The cheers of the crowd unwittingly tore Alec's attention away from the stage, if only for how loud it was. But soon his gaze returned to the man in the middle of the stage, a beatific smile gracing his face as he, along with the other performers, bowed as one to their awed audience.
This marked the end of the opening night for Tyler's play.
Alec, for his part, couldn't quite keep his pride hidden. He didn't expect to enjoy the show, at least not as much as he did. It was partly because of the story, but mostly due to their main lead. He actually loved every aspect of it; the singing, the dancing, and every one of the tiny intricacies that truly made the performance shine.
The crowd around Alec slowly dispersed as the curtains closed. Cheers from the celebrating crew reached his ears as he neared the staff exit doors. Thankful for the visitor lanyard Tyler had acquired for him, Alec hesitantly snuck into the backstage area (to the knowing look of a security guard).
What he was implying was not something Alec was going to ponder too much on. Not yet.
He felt that he stuck out like a sore thumb, and he was rethinking his decision not to wait for Tyler outside. Perhaps bringing flowers would've smoothed things out, or at least, made it seem less like he was vying for a quickie. Alec wandered deeper through some doors, shooting smile-like grimaces at the few people he crossed paths with, before finally finding Tyler loitering inside a room with a few of his cast members.
He didn't mean to eavesdrop, yet Alec couldn't help but overhear parts of the conversation they were having before he reached the door. "I saw you looking at a certain someone in the audience," said the blonde with the baseball cap. Another friend of his butted in, "You gonna introduce him to us, lad?" The man's British accent was almost thicker than his wool jumper.
Alec walked inside the room with louder steps than usual and three pairs of eyes snapped to him immediately. "Alec!" It was as endearing as always to see Tyler beaming at him, watching how a splinter of surprise mixed with his genuine happiness at seeing him. His breath almost caught in his throat with how it reminded him of someone else.
A gust of wind would be louder than the sudden silence enveloping them, which Tyler sought to rectify. "Right. Alec, meet Pricilla." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the blonde-haired woman, before theatrically whispering, "She hates that name, so just call her Cruella." His smirk told Alec that something he said was a lie. A well-aimed jab to Tyler's waist was the woman's response to that.
She grinned at Alec and offered a hand, "I don't actually hate dogs. My friends-" She threw a glare at Tyler. "-call me Prilla."
Alec politely shook her hand, even as he was sure a joke just flew over his head. "Nice to meet you."
Tyler's other friend also shook his hand. "And I'm Mark, pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." Mark's expression gave Alec the subtle impression that he was being tested. On what, Alec had no idea.
Something seemed to pass between Prilla and Mark, as their gazes met above Tyler's head. "We have to go, we promised Mel that we would help with the clean-up. Right, Mark?" Prilla pointedly said to him.
The two then quickly left the room, with Mark's green eyes resting on him the longest as they said their goodbyes. Alec exhaled a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them.
"Sorry, if they were a bit too much." Alec wanted to cut in and say that it was fine, but Tyler didn't let him. "Mark was just being protective. You mean a lot to me, that's all. He doesn't want to see me hurt."
He had been steadily becoming more comfortable with Tyler, so Alec's inner brazen streak couldn't help but joke, "Is that what you say to all the guys?"
Alec didn't expect the level of seriousness Tyler answered him with. "You're the only guy I've been close with." He had forgotten the original purpose of their relationship. A love story for the dramatics, in truth a mere tryst.
Alec overestimated his own self awareness to set the proper boundaries. Sometimes the lines blurred enough that it felt like he was looking at a mirage, while he was left bereft and nostalgic when the illusion shattered. Yet, for that one moment, he had it again. Something real.
Yet, also fake.
He would feel bad if he wasn't aware that the feeling was requited, even if it remained unspoken. An agreed upon commitment not needing to be uttered.
Just two people willfully pretending, both to themselves and the world, how romantic.
For what it was worth, at least they weren't deluding each other.
Whatever Tyler saw in his face was enough for him to hurriedly backtrack, "Thanks for coming here, Alec. Would you go watch a movie with me?"
"Don't you have that afterparty thing?" The colorful streamers being brought in were quite hard to miss; obviously the cast and crew were planning a lavish party for themselves. "Are you not going to go to it?" He figured that Tyler's attendance at said party was a done deal. Alec had even made up his mind to leave right after congratulating him. So, it came as a surprise when Tyler invited him to the cinema instead.
It apparently wasn't at all meant as a surprise.
