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It was cold in New York city at this time of the year. Almost cold enough to make Alec wish he could spend his entire day closed in his, not too warm, but significally wamrer office, burried under stacks and stacks of paperwork and a never ending supply of coffee, as bad as the coffee was at the prensict, it was better than no coffee.
He raised his badge as he stepped under the neon coloured tape to approach the body.
"Morning." He nodded towards one of the forensic guys currently kneeling next to the victim.
"Morning detective." The man looked up to Alec, before his gaze travelled to the left, where Alec's partner was dealing with other auhorities.
"What do we have?" Alec asked as he crounched down to examine the body.
"Male victim in his late twenties. No wallet, no phone, nothing. Based on the amount blood around the body and the wounds, he most likely died of blood loss due to numerous punctures that was caused by a sharp object. The murder weapon isn't here so we can't no much for sure until further investigation and a biopsy report."
"How long ago was he killed?"
"Hmmm. Hard to tell. It was freezing last night, which means it took him longer to bleed out, that is, if he died of the blood loss and not from shock or something else." The guy said with a shrug and Alec took a few notes and reminded himself to give a call later to the morgue to see what they could find.
"Thanks." He stood up as he walked over to his partner and the other men.
"Detective Lightwood." Alec said as he shook the hands of the two men.
"This is Miller. I wish we would be meeting under different circumstances. - the man said as he shook his head - I was just telling to your partner, Detective Branwell about the details."
"The victim was found by a man walking his dog this morning. He phoned the police to report the body at--" Lydia trailed off as she quickly took a glimpse of her notes "... well, the call came through at 6.23 am. The victim was dead by then. There were no other witnesses apparently, and he said he didn't see anyone around what so ever."
"Is he here?" Alec looked around, trying to spot anyone who could have been their witness.
"We took his statement and he gave us his contact details, but other than that, he had to go to work. He said you can contact him if you have further questions." Miller said as he handed said statement to Alec.
"Okay. That's great. Thanks." Alec said nodding to himself as he looked into the statement, running through it quickly. There was not much. Or nothing rather. Alec supressed an eye roll, finger tapping on the notepad. It was three sentences, not even a proper paragraph. It was far from a statement.
"Statement.. yeah, sure." He murmured to himself under his breath.
Lydia looked around in the alleyway before she spoke.
"Do you think the neighbours could have seen something?"
"We doubt it. There are no windows from either side and it is a dead end. The only way anyone could have seen anything, is if they walked past right at the moment of murder. There is only one lamp post here, meaning that even if someone walked past, they probably wouldn't have seen much, especially not with a glance." John said as he parted his arms in a way that it showed he had not much hope of getting to the end of this case.
"We should still make an announcement. Maybe it would help to identify our guy." Alec said as he looked towards the body, whom now was being covered in a black sheet, read to be sent to the morgue for further examinations.
__________
"I'll deal with the press. You buy lunch." Lydia said as they stepped out of the lift into the precinct. Alec was happy with that deal. He didn't mind public speaking but was also aware that, one, Lydia was a hell better in it than him, two, they would feel better about coming forward if they see her than if they see him. He was tall and didn't exactly seemed like the type of guy who could make a witness feel comfortable and willing to talk.
That's why he usually handled the interrogations.
It worked best this way. They both knew it, that's why they worked well together.
"Oh, by the way. I saw how you looked at the guy." Alec said with a grin.
"What are you talking about?" Lydia stopped suddenly as if she walked into a wall that just materialised out of thin air.
"You and John. Sitting in a tree.. K-I-" Alec stopped as Lydia threw her pen at him.
"You are so not funny Lightwood. And just for the record, our relationship is entirely professional." She said with a deadpan face.
"Aha." Alec was still grinning at her.
"Look. He is a great guy. I like him. But we have a murder to solve. I have no time for dating."
"Is that how you like to call it?" Alec asked before stepping into his office with a quick side step, successfully avoiding whatever else Lydia tried to throw at him this time.
...
He was on his second coffee as he finished the report for their case. It was terribly short. No name for the victim, no suspect, no murder weapon. They had nothing apart from the guy who found him, who can't even be called as witness considering that all he saw was the guy lying dead on the asphalt.
