So here it is! The long awaited Chapter 7! Sorry it took so long. As always, I love reading your reviews, it really makes my day hearing that you guys like the story! (I felt bad making you guys wait so long and put even more Malec fluff in this chapter than usual...). Now read! Let me know what you thought, follow the story, etc. You guys know the drill.
Magnus walked down the stairs to find Alec standing there, loading food into an old fashioned picnic basket. He grinned at the sight, trying to tell himself that this wasn't a date and he really shouldn't screw things up with Alec further by making a move. But mental Camille was now fighting the other side, much to Magnus' annoyance. Ignoring her and clearing his throat in the least pretentious way possible, Magnus stepped off the last step.
Though he was certain that his feet were planted firmly on the ground, when Alec looked at him his stomach swooped. It was like someone took the floor out beneath him. Magnus couldn't breathe. Their eyes locked and there was a moment of pure calm. Blue met green and everything was perfect. It was a slow motion sequence out of a movie.
Alec looked away and the spell was broken. But he did speak, something Magnus was thankful for. Getting the silent treatment from Alec for even a few hours was painful.
"So," Alec said, grinning, "You look ready to go." Magnus glanced down at his clothes, neon pink swim trunks, a t-shirt that said 'fuck you' in Indonesian-though Alec probably had no idea-and his camera swaying around his neck.
"Yep. You, on the other hand."
Alec laughed, "Yeah," he was still wearing his pyjama pants and a black shirt. He fiddled with the hem of the shirt and ran up the stairs, yelling over his shoulder, "We'll go in maybe half an hour? You don't have to hang out in the kitchen if you want."
Magnus nodded, though Alec couldn't see him and stayed in the kitchen anyways. He went to sit down at the counter and noticed something furry in his seat. Magnus let out a somewhat indignified yell, slammed his back into the fridge and knocked off some of the magnets that fell down on him in a shower of bright colours and old grocery lists. He slumped to the ground and groaned, an old picture of the four Lightwood kids drifting into his lap and just sitting there, their frozen laughs mocking him. He looked up when he heard someone running down the stairs
"Uh," Alec was standing there, not wearing a shirt but having one in his hand. He looked startled and it occurred to Magnus that he probably thought Magnus was in serious danger and had run down the stairs out of worry. However the only thing that Magnus could focus on was Alec's glaringly bare chest. Lord help him.
Before he could even get a really good look, Alec was tugging a shirt over his head and wandering over to where Magnus had slid to the floor. He giggled slightly and Magnus had to ignore how much he loved the noise.
"I was surprised by that thing." He pointed at the furry blob that was currently inhabiting his chair. Referring to it as his chair was a bit silly, considering he'd sat there maybe once.
Alec looked over and laughed. It started off as a sort of chuckle, but gradually he laughed harder and harder, looking from Magnus to the blob. Magnus glared at it, hating the offending object as the seconds ticked by. When Alec had had his fill of laughing at Magnus sitting on the floor glaring at a blob filled chair, he reached out a hand and helped Magnus up. The magnets that'd been sitting in his lap clattered to the floor.
Biting his lip and leaning down to pick up a few of them and return them to their place on the fridge, Alec said, "So, I see you've met Church."
"What?"
"Our cat." Alec laughed, pointing at the blob, which Magnus now supposed he should refer to as the cat. But his inner battle against the beast forbade him to. It did look rather catlike, with long blue-grey hair and a tail that twitched if you looked carefully enough.
Magnus wandered over to it, taking a picture of the cat with a scowl on his face. The click of the camera seemed to awaken it and Magnus took a cautionary step back. It opened its yellow eyes and blinked at the newcomer. It hissed slightly and Alec wandered over and stroked the cat's belly.
He wasn't jealous of a cat. That was a ridiculous notion and Magnus would not stand for his emotions to get the best of him like this. The cat purred obnoxiously and Magnus bit back his hatred that Alec seemed to love touching the cat, running his fingers through the long hair and almost cooing at the animal whereas he flinched away if Magnus got too close.
"We've had Church ever since I was a baby. I'm pretty sure he never ages." Alec said, looking at the cat with an adorable level of fondness. "We used to have another cat. Jace said she was a demon in disguise because she always used to scratch him. But she was even older than Church so she died a few years ago."
