I didn't want to leave you all with a cliffhanger for too long, so here's the next chapter sooner than usual. Please note that none of the opinions in the chapters are mine. They all belong to whoever's point of view the chapter is written from. I do not exist in this world (for those of you worried about it, I happen to think Clary is beautiful.) Also, since this fiction is all human, none of the characters will ever be completely perfect (even Gran, who happens to be my personal favorite) so while I hope the characters mature and develop throughout the story, they will still make mistakes and may still do things we do not like or agree with from time to time. Just a heads up, this chapter is from Alec's point of view, so while Clary and Jace are both involved it may be as much about Malec as Clace. If you consider that a waste of time, feel free to stop reading.
It was quite a feat getting Jace, Izzy, Simon, and Alec all ready and into an Uber. Really it was a feat getting Jace and Izzy into an Uber. Alec and Simon took about two minutes to get ready. Even after all these years Alec still couldn't figure out how his siblings could take so long. He guessed Izzy had a bit of an excuse because she had to do her makeup, but whatever took Jace so long was beyond him. Whatever it took, they did finally manage to pile into an Uber and head to the bar.
Simon had told everyone his friend would meet them at the back door. For some reason, Alec had just assumed Simon's friend would be a man. Because of this, he was very surprised to see the tiny, obviously female, redhead come barreling out the back door and throw herself into Simon's arms. Judging by the loud gasp he heard leave his brother's lips, Alec guessed Jace must have been surprised too.
Then introductions started and chaos ensued. Simon said, "and these are her brothers, Alec and -"
The redhead (Clary, apparently) interrupted Simon and said "Jace?!"
Then everyone but Alec started talking at once.
Izzy and Simon simultaneously said "you know each other?!"
Clary looked to Simon and said, "you remember the VIP at work I told you about?"
At the same time, Jace looked at Izzy and Alec and said, "I told you about my new friend…"
Clary and Jace stepped toward each other and looked like they were about to hug before Simon stepped between them, muttering, "Oh, hell no!" He then grabbed Clary's elbow and pulled her away from the group.
Alec couldn't tell exactly what was being said, but they seemed to be arguing about something. Simon was making all kinds of wild gestures and Clary's hands were fisted on her hips. After a few minutes, Izzy rolled her eyes and walked over to join them, leaving Alec and Jace alone to rub the backs of their necks uncomfortably.
"So… Simon's friend, huh?" Alec finally asked.
"Apparently," Jace shrugged. "I had no idea. She just happens to be the coolest girl I've ever met. I guess I shoulda known he has good taste. I mean, he did pick Izzy."
Just then the voices of the other group rose high enough for the brothers to hear. Simon said "When I told you to have sex with him, I thought you were never going to see him again! I didn't know he was about to be my brother-in-law!"
"He's not going to be your brother-in-law if you don't stop acting like a caveman!" Izzy retorted. She was now in the exact same stance as Clary, both women with fists on their hips facing Simon, who had his back to Jace and Alec.
Clary's face was brighter than her hair and Alec couldn't help feeling bad for her. If he'd been in her position he was pretty sure he'd be begging for the ground to swallow him whole right about now.
"We are not going to discuss my sex life in front of everyone! Besides, I have a job to get to," Clary ground out through gritted teeth. "If you guys still want that table, you'd better follow me!" With that, she turned on her heel and used the badge she'd had tucked somewhere in her green bustier to open the back door. She walked through it without bothering to look behind her to see if anyone had followed her.
They filed in behind her in an awkward single file line. What a way to start the night! As they silently followed Clary down the hall, Alec took in his surroundings. Just inside the back door on the right was a door marked 'office'. Directly across from that was a door marked 'gents' which was obviously a restroom, and a little further down the hall on the same side was another marked 'ladies'. Across from that was an unmarked door that Alec assumed was a storage closet of some kind.
When they reached the end of the hall it opened up into a large room lined with tables on three walls. There were also tables spread throughout the left half of the room, while the right half had been turned into a makeshift dance floor. The fourth wall, directly across from the hall, had a door on the left that appeared to lead outside, where a line of people waited. There was another doorway all the way to the right with dual swinging doors that he guessed led to the kitchen. All along the wall between the two doors was a fully stocked bar.