He swirled his pen around his fingers, when his phone finally rang.
"Lightwood." He said grabbing his pen, ready to take notes.
"Lightwood." Came to female voice, making Alec smile.
"Izzy. Hey. Have you got anything for me?"
"Well, I hate being the party boomer but not much. He was stabbed seven times, none of them were especially deep to hit any organs. One of the stabs damaged an artery, which eventually caused the death of our victim. He bled out. Was probably killed between 2 and 4 am. No sign of struggle apart from a few scratches on his knuckles. I found no DNA other than the victims. Not on his clothes or body. The blood found on the scene was all his. Sorry big brother."
Alec sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Not good. Not fucking good.
He was hoping that they would at least find some DNA that they could run in their database. The victim's DNA came back negative, so they were still unable to identify him.
"What about the murder weapon?"
"A knife. Roughly 4 inch in length. Nothing special. Could have been literally out of the killer's kitchen."
"Tell me about the stabs. You said none of them hit the organs."
"Nope. I don't know if it was sheer luck or deliberate. The penetrations seemed to be... angry. Like the killer literally shoved it into his body over and over again. There was no hesitation in the cuts."
"There were no belongings found with the victim. We assumed it was a mugging gone wrong." Alec said as he picked up his pen, to swirl it around his fingers once more. He leaned back in his chair as he listen to his sister.
"Well, you are the detective. It's your job to find out about the motives. But what I mean is.. I think it was a bit too intense, to be over couple of dollars. The guy didn't seem loaded. He was wearing average clothing. Nothing fancy. If I want to mug someone, he wouldn't be my first choice. Or the fifth."
Alec hmm-d as he ran a hand through his hair.
He doubted they would be able to solve the case. They had nothing.
"Thanks Izzy. I'll go and see if Lydia is done with the press and I'll let her know about what you found out for us."
"Okay. I'll call you if there is anything more."
"Thanks. Love you."
"Love you too." Izzy replied in a sing-songy tone as she hang up.
...
"Hey TV star." Alec said as he handed a mug of steaming coffee over for Lydia. They were both standing in the canteen, looking up to the small, old TV that was here probably since opening this precinct.
Lydia rolled her eyes as she took the mug from Alec and looked up at the reflection of herself on the TV.
"If anyone has any information that could help our investigation please call our office on the phone below with the reference number of 3329 or come into the office and ask for my self or my partner, Detective Lightwood. This was -"
The screen went black as Lydia placed down the TV remote with a sigh.
"Hey! I was watching it." Alec said with a gasp.
"Why don't you tell me what your sister found instead of mocking me?"
"It's not much. He was stabbed seven times, no organs were affected. Died between 2 and 4 am due to blood loss. No foreign DNA. Could be personal."
"Once we find out who the victim is, we might be able to get going with this case, but until then.. there is nothing we can do." Lydia said with a sigh that was both tired and frustrated before walking towards the door.
"Who knows? Maybe someone saw something and they will come forward." Alec shouted after her.
"As if." Lydia said, not even bothering to look back.
...
It was five in the afternoon and Alec was more than ready to call it a day. Lydia sent her a text twenty minutes ago, saying that she was going home. They've been in since six this morning. He was tired and had absolutely nothing to do. He spent the last half an hour starring at the image of their victim while quietly muttering 'who are you?' to himself, even if he knew the guy would hardly answer from behind his screen.
He almost jumped out of his seat when someone knocked on his door.
"Come in." Alec answered as he sat up straight, clearing his throat.
"There is a man here, looking to speak to you." Underhill said as he looked at Alec.
He was an other detective working at the precinct, currently involved in some drug-dealing-drama, which Alec was more than happy not to be involved in.
"Sure. Send him in." Alec said and watched his colleague stepping back out and letting a man to march into his office.
Alec wasn't sure if it was due to the way the man basically ran into his office or perhaps his extravagant appearance, coloured strikes in his hair, glitter and kohl around his eyes, not mentioning the teal coloured trench coat that flied behind the man in his hurry.
"Can I help you?" Alec asked with a frown and he wondered if it was a good idea to take out his authoritative voice straight away.
