Chapter Text
Alec: Funny, Iz. No. Just need some advice.
Izzy: *insert eye roll emoji*
Alec shook his head at the messages, pocketing his phone again before turning his attention back to the teacher. He glanced over in Magnus’ direction, hoping to find those golden eyes facing him, but unfortunately was greeted with the back of the other man’s head which, although quite beautiful in itself, not what he had been hoping for.
When the bell rang for the end of class, Alec felt satisfied that he’d been able to actually get a full worksheet done. He pushed back his seat, reaching down to grab his bag as the shadow of a figure blocked the light in front of him. Alec looked up and felt his jaw fall open as he saw Magnus standing in front of him, running a hand through his hair. “Hey, do you think we can talk?”
~*~
They were tucked around the corner of the building, away from other people’s eyes and ears. Alec’s sweaty palms were doing nothing to ease the anxiety of talking to Magnus and he rubbed them against the fabric of his jeans. Magnus was watching him, his brows furrowed. They’d been standing for at least a couple of minutes now, both of them silent as if they were no longer certain about what they wanted to talk about. It was an awkward silence, the kind that made the air feel thick enough to cut and Alec tried to fight his urge to run away.
“Are you alright?” Magnus’ smooth voice ended the silence between them and Alec opened his mouth, trying to think of any words to respond to the question, but failing. “Alec…” There was softness in his words, a softness that Alec had never expected to see in someone who was as bold and confident as Magnus. It was a side of him that not a lot of people got to see, Alec imagined. “I know that you don’t exactly know me very well, but you can talk to me. I know what a panic attack looks like.”
“I… it wasn’t…” Alec turned his gaze back to the floor. As much as he was grateful for the gentle words, Alec couldn’t look at Magnus for too long without feeling the blush across his cheeks. He cursed himself. Even when he’s genuinely being nice and friendly, you can’t keep your Goddamn mind off of other things.
“Alec.” Magnus’ voice was firmer this time; firm enough to cause Alec’s eyes upwards again. Magnus had taken a step towards him and Alec could feel the anxiety begin to resurface in the small space that separated them. “Mental health is something that’s really serious. I do want to help you.” “There’s nothing to help.” Alec stepped back, trying to keep his voice as level as possible, despite the pounding in his chest.
“I’m fine, I promise. I just… I had a bad night’s sleep and I realised that we’ve got a game tonight that I’m not prepared for. It freaked me out.” It was a convincing lie, Alec thought. It was true, to some extent as well. Alec hated that he had gotten so good at lying after years of keeping secrets from his parents. It had definitely given him some ugly traits. “I promise, I’m fine.” He stole a glance at Magnus, faintly smiling at the other man.
Magnus’ face seemed no less concerned than it had been before the conversation but he sighed, his own smile stretching across his lips. “If you’re sure, then okay.” He reached out, patting his hand against Alec’s arm reassuringly. Alec felt another flush of red across his face at the touch. “But hey, I’m always here if you want to talk. Five desks away.” Magnus’ smile grew, his fingers slightly squeezing at Alec’s bicep. Alec tried to keep his emotions at bay.
“T-thanks…”
Magnus gave another reassuring squeeze before he dropped his hand and his face lit up, returning to the usual grin that Magnus normally sported around people. It was almost scary how fast he transitioned from this heartfelt, gentle man back to bold and extravagant. “The only screams I like to hear are the positively raunchy ones, preferably caused by myself.” And in true Magnus fashion he winked his beautiful wink and walked off, leaving Alec dumbfounded once again. Alec’s mouth hung open as he watched the other man leave, slow to process his words.
Wait. Did he just…?
~*~
Alec slid into his chair opposite Isabelle in the cafeteria, his face slightly breathless from how quickly he had escaped from the corner after Magnus walked off. Isabelle glanced up from her coffee, amusement spreading over her features as she noticed her brother. “Heeyy, big bro. You look a little flustered,” she grinned cheekily, leaning forward over the table. “Did something finally happen with Magnus?”
“No.” Alec retorted, takinga swig of the water that Isabelle had on the table, staring his sister’s expression down. “Well, maybe? I don’t know. Not in what way you’re thinking.”
