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Alec knew he should have been suspicious the moment he walked in the door and saw Izzy and Jace huddled up on the couch together, giggling. They were hunched over Jace’s phone that he was rapidly tapping away at as Izzy whispered and snickered into his ear.
“What are you guys up to?” Alec asked as he dropped his backpack at the entrance, straightening up their pile of shoes as he went.
“Nuuuuuthing~” Izzy drew out the word in a singsong voice. Right, nothing suspicious about that. Alec narrowed his eyes. She was grinning back at him from her perch beside their adopted brother, clearly knowing that Alec wasn’t buying it. Jace didn’t look up from the phone and instead seemed to be waiting for a response from the other end.
Alec supposed he could go over and investigate further but it wasn’t worth the effort. Izzy had that look in her eye that told Alec he wouldn’t be getting any details until she was good and ready to tell him. So instead he just nodded and headed to the kitchen to scrounge up some food. Long boring lectures on campus always left him ravenous by the end of the day.
Jace must have done the shopping this time because there was actually edible food in the cupboards. Alec had just finished pouring himself the biggest bowl of cereal he could manage when Isabelle flounced in.
‘Would you describe yourself as serious and stoic or quietly charming, brother dearest?”
Alec nearly choked on his spoon as Jace called out from the other room, “I’d say awkwardly introverted!”
Izzy shot a glare back into the living room, assumedly at Jace while Alec recovered.
The cereal gracefully extracted from his windpipes, he spluttered, “Describe myself as…what?”
“You heard me. Now answer the question. We’ve got one on the line and we’re not letting him get away.”
Alec shook his head, “Izzy, you’re not making any se-“
His sister turned on her heel, marching back into the living room, clearly done with their conversation. He heard her say, “Just go with quiet and charming. We’ll make it work.”
He took his bowl and retraced his path back out of the kitchen, slumping down onto the far end of the couch that wasn’t occupied by his siblings. When they still didn’t share whatever mischief they were getting into, Alec flicked on the TV, attempting to lose himself in some mundane house flipping show.
It was only vaguely interesting and Alec couldn’t concentrate fully. He could feel the sidelong glances coming from across the couch and hear the bursts of giggles and whispers. He was ready to give up and head upstairs to start work on his latest project when Isabelle all but screeched triumphantly, flailing arms nearly knocking Jace upside the head.
Alec jumped, fumbling with his bowl to keep it from crashing to the floor, “Jesus Izzy, keep it down! We’ve already had noise complaints from the neighbors.”
His sister stuck out her tongue at him but couldn’t hold back a grin. She slid off of the couch arm she had been sitting on and shoved herself into Alec’s face.
“If only you knew what we’ve just done for you,” she gestured between herself and Jace who was also radiating an aura of smugness, “You’d be celebrating too.”
Alec frowned, “Well you still haven’t told me what—“ but she was off again, slipping down the hallway towards their rooms.
“C’mon, we’re going shopping!”
--
Three hours later Izzy had Alec spinning for her in front of a mirror of a specialty shop he couldn’t even pronounce the name of, decked out in a casual waistcoat and the tightest pair of jeans he’d ever worn. He gave her a pained look as she snapped a photo of him, humming thoughtfully under her breath.
“Would you just tell me what this is for? I don’t have the money to afford this kinda stuff, Izzy!” He complained, searching around the store for his brother but Jace was somewhere off looking for a pair of shoes to go with the outfit they’d concocted.
Isabelle waved a hand loftily while tapping away at her phone with the other, “Don’t worry about it. It’s covered. We just need to pick something nice out for you.”
“Why just me?” Alec could feel his anxiety ratcheting up every time Izzy dodged another one of his questions.
“All in due time, dear brother.” Her smile was downright terrifying.
Jace managed to find a pair of shiny new boots that passed their sister’s rigorous inspection and they were soon in line to checkout, a bundle of new clothes in tow. Alec reached for his wallet as the last customer in front of them stepped away, already trying to calculate how many paychecks he’d have to fork over to even begin to cover the bill. Instead, Izzy grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the way without a word as the cashier beckoned them forward. She handed over her phone and said, “Please charge to the Bane account.”
Alec stared at Isabelle questioningly as the cashier’s eyes widened. The young woman took the phone and made a few deft keystrokes on her monitor before handing the phone back.
“Please give our thanks to Mr. Bane for his business,” the cashier said as she started to wrap up the clothes in white tissue paper, taking extra care to neatly stack them into a paper bag emblazoned with the shop’s logo.
Izzy gave the woman a winning smile. “I’m sure he’ll very much appreciate it,” she answered as she hooked an arm through Alec’s crossed ones and towed him out of the show, Jace smirking and following behind.
“Should I even bother asking?” Alec muttered, almost more to himself.
“Nope!”
--
That night Izzy disappeared with Jace into the depths of her hell hole of a room, very dramatically closing and locking the door in Alec’s face. Scowling, he returned to his own room, hoping to finish some of his schoolwork. His attempt didn’t last long. His mind kept wandering to the mysterious stranger that was helping his sister buy clothes for him.
Bane.
Nothing rang a bell. It could have been a friend of his parents, he supposed. But it seemed strange that Izzy knew them and he didn’t. He always tried to keep tabs on his parent’s associates, mostly so he would know who he would be working with when it was his turn to take over the family business.
