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Alec's leg bounced uncontrollably under the table he was sitting at in the coffee shop, waiting for his date to arrive. No matter how many times he told himself that there was nothing to worry about, that this was Magnus, he couldn't shake his anxiety. They had been talking for months, and they were practically already in a relationship, but they had never met in person. That was what that day was for, finally meeting after all of the nights that they stayed up talking, telling each other about their pasts, their likes, their dislikes, everything.
What if they had nothing left to talk about? What if Magnus took one look at him and realized that he had made a huge mistake?
Magnus was beautiful in every way a person could be. He was downright gorgeous, his style impeccable. But he was also extremely intelligent, and funny, and sarcastic, and caring. He was everything Alec had never even dreamed he could find in a person, yet somehow he had. The way they had met was, for lack of a better term, an accident. Isabelle had asked to use Alec's phone one day after hers had died, claiming she was in the middle of a very important conversation with her friend, and he had rolled his eyes but let her. Next thing he knew he was up half the night texting this mysterious person- whose name he still didn't know- about which Marvel movie was the best.
It became somewhat of a routine after that. Magnus would text him every night, and then every morning, until it was just a constant conversation; and slowly but surely they opened up to one another, telling each other things they had never told anyone. Magnus was the first person apart from his family that Alec had told he was gay and about his parents' disapproval and mistreatment of him, and Magnus told Alec about his mother's death by her own hand and his step father's abuse. They trusted each other with everything, no matter how dark or embarrassing it was.
But if there was one thing about Alec that he couldn't change, it was that there was always a gnawing feeling inside of him that insisted he wasn't good enough. Not a good enough brother, son, or friend. He was always too uptight, too introverted, too boring, or too abnormal if his parents had anything to say about it. Magnus was the first person who never complained about his personality. He never once pushed for them to meet, or pried for information. He accepted Alec for who he was, and that meant more to him than Magnus would probably ever know.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a beautifully familiar voice saying, "Hey, you come here often?" and just like that, every insecurity he had felt just moments before faded away, because Magnus was there, standing in front of him. Alec jumped up from his seat and threw his arms around him immediately, managing to only shiver a little bit when Magnus laughed and the breath hit his ear. He also hit his knee on the table as he was standing up, but he ignored the sting, reveling in the moment he finally felt Magnus' arms around him for the first time.
"Is this really because you're excited to see me or are you just loopy because your noisy neighbor kept you up half the night?" Magnus asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. "I mean, obviously I know I'm irresistible, but-" He cut himself off as Alec pulled back giving him a mock glare while trying desperately not to let out the laugh that was bubbling up in his throat.
"Shut up," he said, failing completely and laughing as he gestured for Magnus to sit down. They sat across from each other, not saying anything for a few moments as they shared smiles and took each other in for the first time. They had seen pictures of each other of course, but this was different. No camera could capture Magnus' beauty, no matter how expensive or high quality it was. The way the light shined off of his skin, the pull of his lips as he grinned, and the way he moved his fingers tantalizingly over the table as he fiddled with his rings was enough to give Alec a heart attack. "My neighbor was actually very quiet last night. It was a small miracle," Alec said, breaking out of Magnus' gaze to roll his eyes.
Magnus hummed thoughtfully before saying, "Maybe he had a date today as well," and there it was. This was a date. They hadn't said those exact words when they'd agreed to meet up, but of course that's what it was. What else could it be? They had been flirting for so long now that Alec was sure neither of them were even looking for anyone else. He certainly wasn't. Although they had never made anything official, he knew that the connection between them wasn't something that anyone just stumbled upon. It was real and important, and it was time that they explore it.
Feeling suddenly bold, Alec reached out and took hold of one of Magnus' hands, slotting their fingers together. He fought the blush that threatened to spread on his cheeks as much as he could, and finally settled for allowing his ears and the back of his neck to blaze red. "Hopefully he did," he said, smiling widely. "Then maybe he'll sleep at the house of whoever he's dating more often and I won't constantly be a sleep deprived zombie."
They talked for a long time, forgetting in the meantime that they were supposed to actually get coffee at the coffee shop, but that was what made it special. Nothing else in the world was worth paying attention to, because after all of the time they had spent just out of reach, they were there, ready to start something that would likely change their lives for the better. They talked, and laughed, and exchanged fleeting glances, and it was so amazing that Alec almost regretted not summoning up the courage to meet Magnus sooner. He knew that he hadn't been ready, but everything with Magnus was so smooth, effortless, like there was nothing in the world that he couldn't handle as long as Magnus was beside him.