“What are you talking about?” Isabelle smacked her brother’s hand, grabbing the bottle of water back for herself.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy…” The expression Isabelle shot him made Alec roll his eyes.
“Seriously, Iz. I think Magnus might be able to read minds.”
“Wait… what?!” Isabelle almost dropped the bottle as the words left Alec’s mouth. He had expected her to laugh, to tell him that he was indeed crazy and needed help. Instead Isabelle leaned forward, dropping her voice. “What makes you think that?”
“After Dorothea’s class, I thought that maybe I’d give it a try… you know, she seemed to be able to read mine. And there was no harm in checking, right? So I shouted. In my head. And well, he flinched. Magnus, that is. He flinched after I shouted and turned around to look in my direction.” Isabelle’s eyes widened at Alec’s explanation and she slowly leaned forward more, taking in the words. “He spoke to me after class, as well.” Alec tried not to let his cheeks burn. “And he mentioned it, the screaming. I mean, I think he hinted that he heard it.”
“What did he say?!” Isabelle dropped her voice again, realising her outburst. “What did he talk to you about?”
“I… uh, I got a bit anxious after the shouting experiment and he picked up on it. He took me outside after class to tell me that I could talk to him if I wanted and that he was there for me.”
“Aww, see! I told you he cared about you!” Isabelle grinned. “But seriously Alec, what did he say about the screaming?”
“He…” Nope, the blushing’s back. “He said that he usually only liked hearing screaming if he was the one causing it.” Isabelle’s hand grabbed Alec’s, her fingers squeezing his until they almost hurt. Alec could tell she was trying her hardest not to squeal. “He was flirting?! Alec!”
“It wasn’t flirting, so much. He talks like this to everyone, Iz.”
“Don’t deny yourself this, Alec. He flirted with you regardless. What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know.” Alec ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
“You want me, your little sister, to know what you should say when the person you like is possibly a mind reader?” She raised her eyebrow “And has been listening to every thought you’ve had about them?”
“Isabelle… please. I just want to know how to ask him. If anything, you can at least help with that.” Isabelle sighed, taking another sip of her coffee. “Okay, well first you’ve gotta find out for sure. Perhaps let him know that you know he can read minds? Or that you at least suspect he can?”
“How do I do that?”
“That’s up to you.” Her voice was serious now. “Maybe ask him a question mentally and see if he responds? That’s always a good first step.” Alec ran his fingers through his hair again, thinking about the past few days. This whole situation was crazy. He couldn’t believe that he was discussing with Isabelle how to find out if his crush could actually read minds. “And then what? Wait for him to approach me?”
“Well,” Isabelle crossed her legs, looking more mature than Alec had ever seen her. He was reminded that his little sister wasn’t so ‘little’ anymore. “Judging by your personalities, I’d assume that Magnus will probably approach you about it.”
“Right… of course. And then what?”
“Well that all depends on what Magnus does.” Isabelle shrugged, flashing one of her devilish grins. “You can either kiss the face off of him or at least ask the guy out. God knows you’ve been waiting for long enough. When are you next in class with him?”
“First thing tomorrow morning.” “So tomorrow morning we end this.” Isabelle had perked up now, obviously excited about all of this. “You ask Magnus a question, see if he answers it and then you guys get together. Happily ever after!”
“This isn’t a story. It’s not just ‘Ask him a question and we get together.’ This whole conversation is insane, Iz. Stuff like this – magic, mind readers – doesn’t exist.”
“Sure it does, Alec. You heard what Dorothea said, everyone has the ability to. You just need to tap into your true potential.”
“You don’t actually believe that, do you?” Alec asked, rolling his eyes and leaning back in his seat.
“You’re the one asking advice on how to ask out your crush if he can read minds. I don’t think you’re in any place to say that you don’t believe in it.” Alec couldn’t think of a counter argument. He knew Isabelle was right. There was no room for disbelieving anymore.
“Okay… tomorrow morning.”
