Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus || The Bartender and his Boss || Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus
Title: The Bartender and his Boss – The Perks of Working at Pandemonium
Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m, mundie AU, mutual pining, fluff, obliviousness
Main Pairing: Magnus/Jace
Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan 'Jace' Herondale, Magnus Bane, Maia Roberts, Bartholomew 'Bat' Velasquez, Simon Lewis
Summary: Magnus hires a new bartender. Of course is it beneficial when they're eye-candy, because that draws in a crowd. But Jace was more than just a pretty face, as Magnus soon realizes.
The Bartender and his Boss
The Perks of Working at Pandemonium
"I really need a job. Please. Please, help me somehow, oh wise one."
Jace practically threw himself onto the couch. He offered the most convincing puppy-dog eyes. He knew they worked, they always worked. No one could resist the puppy-dog eyes. Especially not her; the puppy-dog eyes were the thing that had made them a couple in the first place. His ass was what had brought them together into bed, but the puppy-dog eyes got them into a relationship.
"Not gonna work", grunted Maia unimpressed, throwing a pillow onto his face. "We're not dating anymore, I'm not gonna pet your belly just because you want attention, Herondale."
"I don't want attention, I want money", groaned Jace.
"How about you just... use the other effective thing to make money", suggested Maia.
"...Did you just...?", drawled Jace out stunned before raising his voice. "Bat! Si! Our ex wants to pimp me out! Do something about this. How dare she."
Immediately, Jace's two roommates came out of the kitchen, looking at Maia scandalized. Bat came to wrap his arms around Jace, while Simon pointed an accusatory finger at Maia.
"Oh, relax. I was suggesting that he should be a stripper", huffed Maia with an eye-roll.
"...I mean you would actually make a lot of money with that", hummed Bat now.
"Stop objectifying me!", exclaimed Jace with a glare, shoving Bat. "I am more than my ass."
"You're also a very pretty face and a hot six-pack", tagged Simon on.
"Also the thighs. He has really nice thighs", pointed Bat out.
"...It's times like these I am wondering if the three of you are more than just roommates. And I am also wondering about the threesome opportunities I have missed out on", muttered Maia.
Jace, Simon and Bat simply grinned up at her cheerfully, before rearranging themselves. They laid sprawled out on the couch now, in an entanglement of limbs. Maia shook her head.
"I'll talk to Magnus, see if he has any spots open. Do not be picky", sighed Maia.
"Tha—ank you, I lo—ove you", chimed Jace with a broad grin.
/break\
Magnus owned the most famous club in New York. Pandemonium was an amazing place and he loved it, it was his baby. In lack of actual babies. He'd started pouring his heart and soul into the club after his last break-up. It was his baby, it was amazing. He took great care of it and of who worked in it. The people who worked here were like a family for him, because he had no family. No biological one anyway. He had his friends and he had his club. So when he needed to fill a spot at his club, he got very protective. Whoever he hired needed to fit the club – and that was an unfair standard, he knew that, but it was so much more than just a work-place.
"You know we could use someone else behind the bar", stated Maia casually.
Maia was his bartender, his favorite bartender. He had found her in a hole in the wall bar that his best friend's husband was frequenting and he had stolen her away with a better salary and better benefits (or, well, benefits at all). He liked her, she was honest, hard working and she was also very good at her job. Generally, she had a very good grasp on what the club needed.
"Mh. You're right. But the way you said that...", drawled Magnus. "You have a suggestion?"
His other bartender had the other kind of bars coming up and needed more time off, slowly fading out completely because after graduation, he had lawyering to do. So getting a new person now part-time to then take over fully was a good idea. Tilting his head, Magnus waited for Maia to continue.
"I do. My ex used to fill in for me at the Hunter's Moon", replied Maia.
"Bartholomew is a wonderful DJ-", started Magnus, a frown on his face.
"Other ex", grunted Maia with a shake of her head.
"...With how many of your exes are you still in contact?", asked Magnus curiously.
"Let's just say that there is an apartment where 75% of my ex-boyfriends live with each other, because I keep being friends with them to the point that they befriend each other", sighed Maia, waving her hand dismissively. "This one, Jace, he has a pretty face and a talent, not just for mixing drinks but he's also very charming. Give him a chance, Magnus."