Magnus nodded, "What was her name?"
"Muffin."
He snorted and Alec grinned, "We adopted her and she came with the horrid name. My dad refused to call her anything other than 'the cat' because the name Muffin was too repulsive."
Laughing, Magnus sat down on the chair next to the cat. "You'd better go finish getting dressed, I'll try not to be startled by anymore household pets." Alec gave him a thumbs up and ran back up the stairs.
Magnus looked over at the cat, who gave him a rather reproachful look back. Jace took this moment to kick the back door. Startled out of his staring contest with Church, Magnus looked up to see Jace there, grinning like an idiot with his arms full of eggs.
"Shit." Magnus said, running to open the back door before the other boy started to drop the eggs that were so precariously perched in his arms.
The door swung open and Jace walked in calmy, raising his eyebrows at Magnus, "Can you please help me deposit these in the fridge?" Magnus rolled his eyebrows in response but helped him anyways.
"Why didn't you just get a container for them or something?" Magnus asked, depositing the eggs into the built in shelf in the fridge. "Even a bag would have been better than just taking them all in your hands."
Jace shrugged, "I was already there and I figured it wasn't worth making another trip."
"I met your cat by the way."
Eyebrows raised, Jace sighed, "Ah, Church. I was wondering where he went. I haven't seen him in days, is he around now?" Magnus nodded and pointed at the chair, but the cat was gone. "Don't fret." Jace said, with a rather over dramatic sigh, "He's probably just wandered off to try and find some more left shoes to steal."
"Left?"
He nodded, "Only takes the left ones. The little bastard."
"You're really not a cat person are you?" Magnus asked, watching Jace sniff the milk suspiciously. "Alec said you hated Muffin too."
"Everyone hated Muffin. Except Alec." Jace said, shrugging and opting to drink the milk anyways, "Because Muffin tried to eat everyone except Alec. That cat was a fucking monster. I'm still convinced it was a demon."
Magnus snorted, "Demons aren't real."
"True, I personally don't think anything exists except us. Or at least if there is, there's nothing we can rely on. You can't claim that demons bring you misfortune or rely on angels to save you."
"That's awfully pessimistic."
"And to think I'm known for my charm."
Magnus snorted, "How can you not like cats though?"
"How can you like them? They're too smart for me. There's being smart enough to roll over and then there's being smart enough to plot evil plans. That's why I'm more of a bird person."
"A bird person?" Magnus laughed, "You're kidding right?"
Jace set down his milk glass and folded his arms across his chest, "Why would I kid about a deep seated hate for cats and a love for the winged members of the animal kingdom?"
"I've never known a bird that could roll over." Magnus argued, sitting back down at the counter and taking his camera off his neck. Resting it on the table, he leaned on his elbows and watched Jace run a hand through his hair. He had the lazy Lightwood grace. Magnus wondered if there was something in the water. Surely, the adopted kid shouldn't have the same innate fluidity to his motions?
"That was a hypothetical example. I don't need my bird to roll over, I just need to know it's not a cold blooded murder."
"What about chickens?" Magnus asked, Jace not looking the slightest bit fazed by the sudden question. "You hate chickens and yet you claim to be a bird man."
Jace shook his head, "Chickens are not birds. They are an entree."
Magnus laughed, despite Jace's reputation for being an ass, he seemed to be alright by Magnus' standards. "So," He said, regaining his breath, "What do you consider to be a bird?"
"A falcon."
"Really?" Magnus was a bit taken back. It wasn't the instant choice of most people when they thought of birds, Magnus himself always thought of penguins first.
Jace smiled, sort of a hollow smile, "Yeah, I had one actually. Dad bought me a hunting falcon. I trained it and loved it, it was a great companion actually. And it even managed to poop in Isabelle's hair once."
"What happened to it? Magnus asked, noting the slightly sad tone in Jace's voice.
"Muffin ate it."
Magnus was unable to hold back his laughter. "You're shitting me."
"Nope. She leapt out of fucking nowhere and just took him down, practically ripping him apart. I was traumatized. We only ever found the head. I'm assuming she ate the rest." Jace sounded rather forlorn and Magnus had to resist the urge to laugh.