"I.. I have it on camera." The man panted as he held his phone in his hand. Alec had tried to focus on the man's words instead of his black painted nails and numerous ringers, but he was only human.
"What?"
"The murder.. I have it on camera." The man repeated once more as he looked into Alec's eyes.
...
Alec was sitting in the interrogation room a camera placed on the side, turned off.
The man was opposite of him on the other side of the table, his phone in his hands as he watched Alec to open his folder containing the details of his current case.
"So. I'm Alec Lightwood. Detective Lightwood, one of the two detectives dealing with the homicide." Go on Alec...
"Yeah, I saw it on TV." The man nodded.
"Why did you only come forward now? With the evidence, I mean."
"Well, I didn't know I had it at the first place. Not until your partner mentioned the exact location of the..incident. That's when I realised that I was nearby last night and I was making a video, so I checked it.. you know.. in case I have something. It was a silly idea, I mean..what's the chance right? But then I saw it."
"Can I see?" Alec asked with a frown. The man nodded and after a few seconds he handed his phone over to Alec, who pressed the play button.
He had to lean closer to see, the footage was very bad, as if the man was waving around with his phone, then the movement stopped for a second and Alec realised that they way the first camera was facing it was showing a scene behind the man, a scene that was the exact same where they found the body. He paused the video, but due to the darkness there weren't much he could see. Apart from a body lying on the ground with a blonde male leaning over him.
__________
"Wait, what?!" Lydia looked at Alec the next morning like he had two heads all of a sudden.
"Yep. A guy came in yesterday after you left. He saw you asking for witnesses and he realised that he caught something on camera.
"No way." She was smiling at Alec as they walked towards his office.
"It's not much, but more than what we had before." Alec said as he played to video for her.
"Wait.. wait.. go back." Lydia said as the scene just started to play.
"It hasn't even showed them yet." Alec said as he moved the little dot to go back a few seconds.
"I know. The guy. The guy who caught this on tape."
"What about him?" Alec asked as he stopped the video at a moment that showed the face of their witness.
"He is Magnus Bane." Lydia said with a shocked expression.
"Yeah?.." Alec had no idea what that had anything to do with any of it, or how Lydia even knew him.
"I always forget that you aren't one for social media and what not." Lydia said as she rolled her eyes.
"Your point?" Alec asked as he mimicked her move and rolled his eyes with a bored sigh.
"He is Magnus Bane. One of the most famous youtuber."
"A what now?"
"A youtuber. He has millions of subscribers. He travels. A lot. To everywhere. He shares his experience with others." She said as she pulled out her own phone, showing the man's account on YouTube for Alec to see.
"See. This was just after he returned from Peru." Lydia said as he started a video.
"Hello everyone and welcome back to my channel." The man said with a smile as he laughed into the camera. It was the kind of laugh that seemed to be hard to hold back.
"Okay. So, for those who missed my last episode, if you did so, check it out, it's gold, I've been to Peru and spent a wonderful ten days there. Now.." He stopped as he started laugh once more, hiding his face behind his hand. Alec tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that his nails were now painted bright blue. "The trip was great, but that's not what this video is about. It's more about this." He said as he laughed, holding up a piece of paper. Alec had to lean closer to be able to read it. The man kept giggling in the back as Alec cut him off by pausing the video abruptly.
"He got banned from Peru?!" He looked at Lydia in shock who seemed to be amused about the whole situation.
"I know right? It's hilarious. He never revealed why, but it was nothing illegal or serious since he hasn't been charged." She said with a wave of her hand.
"Okay, so he is a famous youtuber, who blogs about his trips." Alec said with a shrug.
"A vlogger." Lydia said as she raised a finger, mockingly scolding Alec for the incorrect use of the term.
"Do you want to see the video that actually matters? The one showing or suspect?" Alec asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah. Sorry." Lydia said, her entire being shifted to professional.
__________
"Mr Lightwood." A cheerful voice called after Alec once he stepped out of the precinct. His head snapped towards the voice, his eyebrows raised so high it almost disappeared in his hair.
"Mr Bane. What can I do for you?" Alec asked with a frown.
