They don't cancel other plans
Have conversations with nothin' but their eyes
They don't hear each other's names and forget to concentrate
Hits a nerve and lights you up like dynamite

- Friends Don't, Maddie & Tae.

Please reject me

while wearing

sunglasses.

Just friends was a phrase that he was tired of saying. Two words that tasted like vile- at least when he used them in regard of Magnus.

Alec didn't even consider-not even for a second- that Magnus might return his affections. But recently, he's been looking. He observes Magnus carefully for his reaction after Alec explains to a stranger that they were 'just friends'.

A grimace, like he too was swallowing back vile.

Everyone pointed it out. At first Alec shrugged it off.

Jace glared at him, looking upset. "You're cancelling on me? Again?"

Alec shrugged apologetically, "Something came up?"

"More like someone." Jace mutters darkly

Alec's phone rings and he immediately answers, "Yeah, i'm on my way. Save me a seat."

Jace's glare intensifies.

..

"Did you guys finally hook up?" Jace demands as way of greeting when Alec slinks back into the place-way past curfew.

"No! Why would we? We're just friends, you retard."

A snort. A sarcastic sounding snort.

"Why are you snorting? Alec demands "We are!"

"We're friends too." Jace points out, "But you've never canceled your plans with Magnus to hang out with me!"

Alec's shoulders slumps, "I'm sorry, man. That wasn't cool."

Jace perks up, "So you admit you guys are so not in the friend zone?"

Alec groans and throws a pillow at Jace's head.

But then, it wasn't just Jace pointing it out out of complaint it was Clary's suggestive eyebrows and Izzy's exasperated eye roll/smirk.

This was torture!

Alec glared heatedly at the tool who was talking too long to explain something that warranted no explanation. Debate team was not as enjoyable as it was last year, except for one thing- one person...

Magnus was looking at him already when he looked up.

Alec grins.

Magnus bugs out his eyes in clear annoyance with his teammate too.

Alec nods subtly while rolling his eyes up.

Magnus smirks and pointedly points towards the door with his eyeballs, indicating that he wanted out.

Alec pointedly eye points at the clock pinned to the wall across them, indicating that there wasn't much time left.

Magnus rolls his eyes in exasperation.

Alec smiles at Magnus' antics and lets his gaze drift towards the audience, front and center was Clary. She wasn't paying the boy speaking any attention and had her eyes on Alec, she raised her eyebrows.

Alec shot her a questioning look, showing that he had no idea what she was suggesting and if possible Clary's eyebrows rose higher. A smug smile on her face.

After Magnus disappears into the men's bathroom to 'touch up his fabulousness', Alec asks Clary why she was acting all weird during the debate.

"What? I just thought it was weird that you and Magnus could communicate with just your eyes. A full ass eye conversation."

"All friends-"

"Maybe for some" Clary allows "but you had no idea what I was implying, right?"

"So?" Alec asks exasperated. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just saying i'm sensing something non-platonic between you two, that's all."

"Your high." Alec deadpans.

...

"So after you combine all the like terms-"

Alec stopped mid sentence as Izzy's phone chimed-for the fifth time in the last hour! "Pick it up and tell them I'll fuck them up if they don't shut up."

Izzy smiles then says, "Magnus, if you don't stop calling me Alec said he will fuck you up- hey!"

"No cell's in class!" Alec barks then hangs up the call, face red.

The phone rings.

Magnus.

Izzy smirks, "I think he is going to take you up on your offer."

"Shut up we're just friends."

Izzy shoots Alec and annoyed eyeroll.

And later he ignore her teases when she keeps mentioning his lack of focus during the rest of their tutoring session.

Alec has started to notice, note the way Magnus lingers in his hugs. Smiles a tad brighter when he enters the room and makes sure to keep Alec included. How he makes a point to invite Alec to the parties despite already inviting the group and knowing that it isn't Alec's scene.

Things he has dismissed as friendship was starting to seem..different.

But now this-this was the nail in the coffin.

"yes?" Alec asks, voice scratchy and deep with sleep. "Magnus? Are you okay?" Alec was a tad more alert, already sitting up and rubbing his face.

"Did I wake you up?"

"No. I was just dozing off to a movie, what's up?"

The usual confident man faltered a bit, "I just-I wanted to say 'hi'

Alec laughed, "Hi, then."

"Hey."

Blinking hard Alec sat up and stretched. "You're not okay. Where are you?"

He listened to Magnus' dry laugh, "You're so perceptive."

Alec was no romance genius, but he knew that Magnus was not okay and he wanted company. He wanted his company, that meant something, right?"

"I'm at McDonalds, the one near Wendy's."