The expression Tyler leveled at him practically spelled out 'are you serious?', and the increasingly frequent taps of his feet also easily drove the point home. "I would rather ditch it unless you would be there, and it wasn't as if you'll ever willingly attend a party. Then it would just be me and my friends."
The bright light of the dressing room made Tyler's blue eyes shine more piercingly as he continued to speak, "There will be more parties in the future. I just want to celebrate this day properly, okay? With you. Is that too much to ask?" Alec could only shake his head, dazed at how upfront Tyler was being. Which was odd considering the snail-like pace they had previously taken to almost everything.
Tyler then took his hand, rendering useless any protests Alec might've come up with, and dragged him away. "Sorry if I'm being presumptuous, but I went ahead and already got us tickets for the movie."
"Wait, Tyler. I never said yes," Alec protested, even as he was willingly pulled through the theatre's exit door.
"But you never said no, either," Tyler said matter-of-factly. "Think about it. You, me, cheesy popcorn." It does sound rather nice. "And a baby."
Alec gasped, "A WHAT?"
"It's gonna be so much fun." Tyler rubbed his hands together gleefully while trepidation flooded Alec.
"Whose baby? TYLER!"
Alec's earlier panic turned out to be entirely unwarranted. But how was he supposed to know that there was a new so-called Boss Baby movie? Fondly rolling his eyes at Tyler's indignation and manic excitement about Alec's so-called lack of entertainment awareness was one of the best parts of the experience.
Alec could clearly see that ever-curious brain of his was turning it's gears to figure out why or how Alec had led such an isolated life (Tyler's words, not his) when it came to trivial things, like movies and TV shows, but he could be absolutely knowledgeable about the complexities behind various US government-issued regulations.
His companion did often do that; it was a quirk of his personality to look at the world with eyes encased in self-made lenses, figuring out how everyone and everything ticks.
That was apparent from the first day they met; Alec could see the calculating glint in his eyes, his minute tense-then-relax routine every time he laid his gaze on anyone. Almost as if he was cataloguing how they all fit into the world within the span of a millisecond.
Now, them.
He wouldn't delude himself into thinking that it was some sort of infatuation. Alec didn't think his heart was even his own, nor would it ever be again.
It was intrigue, at its basest level.
They were both drawn to how little they knew about one another, how every glimpse inside was a twist and pull. It was not unlike a game. One he was enjoying every second of.
The way that Tyler's piercing blue eyes stared directly at him, almost like he was looking directly into his soul, gave him a rush.
That was how it all started.
They connected further through their similarities in some aspects, yet there was something glaringly different with their outward personas. Things between them were not in any way simple. They were not the main characters in a fairy tale in which the pair fell madly in love at first sight and then lived happily ever after. Alec already had his once-in-a-lifetime love story, and he lost it.
Well, he called it once-in-a-lifetime for a reason.
He came into this fully aware of the perpetuating situation. What he was trying to patch together with Tyler was a whole new shade of red.
Not the burgundy he ached to paint his entire world with, but at least it was a fresh captivating maroon.
That was enough.
It had to be.
With their individual popcorns in hand like children holding their stuffed toys, the two settled into their assigned seats.
Alec opened his phone to check if there were any catastrophes in dire need of his involvement back at Alicante. By some miracle of Raziel, there were none. But as he relocked the device, his eye caught a certain someone in his peripheral. He blinked twice to see if he was just seeing things. He wasn't.
For there he was, seated a few seats away from them in all his translucent glory, waving his hands merrily at Alec.
Alec knew that Magnus also had plans to leave the loft for the day, but it was still quite a shock seeing him in the same room as them. What are the odds, right?
Staring at Magnus wide-eyed was all he did, tongue-tied; there was something about the situation that was causing an intense uneasiness in Alec.
His date was thankfully preoccupied with how one of his shoelaces unraveled in the walk from his workplace and was now dangling messily from his sneakers. Alec was grateful for Tyler's clumsiness just this once.
Gesturing wildly at Magnus to check his texts, he drew a side-eye from a young girl sitting right next to Magnus. It was just his luck that Magnus only shrugged and mouthed that he had left his phone at home. Alec would've facepalmed if it wouldn't draw further suspicion from the far-too-observant child, afraid that she would alert her parents and he would prefer not to get both Tyler and himself kicked out.
He almost choked when the girl turned from eyeing him to look at Magnus and conversed with him. Tyler must've thought that he was choking on popcorn as he patted him on the back. Alec waved him off just as the room darkened, limiting his view of Magnus and the girl.
Tyler tapped his shoulder. "What was that? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, don't worry." Worry lines were still visible on Tyler's forehead, but Alec was saved from further questioning when the staff started projecting the movie. "Look, the movie's about to start."
