NOTE: This chapter is AUAH – Alternate Universe/All Human. I hope you guys like this.

U is for Umbrella

His fingers slackened its hold on his book-bag and he glanced at the sky. It looked like it was going to rain today. Great, just great. Just what he needed. After an insane day at school it would rain, of course. And after almost getting kicked out of the soccer team, failing Math – for all he was worth, honestly, he was more of the History type of student, anyway – the day would end with rain. Of course, just to finish that thought off, he would have failed to bring an umbrella or a jacket or even a proper coat.

And his siblings we're nowhere in sight when he left for school, either. It was as if they avoided his bad luck. Alec just shrugged that off and decided to go home. What he didn't decide on was rain. His mother would have a fit if he saw the immaculate carpets messed up with his wet shoes and the floors smeared with mud. He'd probably be more ready for the next war than for his mother's rage over the carpet and the state of cleanliness in their household.

He felt the first drops of rain on his face and Alec just trudged on. Maybe he could find shelter from the rain. Oh, wait, too late, it had already picked up.

"Great," Alec murmured, wishing Isabelle was around to at least drive him home. Why did she have the car again, anyway? Not that it mattered, he was already in the rain and if he did call for Izzy and she answered – not likely – then he would still be wet and he still would have had a bad day.

Umbrella, yeah, that was what he needed. Alec glanced around and saw a few pop into the air, New Yorkers holding tightly onto them and pulling their hoods up, others tightening their coats and walking past him.

Alec stopped underneath a newspaper stand and sighed, his arms wrapping around him. He could wait it out here. But then who knew how long until the rain would stop? He supposed he could read a few magazines – oh, wait, no. He was already soaking wet and nobody would want him near their newspapers and magazines. Paper was very prone to water, you know.

"Okay, it's now or never." Alec murmured to himself and headed down the street, people giving him enough space. It would be unfortunate for these people to bump into him – he was still wet and the rain was still pelting on.

Not for the first time that day, Alec wished he had an umbrella. Or a jacket. Or a coat. Or maybe even a car – like the car that Isabelle had wrestled out of him and fought Jace tooth and nail to get. The things they agreed to with Isabelle.

He turned to a corner and realized too late that somebody else was humming very tunelessly and twirling his umbrella as if he couldn't be bothered with the rain. Said somebody also did not look at where he was going and before Alec could stop and backtrack and probably wish to whatever god was up there or angel that watched over him, he was already crashing against the man.

Only the crashing did not happen and one hand shot to steady him and hold him back, nails digging into his thin shirt and the humming immediately stopped.

Alec looked through his wet hair at the man and noticed him immediately as a student from his school. He was in his year, Alec remembered. Nobody really forgot about this student – he stood out, as in, literally.

"Alec Lightwood?" His name was breathed and the hold on his arm loosened until it lifted away completely and Alec was surprised he didn't want the heat – for another human being beside him gave off body heat – to leave as suddenly like that. "Hey, you're soaking wet."

"I haven't noticed," Alec said before he could stop himself. He couldn't be rude to a near stranger-slash-student just because he had a bad day, could he? But the other boy did something unexpected – he tipped his head back and laughed, his hold on the umbrella shaking. "Sorry," Alec murmured, looking away.

The tall student nodded and suddenly gave Alec a very slight smile that did a little turn on his stomach. Magnus. That was his name. Magnus Bane.

"You're Magnus, right?" Alec asked, feeling a bit awkward. He clutched his bag tighter and sighed.

"Yes, and here, get under my umbrella. We can share. But I suppose you won't mind if you stay in the rain any much longer than you have already, will you? Jesus, you're wet to the bone." Magnus said – he hadn't noticed it earlier, but now that Alec was close beside him and the umbrella had sheltered them both from the rain, his eyes went instantly wide. He noticed Alec now and his clothes that clung to him, his hair like ink that ran down his face and his blue eyes dark in comparisonto how pale he looked right now – wet and whatnot.

Alec's eyes travelled up to Magnus's face and there was something strange there, he just didn't know what. But as soon as he locked gazes with the other student, he knew instantly that it was the eyes. They were such a strange color. And he didn't look entirely American, either. Not that it mattered. He looked exotic. Alec flushed at the thought. No, really, Alexander. Stop. Cease and desist!

"Weren't you going that way?" Alec pointed out as they turned around and walked down the path Magnus had just come from.

"You're heading down, aren't you?" Magnus said very lightly and Alec nodded.

Kindness from a near stranger whom he only saw once or twice in a week in the halls, or maybe by the lockers.

But when they reached another corner, Magnus stopped and Alec bumped into his side, pressing very closely against him.

"Here, take this." Magnus said and handed the umbrella over to Alec. Before Alec could even protest that it would leave him with nothing, Magnus's hand was already taking his own and wrapping his fingers around the handle. He held on a heartbeat longer before he dropped Alec's hand and turned around, back up to the street he had just walked down with Alec.

"Magnus, wait-" Alec called, turning around. Magnus paused and looked at him, not even disturbed by the rain. "It's raining." He added lamely.

"Really? Didn't notice." Magnus smirked and Alec felt a grin tug at his face. "You can return that to me tomorrow. I look forward to it," And before he could really say anything else or Alec could entirely process that, Magnus had already rounded the corner, leaving Alec standing in the rain with an umbrella he had most recently acquired.

It's only when he got home that he realized that he is excited for tomorrow and that the umbrella was a mix between lime green and hot pink. For some reason, he didn't really mind.

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