When they finally realized just how long they had been sitting there, they walked out hand in hand, letting a comfortable silence form as they both looked up at the setting sun. The clouds glowed a light pink, while the sky was bathed in yellow and orange. It was the perfect moment, and Alec wasn't even surprised when Magnus gently tugged on his hand, pulling him into a small alleyway. Music played from a nearby restaurant and the chatter of passersby could still be heard clearly, but every other sensation was drowned out when Magnus kissed him. It was tentative at first, barely a brush of their lips, but then Alec's back was against the wall and his hands were on Magnus' hips and it was all-consuming, a push and pull that got them nowhere and everywhere all at once. It lit Alec's insides on fire slowly, until he was sure that the entire city could see the light emanating from him. He had never experienced something like this before; one kiss annihilated every single wall he had built around his heart, and he was all too happy to see them crumple into nonexistence.
When they finally pulled away they were both gasping, having deprived themselves of oxygen for as long as possible. Magnus pressed his forehead to Alec's and both of them were smiling so widely that it was almost painful, and Alec knew right then and there that he was going to fall in love with this man. The falling had already begun, actually. He just hoped that when he finally landed he would find Magnus in the same place, waiting for him.
"I'll walk you home," Magnus whispered, and Alec nodded against him. Neither of them moved, however, content to stay in the moment just a little while longer. But then they were kissing again, and time slipped away completely, not that either of them really minded.
The thing that really hit Alec when they finally began the walk back to his apartment was that he used to think that he couldn't have something like this. He thought that his parents would rule his life forever, that there was no escape from their judgment and their ignorance. But now there he was, holding hands with a man as he walked past hundreds of people in the city, and no one even blinked an eye. The world was not ending, and no one was screaming at him or calling him disgusting. He could be who he was without constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even if someone did do those things to him right now, he wouldn't believe them. Because how could feelings that intense and pure and beautiful not be right?
"Wait," Magnus said, causing Alec to pause just before pushing open the door to his apartment building. He hasn't even realized they had arrived, but his feet had taken them there anyway. "You live here?" His eyes were wide, and Alec raised his eyebrows, wondering what the big deal was.
"Yeah," he said, his gaze roaming over Magnus' shocked expression. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just...I also live in this building." Alec's heart stopped, and he froze for a few seconds.
"You live here?"
"Yeah, on the fourth floor," he said, and Alec felt himself pale slightly.
"You're kidding me. There is no way we live on the same floor of this building and we haven't met before. I know everybody on my floor, except..." And that was when the other shoe dropped.
"You're the noisy neighbor!" he exclaimed loudly, causing a girl who was walking by to jump. He sent her an apologetic look, but his heart was racing. He had complained to Magnus so many times about his neighbor, and didn't have a single nice thing to say about them.
What if Magnus hated him now? What if he was freaked out because they lived so close? What if he had just messed everything up?
Magnus started laughing. Hard. So hard, that there were tears leaking from his eyes as he doubled over, clutching his stomach. It was so contagious that within a matter of seconds Alec was laughing as well, his worries leaving him with every exhale. Magnus continued to surprise him in the best way possible.
"I'm...so...sorry," Alec said between laughs as he tried to regain some form of composure. "I can't believe I've been complaining about you to you this whole time. I'm two seconds away from locking myself in my apartment and never coming out."
"I think it's a little late for that, darling," Magnus said, grinning even wider- if that was possible- at his joke. Alec rolled his eyes, and guided Magnus into the building, his shoulders still shaking slightly. He pressed the elevator button, relieved when the doors opened right away. They stepped in together, their hands still connected, and Alec turned to him.
"Is there any way I can make it up to you?" he asked, and it came out sounding much more suggestive than he had originally planned, but when that beautiful smirk made an appearance on Magnus' lips he decided to go with it.
"I believe you mentioned something about your noisy neighbor staying at their date's place more often? I'm sure your neighbor wouldn't mind if we made a little noise, seeing as how he usually blasts his 'shitty pop music' all the time," he suggested teasingly, and Alec ducked his head, blush spreading across his face.
"Hey," Magnus said softly. "I'm just teasing you. I'm not mad at you at all, and if you don't want to take this any further tonight I am completely fine with that." He brushed his free hand across Alec's cheek, and Alec leaned into the touch as the elevator doors opened onto his- their- floor.
"I think we've waited long enough," he said, and with a smile that was so carefree that he barely recognized himself, he pulled Magnus with him down the hallway toward his door.