~*~
Alec could hardly sleep that night. His mind kept going over the possible scenarios for the next morning over and over and he was too anxious to rest despite the exhaustion that had set into his bones after the game. He had seen Magnus in the bleachers, eyes trained on Alec whenever he had glanced over at the man. A couple of times Magnus had waved at him, the metal of his rings catching the bright lights of the pitch.
It had made him smile, remembering the way that Magnus had noticed him. And then the situation he was in would come creeping back in. Tomorrow would either go one of two ways: this whole thing would turn out to be part of his imagination, Magnus could never read minds and Alec was overreacting about the whole situation. Or it will be the most embarrassing day of Alec’s life when he finds out that Magnus can actually read minds and has heard everything Alec has ever thought about him.
Alec groaned, turning over in his bed. Get it together, Alec. If Magnus really cared what you were thinking, don’t you think he’d be more obvious? No. Of course he wouldn’t, you idiot. He wouldn’t want to let it on that he could hear what you were thinking. Alec ran his hands over his face, pulling the duvet up around his chin. But he was nice to you, told you he was there for you. Surely he wouldn’t do that if he was weirded out, right? Right. That’s better. Tomorrow’s going to be fine. Absolutely fine, nothing can go wrong.
Apart from you completely making a fool of yourself. Just that.
Alec turned over, shoving his face into the pillow with a groan. This was going to be a long night.
~*~
When Alec stepped into class the next day, he looked around the classroom for the familiar flash of sparkle and colour that occupied the desk in front. Magnus didn’t seem to have arrived yet and Alec took a deep breath before sitting at his desk. You can do this, Alec. All you have to do is say something like “Hey, Magnus. You know the answer to this question?” or “hey, if you can hear me then please give me a sign.” That’s not too bad, right? And then if he doesn’t respond, you can move on with your day.
“Hey, well done last night.” Alec was snapped out of his thoughts when a hand gripped his shoulder. He spun round in his chair to find Magnus grinning at him. “You were anxious about nothing. You killed it.”
What’s he talking about? Oh… right. Of course. The game. “Oh, thanks.” Alec returned the smile. “Thanks for the support.”
Magnus grinned more. “It was my pleasure. My services are available at any time.”
Alec didn’t have a chance to respond before the teacher arrived, sending everyone back to their seats.
Okay, Alec. You survived the first encounter of the day. Good job. Now just the rest…
The rest of the class was boring, as to be expected. Alec tried to find an opportunity to test out his theory, but for the first time in ages, their teacher had decided to actually teach instead of handing out worksheets. The whole class was too focused on writing notes to be able to think anything other than equations on the board. Fate seemed to play its hand as Alec lost his concentration for a moment, thinking about when would be a good opportunity for the experiment when he realised that the teacher had carried on and Alec had missed a large chunk of the exam content.
Shit, now what do I do? I can’t ask Mr. Starkweather to repeat it. That’d look so bad. He looked around the class, finding everyone else stuck down, heads buried in their notes and when his eyes cast over Magnus, it was almost as if a light bulb went off in his brain. Hey, uh, Magnus? I don’t know if you can hear me, but can I borrow your notes? I’ll wait after class. There wasn’t a reaction from Magnus that he could see, but Alec supposed that was to be expected.
Once Mr. Starkweather started on the next point, Alec began continuing his notes and hoped to any deity out there that his words had been heard.
The rest of the lesson was a drag. Alec was watching the clock, his hands getting sweatier the closer it reached the hour and when the bell rang to signal the end of class, he felt his heart in his throat. The students filed out one by one, chatting amongst themselves and soon enough Mr. Starkweather left as well leaving the room empty apart from Alec. Alec and the figure situated five seats down from him. Now that they were alone, Alec felt every word he had planned leave his brain. The only noise he could hear were his own breaths, coming out harder than he would’ve liked them to. He kept his eyes trained on Magnus, who hadn’t yet moved from his seat.
“Magnus? Are you okay?” Alec tried to make his voice as calm as possible, but he would be lying if he said there wasn’t a tremble in them. There wasn’t a reaction from the other man immediately and Alec grew more fearful. What if he’d made a huge mistake by figuring out his secret?
