Work Text:
The next morning Alec arrived early at work. Since Izzy had literally dragged him away from set the last night, he desperately had to finish his paintings before his boss came and could scold him for slacking off. He needed this job after all, and although working as a Broadway set constructor was far from his favourite thing to do, he relished getting glimpses of the production and the rehearsals even if it was just the shouting of the director, the vocal warm-ups or the dancers stretching.
Luckily, his boss had handed him a spare key to the building last week. Maybe it was just an encouragement meaning he would be more than welcome to work overtime whenever he wanted to but given the woman’s stern demeanour it was probably considered an obligation if he intended to continue working there.
Alec didn’t bother with locking the door after entering because his co-workers would be pilling in later anyways. Having gone up behind the stage, he slid on his painting gloves and started mixing the colours he had left there the day before.
Half an hour later when the sign was halfway done, he took a quick break to take some sips of the coffee he had bought earlier on his way to set. That was when he heard a faint voice in the distance. A singing voice. Was anyone of the ensemble already there for the morning rehearsal? But he should be the only one. No one involved in the production had to be here until half past eight.
Drawn by his curiosity, Alec sneaked along the walls to where the voice was coming from. As he was nearing the main stage it got louder and clearer. It was a man, Alec recognised, and he was singing the male lead’s ballad Cross my Heart which was set to be sung at the very end of the musical just moments before the curtains were closed.
Alec had always loved that song. Even though he had heard it so often, the familiar melody still sent shivers down his spine every time. It was one of those songs which reminded him of how he first got interested in musical theatre. It brought him back to times when he was in middle school and had a habit of snatching his parents’ old performance recordings, then watching at 3am hidden under his blanket, so no one would find out. It reminded him of his first directing experience in high school, of his college friends and other bittersweet memories of what his life used to be.
Another thing the set worker noticed, was that the man’s voice was undoubtedly beautiful. Soft as a pillow, yet clear and powerful. Like a gracious flower withstanding a ruthless summer storm. Every note he sang conveyed the male lead’s feelings accurately. Yearning for finding his place in a world that continually rejects him. Afraid of being hurt again, but still hopeful to find someone who will love and accept him for who he is. Every single word the singer carried expressed a conflicting and saddening combination of experiencing pain and hope, all at once.
Alec swallowed. He knew it was bad manners to eavesdrop. Still, he felt as if the man was singing his feelings out loud, his eyes were already becoming wet, threatening to spill tears. Then, like a force of gravity, he was pulled towards the edge of the curtains, looking through the gaps to get a picture of the face behind the voice when suddenly…
*
CLASH
Magnus was focused on singing but startled and turned around when he heard a huge metallic clash behind him. Was someone there? Had someone been listening to him?
Raw paint in multiple colours was flowing on the wooden floor towards his booted feet. Magnus stared at the silhouette hidden behind the scarlet curtains, panic rising inside him. Someone had seen him. Someone who worked on that very set. His breathing gained speed and he could feel the sweat glistening from his palms. He never should’ve listened to Ragnor and his drunken self. This was the worst idea he had ever had. He could be thrown out because of what he had done! Even worse, they could ban him from ever coming back!
“Ow...”, the silhouette suddenly said while coming out from behind the curtains, rubbing his sore head. It was a man of about Magnus’s age, tall, dark and handsome, at least the parts of him that weren’t covered in paint, Magnus thought. Judging from his (no longer) white overall and gloves he seemed to be working as a set constructor.
Magnus was just about to defend himself for sneaking in when the hazel eyed stranger started rambling.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry! I know I shouldn’t have, but I overheard you singing and I wanted to listen and then I tripped over the paint and now the stage is ruined and your shoes…I-I am so sorry.”
“Well, a singer is always delighted to have an audience, even if it’s one who has happened to have fallen into a pot of paint.”, Magnus smirked.
The man was still for a moment, staring at Magnus wide-eyed. Was he offended by his looks? Most people were. An Asian man sporting spiked hair, kohl eyeliner and dark eye shadow was normally not someone you would bring around for family dinner. Not even mentioning the countless rings adorning his fingers, the necklaces hanging down his barely clad chest and the earcuff he always fiddled with when he was nervous.
And nervous he was. Even though the guy who had found him was delicious eye candy he had been caught trespassing on private property and was still awaiting his sentence.
“You’re a musical singer? Were you amongst those cast last week?”, the man’s eyes sparked with interest.
“No.”, Magnus’s tone was shallow. “I’m only an aspiring singer. Unfortunately, I’ve failed all my auditions so far.”
The handsome stranger’s mouth was agape, seemingly shocked.