"Oh god," Alec said, Magnus jumping at the sudden noise behind him. He'd come down the stairs without making a sound and was standing almost right behind Magnus. "Are we talking about the Muffin Incident again?"
"Yes." Jace said, "And it wasn't an incident so much as a tragedy. It was the day my innocence was shattered, torn apart like poor Falcon's innards."
"Falcon?" Magnus asked, "You named your falcon, Falcon?"
"Yes." Alec said, snorting and sliding into the seat next to Magnus, "Yes he did."
Shaking his head, Magnus laughed, "And here I thought whoever named Muffin was an uncreative idiot."
"They were." Jace said, "That's like naming Satan Buttercup or Sweetie. It's horribly misleading. A small child might even let their guard down and let out their falcon, under the impression that the cat named Muffin wouldn't dare hurt it." He slammed a fist down on the counter, almost knocking his glass to the ground, "But no!"
Alec rolled his eyes, "Don't get him started Magnus, he'll complain about Muffin for hours."
"It's not complaining, I'm merely trying to spread the word about her satanic abilities and actions."
"I don't see why." Alec said, "She's been dead for years."
Jace shook his head, "Evil like that doesn't die Alec, it is never ending. She's been reincarnated as a chicken somewhere."
"Why must your hatred for poultry and our long dead cat always come up in conversation?" Alec asked, though Jace didn't answer and the question almost seemed hang in the air. Magnus was, again, struck by the ridiculousness of the situation.
Jace took this moment of silence to sigh, chug the rest of his milk and almost toss the cup into the sink. He seemed to notice the picnic basket for the first time. "That's romantic." He snorted. He peeked inside the basket, Alec crossing the kitchen to slap his hand away.
"Fuck off." Alec said, making Magnus' heart skip. There was always something stupidly attractive about hot guys swearing. Especially guys like Alec, a bit timid on the surface but the cuss word rolling off his tongue with ease.
Tsking, Jace walked away, "Language Alec. Don't want mummy to hear you." He turned so he was facing them, but still walking backwards towards the stairs. "You two head out. You'll probably want to get out to the lake soon, you're wasting the day. I'll tell them where you went."
Alec grinned, "Thanks Jace."
"Yeah, yeah."
With the other boy gone, Alec turned to Magnus and smiled. "You want to go to the lake then?" Magnus nodded and Alec grabbed the basket off the counter and walked over to the door. He rifled through the sea of shoes, tossing Isabelle's many high heels to the side and mumbling something about 'fucking sisters'.
Magnus already had his shoes on, so he just hung there for a minute, awkwardly waiting. Alec finally let out a triumphant cry, a pair of flip flops clutched in one hand. Magnus snickered and Alec gave him a playful glare.
"It's not my fault my siblings seem to collect shoes." He huffed, sliding the shoes on and flinging the door open. Magnus yelped and almost had to leap out of the way. Alec didn't seem to notice and stepped out into the sunshine with a peaceful smile on his face.
Magnus followed him out, breathing in the clear, warm, air. It was calming, the sun high in the sky. He held a hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun, Alec grinning at him, clearly unbothered by the sheer amount of light coming from the sky.
"I can't even see there is so much light." Magnus said, making Alec laugh, "Don't laugh. I'm finally learning what it feels like to be arrested." He grumbled slightly, but there was a beaming smile on his face. Alec looked happy too, a fact that made Magnus feel as light as the sky around him.
Alec laughed and swung the picnic basket, turning around to look at Magnus. "Shall we begin our walk?" He pointed at the woods, which looked surprisingly dark and a tiny bit foreboding.
"Might as well." Magnus shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking with Alec. It was strange, how different this was to his normal life. Magnus had never been someone to go on picnics, hell, he'd never been one to enjoy his time outdoors. There was nothing creepier than thinking of all the ants that would crawl into his clothes.
As they got closer to the forest, they left the Lightwoods perfectly groomed lawns-Magnus was seriously hoping they had one of those lawn mowers that you could drive-and went into the taller grass. Magnus shuffled forward and tried not to make a face as the long grass rubbed up against his legs and the moisture got between his toes. Alec didn't seem to notice, further securing Magnus' view that he was the perfectly rugged, hot, gentleman.