A couple more seconds passed before Magnus stood, making his way towards Alec’s desk. He simply placed the paper full of notes down on the table before making a move towards the classroom door. Alec’s heart was in his throat as the other man walked over it flipped in his chest before sinking as Magnus walked away.
“Wait!” Magnus stopped in the doorway, turning his head back to look at him emotionlessly. Alec had spun around in his chair, eyes wide and cheeks flushed with anger. “That’s it?? No explanation? No ‘now that you know, I have to kill you’?”
Magnus let out a loud, cheerful laugh that echoed through the empty room. He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe amused. “You really are something, aren’t you?”
Alec’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment this time. “What do you mean?”
“I thought you already knew.”
“I… what?” Alec was struck with confusion at Magnus’ words. How could he have known?
“Well you went to Dorothea’s little showcase. Surely she explained it.”
“Not about that!” Alec could feel frustration slowly slip into his words now. Magnus seemed to notice the change in mood and he shifted uncomfortably. “For the past year you’ve been hearing every single one of my thoughts and you never thought to say or do anything?” Alec stood up, palms curling into themselves. “You flirted and played with me - like you wanted me to like you, but you were really just leading me on this entire time? Are you seriously that egotistical that you would try to keep the guy who likes you – actually likes you – interested enough to keep thinking about you all of the time for your own narcissistic benefit. Without actually doing anything about it?”
Magnus flinched at the words, taking a step into the room and closing the door behind him. There was hurt flickering in his eyes and his mouth opened and closed as if he was thinking of saying something and then stopping himself. “What? Can’t think of anything to say in your defence?” Alec shook his head. “I can’t believe this… I went through every scenario of what could’ve happened today, but I never expected this.”
“You remember the other day? When you ran into me?” Magnus finally decided to speak up, crossing his arms over his chest and his expression growing stern. Alec nodded, firmly remembering the encounter. “You were worried that someone would catch us. That it would go around school that Alec Lightwood, captain of the football team and son of corporation giant Robert Lightwood, was gay. Why do you think I didn’t say anything to you, Alec? Because I’m a dick? Trust me, I might like the attention, but that doesn’t mean I am what I eat.” Magnus raised his eyebrow, his usual smirk crawling back onto his face.
The new information sent Alec’s mind reeling. He had been protecting him? Was that was it was? “I… oh.”
Magnus stepped closer, placing himself a metre away from Alec. “Remember I don’t just hear thoughts about me, I hear them all. I heard when you were freaking out because your team had been discussing which girls around the school were cute and you were trying to figure out which one would be a good choice as you didn’t know. I heard when your little brother had gotten into your room one morning and gotten hold of your journal. You’d spent all day worrying that your dad would find out and what would happen.” His expression softened and Alec looked away, glancing down at the floor. “I was willing to wait until you were ready to approach me.” Magnus chuckled. “Although believe me, it was hard. Especially when you knocked me over the other day. I was just about ready to pull you into the nearest janitor closet.”
Alec felt his cheeks burn with shame and he kept his eyes downcast. “I… I’m sorry. For assuming that you were making fun of me. ” The feeling of fingers on his jaw turned Alec’s gaze upwards and he felt his breath hitch at the sight of Magnus’ eyes so close to his own.
“And I apologise for not coming across as more approachable than I thought I was being.”
“Do you want to go out sometime?” The words rushed out of Alec’s mouth before he even had a chance to properly stop himself. His eyes widened at the outburst and he watched as Magnus’ own copied the action, apparently in just as much shock as Alec was. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to, I just figured that we’d already gotten this far and-“
“I’ve been waiting for almost a year for you to ask me that.” Magnus grinned and Alec felt all of his anxieties leave him.
He sagged with relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “Is that a yes?”
“It’d be a waste of my time to say no, so yes. Of course, it’s a yes.”
“Fantastic. I’m free on Saturday?”
~*~
It’s finally happening. After all this time, you’re finally going on a date with Magnus freaking Bane and you can’t even find something suitable to wear. Alec groaned, flopping back onto his bed. There were 45 minutes left until Magnus was coming to pick him up and he’d spent the last hour picking through his wardrobe with a fine tooth comb to choose something that would look good and he struck out with every outfit he picked.
