Chapter 9

"So, lunch?" Ragnor asked without preamble as soon as Magnus entered their apartment. "A dinner date would have been more ideal, but a lunch date isn't too bad either."

"At least I have a date." Magnus smirked, making his way over to the couch where is friends were all seated. He guessed that they were waiting up for him, wanting the 'juicy details'. Stepping over Ragnor's legs that were propped up on the coffee table, he plopped down, sitting smack in the middle of everyone, shimmying his hips from side to side to make room.
"When was the last time you went on a date, huh?" Magnus asked Ragnor. "Even back in Edom you were a 'spinster'." He chuckled, putting the word spinster in air quotes. Ragnor scoffed.

"There's a perfectly empty seat over there you know," Raphael grumbled, pointing to a comfy looking arm chair across from them at the other corner of the room as he crossed one of his legs over the other to make more room for Magnus.

"But then I would be all alone," Magnus whined, leaning his head on Raphael's shoulder, who promptly shook him off.

"Come on," said Ragnor obviously loosing his patience. "Are you gonna tell us what happened or not? We don't have all night."

"Not." Magnus chuckled.

Ragnor practically growled. "Will you talk, you glitter crazed idiot."

"What?" Magnus shrugged. "Nothing happened. You guys were with us the entire time, you saw everything."

"That's not what he means and you know it." Cat finally chimed in. "What happened outside just now? Did you guys kiss...or?"

"Exactly what you eavesdroppers heard. And don't act like you all weren't eavesdropping," Magnus chided. "We simply made a date, that was all. There was no kissing." Sadly, Magnus thought, but then scolded himself for being too eager. "Speaking of which..." He once again fought his way off the couch before his friends could ask him any more of their silly questions. With the biggest smile on his face, he turned to face them. "I need to get my beauty sleep. It's been a long night and I've got a hot date with Prince Charming tomorrow." With that, he practically skipped to his room.

Alec woke with a start. It was the morning of his date with Magnus and he found that he'd slept in for the first time in a very long time. He was usually an early riser, due to his early morning workouts and training sessions, plus being the prince of Idris, he had a very busy and strict schedule laid out for him, one that he followed religiously. However, now that he was on vacation, anything with reguards to schedules was now null and void. That, and after his fight with Jace lastnight, he'd had a hard time falling asleep. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that his tired body had finally succumbed. Jace's words had tormented him all throughout the night, playing over and over again in his mind like a scratched record.

"I don't understand why we're even having a fight about someone that we've only just met. He's hot, so I get the attraction. And let's just say for argument sake you manage to get him into your bed, then what? Hmm? The poor bastard falls for you...because we all know that he will. And then you'll just end up breaking his glittery little heart when you can't return his feelings and we have to go back to Idris."

Jace's words were like knives, cutting his heart into tiny pieces. Alec didn't know what he was going to do. He'd been so excited when Magnus accepted to go out with him. And now...

Now he was just dreading the whole thing. In his eyes Magnus was definately not someone you simply had a fling with. He was the type of guy you fell head over heels in love with. Except that he, Alec, couldn't. Was this all a mistake?

Maybe I'm thinking too much about this, Alec thought, sighing as he combed his fingers through his already tousled hair. Let's just go on the date first. He scolded his overactive mind. Maybe it turns out that Magnus is a total asshole after all.

With that thought in mind, Alec dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.

Meanwhile...

"Cat!" Magnus called out from inside of his bedroom. "I need your help with something."

Caterina, who had been in the living room watching television, quickly paused her programme and made her way to Magnus' bedroom. "What the hell! What happened here?" She exclaimed in surprise when she caught sight of the disaster zone that was once Magnus' bedroom.

It looked like a tornado had just rolled through, ravaging the entire room. Clothes were strewn about all over the place, drawers pulled out, makeup and accessories everywhere. The room was an absolute mess with Magnus standing right smack in the middle of it looking utterly hopeless.

"The date is in two hours and I have nothing to wear!" Magnus was freaking out. "You have to help me."

Caterina couldn't help but chuckle as she made her way into the room, picking up the clothes that layed in her path. "Magnus, just calm down. I'm sure we can find something...you've got a lot of nice things in here."

