rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance. "Yes master Alexander. Anything else I can do for you, sir? Maybe shine your shoes, or -" He was cut off by Alec planting a quick and deep kiss to his lips, "Just that. I'll be back soon." And with that, he strutted back down the steps of the trailer, the door swinging shut behind him.
The lighting in the tent was dim an Alec could hardly see, but by now he knew his way around it well and knew exactly where he'd left his headphones- in the small ticket office where he'd left them with the ticketmaster Scotty to help with the boring hours of ticket-taking he'd been through the night before. He began to make his way through the tent, towards the front of the tent when a noise stopped him. It sounded like feet shuffling along the floor, and the chains that held the tightrope up rattled slightly as though they had been jolted.
"Hello? Is someone there?" He called out but there was no answer. Probably just rats. He reasoned. This wasn't a horror movie after all, and what else could it be? He continued walking through the dimly lit tent when an all too familiar voice whispered into the darkness, "Hello, Alexander. Fancy seeing you here."
"Camille? Where are you?" Alec asked, squinting his eyes as he scanned the room to try and find her. A slender silhouette appeared from near the front of the tent and began moving towards him. It was Camille. When she was close enough for him to see, only mere inches away, he could see her properly. She had both arms behind her back, most likely feigning innocence to contradict whatever venomous words she was about to spew, and her silvery hair fell unkempt around her face. It was knotted and tangled and her face impassive and showed hardly any emotion at all. The only emotion he could see was hatred burning deep into her eyes.
"What the hell do you want? I have to get back to my boyfriend so we can finish packing." Alec said smugly. He wasn't one to rub things in peoples faces, but it felt good to say it to her. She flinched at his words but said no more.
"He's mine, Alexander. He will ...always ...be mine. I just have to remove you from the picture so he can see it.. so he can..so he can love me . Yes that'll solve everything" Her words were jumping all over the place and her breathing was erratic and heavy. Her eyes looked wild and her mouth twitched occasionally into the shape of a snarl. She's finally broken. Alec thought. She's finally gone bat-shit crazy.
"Alright. Clearly you need to learn something right now." Alec began, arms folding in annoyance, "Magnus is mine now, Camille. Not yours. Sure, you may have had a thing a while ago, but to be honest? You are a complete bitch who doesn't deserve someone as amazing as Magnus, and now that he's realised that you've gone completely nuts. Magnus is with me now, and I love him. Completely. Not just when it suits me, unlike you." His lip curled in disgust on his last words. "So get the hell out of my face, you psychotic bitch-"
Pain. Camille. That's all that registered as his words were interrupted. She had moved closer within a fraction of a second and Alec was too slow and too shocked to react. In the split second before the pain, he had seen a shining reflection of light come from something metallic before it was driven into his shoulder. The pain was agonizing, and yet numb all at the same time. Blood. He could taste it and see it trickling down his pale grey shirt.
Alec fell to his knees before Camille, who stood above him with a smirk on her lips and a crazed look in her eyes. She had blood on her white dress and hands. "I guess you're no longer an issue, Alexander." She muttered smugly and began to cackle. That sound was all he could recall now as she sauntered out of the tent. All he could think of to do was try and hold on, hold on until Magnus reached him. And then his vision went black.
Yup. That just happened. Next chapter will most likely be the last of this story... Alec might live, but you'll just have to wait and find out ;) Leave a review? I love reading them.