"Just Magnus. No need to be so formal." The man said with a wave and a wide smile.
"How can I help?" Alec asked instead.
"I was just wondering if the footage was any use in your investigation." Magnus said coyly.
"Unfortunately I can't share information about on ongoing case with you." Alec said in his most apologetic tone.
"Oh well.. that is completely understandable." Magnus said with an oh-so-sweet smile, one that made Alec wonder if he would see anything about this on the man's YouTube channel if he decided to pay it a visit.
"I know you are a youtuber. But I honestly hope that this entire case can stay out of your..fans.. view." Alec said clumsily, not sure whether people watching the man going on holidays could be called fans.
"My viewers you mean. And no. I make videos about my trips and not about murder investigations. Plus, I wouldn't want to risk jeopardizing your work." The man said with a smile that was a lot sincere than the ones before.
"That's...that's great. I.. uhm. thank you." Alec said with a nod as he looked at the man. His cheeks were slightly rosy from the cold. He were wearing leather gloves, the same coat he were the other day with a large scarf around his neck.
"For how long have you been standing here, exactly?" Alec asked with a frown.
The man just let out a deep laugh as he shook his head.
"You should work less and travel more Alexander." The man smiled as he walked away from Alec.
Alec looked after the man before he realised it started snowing. It was the first snow in New York.
__________
"Good news Lightwood!" Lydia said as she marched into Alec's office with a piece of paper.
"Thank fuck. What is it?" Alec asked as leaned back in his chair and took the sheet from her.
"Our victim. The twenty-nine year old Elias Whitmore. He lived in Brooklyn, alone. Worked at a bank. He was reported missing after he failed to show up for work. His boss contacted his emergency contact numbers, his father and a friend of his. His father doesn't live in the country, he hasn't heard from him in a week which wasn't unusual, his friend went over to his apartment but no one answered when he knocked. So, he contacted the police to report him, and with the photograph he provided, we were able to identify him as our former John Doe." Lydia said with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Did he know anyone who could have wanted his death?" Alec asked as he checked the address and what not.
"Nope. He said everyone loved Elias. He was kind and always had a nice word for everyone. He has no idea who could possibly harm him." She said shaking her head.
"Any partners?" Alec asked.
"Not that we know of. Apparently, he was bisexual but had no relationship in years now."
"Okay. Let's go to his workplace first then see if his neighbours can tell us anything." Alec said, already jumping out of his chair.
"I can't.." Lydia said as she looked down, avoiding eye contact with Alec.
"Why not?" He asked, rather surprised.
"The captain asked me to work on a case with Underhill."
"The drug-dealing thing?"
"Yes. They found some female victims. He knows I have experience with vulnerable female victims.. he wants me to help questioning them."
"Oh, okay." Alec said, it was alright, it's not like they never did questioning alone. It wasn't unheard of removing someone from once case in order to support another one.
"Let me know if you find out anything."
"Will do." Alec said with a smile as he walked out of his office.
...
"Not you again." Alec said as he basically ran into Magnus in the foyer.
"Detective. What a surprise." He beamed at Alec.
"Seriously.. aren't you supposed to fly to the Bahamas or somewhere?" Alec asked with an eyeroll as he watched the man joining him in the lift.
"I'm just back from my latest trip. I need some rest." He answered as he played with his ear cuffs. Alec tried not to stare him too much. His hair was different, instead of the dark blue strike, now it was white. His coat was different, a dark maroon colour, slightly longer this time. He was wearing a studded boots with pointy toes.
"Most people go for a holiday as a break." Alec said with his eyebrows raised as he shuffled out of the lift, heading for the main door.
"Yeah..well. So, how are you?" Magnus asked and Alec stopped abruptly.
"I am working on a murder case. I'm going to question some people who worked or knew our victim." He said after a moment. It wasn't exactly againts the rules to tell as much and he had the fleeing suspicion that Magnus wouldn't leave until he feeds him some information at least.
"Oh. So, you successfully identified him. That's great news. Where is your lovely partner?" He asked with a smile.
"She is currently busy, working on another case." Alec said as he pushed the doors open and stepped into the cold air. It was dry at least.