Throughout the film, amidst the surprisingly silent crowd, Alec stole glances at Magnus. He seemed to be enjoying the movie and openly reveled in it, his handsome face contorted with laughter at every comedic scene shown. Magnus loved the first movie; they had even watched it together on TV.
Admittedly, Alec had paid more attention to Magnus himself than the film. Much like right now, actually.
Alec Lightwood's gaze would always be drawn to Magnus Bane, in any circumstance.
Meaning, he also caught the conspiratorial smile Magnus shared with his young new friend. Alec sighed in exasperation and went back to watching the movie, but his curiosity was piqued.
Alec did not have to wait long. He turned toward the sound of sudden laughter, his leather pants squeaking as they brushed against the seat's velvet material. The old man sitting next to his husband gave an honest-to-Raziel belly laugh when the kid onscreen revealed his own mini-makeover. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, looking awkward as his grandchildren stared at him in awe.
A beat of silence followed.
Then, it was like a dam broke. Another person chuckled, and most of the other moviegoers followed suit. Next thing Alec knew, the rows of spectators no longer shied away from spontaneously bursting into laughter. It made the experience so much more fun, for everyone to just be able to lose themselves in the story and embrace their inner children.
The jokes were almost as cheesy as the popcorn, but a special type of childish charm coated it all like caramel. And well, Alec does love caramel.
Next thing Alec knew, the movie had concluded in an ending that he would never admit was actually heartwarming.
It gave him the urge to call Jace and Izzy, to just ask how their day had been. He had noticed that he was shutting them out, going so far as to mute his side of the parabatai bond. Jace's dulled worry for him still partially made it through, and Alec didn't want to think about what his brother was feeling from his side.
He would rather stay away than risk bringing the gloom that was his life to rain on their parade.
Yet, every single day, both Jace and Izzy never forgot to send him customary "have a nice day" messages. They only got stilted replies thus far, but it meant more to him than they would ever know.
Alec should visit them soon. He had postponed meeting the rest of his family long enough.
The proverbial bubble he had been huddling under was fit to burst any time now, too stretched under the pressure of the prolonged illusion that Alec's life was whole in some way. Cracked edges of the pieces melding into one full, yet hollow picture.
The heel of Alec's boots squelched in a puddle on the sidewalk surface. They were now standing in front of the doors at Magnus' apartment building.
It was legally Alec's now, but his mind would always refer to it as Magnus'. Every inch of the loft held a story, inscribed with invisible ink on each brick composing the walls. He wasn't born yet to be able to bear witness to most of it happening. Therefore, he felt no claim over the place.
His and Tyler's hands were still intertwined, unwilling to part. "Alec, I have a lot to thank you for."
"I didn't do anything, Tyler." Alec shook his head, further words of denial already at the tip of his tongue.
Tyler countered, "You did so much for me, stop putting yourself down."
"Uh huh, like what?" A clap of thunder echoed in the near distance, but they barely took notice of it. "You did everything on your own," Alec said matter-of-factly.
"Sure, but I would've faltered a dozen times if you weren't there to support me every step of the way." Alec was just about to deny it again, but Tyler only carried on. "You helped me, Alec."
Tyler continued to speak, in an airy tone that meant he was about to say something important but trying to downplay it. "I don't even know what kind of job you work for. Heck, you could be a supernatural police for all I know." Alec coughed at how close Tyler got to the truth. "Whatever it is, I imagine that it has to do with giving lots of pep talks. Because you're damn good at it."
Alec understood the underlying meaning well enough, "I know you're still keeping secrets from me, and I don't think you'll ever tell me. But I still trust you."
"It must be a pretty important job." Alec couldn't deny that Tyler wasn't too off the mark with that one.
"Well, uh, I wouldn't say it's important, more like neces-" Alec halted his speech, seeing Tyler leaning closer until he could feel his body heat.
"Alec?"
"Yeah, Tyler?" Alec whispered.
"Shut up." Their eyes met, an intense wave of want visible in Tyler's dark blues. He brought his face closer and his lips brushed over Alec's. Chastely.
Tyler's warm lips pressing gently against his had Alec closing his eyes, heart set aflutter as he fought off a wave of irrational nervousness. Alec parted his lips as Tyler deepened the kiss, pulling him even closer by an iron grip on his coat. As if holding him tightly would be enough to chase away the numbness ghosting over him.
Little did Alec know, a pair of cat eyes were watching from a distance, drawing a conclusion of their own.