They certainly could have been a friend of Izzy’s but his sister was always so open about the new people she met. It seemed odd that he’d never heard the name before now if that was the case.
Frustrated, he slammed his book shut. A paper from his desk fluttered to the floor from the force of the gust. He picked it up, heart sinking a bit. It was a school bill, one that was coming due soon. He tucked it back into the neat pile it had come from. It could wait just a bit longer until he could scrounge up the money.
He went to bed.
--
The next day class was coming to a close when he got a text from Izzy.
The Greenhouse. 8pm. Wear your new clothes.
Alec frowned at his phone. The Greenhouse? It sounded familiar. He searched it on his phone’s browser.
A fancy French restaurant. The fancy French restaurant if the reviews were to be believed.
He sent a quick text back to his sister.
I can’t ever pronounce anything on that menu.
Her response was only a few emojis with tongues sticking out and Be there.
--
The restaurant was more intimidating in person. Elegant couples walked in and out of the ornately carved wooden doors. Inside Alec could catch glimpses of servers in freshly pressed suits, not a crease in sight. Every now and then he could hear a few chords of classical music drift from the restaurant.
He glanced down at his phone.
8:05
Neither Jace nor Izzy were anywhere in sight. Maybe they were inside already? He pocketed his phone and opened up one of the doors, taking a deep breath as he entered. He was unexpectedly nervous and not sure why.
The host looked up as Alec entered, giving him a once over before schooling his features into a polite smile, “How can I help you this evening, sir?”
Alec didn’t think it was possible to feel more self-conscious then he already was but the man’s clearly strained manners only made his sudden anxiety worse.
“Uh, I think I’m supposed to be meeting someone here. Is there a table for Lightwood?” he asked, attempting to keep his voice level.
The host slowly made a show of flipping through his notes, running a finger down the length of the page, “I’m afraid I don’t have any table under that name, sir. Are you sure you have the right restaurant?”
Alec scrambled, “Maybe try Isabe—“
He couldn’t complete the sentence as the door behind him opened abruptly and the host all but jumped to attention.
“Javier,” the voice of the newcomer rang out as they approached, “How are you doing on this magnificent evening?”
“Wonderful, Mr. Bane.” The host returned the greeting and Alec froze at the name. “It’s always a pleasure when you visit.”
“Flatterer,” was the response as Bane stepped up besides Alec who took a few steps away in response.
“And you must be…Alec.” The man was certainly not what Alec had been expecting when he had envisioned Izzy’s mysterious acquaintance. The sparkly eye shadow and winged eyeliner stuck out in the formal setting, as did the purple suit that seemed to be dusted with gemstones and gold embroidery. Glitter even seemed to have gotten into his perfectly coifed dark hair. The whole look oozed a sense of style and fashion that was beyond Alec’s scope of comprehension.
The man smirked over at Alec when he didn’t respond quick enough. “You are Alec, aren’t you? I mean you do look exactly like the photo.” Bane paused thoughtfully, giving Alec a once over similar to how the host had done but this one was much more appreciative. “Though you’re much more handsome in person.”
Alec felt his face flush, “Photo?”
A sleek phone appeared in Bane’s hand, one that Alec knew cost way more then any phone had the right to. The screen lit up as the man punched in his pin. A photo of Alec from the day before appeared on screen. It was the one Isabelle had snapped while they were in the dressing room of the clothes shop.
“I’m so glad you agreed to meet me today. I will say I was a little hesitant when your sister was the one to respond to my message instead of you. But here you are.” Bane continued, the phone disappearing into the inside pocket of his suit. He gently placed a hand on the small of Alec’s back and led him further into the restaurant. Javier magically appeared in front of them, leading them towards a small, secluded corner of the room.
“O-oh, right.”
Bane pulled out a chair for Alec who sat down, still confused. The other man took his own chair murmuring something to Javier before the host left them alone. Alec stared down at his plate, painfully aware of Bane’s intense gaze.
The man cleared his throat and Alec looked up. God, this man was exactly his type and Alec didn’t even know he had a type. The suave look, the confident set of his shoulders and the prettiest smile Alec had ever seen. He swallowed nervously.
“So would you like to get down to business before or after dinner?” Bane asked, leaning forward, eyes bright and sparkling in the candlelight.
Business? So maybe this was a family friend after all. Alec wished Izzy hadn’t been so coy with the details. He couldn’t even begin to fathom why she thought going into a business deal blind was a good idea.
“I’m actually not sure why I’m here.” Alec said after a beat, almost immediately wishing to take it back when Bane’s expression dropped.
“I’m sorr--.” He attempted to backpedal.
“Oh no,” The other man interrupted, managing to look horrified and amused all at the same time. A hand came up to cover a grin, “Did your sister make your profile without telling you?”
“Profile?” Alec asked weakly, a dawning horror rising in the pit of his stomach.
The phone reappeared in Bane’s hand and was quickly slid over to Alec who took it hesitantly. A profile with his photo was pulled up on the screen. It seemed mostly tame and very similar to something he would write for himself except with a few Izzy-esque flairs for the dramatic. It listed him as a law student with interests in martial arts and boxing as well as a few more frivolous facts like his astrology sign. It seemed like a normal dating profile up until he scrolled to the very top and saw the name of the app. He nearly dropped the phone as he looked up at Bane with a new understanding.
The man across from him winked and gave Alec a cheeky wave, “Hello Alexander. My name is Magnus Bane and I’d like to be your sugar daddy.”