Magnus frowned. "I should have gone shopping for something new to wear."

"Don't be ridiculous. Not only do we not have money to waste, but that's totally unnecessary." Cat began rumaging through Magnus' clothes piece by piece, handing him the ones that she thought looked nice and were first date appropriate. "Where are you guys heading by the way?"

"No where too fancy, at least I don't think..." Magnus replied, having finally somewhat calmed down. "It's just lunch after all." He went to the mirror holding up the clothes Cat had handed him, placing them in front of his body, mix and matching different pieces.

This continued for some time, until the two of them finally settled on a pair of slim fitting blue dress pants that hugged Magnus' hips perfectly and made his butt look extra perky. They paired the pants with a lavender long sleaved peasant shirt, which was beautifully decorated with colorful embroidery around the neck, down the top half of the chest, and at the cuffs of the sleaves. Although it was nearing summer, the weather was still at the point where it was trying to make up it's mind whether it wanted to be hot or cold, so the outfit he chose was both breathable as well as warm.

By the time Magnus and Caterina finished choosing his outfit as well as the accompanying accessories and cleaned the room up again, it was already after 10:00, and Alec would be at his door at 11:30, so that gave Magnus only an hour to get ready. Luckily the glitter crazed idiot, as Ragnor liked to call him, had already showered, else he would most definately be late.

Forgetting that he was the one who had called Cat to his room in the first place, Magnus quickly shooed her away, practically pushing her out the door. "Go, go, go. I have to get ready and you watching my every move is making me nervous."

"But you're the one who called me here in the first place."

"Yes, yes. And I thank you for your help. Now I need to get in the zone. This face won't paint itself."

Cat simply rolled her eyes at Magnus' absurdity as she left his room and went back to her show. She'd found that watching Dutch soaps was a great way to practice her Dutch. Learning all while being entertained.

Jace and Izzy were already awake. The two were in the living room, one was watching television, while the former's gaze was fixed on his cellphone.

"Morning," Alec muttered as he came in. Jace glanced at him wistfully, frowning as he mumbled an incoherent reply before going back to his phone. Alec scoffed at that, but decided not to let it bother him.

Izzy eyed Jace scoldingly before shifting her gaze to Alec. "Thought you weren't going to get up. I came to wake you but saw that you were already in the shower."

"Yeah. Date remember?"

"How could I forget." Izzy smirked. "That's why I came to wake you."

"Thanks." Alec sat down next to her on the couch . "By the way did you go out already? We really need to buy some groceries?"

"I went for a walk earlier and got a few things," said Izzy.

"Any coffee?"

"Yeah. I made a pot in the kitchen, should still be fresh. I'll get you a cup." As Izzy got up, making her way to the kitchen, she gave Alec a coded look, tilting her head between him and Jace, indicating that the two of them should talk.

However, Alec rolled his eyes, ignoring her suggestion. He didn't have anything to say to Jace. If Jace wanted to act like an ass, then he, Alec ,would treat him like one. Infact, he would simply ignore his existence all together. Instead Alec walked around the living room, really getting a feel for the place. Although someone had cleaned up the apartment before they moved in, he hadn't really properly checked everything over himself. Everything had just been so rushed.

He moved to windows that almost took up an entire wall, pulling the curtains back. The streets were alive with people moving to and fro, whether in their cars, on foot, or on their bicycles. From his window, Alec could see the metro station filled with people waiting patiently on the platform for their train to arrive. A sudden feeling of calm took over his being. All those people rushing about like busy little ants, just like him, they all individually had their own worries, their own problems to deal with, none more important that the others'. Different, yes, but never the less just as important.

There would always be worries, problems needing to be solved.

Alec decided he would enjoy himself today. When he returned, all of world's problems would still be there.

"Here," said Izzy, breaking his reverie as she pushed a hot cup of coffee towards him. "Looking good by the way." She gestured to his outfit, reaching out to brush invisible dust off of his shirt. " I see someone didn't need my help."

"I've never needed your help," Alec drawled. "However, I do always welcome it."