"That's means you are on your own to solve the case?"
"I don't need anyone else to help me solve a case." Alec said almost offended.
"I was just thinking that I could... accompany you."
"Absolutely not." He shook his head vehemently.
"Why?"
"Because you are a civilian. I can't let you get involved." Alec said with some frustration.
"I know. I know.. I just.. I just want to help." Magnus said as licked his lips.
"Why? I mean... you already did. You had that footage. Without that, we wouldn't even know who to look for." Not that they did. All they had is a glimpse of blonde hair.
"Because I was there! I could have.. maybe if I wouldn't have been too busy looking myself in my phone to post about some restaurant I just went to.. I would have seen the guy, I would have found him while he was alive. I could have saved him!" Magnus said, almost shouting.
Alec took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.
"Look. I know it is hard. I know you feel guilty..even if you have absolutely no reason to do so. It's not your fault that you couldn't save him. But I need to do my job." Alec said as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder.
Magnus looked at Alec's hand before looking into his eyes.
"Okay. But if there is anything I can do.. well, you know where to find me." He said with a tiny smile as he stepped away from Alec.
...
Alec sat in his car as he leaned back with a sigh. He didn't find out much from Elias' colleagues. Apparently he was a great guy. Friendly, hard working. Not a single customer has ever complained about him and according to everyone he had a great relationship with everyone at work.
He just hoped he would get something from the neighbours.
He looked at the address before driving onto the main road.
The guy was living on the fifth floor in a ten storey building not far from where he was found dead.
The area was average, not too shady but definitely not an upper-east-side.
No door man, just a list of names and a bell for each apartment.
He didn't exactly trusted in his luck with ringing up houses to get in, but it seemed luck was on his side anyway because as soon as he reached the door a woman just walked out with her dog.
It was one of those white tiny ones that always barked at Alec. He wondered if it was due to his intimidating height.
He smiled at the woman as he slipped into the building.
The lift looked older than any other lift Alec has seen before, so he opted for the stairs instead.
Apart from Elias' apartment, there was four more on the fifth.
He went to the first one on his left and knocked a couple of times.
"I'm coming." Came a voice that sounded more like a groan even through the thick British accent.
"Good afternoon." Alec said with a smile which he hoped to be friendly.
"What do you want?" The man asked as he looked up at down at Alec. He seemed to be in his late forties if not early fifties.
"I'm Detective Lightwood and I'm investigating in the death of your neighbour. Elias Whitmore?" Alec asked as he pointed towards the door behind himself.
"Oh. The boy died? What happened?" The man's express changed suddenly as he looked at the door.
"He was found dead, not far from here."
"Bloody hell. He was so young."
"It is unfortunate. I was hoping that you could help me."
"Now I didn't know him too much. We talked once or twice in passing, but that was about it."
"Did he ever looked distressed? Or even worried when you saw him?"
"Nah. He was always in a grand mood."
"Do you know about any girlfriend or boyfriend?"
"No. I saw him sometimes with some lads, but I think they were just friends."
"Can you recall anytime when there was shouting or arguing coming from his flat?"
"He was a good kid. Quiet. Polite. I don't know anything else." The man said with an apologetic shrug.
"I see. This is my card, give me a call if you do remember something. And thank you so much." Alec said with a smile as he walked to the next door.
The two other tenants all seemed to share the same opinion about the man. Friendly. Kind. Polite. It was started to drive Alec up the fucking wall. As good as it was to hear that the guy was great, it didn't help him with the list of suspects.
He knocked on the last door and waited. He could hear some noises coming from inside, but it seemed that whoever lived there either couldn't hear Alec or couldn't care.
Either way, he wasn't leaving yet.
After two more knockings, both louder each time a woman finally opened the door.
Alec tried to ignore the way the woman looked at him, or her appearance that somehow reminded Alec of an evil Snowhite, with her black her, porcelain white skin and blood red lips.
"Hello. Sorry to bother, but I am Detective Lightwood and I am investigating the murder of Elias Whitmore, your neighbour." Alec said as he looked into the woman's eyes.
"I don't know him." She said with a grimace and was about to shut the door on Alec but before she could have he stopped it with his hand.