"So," Magnus said, biting his lip and trying to ignore the feeling that five hundred bugs were crawling up his legs. "You guys used to picnic a lot?" Even with the way that the Lightwoods were, picture perfect and such, there was no way he could imagine them wandering out into the woods. He could see Jace getting bored, Max wanting to read a comic, Robert needing to work, Isabelle wanting to do her hair, and Alec just wanting some quiet.
Alec shrugged, "I guess. We used to wander down to the lake every Sunday, before Max was born of course. My mom would just sit on the side and watch, but my dad used to jump in the water and goof around with us. It was fun while it lasted."
"And then it just stopped?"
"Yeah." Alec said, frowning, "My parents got into a bunch of fights, we thought they were going to divorce. We'd even started talking about which parent we'd go with if they did. But then everything stopped. Max was born and they just made it work."
Magnus nodded, "I wish my parents were like yours. I've never been on a family picnic in my life." Alec's mouth was gaping open and Magnus laughed a little, "You look like a fish."
"And yet, between the two of us I'm not the ridiculous one here." Alec said, flashing Magnus a bright grin, "You've never been on a picnic? How is that even humanly possible?" They were walking in the forest now, the trees blocking out a lot of the light and the sun coming through in dapples and minute sun spots on the ground. Magnus stopped walking and snapped some pictures of it, the slivers of light catching on the leaves and glowing a luminescent green.
When he turned back to Alec, the other boy had also stopped and was watching him fondly, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I've never been on a picnic," Magnus said, breaking the silence and meeting Alec's eyes. "Because my mother is not really the touchy-feely type. She had postnatal depression." Alec's mouth fell open in an 'o'.
"So, she was cold? Sorry, I don't totally know a lot about it, other than the basics. She's better now right?" His voice was quiet and he looked at Magnus in a way that made him blush. Almost like he was broken.
Magnus shrugged it off, staring at his feet, "Sort of. My dad says she was totally whack so most of the time the neighbours watched me. I think they just felt bad. I mean, after she tried to off herself there-"
"She tried to commit suicide?"
"Well, yeah. But she did it when my dad was in the house so he, uh, sorted things out and called the ambulance." Alec was biting his lip, making it very inviting, but Magnus continued with his story, "My dad says it was around the time my eyes stopped being blue."
"You were born with blue eyes?"
"Yeah," Magnus said, shrugging it off though he could feel Alec's stare on his face, "A lot of babies are. When my eyes turned green my mom kinda went nuts. She ran and tried to hang herself in the kitchen. But, my dad was home so he heard her screaming. He checked on me first before running to figure out what was wrong." Magnus was the one biting his lip now, trying not to think about how he'd felt when he was first told that story. It was hard not to think one was some kind of monster when your mother couldn't look at you.
"I like your eyes." Alec blurted and when Magnus looked up in surprise, he was blushing.
He laughed a little, "That's better than 'I'm sorry'. I get that a lot." He did, though he'd only told the story to a few of his friends when he was really wasted.
Alec shrugged, "My granddad died last year and I just remember hating how much people kept saying 'I'm sorry'. It doesn't change anything and it doesn't help. Your mom didn't like your eyes? That's dumb, I love them." His blush got even fiercer when the words left his mouth, but Magnus could barely hold back his smile.
Then he did something Alec clearly wasn't expecting. He reached over, put his hand on the other boy's shoulder and kissed his cheek. It was short, a soft peck on top of those amazing cheekbones Magnus loved so much. But boy, did Alec blush. From the tips of his ears, the boy was a bright scarlet. He stuttered something, but Magnus was already continuing on, grinning widely though Alec couldn't see.
He turned back to see Alec, mouth open and face redder than a ripe tomato. Alec had stopped walking and Magnus had to resist the urge to laugh. "Aren't you coming?" He called teasingly and Alec shook his head slightly, almost like he was trying to clear his head. He followed Magnus though, continuing to blush profusely.
They crested the top of a hill, and there at the bottom was a clearing. There was a massive stone cliff and a raging waterfall. The whole thing looked like it stumbled out of a fairytale. There were tiny little blue flowers growing near the edge of the water. The lake was beautiful and Magnus couldn't resist snapping a picture. They gently picked their way down the hill, because it was relatively steep and Magnus kept stumbling and giving Alec a heart attack.