A knock at the door was his only warning before Isabelle let herself into his room. “Don’t tell me you’re giving up.”
There was amusement in Isabelle’s voice and Alec didn’t make a move from his spot on the bed, waving his arms vaguely in the direction of his closet. “It’s hopeless, Iz. I have nothing good enough to wear on a date with him and he’s going to think I’m an idiot. Probably even regret he agreed to this.” The bed dipped next to him and he looked over at his sister. Isabelle tutted at him, motioning for him to sit up.
“What about that outfit that you wore to Thanksgiving last year? That looked good.”
“It has holes in it, remember? I spilt gravy and Luke’s dog decided to tear at my shirt?” Isabelle chuckled at the memory. “Oh yeah, I remember. Mom was so mad.”
“Do you think I could steal something of Jace’s?” It was no secret that out of the brothers, Jace ultimately had the better fashion sense. His leather jacket and jean style was a hit with everyone and at one point Alec had been insanely jealous of the attention he received because of it.
“Alec, you’re so much taller than Jace. Plus Jace is broader in the shoulders. It would look like a doll’s clothing on you.” Alec groaned again, standing up to head back to his closet. “Can you help me? Please?”
There was a slightly more enthusiastic glint to Isabelle’s eye and Alec briefly wondered for a moment if he had made the right choice.
~*~
There was no denying that Alec’s heart was doing somersaults when Magnus finally knocked on the door. Isabelle had managed to throw together an outfit that she felt suited the occasion and after going through a speech in his head, he had felt prepared for the other man’s arrival. The knock on the front door, however, pushed everything he had worked on out of his mind.
It had been the perfect opportunity, with both of the Lightwood parents out of town on a business, there was no chance that his parents would be able to ask any questions about why there was a man turning up on their doorstep and asking for Alec. The backup plan had been that Alec would say he was going to Simon’s house and Magnus would pick him up from there. He was glad they hadn’t had to resort to that option, for as much as Simon had grown on him, he still talked way too much when excited.
He opened the door, feeling his heart stop for a second as he soaked in the figure on the other side. Alec had always thought that Magnus was beautiful, there was no denying it, but tonight he was on a whole other level. His usual make-up had been toned down, the eyeshadow a soft gold to compliment his eyes and liner just subtly there. His outfit was a pair of black jeans, topped with a dark purple shirt that opened at the front exposing just enough of his chest that Alec couldn’t look away from the golden skin there. He looked natural, like he had stripped back his usual glamour and showing Alec what the real Magnus Bane was like.
“Wow… you look…” Wonderful? Magnificent? Beautiful? Like the most beautiful person I’ve ever laid eyes on?
Magnus chuckled, placing a hand over his mouth as he did. Alec felt his cheeks betray him and turn red. “Thank you, Alexander. You look rather splendid yourself.”
Alec shook his head, gesturing to his own outfit of worn blue jeans and a black button down shirt. “I have nothing on you.”
He lost himself in Magnus’ appearance, letting his eyes linger for longer than he should’ve and it wasn’t until a small ball of fluff tried to run past his legs. He grabbed the cat who yowled in his arms before dumping it back inside the house and closing the door. “Sorry, my little brother’s cat is a nightmare. Uh… we should be going… before the neighbours suspect anything. You’d be surprised at how nosy they are”
“Your neighbours would really rat you out to your parents?” Magnus raised an eyebrow at the assumption.
“Oh, yeah. One time Jace and Isabelle decided to throw a house party while they were gone and the neighbours called my parents. They were home within an hour and shutting the whole thing down.”
“Well then, I suppose we should be going. I’d hate for this date to end before it’s even begun.” The smile he gave sent a whole new wave of butterflies churning through Alec’s stomach.
The car ride had been pleasant, Alec discovering that he actually didn’t mind Magnus’ taste in music. He had even heard some of the songs before and managed to sing along to the chorus of a couple of songs. Magnus hadn’t told him where they were going, just that he was to be prepared for somewhere nice.