"Look, I don't want to cause any trouble, I just would like to ask a few questions." He said moving his hand away from the door.
He could hear a video in the background still playing.
"I'm sorry Detective. But I have know idea who he was. Or what was he like. I only moved here recently. I can't help." She said and this time, she did slammed her door.
Alec closed his eyes with a sigh.
"She is a cunt." A voice came from his left.
Alec looked at the British guy from earlier who now was closing the door of his flat.
"Sorry, didn't want to eavesdrop. But regardless. Camille loves ruining other people's life. If she can give you a headache by not talking to you, she is more than happy to do so. By the way, what she said was bollocks. She did know the guy. Not more than me probably, but she did know him." He said as he walked past Alec.
"Why do you hate her?" Alec asked before being able to stop himself.
"You've met her for two minutes. Don't tell me you like her. I've been living here as her neighbour for five years. Now imagine that." He said with a scoff as he walked to the lift.
Alec frowned to himself as he stood in front of Camille's door. Why did she lie? Saying that she only moved here when in fact, she was living here for at least five years.
He was about to leave when he heard it.
"Thank you for watching guys. This was Magnus from Toronto."
...
"Sorry. I think I heard you wrong. Could you repeat it please?" The man said as he leaned back taking a sip from his coffee.
"If you keep rubbing it in, the deal is off." Alec said as he rolled his eyes.
"Alright. I stop. What do you need me to do?"
"I was trying to question a neighbour. She refused to talk to me, lied about how long she was a tenant for."
"Why do you think she would answer me?"
"Because he is a viewer of yours." He really wanted to use the word fan, just to hurt the man's ego, but considering that he was the one asking for a favour, he decided against it.
"Ahh. YouTube fame." Magnus grinned as he looked at Alec.
"I just need you to go there as a worrying friend of the victim. Ask her if she knows anything." Alec said as he stopped the engine at the building. "Okay. I just need one more thing." Magnus said with his hand on the door handle. "Yeah?" "A name. It would be a bit hard to play the worrying friend while I don't even know my alleged friend's name." He said raising a single eyebrow, and what an arched eyebrow it was.
"Elias. Elias Whitmore." Alec said with a sigh, knowing that he had no other choice.
...
He was just about to go after the man himself where the door suddenly opened a rather flustered Magnus hopped into his car.
"It's been almost twenty minutes!" Alec shouted as he looked at Magnus.
"Fucking hell just drive. I'll tell you on the way."
"A way to where?" Alec asked but still turned the key to start the engine.
"Away from that vampire living on the fifth." He grimaced as he put his seatbelt on.
Alec laughed as he reversed out onto the main road.
"So, did she know anything?" Alec asked after a few minutes of silence, which Magnus spent with being on his phone, tapping away like crazy.
"Nothing much regarding to your investigation. She knew the guy by face, but they never talked."
Alec almost stepped on the break.
"Then what took you twenty minutes?!"
"Listening to her about how much she loves what I do and offering her services to accompany me on my next journey... along with her other services." Magnus shivered.
"That's great. That is just fucking brilliant." Alec cursed as he ran one head through his hair.
"Tell me about it. I don't know what is worth. Listening to her about how much she loves watching me or her blatant flirting." Magnus said.
"I'll feel sorry for you when I have some time." Alec groaned.
"Jealous much?" Magnus looked at him, finally putting his phone away.
"As if."
"Mmmm.. you more into blondes?" Magnus wiggled his brows in a suggestive way and Alec didn't have to be a genius to figure out that he was talking about Lydia.
"Or more into blokes." Alec said as he pulled over at the precinct.
"Well, you can join me on any of my journeys." He smiled, or rather grinned at Alec with a wink.
"Hard pass." Alec said as he waited for Magnus to get out.
"You break my heart Alexander." He gasped mockingly.
"You'll live. But I won't if I don't get to the end of this case sooner than later."
"It was pleasure working with you." Magnus smiled as he got out of the car.