After about the third time that he reached out to catch the other boy, Alec said, "You know, you're rather clumsy."
Magnus snorted, "Thank you? I'm going to take that as a compliment." Trying not to blush because the other boy was holding one of his hands-the other holding the picnic basket-Magnus grinned at Alec but kept his eyes focussed on his feet. He really didn't want to send the both of them and their lunch into the lake.
Alec laughed, "Only you would take that as a compliment." They reached the lake no problem, Alec setting down the basket and pulling out a blanket for them to sit on.
"Oh," Magnus said, flopping down on the blanket and grinning up at an amused Alec, "How very traditional. Red plaid and everything. I'm impressed." He ran his hands over the soft fabric and imagined the Lightwoods all sitting and laughing on the same blanket. Alec shoved him over.
"Move. You're so fat."
Magnus let out a bark of laughter, "You're such a child. Seriously," He said, rolling over anyways and making room for the other boy, "The best insult you could come up with was that I'm fat? You're completely crazy."
Alec shrugged, "Clearly it worked, because you moved. Therefore, my insult still stands as a viable way to get someone to move their butt and stop hogging the blanket." Alec sat down next to Magnus, sighing and leaning back on his hands. "There is nothing better than the lake on a hot day."
"Amen." Magnus said, causing Alec to laugh again. The two of them lay there for a moment, side by side. Soaking in the warmth, Magnus sighed loudly. "This is perfect."
"I told you." Alec smirked, "Nothing better. This is the picnic magic that you've been missing for so long." He stretched his arms over his head and made a small contented noise. Magnus grinned, looking up at the clear blue sky and sighing.
He propped himself up on one arm and looked down at Alec, who opened one eye to look at him. "You've missed it too." Magnus said and though it wasn't a question, Alec answered anyways.
"Yeah. I guess."
There was a small pause, the wind rushing through the trees and the roar of the waterfall filling the silence. But then Alec jumped up, grinning at Magnus and holding out his hand to help the other boy up. "C'mon." He said, giving Magnus a troublemaker smile did dreadful things to his heart, "It is mandatory that we go swimming."
"Right now?" Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow and relishing the way it made the other boy blush.
Alec nodded, "Right now." He began to jump up and down, "Magnus," He dragged out all the letters in Magnus' name, making him laugh and set down his camera to grab Alec's hand.
"Fine. Let's go swimming."
Of course, when Magnus said this, he wasn't expecting Alec to yank his arm hard enough to send Magnus toppling into the lake. And Alec wasn't expecting Magnus to keep a hold of his arm and drag the both of them into the water in a flurry of limbs.
His head bursting through the ice cold water, Magnus gasped, feeling the fabric of his t-shirt tight to his skin and hearing Alec's laugh ringing through the glade. "You traitor!" He cried, throwing himself in Alec's direction and causing the two of them to sink back into the waves.
"I can't believe you didn't see that coming!" Alec said, breathing heavily as he clutched his side and tried to get his breath back. He was laughing silently, his eyes crinkled and the water making his hair stick to his face. The strands were like jet black ink on stark white paper and sprayed water when Alec reached a hand up to ruffle them.
Magnus spluttered, "Who would see that coming?" He shook his head, splattering Alec with water in revenge and giving him a devious grin. "You're going to pay for that." Alec's eyes widened, just before Magnus whipped his feet out from under him and he plunged back into the water. He came up coughing, but grinning and Magnus laughed. "Mm," Magnus said, mockingly thoughtful, "They were right, revenge is a dish best served cold. Cold, cold water."
Alec laughed, throwing his head back and giving Magnus a rather splendid view of his chest and the shirt that was plastered to his chest. But Alec took advantage of Magnus' distraction and the two launched into an intense water battle. And intense really implied Magnus making every excuse to touch, tackle or simply get a bit handsy, and Alec pulling a handful of pretty dirty tricks to force Magnus' head back underwater.