“But, your voice- it’s so-so…beautiful. I’ve never heard a version of Cross My Heart as good as yours and since I work here, trust me I’ve heard a lot of them. Most of them have good techniques, but you…it wasn’t as if you were singing, it was like you were speaking…right into my soul.”
Magnus’s jaw fell open. No one had ever complimented his singing like this. He was used to people saying he was good, but this man, whose raven hair was still dripping from paint, had rendered him speechless.
“Was that offensive? Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude or anything. I don’t even know your name and yet I’m here talking-“, the man started to apologise when he saw Magnus stunned by his words.
“I’m Magnus Bane. And that wasn’t offensive at all. You just took me a little by surprise.” Magnus’s face sported a wide grin and he held out his hand for the man to shake.
“I’m Al-“ But just as he was about to introduce himself as well, the two of them heard the sound of the front door opening and shutting.
Magnus froze.
“Who is that?”
“Should be my boss, the theatre manager. She always comes around this time of the day. Likes to be here early to have more time scolding everyone.” The man said after glancing at the watch on his wrist. “Is something wrong?”
“She can’t see me here!”, Magnus panicked.
“Uhm...yeah, of course. Uhm…”, the man was looking around for a place where Magnus could hide. Then he grabbed the singer gently by the arm and pushed him into a small storage closet hidden behind the curtains.
“Stay here, I’ll find a way to distract her.”, he whispered.
*
“Mr. Lightwood, you’re awfully punctual. What a rare sight.” Mrs. Herondale entered the hall, went over to the audience and shrugged off her expensive coat onto the next seat. Alec rolled his eyes (internally) at her comment. He didn’t like to be late, in fact, he was early most of the days, but seemingly not often enough.
As much as he liked the musical production itself, his boss was kind of a nightmare. Imogen Herondale was well-known in the Broadway circles for being extremely strict and demanding of everyone on set. It was rumoured that she had once fired half of the ensemble a few days before the premiere.
“Good morning, Mrs. Herondale.”, Alec greeted politely, faking a smile.
“Were you just talking to someone?”, she asked with a stern face.
The woman was standing in the audience, feet below the stage, and even though Alec was used to being called a giant by his siblings, hovering over others with nearly 6’ 3’’, it still seemed as if she was looking down on him. How scary, he thought.
Then he suddenly remembered the stranger from before – well not stranger anymore, since he had just introduced himself as Magnus Bane – hiding behind the stage.
“I was just answering a phone call. It was an urgent one. Family issues. And I put it on speaker because I didn’t want to get paint on it.”
“Clearly.”, she said, staring at his paint covered self and then shockingly at the paint covered stage floor. “You do know the paint’s supposed to be used on the sign instead of on yourself. Clean that up now, will you?”
“Yes, of course, ma’am. I’ll get started immediately.”
“I’ll be backstage reviewing the candidates from Wednesday’s audition. Do not disturb me.”
Backstage. She was going backstage. Magnus was hiding there. Magnus was hiding backstage.
“Wait!”, Alec shouted just as she was about to pass by, then hesitated. Telling her to wait was a good start, but he couldn’t actually stop his intimidating boss from doing whatever she was doing without a solid reason.
Mrs. Herondale turned around, raising her eyebrows.
“There’s something … uhm… that needs to be taken care of. Outside.”, he stuttered nervously.
The middle-aged woman gave an unimpressed grunt, staring backstage. Alec got the feeling she knew something was off. As if she could see right through the doors of the closet Magnus was hiding in. Think of something to distract her, Alec! Anything! You promised Magnus, you’d send her away!, he thought to himself.
“Uhm…Outside as in the box office, I mean. The costume team sent out for a shipment of new fabric and they still need your signature approval. The documents should be somewhere near the box office.”
“If you say so, Mr. Lightwood.”, still looking unimpressed, she walked away.
After Mrs. Herondale had finally left the hall, heels clacking, Alec let out a huge sigh he didn’t even know he’d been holding. It wasn’t just the panic of being found out, every single conversation with his boss was nerve-wracking. He always felt like just one wrong word could leave him being fired and having to live off instant ramen for a few months until he would eventually resort to selling his organs at the black market.
Thank God, no – thank Izzy, Alec thought. If she hadn’t mentioned said documents the day before, Alec would’ve had to come up with a lie and Mrs. Herondale would’ve been furious. But for now, he was safe. And Magnus, the amazing singer he had just met, was safe as well.
He hasted backstage. “Magnus? She’s gone. You can come out now.”, he called, and silence followed. “Magnus, are you alright?” After more silence followed, Alec reluctantly opened the door of the old storage closet.
It was empty. Magnus was gone.