Chapter Text
Bright lights of the city buzz before Alec, neon and fluorescence that should be warm and inviting in the low-setting sun only come off harsh and foreboding. He stands outside the doors, the bustle of people that filter in and out push past him but he remains firmly planted, feet shoulder-width apart and satchel slung high on his shoulders.
Magnus had insisted they meet in front of the restaurant, despite Alec’s futile attempts to pick Magnus up, and now he stands in waiting with nerves that twist and curl with bottled dread at the thought that Magnus might not even show. Alec’s early, he knows he is, but pacing around his apartment would only agitate his neighbors below, and he had already fussed over his outfit in the mirror long enough.
Dark colors are the ensemble choice for today, as they are every day. A black button down with the cuffs folded to his elbows, black jeans that fit just slightly too large of tight, and black boots that are scuffed but less so than the other pairs he owns. It’s not exactly an ideal outfit, especially not when compared to the undoubtedly stylish outfit Magnus will be wearing tonight, but with only a few hours to get ready and Izzy in class, he hadn’t been able to buy anything new.
Where his wardrobe is sorely lacking, he hopes to make up for it with interesting conversation and what he hopes is the perfect date for Magnus.
Yeah, he’s fucked.
Before he has time to fret yet again, a voice calls out from his side. “Alec!”
“M-Magnus,” he stammers, the low current of unease that spawned in the overworking of his brain now transforming into a burgeoning excitement at the sight of the other man. “You’re here!”
Eyes crinkle where Magnus smiles and tilts his head. “Did you think I would stand you up?”
Yes, he wants to say. “No, of course not,” is his answer.
Dark brown eyes flicker down his body, and Alec tries not to let the spike of attraction affect him visibly as he watches Magnus take him in. “You look amazing.”
And Magnus, god, he must not even realize he’s taken the words right out of Alec’s mouth. Because in front of him stands perfection dressed in a blue silk button down, decorated impeccably with draping chains that sit elegantly in low swoops and bring attention down to the silver belt and black fitted slacks. There’s no glitter tonight, Alec realizes, just the alluring smudge of black and cobalt along Magnus’ eyes that doesn’t bring attention away from the warm honeyed hues that meet Alec’s and catch the words in his throat.
“You look - ah, you look incredible,” he manages through a croak. “You always look good.”
A second of silence, a moment of hesitation where Alec licks his lips in worry, wondering if he’s ruined this already with his inability to be coherent and normal. But then those eyes are flickering down again, and Alec watches intently for the moment where they fall shut fully and soft lips press to his. Only it doesn’t come, because Magnus seems cognizant to the very little space between them that happened unknowingly, and he steps back with a smile and a motion towards the door. “Thank you, Alec. Shall we?”
He almost says yes on instinct, but when Magnus pulls open the door, Alec stops him with a hand on his wrist. “Sorry, um, I actually had something else in mind. Give me just one sec?”
Slowly, stunned, Magnus nods and steps away front the door where Alec rushes in and whispers something to the hostess. It’s only a minute later that he steps back out into the night, carrying two plastic bags with containers in them. He holds them up with a sheepish smile, to which Magnus lifts his brows.
“You got the food… to go?”
“Yes,” Ales says, drawn out with doubt. “But hold your judgement until we get there.”
Magnus’ raised brows furrow. “Get where?”
“You’ll see,” Alec grins, the excitement back in full force and fueling his actions.
There’s a bubble of laughter that spills from Magnus when Alec walks backwards, facing him and nudging his head for Magnus to follow. So he does, skips a few steps to catch up, and falls into step with Alec into the darkening streets of the city.
Magnus had wanted something casual, laid-back and easy going for their first dinner together, and while burgers from a diner hadn’t exactly been Alec’s first idea, it was one conversation in particular a few days prior that cemented the location for him.
I’m just a sucker for small romantic gestures. Something simple and sweet like sharing a milkshake, or a picnic under the stars.
It was a text that came late in the evening when they were on the subject of favorite movies, and Magnus’ guilty pleasure for romantic dramas. While Alec didn’t exactly hold the same sentiments for that genre of movies, he had been diligent in his research and intended to put it to good use.
When they finally stop, it’s with cautious steps on Magnus’ side in the middle of a park where the vivid green grass below lights up with the soft yellow glow of park lights overhead. “Alexander?” Magnus questions, taking in the scenery around them of the tall, luscious trees that part just enough to peek at the beginnings of a winking sky up above.