Magnus tapped his pen against his desk, watching his bartender. "Send him in, I'll talk to him and see. If he makes a good impression, I'll give him a chance."
Instead of going, she lingered for another moment, regarding him with a pleased smile. "Thanks."
"Just make sure that I will be thanking you for the recommendation", warned Magnus.
/break\
Magnus felt ready to thank Maia the moment that gorgeous blonde walked into his office, all golden hair falling into a pretty face, sparkling, bright eyes looking at him warmly. The white shirt was hugging his torso and arms nicely, Magnus could already see what he could show off.
"I have to admit, Maia has excellent taste", noted Magnus.
The blonde turned toward him with a smile that was somewhere between surprised and pleased. "Thank you, I will pass the compliment on to my roommates."
"A strange situation, that", commented Magnus with a curious look.
"Eh", was the reply, accompanied with a shrug. "When we got together, she had already been with Simon and Bat. I quickly befriended them both and, well, Maia and I, we weren't some tragic star-crossed lovers who could never speak again after. Also, that was a lot of personal information before I even introduced myself. Sorry. Hi, I'm Jace Herondale. Thanks for seeing me."
Smiling politely at him, Magnus reached out for his hand to shake it. "Magnus Bane. Maia highly recommended you, so you better not set her up for failure."
"No pressure, huh?", chuckled Jace, eyes sparkling with mirth.
They were pretty eyes. Never before had Magnus met someone with heterochromia, so he found himself getting lost in those eyes for just a moment. A moment too long, it seemed, because Jace cleared his throat with a bemused smile before he took a seat opposite Magnus' desk.
"So, you come with high recommendations from both your ex-girlfriend and her other ex. Those big puppy-dog eyes of Bartholomew's are very hard to resist", noted Magnus playfully.
"Well, I'm told mine are even more effective so if I get Bat and we team up on you, do I have the job guaranteed?", asked Jace in the same playful manner.
Magnus chuckled amused by that and leaned back before opening up a real conversation about the job. He found Jace to be pleasant to talk to, very charming. He drew Magnus in and it was easy to imagine the blonde could pull people in at the bar too.
"Okay, how about you come in tonight, to see how you do, as a test-run?", suggested Magnus. "If your ex doesn't mind you taking over the shift for her. She's been asking for some downtime but we've been short-staffed at the bar lately."
"She will be delighted. So am I, Mister Bane. I'll see you tonight."
/break\
Jace was a very nice visual, wearing the black tight pants and the suspenders other a white button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled up. Magnus' eyes kept drifting over to watch him curiously. The charming smiles and winks, the way he handled the bottles and the customers.
It was an easy hire, especially since Magnus needed someone else behind the bar. Jace easily integrated into the club, with the other employees gladly welcoming him. The customers liked Jace too. There was a special crowd of horny single ladies who tended to come in whenever Jace was working and seeing Jace handling his fangirls was amusing in itself.
Magnus personally enjoyed the view too, he had to admit. Especially when the sleeves went up or he unbuttoned his shirt some because the club was running hot. Often, Magnus watched from his office – the tall glass walls that let him oversee his club while he worked also gave him a wonderful view on the bar and the pretty bartender. Occasionally, he would even go sit at the bar, strike up a conversation with Jace. He was so easy to talk to, quips came quick and he was witty. Sometimes, Jace would come in when he wasn't working and would let Maia serve him. Those nights, Magnus was sure to find him and sit with him, talking about everything and nothing.
Some evenings, they opened up more. Magnus didn't even quite remember what had been the first instance to bring it up, but they talked about their mothers' suicides, about their fathers, about isolated childhoods and making friends for the first time. That was when things started to feel more real – it wasn't just an exchange of pleasantries and quips anymore, they shared their childhood trauma and they shared it with someone who made them feel understood.
Jace had been working at the club for about three months when Maia Roberts came waltzing into Magnus' office with a pointed look on her face. That was enough to make him put down his work.
"What is on your mind? You look...", started Magnus, choosing to leave the sentence open.
"You need to either step back or ask Jace out on a date", stated Maia seriously.