The restaurant, as it turned out, happened to be somewhere that his family had frequented before. Despite how confident he had felt previously in the car, the doubts in Alec’s mind began to creep back as he thought about the many friends of his parents that also came to this restaurant. Oh shit, I hope no one recognises me…
Magnus turned his head towards Alec, concern in his expression. “Did you want to go somewhere else?”
Alec looked back at Magnus, shaking his head. “No, here’s fine. Why would you think that?”
“Alec… I can read your mind, remember?” Magnus tapped the side of his head, right at his temple. There was amusement in his expression and Alec had to stop himself from cursing.
“No, here’s fine. I promise.” Alec smiled, taking Magnus by the arm and pulling him towards the door. He heard Magnus chuckle behind him and couldn’t stop the grin that pulled across his face. Some part of him was almost thrilled to be finally going out in public on a date. With a man. In a place where anyone could see them. He could worry about the consequences later.
The night was magical. They ate as much food as their stomachs would allow, taking full advantage of the Saturday night all-you-can-eat deal. Magnus made Alec laugh so hard that his chest hurt and there were tears in his eyes as they joked about teachers in school or lessons they had taken. Alec shared a few of his funniest moments from the football team and how there were so many opportunities were Alec just wanted to scream at them “Hey! I’m not straight!”. Those made Magnus laugh in return, mumbling something under his breath about ‘straight males’ and Alec chuckled along, sipping from his drink.
At some point during the meal, they had ended up with their hands intertwined on the table, fingers idly running over each other in plain sight and Alec caught himself grinning at their hands more than once. He had noticed a few people that belonged to his parents’ social circle and whenever he caught them staring, he would wave his free hand before squeezing Magnus’ fingers with the other.
There was something special about the way Magnus’ face looked when he was happy. It was as if nothing could hurt him, that he was invincible to anything else around him, apart from the person that was making him happy. And that was how he was looking at Alec now. Like Alec was the only person in the world, both of them protected under this bubble of happiness where nothing could touch them. Alec couldn’t stop himself looking in his eyes, mesmerised by the hues of colour that reflected the lights in the restaurant and sparkled like the stars outside in the sky. He let himself savour the way Magnus’ lips looked, so soft from the lip gloss he was wearing and pulled up into an almost sinful smile. He was so entranced that he almost didn’t catch how those same lips moved, forming into the shape of words. It wasn’t until they dropped from their smile that Alec found himself snapping from his daze.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“I said, I think we should get out of here. They look ready to close.” Magnus chuckled as Alec glanced around the restaurant, realising they were the only two remaining. He fought back the disappointment as Magnus unlaced their fingers so he could grab his coat from the back of the chair. Alec stood himself, gathering his own things before moving back, sliding his fingers through Magnus’ again. He couldn’t help it, it was like now that he’d had a taste, he never wanted to let go.
Magnus grinned at the gesture, squeezing his fingers slightly before making his way to the entrance of the restaurant. They thanked the staff before stepping out into the cold night air and Alec suppressed the shiver that went through him. He really should’ve brought another coat. As if he could almost sense that Alec was cold, Magnus moved to wrap his arm around Alec’s waist, pulling him closer against his side and Alec melted into the warmth, his own arm reaching under Magnus’ jacket and across his stomach.
Magnus jolted at the touch, biting down on his lip to suppress a giggle and Alec quirked his eyebrow at the noise, running his hand along the stretch of skin again. This time Magnus erupted in a fit of giggles, stopping their walk back to the car and dodging away from Alec’s fingers.
“Magnus Bane, are you ticklish?” Alec couldn’t keep the amusement from his voice as his fingers caught the same point, sending his victim into another fit of laughter.
“Stop! I surrender!” Magnus was bent at the waist, arms folded across himself. “You’re going to ruin my mascara!”
Alec laughed, pulling his hands back and holding them up in front of him. “Okay, okay. In the name of eye-makeup protection, I surrender.”
Magnus breathed in dramatically, throwing his own hands up before straightening himself. Sure enough, there were now small smudges under his eyes from where the tears had reached his eyeliner and Alec tried not to draw attention to them. Magnus, however, seemed to pick up on the reaction and groaned, reaching for his pocket mirror. “See, Lightwood, look what you’ve done. I look like a panda. As adorable as pandas are, it’s not a look that suits me.”