By the time Alec's eyes had taken all this in, the group had almost reached the bar. Behind the bar stood two Asian looking bartenders. The one on the right was a female of average height with wavy black hair that came just past her shoulders, and the one on the left was the most beautiful man Alec had ever seen. So stunning, in fact, that Alec forgot to keep waking, or breathing, or… anything.
Alec just stood and stared. This man would stand out in any crowd. For one thing, he was taller than Alec, which was rare in and of itself. If he had to guess, Alec would say he was probably about 6'3" or so. His hair was styled in soft spikes on top of his head with bangs curving down onto his forehead. This style made him look even taller and was covered with a tasteful layer of gold glitter.
Alec had never been particularly attracted to men who wore makeup, but the man behind the bar was definitely an exception to that rule. His eyes were outlined in such a way that they almost appeared to resemble a cat, and as soon as they locked with Alec's, neither man could bring himself to look away. His skin was the richest tawny color Alec had ever seen, and it really seemed to bring out the gold flecks in his stunning green eyes. He was wearing a gold mock turtleneck and a black jacket with gold accents that also matched the gold in his eyes. The sleeves of the jacket were rolled up to just above the elbow, much like the sleeves on Alec's shirt were. Where Alec thought this made him look ridiculous, he thought it made this other man look absolutely regal. He was also wearing several rings on each hand and they caught the light in a magical way as he continued setting the bar for the night, without his eyes even once leaving Alec's.
Clary made introductions and Magnus (which was apparently the name of this God behind the bar who also happened to be Clary's boss) nodded hello to Izzy, Jace and Simon (who he already knew) but his eyes remained locked on Alec. When Clary got to his introduction Magnus reached for his hand and asked, "where have you been hiding this gorgeous man my whole life, biscuit?" Jace and Izzy chuckled and Alec could feel himself blushing, but he did not remove his hand from Magnus'. After a moment, Magnus brought it to his lips and kissed it gently before saying "I must open the doors, but I hope you'll let me buy you a drink later?"
Alec couldn't seem to move his tongue, but he did manage a small nod before Magnus dropped his hand and swept toward the door and the waiting crowd. Clary quickly showed them to a booth that was perfectly situated along the wall at the edge of the room where they had a great view of both the bar and the dance floor. Simon and Izzy scooted into the middle of the booth leaving the edges for Alec and Jace. Realizing there was still tension between Simon and Jace, Alec quickly took the seat next to Simon.
"I'll be back in a minute to get your drink orders," Clary told them. Alec noticed she avoided eye contact with Simon and figured she must still be upset with him. As soon as she walked away, Simon resumed glaring at Jace. "She didn't lie to me," Jace murmured, watching Clary walk away. He then looked up and noticed the way Simon was looking at him. "What?" Jace asked him.
"That's practically my little sister you've been trying to have sex with!" Simon growled.
"That is my little sister you're having sex with!" Jace reminded him. "If I'm not allowed to be upset about that, how is this any different?"
"You're sister is the only person I've ever had sex with," Simon hissed. "If you were with Clary right now, could you even say she's the only person you've been with this month?" he continued. Jace's only answer was to blush and look away. "That's how this is different!" Simon said triumphantly.
"But she's a grown woman," Jace said stubbornly. "At some point you're going to have to trust her to make her own decisions."
"She's not the one I don't trust!" Simon said, still staring daggers in Jace's direction.
"Look, we're just friends," Jace said, finally meeting Simon's eyes. "I will never make a move on Clary again unless she makes it absolutely clear that's what she wants, okay? I swear!" Jace held eye contact for a moment before holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Truce?" he finally asked.
Izzy sent Simon a look that said he'd better not push the issue any further and said, "here's the deal. If Jace does anything to hurt Clary, you get to kill him and hide the body the same way my brothers will do to you if you break my heart. Until then you all need to dial back the testosterone and play nice."
"Whatever," Simon grunted, reluctantly shaking Jace's hand.
Alec finally spoke for the first time since they entered the bar. "I need a drink! Anybody else want anything?" he asked, standing.
"Sure," Izzy said. "I'll take whatever you're having."
"Me too," Jace said.
"Me three," Simon added.
"Here, let me help you," Jace offered, starting to stand.
"No!" Alec said. "I got it!"
"He just doesn't want an audience while he flirts with the hot bartender!" Alec heard Izzy tease as he was walking away.
She wasn't wrong, but Alec didn't feel the need to admit to that.