After a long drawn out fight, Magnus surrendered, laughing. He pretended to wave the flag and everything. Content with his victory, Alec reached down, grabbed the hem of the shirt and heaved it over his head, shaking out his hair. Magnus made a valiant attempt not to gape, because the abs were still as magnificent as the first viewing and now held the benefit of being dripping wet. Alec waded over to the edge and chucked his shirt by the side. Magnus realized he should probably do the same, slipping his own shirt off and going over to put it by Alec's.
Smirking at the way the other boy's eyes rather obviously ran up and down Magnus' torso, Magnus waded over to the waterfall and stuck a hand in it. The water pounded his skin and next to the spray, the sound was deafening.
"Trust me?" Magnus jumped, Alec was right behind him, whispering in his ear and beaming.
Replying the only way he honestly could, Magnus nodded, "Yeah, course. Why?"
Alec grabbed his hand under the water and dragged them both under the falls. Magnus was about to yell that he was completely crazy, when they came out the other side. Magnus' mouth dropped.
"I knew you'd like it." Alec grinned, letting go of Magnus' hand and watching the other boy gaze around in wonder.
"There's caves." Magnus said slowly, "You have secret caves behind your magical waterfall. You've got to be kidding me." He turned around to look at Alec, who was biting his lip and nodding.
He spread his arms, "Welcome." Alec laughed and Magnus again was forced to resist the urge to drool over his flawless body. Seriously, there had to be a law about having arms that amazing attached to a face that nice. A law. Somewhere. "We always used to come here as kids." Alec said, running his hands over the walls with a touch of fondness, "Hide away from our parents in our secret hideout. We thought it was the perfect place because they couldn't hear us over the water."
"A place to tell secrets." Magnus grinned, "Every kid's dream hideout."
Alec nodded, looking a bit sad for a moment. "I don't think it's the same anymore. There aren't really any secrets that need a hideout to be told. It's sad, to think that Max will never be as taken with these caves as we were."
"I have a secret." Magnus blurted and as Alec looked at him confused, Magnus felt the need to reassure him. "It's not a bad secret or anything. I'm not an axe-murderer."
"That was not the first thing that came to mind." Alec said, "But thanks for clearing that up." He paused, "Can I know your secret?"
"I suppose." It was silent in the cave, the waterfall blocking out the rest of the world and Magnus felt that, despite everything that everyone had warned him about, this was the best time to say something. "I like you Alec."
This was apparently, not as clear as Magnus had hoped, because Alec just looked as confused as ever, "I like you too?"
Magnus sighed, "I mean-oh fuck it." Alec looked surprised at the curse, but no more surprised than he was when Magnus crashed their lips together. To his credit, Alec only froze for a heartbeat, before he kissed Magnus back. Then, just like that, the hesitation from the park was gone and the awkwardness of the morning was a thing of the past. The only thing in the world that mattered was Alec's hands gripping Magnus' slim hips and Magnus' hand sliding into Alec's hair. The world faded out and Magnus was lost in a wave of Alec. The way he smelled and tasted and the way his rough palms felt running up and down Magnus' torso.
When oxygen became a necessity, Alec pulled away and Magnus whined slightly. Alec laughed, pushing their foreheads together. He sighed loudly, "Well that was, uh." Magnus snorted.
"Yeah."
Alec blushed, "So when you say you like me..."
"Yeah." Magnus said again, hoping to god that he wasn't as red as he felt. Though judging by the grin on Alec's face, he was. He gently let go of Alec's hair, letting his hand trail down to the boy's shoulder. "Can we do that again?"
"What?" Alec asked, feigned confusion though the glint in his eyes told Magnus a different story, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mm." Magnus hummed, unable to keep the smile that slowly grew on his face. "Maybe I should give you a demonstration." HIs voice faded to a whisper and Alec's eyes darted down to his lips. Alec opened his mouth to say something, but Magnus cut him off again, capturing his mouth in a searing kiss. They parted and Magnus gave him a cheeky grin, "You, sir, are awfully good at this."
Flushing the way Magnus hoped he would, Alec returned the smile tentatively. "Really? I've never really done this before."