Clary lived two streets away from there, if he just wanted friendly companionship.

"Be there in 10 minutes."

"I know."

He was there in 7 minutes.

When he arrived Magnus was sitting on a bench they offered outside the place, holding his phone tightly in his fingers. When Alec's headlights shed light on him he looked up. Alec unlocked his car door and Magnus climbed in, they drove in silence for a while. Alec knowing that Magnus was thinking and didn't want to be distracted, finally Magnus spoke up "My dad-he-he's arrested. He finally lost the case."

"Wow."

Magnus' dad has been accused of rape several times. But he always had enough influence to wiggle out of it .This was a strike for rape victims everywhere to have such a wealthy, influential man convicted for his crimes. But..while Magnus has always been aloof towards everything he also never had complete confidence in his father. The reason why he moved out, and got all the women who have been impregnated together. He helped the case against his dad.

But that didn't make seeing your father behind bars any easier.

"Do you want to talk?" Alec asks, blue eyes shining compassionately. "Or not if that's what you prefer."

Magnus whispered a word softly under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Fuck, Alexander. Fuck." He took in a deep breath. "I want to listen to your voice-can, can you tell me a story?" He leaned back and closed his eyes.

And Alec told him a story, a story about angel blooded warriors and warlocks, about a specific pair, and love found in a first date and meeting of chance. How one was new to dating and how the other was an expert. How they both taught each other love.

Magnus remained quiet throughout the other story, so quiet that Alec thought he fell asleep. So he stopped mid-sentence that was when Magnus spoke. Voice clear and alert.

"What? What did Alex say?"

Alec smiles softly, "He said that he was new to love when he made the promise, naive. He said "I want to know all of you and you don't want to tell me anything.'"

Magnus' voice caught, "What happened?"

"They broke up."

Magnus laughed, "They should have talked it out. They sound like they could have lasted."

"They could have. But they broke up."

He laughs again, a sad genuine smile on his face, "And they say that Izzy is the Lightwood heartbreaker."

Without knowing Alec had been driving in circles, around the block. Using every turn to not drive past Magnus' apartment but to stay within close distance. Alec blushed and bowed his head, staring at the road intently. Realizing his subconsious move. So he turned into Magnus' street and stopped in front of his apartment.

"You ready to head back?" Alec asks

Magnus smile humorlessly, "To what?"

"To sleep, you geek."

They share a laugh and to Magnus' extreme pleasure Alec unbuckled his seatbelt and walked him up four flights of stairs to his apartment.

Magsus fumbled with his keys, pretending to not know which one is the apartment key despite coloring his apartment key with glittery nail poilsh for that exact reason. Alec let him pretend, he didn't want the night to end either.

Magnus finally reached his apartment key, and considered dropping it and starting all over again but decided against it.

He unlocks the apartment door, "Thanks for coming Alec, you're a really good friend-"

Alec snapped.

Cheeks flushed, eyes wide he asked "Did you call Clary first?"

Magnus' cheeks brightened with pink, "No, you were my first call Alexander."

"Why? She lives closer."

Magnus swallows wide-eyed "I wanted to talk to you."

"Why?" Alec asks softly but firmly, his blue eyes unrelenting.

"I'm sorry if I woke you-"

"That's not why I asked. You know that, tell me why."

"I-Alexander you're killing me."

Alec leaned against the doorway, his usual quiet demeanor strong and unrelenting "As far as I know friends don't call in the middle of the night just to say 'hi'. Friends don't go out of their way to invite another friend to a party. Friends don't get upset when other friends call them 'just friends'. Friends don't leave as soon as another friend mentions interest in someone else."

"You-you aren't as clueless as people think you a-are." Magnus stuttered as Alec hit him with his blue eyes. "Why are you even mentioning this?"

Alec stared at him. Lips thin, eyes intent.

"If you don't like me you can just say so. You don't have to pick apart everything I do. Just put on sunglasses and reject me kindly and i'll pretend that I don't like you and you'll pretend you believe me and we'll act like this never happened come Monday-"

Alec was blushing, "So you do like me? By the angels, that could have been embarrassing."

Magnus was looking at him, his keys were still stuck to the door and he jiggled them out. "Wait. Alexander do you like me back?"

Alec didn't hesitate and kissed him. Magsus started then smiled and kissed him back with his much more experienced mouth.

Ma-lec! Ma-lec! Ma-lec!

xxx

PS. Shoot me a comment?

PPS. Please check out my Sizzy one-shot, it's "He Wasn't Good Enough For Her, (No. Wait! He Was.)"

And there is a one-shot that follows my music theme, it's called "You Promised"

:D