She crossed her arms over her chest and started pacing the office, giving Magnus the time to digest whatever that statement meant. Magnus and Jace were friends. Why would she disapprove of that? He liked to consider Maia his friend too, to be quite honest.
"I'm sorry, but I think you have a very wrong read on the situation", stated Magnus calmly.
"You've been loitering around at the bar whenever Jace is working. I've seen it myself a couple times now. Bat's observed it and talked to me about it too", started Maia.
"Well, yes. Because we're friends. We talk", chuckled Magnus.
"You actively push customers who get too flirty with Jace out of the way. I mean, physically. You've been putting down the mood with your territorial behavior. People flock to him for the flirting, partially. And you giving off that dark gloomy 'don't touch, mine' aura is not good for business."
"I'm not... I'm not territorial. Or pushy", argued Magnus displeased. "I just... worry about him. When sleazy customers get too close, I just want... to... protect him..."
"Oh no", huffed Maia, shaking her head pointedly. "You do that for me and the other bartenders and waiters. Sure. With actually sleazy customers. But you do it with the charming, handsome and pretty ones who actually flirt Jace up. You do it like a possessive boyfriend, not a protective boss. So I'm telling you, either man up and ask him out, or lay off and behave like a real boss. This is your business, you shouldn't need to be told this, but considering the way this conversation is going, I'd say you haven't even noticed that you're doing it, have you?"
"I... am not being possessive", stated Magnus firmly, glaring at her. "I'd appreciate it if you would now get back to your job so I can get back to my work."
Maia heaved a sigh and shook her head, but she left the office.
/break\
Bat had brought Simon with him so the other could see for himself. Bat and Maia had noticed it a while ago, but both Jace and Magnus were in denial about it, after having been confronted separately. Then, Jace went and complained to Simon about Bat's silly accusation. So here Simon was to see who was actually right, the tie-breaker so to say.
"Ja—ace. You look so pretty like that!", declared Simon with a broad grin. "Look at our boy, all... working and stuff. All business. The light catching on his hair, amazing. A true vision."
He leaned over the bar to run his fingers through Jace's hair – they all liked doing that, because Jace took great care of his hair and it was so soft, like petting a puppy was what Maia liked to say.
"Hey. No touching the staff, or I'll have to call the bouncer."
Simon startled, nearly falling over the bar at the very threatening voice. He slowly removed his hand from Jace's hair and turned around to look into the deadly glare coming from who he assumed to be Magnus Bane. Swallowing hard, Simon slowly removed himself from the bar.
"Is this man bothering you, Jace?", asked Magnus, voice suddenly far gentler and warmer.
Jace turned toward him, laughing in a reassuring manner. "That's Simon. He's not a threat."
"...How did you manage to make that sound offensive", muttered Simon with a pout.
"Ah. The other roommate", nodded Magnus before he turned toward Simon. "My apologies. But with all the horny drunks here, you have to watch out for them touching my staff inappropriately."
Simon simply nodded awkwardly, unsure what to say because two seconds ago, the guy had been really scary. For a bit, Magnus and Jace exchanged some playful banter that read more as heavy flirting and Simon simply sat back and watched, together with Bat. Until Magnus left to go to his office and do his own actual work. Both Bat and Simon turned toward Jace with pointed looks as soon as there was an opening – all customers were satisfied, it was a calmer moment.
"Holy shit, the guy is super hung up on you", blurted Simon out. "Like, he was five seconds from snapping my wrist for touching you and sure, he thought I was an inappropriate horny drunk, but holy shit, the way he just totally melted as he looked at you? He has it bad."
And the blush on Jace's cheeks confirmed that Jace had a thing for his boss too. Bat and Simon exchanged a broad, teasing grin at that, which only made Jace groan.
"Drop it. You're as bad as Maia. There is nothing there. He's just... a good boss. Worried."
"Oh wow, you're so bad. That explains why Maia had to literally pin you to the bar's wall to make you see that there was something between the two of you", snorted Bat amused.
"Only that this guy doesn't seem the wall-pinning type. Too polite", argued Simon.
"We could help out. Wrap Jace up in a bow and put him on Magnus' desk", suggested Bat.