"Oh really." Izzy gave him an exaggerated look, rolling her eyes.

Alec chuckled, blowing on his coffee before taking a cautious sip. He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants, a white buttoned up shirt with silver threading going down the front, and the hems left untucked with the sleeves rolled up. A pair of black velvet loafers completed the look; simple, but none the less exquisite. Hopefully Magnus wasn't the type who payed attention to labels because unfortunately, as simple as Alec's outfit looked, it still came from the houses of some of the world's most famous designers, tailored specifically for him.

The two chatted for a while about Alec's date and the things that they needed to purchase. Izzy once again tried to get the boys talking, but Alec again ignored her attempts. Jace wasn't much better. Not able to withstand the tension and awkward atmosphere any longer, he gave Izzy some excuse about needing to make a few calls before disappearing to his room, a dejected look appearing on his face before disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

Caterina, Ragnor, and Raphael all crowded at the door, all of them wanting to see their friend off as he leaves for his date.

In Alec's apartment there was a somewhat similar situation. Alec was making his way down the stairs as Izzy hurriedly followed behind him, fussing over his hair.

"Where have you guys been by the way?" Asked Magnus, remembering that he hadn't seen Ragnor or Raphael all morning. "I haven't seen you guys all morning."

Ragnor and Raphael shared a cryptic look, before looking back at Magnus. "We went to the store." "We went to the park." Both Ragnor and Rafael answered in unison. The two then looked at each other in clear annoyance.

Magnus looked confused between the two of them. "Okay..." he drawled, brows knitting together. He then looked to Caterina for an explanation, but Caterina simply shrugged, her expression saying, I'm just as confused as you are.

Never mind, thought Magnus, shaking his head clear of any thoughts that weren't directly related to his date with Alec. I'll just figure out what these two weirdos are hiding later.

In the other apartment...

"Do you know what time you'll be back?" Asked Izzy as she continued to fiddle with Alec's hair, making one last-ditch effort to tame the untamable.

"I'm not sure," Alec admitted. He hadn't planned an exit strategy. All of his dates, if you could really call them that, usually ended in bed. However, with Magnus... Things were obviously a little bit different. It was an actual date, and not just a 'let's get together' kind of thing. It was anybody's guess how things would turn out.

"What about protection?" Asked Izzy. When Alec stepped back giving her a 'what the hell' look, she chuckled. "Not that kind of protection. Of course I know you're always prepared in that department." She couldn't help but laugh again, hitting Alec's chest. "I'm talking about Jace. I know that you guys are fighting, but are you sure you don't want him to follow you. He is still your bodyguard after all?"

"Iz, I can take care of myself. I'm sure no one will recognize me. Even if they do, they'll probably just think I'm a look alike or something. No one is expecting the prince of Idris to just be walking about. Plus, the last thing I need is Jace trying to sabotage my date."

"I don't think Jace would do something like that. He knows how to be professional." Izzy assured.

"Thanks but I'm not going to risk it. It's too late now anyways."

"Alright," Izzy conceded, sighing. She'd already known that he would refuse, but still, she had to try. "Do you have your phone?"

Alec opened the small black leather bag he had draped across his shoulder and took out his cellphone, holding it up in front Izzy's eyes. "Yes."

"Your wallet?"

He took out his wallet. "Anything else, mother?"

"Just making sure you're prepared that's all." Izzy smiled. "Please call if there's any problem."

"Hey, who's the big brother here?" Alec reached up to tuck a lock of Izzy's hair behind her ear. "I know it's our first time away from home like this, without a convoy, but we'll be fine," he assured her. "We're no longer kids, we can take care of ourselves...and...and..." He really didn't want to say it, but they really could always count on him to protect them. "Jace is here, so we'll be fine."

It was another five minutes before Alec finally managed to escape Izzy's embrace along with her endless questions. As he stepped out into the hallway, he was greeted by the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on.

"Perfect timing," said Magnus in way of greeting, a big smile lighting up his whole face. "I was just about to press the bell."

AN: Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while guys. I've kind of placed it on the back burner for a bit. Fortunately I had some time and was feeling inspired, so...

Anyways...en fijne dag verder