__________
"Lightwood. How is the case going?" Alec snapped his head up at the voice of his captain. "Sir. Eh.. good. I talked to our victims friends, neighbours and the people he worked with. I don't have much for suspect. I am still waiting on my guy to give me some CCTV footages that hopefully captured the suspect. Until then... " He trailed off shyly, not exactly proud of himself for having sweet fuck all even after a few days of investigation. "Well, let's hope the cameras did catch something. I'll need Branwell for the foreseeable future. Let me know if you do find something on our guy. Until then, are you okay working on your own?" The man asked in a way that was slightly suggesting that it would be great if Alec would be okay on his own.
"Sure." He smiled as he nodded at the man.
"Good."
He watched the man walking away before letting out a long breath.
His phone suddenly buzzed with a message.
Hey man. This is the best I could get. Sorry. Jace 04:36pm
There was a picture attached to the message.
To say that it was not much is an under statement. He couldn't see the man's face. He was on the phone with someone, his head tilted down. He spotted a red circle on his neck that could have been a tattoo.
He quickly searched in his database, but there was absolutely nothing he could find even remotely similar.
Internet searches weren't any more helpful.
He was about to pull his hair out in frustration when he spotted something else on the picture.
A card in his hand.
He tried to enlarge a photo but due to the poor quality it wasn't helping.
After a few seconds of hesitation he pulled out his phone with a sigh. He was already regretting this.
"Hey Simon. It's Alec. Could you help me with some IT stuff?" He said and tried not to think about the never ending teasing he will get from Izzy for asking her boyfriend for help.
...
"It seems like it's a business card for a place called Pandemonium. I've never heard of it." Simon said as he looked at the black and white card in their suspects hand.
"That's great. Thanks." Alec said, clapping the boy on the back.
"Do you want me to look into this place?" He asked with a smile that was a bit too eager.
"No. No. I'm good. I got it from here. Thanks." Alec said with a smile that was a bit too forced as he walked Simon out of his apartment.
He sat back in front of his laptop and quickly looked up the place.
"Of fucking course." He groaned as he realised that out of all the nightclubs in New York it had to be one that had their entry based on membership.
Some posh place for sure.
He quickly opened their website trying to see if he could get himself a membership card. Without a solid reason he couldn't use his position to get in let alone question anyone or get any information about other members. Not without a warrant which he would definitely not get. Any jury could argue that holding a business card didn't mean that the man was member in said club.
It turned out that the waiting list was rather long. On the FAQ part, the usual waiting could take up to three months. Alec wanted to cry.
He was just about to close his laptop and call it a day when he spotted an other opened window.
Without thinking much he clicked on it.
"Hello everyone, welcome back to my channel. This is my last day in Barcelona."
3M views. 736K comments.
Hmmmm.
Before he could change his mind, he pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a text.
Do you get free stuff as a youtuber? A 06:02pm
He threw his phone down onto the sofa but before he could wonder long enough whether it was a good or a bad idea, his phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Hello to you too. What free stuff exactly? M 06:11pm
Alec rolled his eyes before texting back.
Hi. And I'd rather talk to you in person. A 06:15pm
I can't live my flat now. My cat has been unwell and I can't leave him alone. Come over. I'll send you the address. M 06:22pm
Alec was not expecting that. But he wasn't about to dance out just because he had to go to Magnus' place.
He tried not to think too much about the man as it is. Alec was not blind. The man was gorgeous and he found him very interesting. He tried to keep their talks to strictly related to the case, even if he was dying to find out why he was banned from Peru or what would be his next destination after his so called break.
The fact that he knew the man was single didn't help. Neither the make up, jewellery or his style for that matter.
He felt like walking into the lion's den by agreeing to visit him in his home.
He thought about changing before going over but he decided against it in case it looked like he was doing it to impress the man. As he stood in front of his door he realised that now he just looks like a workaholic.
Great.
He knocked on the door twice with a deep breath.
"Alexander." Magnus beamed as he opened the door.
Alec blinked a few times and could feel his cheek burning as he looked at the man.
He did change.
He was wearing a black t-shirt that seemed a bit too tight and jeans. Barefoot.
"Sorry for calling this late." He said as he stepped into the flat.
"Don't be silly. I wouldn't have offered you to come over if I didn't want to." Magnus waved as he walked into the living room.