Magnus raised his eyebrows. Sure, the boy was in the closet and pretty self-conscious, but to be that good for one's first kiss? That had to be a crime. "You're kidding right?" Alec looked really embarrassed and Magnus quickly tried to backpedal, "No, I don't mean it like that. I mean, damn you are good at this shit. I wish everyone I kissed was like that, I mean the cuteness factor and the gorgeous eyes seem to also be a bonus. I really need to get my hands on your gene-pool, you've really hit the jackpo-" Magnus was cut off with a muffled yelp and Alec kissed him again. Panting rather embarrassingly, Magnus said, "Well shit, if that's how you're going to shut me up, I'm going to ramble more often."
Alec laughed and pulled away, Magnus feeling the chill of the cave as soon as he lost the heat of Alec's body against his. Alec grabbed his hand, leading him out of the cave and back into the sunlight. "Let's eat." Alec said, "I'm absolutely starving."
Magnus agreed and they dragged themselves out of the water and flopped down on the blanket, not really worrying about getting water on the blanket and simply cracking open the picnic basket.
"Oh damn." Magnus said, practically groaning, "Fuck yes. Oreos."
Alec burst out laughing, "You are crazy. You are actually crazy." Magnus shook his head, tearing open the package with gusto and cramming one into his mouth.
Mouth full of Oreo, Magnus held the plastic tray out to Alec and shook it impatiently. Alec was still laughing at Magnus,his eyes scrunched in mirth, but he grabbed one and split it. Swallowing his cookie, Magnus scowled at Alec, "You can't do that."
Looking down at the cookie in his hands, Alec said, "Why not?" He looked at Magnus, then at the cookie, then back at Magnus before sticking out his tongue and licking all the icing off one side. Magnus gasped in horror.
"You can't do that!" He said again, flailing his arms and sending an Oreo flying into the woods behind him. "One cannot eat an Oreo in pieces! You have to eat the whole thing to really enjoy the experience of the cookie and the icing combined. If all you wanted was the icing you might as well have just bought a tub of Betty Crocker's Buttermilk Icing and just spared us all of the shame." He said this haughtily as he shoved another Oreo in his mouth.
Alec snorted, "I always eat them like this. Cause I want the icing but, I also want the cookie. Therefore, isn't this really the only solution?" He grabbed another cookie and waved it in front of Magnus' face.
"If you want cookies and icing, just buy some fucking Dunkaroos!" Magnus practically screamed before looking at Alec and sighing, "What are you confused about now? Darling," Cue the blush, "While your confused face is adorable, it's also used far too frequently for me not to be concerned."
"What are Dunkaroos?" Alec asked, ignoring the bit about his face and focusing on the source of the confusion.
Magnus gaped at him. "No," He put down the Oreos, shaking his head, "Tell me it's not true. Tell me you've had Dunkaroos!" He shook Alec by the shoulders, "Tell me!"
Alec looked sort of alarmed but shook his head, "Uh no, no Dunkaroos. What are they?"
"They," Magnus said, with the air of someone reciting scripture, "Are a snack wherein you receive a small tub of icing and a small tub of cookies. You then had the option to either take the cookies and dip them in the icing or you can eat all the cookies and then dig the icing out like a starving hobo." He mimed this in the air, much to Alec's amusement.
"And people eat that kind of thing?" Alec asked, making a face.
"Don't make that face!" Magnus cried, "You are the horrible human being who insists upon tearing apart an Oreo to feast upon its innards."
And so the lunch continued, the conversation ranging from the true colour of puce, to the tragedy that was the ending of the third Harry Potter movie ("A freeze frame? Are you shitting me?") and to the fact Alec was obviously an alien for not liking mayonnaise on his sandwiches.
Knowing he had to say it at some point, "What are we now?" Magnus asked. He wasn't one for relationships and the idea of being with Alec was both appealing and terrifying.
Alec bit his lip, "I don't know. I need to think about it. God," He ran a hand through his messy hair, "I have to tell my parents." He looked terrified at the prospect and Magnus grabbed his wrist, sliding his hand down to hold Alec's and twining their fingers.
"Okay."
"Okay?" Alec asked, scrunching his eyebrows and looking again, very confused.
Magnus laughed, pressing a quick kiss to Alec's lips and smiling, "You'll think about it. I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to decide right now." Alec sighed, nodding and lay back on the blanket, squinting at the sky.