"I hate you people. Why are you so involved in my non-existent love-life?", asked Jace.
"Because of the 'non-existent', that's the problem here", offered Bat, reaching out to rest a hand on Jace's shoulder, squeezing. "Jace. Maia, Si and I are all in happy relationships. With your siblings. So the least we could do is help you be in a good relationship too."
Which was the truth; Maia was dating Jace's sister Clary right now, Simon was with his former foster-sister Isabelle and Bat was dating Isabelle's brother Alec. Not that it had been planned, it had just kind of happened. Simon and Isabelle had been the first ones to get together, back while Maia and Jace were still a thing. Clary and Maia had only very recently started seeing each other.
"I'm not going to ask my boss out, that's just going to make things awkward", muttered Jace.
"Interesting. Did you hear how he didn't say that he doesn't like the guy?", asked Simon.
"Yes, yes I heard that. I am also seeing that blush", agreed Bat with a grin.
/break\
Jace battled with himself for about another week, his friends' words echoing in his head. He kept watching Magnus more closely, specifically when he was with customers. And okay. So perhaps Magnus was a bit more territorial than with others. And perhaps he was a bit softer when just with Jace. Every time Magnus would smile at him, Jace's heart would warm up.
After a week of considering all his options, Jace made his way to Magnus' office after his shift ended. He was tired and just wanted to sleep, but he really needed to get this out of his system, needed to know where they stood. Only that Magnus wasn't in his office, so Jace just sat down on the couch and waited for Magnus. Or rather, he fell asleep on the couch, because at one point, something woke him up. He blinked sleepily, noticing that Magnus' coat was laying over him like a blanket, which was what must have woken him. The scent of Magnus on the coat.
"Too tired to get home?", asked Magnus gently. "You can nap a little longer."
"No. No, I came here to... talk to you", whispered Jace with a yawn, stretching out.
"Oh yeah?" Magnus smiled and got up, rounding the desk. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Do you like me?", asked Jace straight out, holding Magnus' eyes. "Because... Maia and Bat and now even Simon have been getting on my case about this. You... They're right. You are more... present when it's about me...? You're... very protective. And I find it... more charming than I should. But you're my boss. And they're our costumers. And... I... want to know. Do you like me?"
For a while, Magnus simply started at him, like he was trying to figure out what to say. "...Yes."
Jace raised his eyebrows, looking more surprised than he probably should. "Okay..."
"I know it's inappropriate", continued Magnus right away. "I... am your boss. You are my... employee. I know I need to take a step back. I just... can't help it. I like you, more than I ever expected to. I like you very much, Jace."
He bit his lower lip and it was a very cute look on him. Jace couldn't help himself, he got up and walked over to Magnus, gently cupping his face. Magnus looked startled at that, but nuzzled into the hands in a very endearing manner. Smiling, Jace leaned in to kiss him gently, briefly.
"I like you too. A lot", whispered Jace. "But... maybe you need to stay away from the bar whenever I work? Because I also like working here and I like the club and I don't want... whatever we... could be... to get into the way of that. Do you think we can do that?"
"...I can't make promises, but... I'll do my best", Magnus sighed long-suffering.
"Magnus", huffed Jace, smiling amused.
"I'll do my best", repeated Magnus more genuinely, leaning forward. "Can I have another kiss?"
"You can have another kiss if you're being good", chuckled Jace.
He leaned in and pecked Magnus' lips. Magnus smiled and followed Jace's lips as Jace leaned back again. Jace returned the smile and waited, giving Magnus the opportunity to kiss him. Slowly, Jace leaned back more, until he sat back on the couch and Magnus was still following his lips, until he nearly stumbled in, landing on top of Jace. Jace laughed softly, kissing Magnus again.
"You very busy or would you be open to napping with me?", asked Jace softly.
Magnus hummed pleased and adjusted them so he was laying behind Jace, pulling the blonde closer and pulling the coat up again to cover them both. That was how they fell asleep, arm in arm.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: I felt like club owner/bartender Jagnus because the visual of Dom in that one music video will haunt me forever and it pairs oh so well with the fact that Magnus owns a club-