Alec sets the bags down carefully and reaches into the satchel for the cloth blanket inside, spreading it in a smooth motion he’d seen on TV many times before. It falls upon the grass with a gentle gasp from Magnus, whose eyes are focused heavily on Alec and the succession of his movements. It’s nerve-wracking being watched like this, being fixated on with no indication of approval or dismay.
What if Magnus thinks this is stupid and Alec has horribly misinterpreted the words of Magnus’ texts? Maybe it’s only ideal in theory, but the practicality of having a picnic under the stars isn’t something Magnus actually wants. What if Magnus is uncomfortable with sitting on the grass with just the flimsy barrier of the cloth beneath them, afraid he’ll stain his pants somehow? What if Magnus walks away now with not a word more and crushes the patient tide of his feelings?
Before Alec can get lost in the hollow darkness of his mind, Magnus sinks to his knees in the middle of the blanket.
A wide grin meets Alec when he glances down at the other man, an adoring smile that races his heart and has him drifting down instinctively with him, though his heart doesn’t quite follow.
The rest of the night falls into place almost exactly as Alec could have expected, and as much as he wants to sink fully into the experience of their first date, he can’t help the small, niggling feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. Of course there are a few small hiccups here and there, a wayward onion in his burger that Alec didn’t order, or a small squirt of ketchup that accidentally stains the blanket, but none of it ruins the evening.
It’s only when Alec finally pulls out the milkshake from the carrier and reveals it to Magnus, that he finally lets go. “Alexander,” Magnus whispers, bright wide eyes peering up at him with wonder. “Is that what I think it is?”
Alec can’t keep the smile off of his own face when he sticks two straws into the thick liquid and leans down to take one between his lips. For a moment, he feels silly. Magnus hasn’t moved, has stayed firm with open eyes that flick back and forth from Alec’s face, to the straw between his lips, and then to the solitary one left for him, until finally, he ducks his head down.
And fuck, this was a good idea in hindsight, it sounded so cute when Alec was planning it. But now, with Magnus so close, with the intensity of his stare right in front of him and the sight of his lips puckered around the straw, sucking…
Damn it.
Alec pulls away first, his lungs burning with the air he didn’t realize he was holding and his tongue tingling with the achingly sweet chocolate from the shake. Magnus doesn’t move right away, content to sip the milkshake with his sultry smile trained on Alec, until finally he leans back and licks his lips. And god, Alec is so far gone for this man already, and they haven’t even finished their first date.
Silence sits between them, comfortable enough that Alec sits the shake back down into the container and Magnus reclines until his back is hitting the cool earth below through the sheet of the blanket. Alec is quick to follow, and mindful to keep an appropriate amount of distance between them.
It’s barely past 8 o’clock, but the hum of the park is quieter than Alec is used to, and though he’s thankful it’s not as chaotic and loud as it normally is at this time on a weekend, it only makes the irregular thump of his pulse louder in his ears.
Magnus’ voice pierces through in the space between heart beats, a soft murmur into the air. “I’ve never had anyone do something like this for me.”
A travesty, if Alec’s ever heard one. Unfathomable.
“Seriously?”
There’s a small shake of the head that he catches in the corner of his eye, and he turns to face Magnus. His profile like this, with the cascade of yellow from the lights around them, makes him look a perfect image of serenity. Eyes cast up towards the stars that twinkle so far away, reflections of universes parallel, past, and future, and suddenly those eyes that hold the universe in them are on Alec. He forgets to breathe.
“Thank you, Alexander.”
Warmth pools in his fingertips, a point of contact that spreads, growing until their fingers lace at last, tentative and exploring. Alec has held hands before, has stared longingly into the eyes of another, has felt the high soar of hope budding out of his heart. None of it compares to this moment in time with Magnus. One perfect picture, one memory to hold above all else, and should this be the only one he ever receives, he’ll happily cherish it forever.
Alec basks in the gentle gaze they share, feels the effects of his palpable happiness in the dips of their fingers where the heat remains a constant. He’s still waiting for the other pin to drop, the one that brings it all crashing down in reality, but with the way Magnus strokes a slow thumb along the top of his hand and pulls his lips in a gracious smile, he’s not so sure he believes it will anymore.
Because Magnus is perfect for him, and maybe things between them are just that.