They fell into silence, so Magnus got up, grabbed his camera and headed to take pictures of the water. Getting pictures of everything from the flowers by the side to the raging torrents of water falling from the rocks, Magnus was entranced. He turned around when he heard Alec giggling-could guys giggle? Was it a chuckle? When Magnus turned around, he was sure it was a giggle. Alec's tongue was between his teeth and he was grinning broadly.
"Why're you laughing at me?" Magnus asked, forced to return the contagious smile.
Alec shrugged, the smile that was gracing his lips never faltering, "You're just so in love with taking pictures. I've never seen anyone so happy just taking pictures." Magnus took that as the right moment to take a picture of Alec, the sun catching his hair and his eyes bright and amused. But the second the picture was taken, Alec frowned. "I probably look awful." He said, "I wasn't ready."
"If you had it your way," Magnus said, looking at the picture instead of Alec, "I wouldn't take any pictures of you at all."
"Yeah, because I look horrible in them."
Magnus looked up in surprise. "What?" He said, his voice rising a few octaves, "What on Earth makes you think you look awful in them?" When Alec shrugged and looked away, Magnus got angry, "You're so fucking annoying sometimes. You seriously think you look bad? You look amazing."
"No I don't." Alec said, scowling, "You're just saying that to be nice." He looked somewhat hurt and Magnus softened his tone a little, coming to sit beside Alec on the blanket.
"You don't look awful." Magnus said, his voice soft but his tone firm. He couldn't believe how self-conscious Alec was, considering the fact the rest of his family seemed to ooze confidence. "I think you look amazing. You're attractive, embrace it, abuse it." Magnus meant it jokingly, but the furrow between Alec's brows deepened.
Alec sighed, "You're just saying that because you're nice." Magnus opened his mouth to protest, but Alec continued on, "You're trying to make me feel better. I'm not like you. You're beautiful and I'm just-"
If he'd had any self-control, Magnus would have waited until Alec had finished his sentence. He might have even waited until Alec had thought about what exactly their relationship was going to be now. But he didn't. Instead, being the impatient bastard that he was, Magnus reached over, pulled Alec in by the back of his neck and kissed him fiercely.
Alec made a small noise of surprise, reaching out almost instinctively to grab Magnus' waist and pull him closer. Just as Magnus was getting lost in the moment, they heard a call from in the woods and Alec backed away quickly.
"Alec? Magnus?" It was Isabelle, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Where the hell are you guys? Seriously, you've been gone for like a hundred years! Magnus you better not have murdered my brother!" Alec snorted, but got up and pulled Magnus up with him. Magnus wandered over and grabbed their shirts. They were still sopping wet and he tossed Alec his shirt and made a face.
"There's no way I'm wearing this." He said honestly, slinging it over his shoulder. Alec folded up the picnic basket, nodding and regarding the shirt with a bit of disgust.
"I have a sudden worry that there is a spider in my shirt." Magnus snorted at the idea, but Alec looked genuinely concerned, examining the shirt from all sides before picking up it and the basket. "I hate spiders." He muttered, starting up the hill.
"Really?" Magnus said, "I used to be scared of water, because I almost drowned as a little kid. But then I got pretty tall and my fear of drowning went away." He paused, "In pools at least, I'm not making any promises about oceans or anything. I have to be able to stand."
Alec nodded, "Understandable. I have no reasoning, I just really fucking hate spiders. They give me the creeps." They laughed, holding hands to try and get up the hill without falling and getting covered in dirt. The two boys took their sweet time, making it back to the house and catching Isabelle on the porch.
"Oh, finally." She said, giving them a weird look. "Is there a reason why either of you are unable to wear a shirt?" Alec rolled his eyes a threw the shirt at her face and she curled her lip. "A simple explanation would have been fine." Holding it a foot away from her face, she turned to go inside, "I really didn't need the demo."
Alec walked inside, grabbing the shirt from her and glancing over his shoulder to look at Magnus at the last second. Magnus winked at him, causing Alec to blush. Isabelle raised an eyebrow, walking inside and calling over her shoulder.
"I got my eye on you Bane."
Et voila! They kissed. A lot. I was in a weird mood writing this and I'm pretty sure it's reflected in how quickly I went from actual sort of plot to flat out kissing. Oops.
xx