Alec bit back his own giggle, moving forward once again to wrap his arms around Magnus’ waist over his jacket. “I can think of a way to take your mind off of it.”
This prompted a raised eyebrow and Magnus turned to face Alec. “And how would you do that? This is perhaps the worst thing that’s ever happened on a first date.”
There was nothing harsh about his tone and Alec leaned closer, their lips barely touching. Magnus could feel his smirk against his lips and when Alec spoke it was barely a whisper. “By ruining your lip gloss as well.” And Magnus couldn’t say a single word in response before Alec closed the gap between them, their lips fully connected.
In all the 18 years that Alec had been alive, he had never found a place that he truly fitted in. Despite being welcome at many places - home, school, the football team, with the small group of people he called his best friends in middle school - none of them were really where he felt he belonged. It had been something that Alec had torn himself over, trying to work out why he felt so out of place wherever he went, how he could be surrounded by so many people and still feel lonely.
He knew why now.
After 18 years of searching, he had found his place in Magnus Bane. In the way that their lips connected so perfectly, every second sending more and more energy through Alec’s body until he felt electrified, his nerves threatening to explode at any second and yet Alec couldn’t stop himself from wanting more. He pulled Magnus closer, ensuring that no part of them was separate from the other and the moan from Magnus’ mouth only prompted him on further. The night was cold and yet Alec had never felt so warm. He was melting into the kiss and was in no hurry to break it anytime soon. Magnus seemed perfectly fine with the decision, turning his head for a more comfortable position and Alec felt like the entire experience had changed.
Oh, God. I love you.
Alec pulled back at the words, breath heavy and eyes lidded as he looked at Magnus. The words were still echoing in his head and it took him a moment before he realised why they had caught him so off guard. He hadn’t been the one to think them. Magnus looked just as stunned as Alec did, eyes wide and glimmering with passion as he cocked his head, confused as to why they’d stopped. “Is something wrong?”
“I… what?” Had he really just heard Magnus’ thoughts? Had Magnus truly said that he had loved him? “I just, I thought you said something.”
“As if you gave me a chance to speak at all.” Magnus chuckled, pulling Alec close and lacing their fingers together before beginning their walk again. “That was wonderful.”
“That’s an understatement.” Alec ducked down, giving Magnus another kiss before stepping into the passenger side. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and wondered how his whole appearance could’ve changed within ten minutes. There was a huge grin on his face that no matter how hard he tried, wouldn’t go away. His lips were red, slightly puffed from the cold and kissing and his hair mussed from Magnus’ fingers. He looked happy. Alec had always wondered what that would look like, to be truly happy. He wasn’t willing to part with this look for a while.
The drive back was in a comfortable silence, they were sitting close enough that their arms brushed against each other, both of them unwilling to break contact just yet. Alec felt his heart sink at the sight of his house, signalling the end of their night. Magnus stopped the car, turning to face Alec. “I just wanted to say… that was the best date I’ve ever been on.” Alec twisted himself to face the other man, the already wide grin just growing bigger.
“Mine too, but I don’t have anything to compare it with,” he chuckled, taking Magnus’ hand in his own and running their fingers together. “I don’t want to go inside…”
“Oh, Alexander. I’ll still be here whenever and wherever you need me to be. I promise.” Magnus pulled their hands over, placing a kiss on top of Alec’s knuckles and Alec blushed, somehow his grin only growing wider.
“Kiss me again? One more time?”
It was half an hour later that Alec finally managed to make his way back into the house. There was lip gloss all over his chin, his hair sticking out in all directions and nothing could wipe the grin off of his face. He made his way upstairs, flopping down onto the bed with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling, the glow in the dark stars that had been there since he was kid looking down at him. He had always had a fascination with stars and perhaps that was what had drawn him to Magnus in the first place, the way he lit up a room so brightly that even the brightest star would seem dull compared to him. Alec had thought a lot about Magnus in the past year, but as he went to bed that night, sleep finally overtaking him, there was only one thought that coursed through his mind.
I think I love you too.