"Still." Alec said as he took his jacket off and after standing lamely for a few seconds he walked over to join Magnus on the couch.
His eyes darted over to a ball of fur in an armchair.
"That is Chairman Meow." Magnus smiled.
"He is cute. Looks soft." Looks. Soft. What the fuck.
Magnus let out a laugh as he looked at Alec.
"He is. Soft. That is. And cute of course. And also sick. But that's not why you are here."
"Right. Yes. Ehm.. have you heard about a place called Pandemonium?" Alec asked, still looking at the cat.
"It's a fancy nightclub I think. Why?" Magnus frowned.
"I need a membership."
Magnus blinked at him a few times as if he tried to process what he just heard.
"For the investigation." Alec added quickly when he realised that it sounded slightly as if he wanted to take advantage of Magnus for personal reasons.
"I see." Magnus said slowly as he pulled his laptop into his lap.
"Here." Alec said as he opened the photo on his phone about their suspect with the card.
"Is that the killer?" He asked as he looked at the picture.
"Yeah. I think he is a member of that club. I don't have enough to march in as a detective, so I thought I would try it in a different way, but their waiting list is as long as the Great Wall in China." He grimaced.
"It is a fancy place. I've been there once." Magnus said matter-of-factly as he typed away.
"Really? Without a membership? How?"
"Yes. Really. It was before the whole membership was a thing." He said with a shrug, looking at his screen.
"I see. Was it any good?" Alec asked, this time with actually curiosity.
"Well.. how about we go and see?" Magnus looked up at Alec grinning.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Alec looked at the screen with proper shock. On the screen was an email containing two electronic membership cards.
"I have millions of people following me Alexander. On every social media platforms. I could literally ask someone to lend me a kid for a day and would probably have at least 5 by midnight." He said with a sardonic smile.
"It's crazy." Alec said without blinking as he shook his head. Some people's infatuation was beyond normal. Or healthy.
"You would be surprised." Magnus said with a coy smile. "I might be able to get my friend, Cat, to come over and watch Chairman for a few hours after her shift at the hospital. We can go tonight." Magnus added.
"I.. look. I am very grateful, but I don't want to drag you into this."
"Nonsense. I found a way to get us in. I am definitely coming." Magnus said with a laugh and Alec had the feeling that an army would not be enough to hold the man back.
"Alright." Alec smiled genuinely.
"I'll see you here at ten?" It was just coming up to eight.
"Sure." Alec said as he wondered if he even had anything to wear to a place like this.
"Great. That gives me two hours to get ready."
"Okay. I'll get going then and I'll be back in two." Alec said as he got up from the sofa and walked to his coat, taking a last glimpse of the little fur ball.
He was about to walk away when he realised that he has no idea what people wore to such a fancy place.
He turned around and found himself almost chest to chest with Magnus.
"Ehm. I just. I wanted to ask.. what do people wear to the Pandemonium?" He stuttered as he looked at the older man.
"Dress to impress." The man answered with a mischievous grin as he leaned against the door.
Alec just nodded before turning around.
...
"What's your poison?" Magnus asked as they stood in front of the club.
Alec could hear the music, it danced its way under his skin, settling down on his nervous in a buzz.
"What?" Alec asked as he looked away from the door and looked at Magnus with his lips slightly parted.
"What do you drink Alec?" The man repeated with a smile.
"I uhh. I'm not here to have fun tonight." Alec said as he followed Magnus to the door where he held his phone out for the security to check their cards.
Before they could walk in Magnus stopped in front of Alec and placed a hand on his chest.
"Listen darling. You are nothing but a man tonight. So let's have fun. God knows you need it." He said with a smile that Alec did not find offensive even if he tried.
"I'm here to find a possible murderer. I can't drink while working." "Are you getting paid for your work tonight? Do you have your gun and badge with you? Are you on duty?" Alec shook his head. "Rum. With coke." Alec said after a second or so.
"Good." He winked as he turned around and walked into the club.
Despite being so hard to get in, the place was packed. Bodies swirled everywhere, at the dance floor, at the bar. He saw people kissing, touching and doing something remotely similar to fucking in clothes. He decided to look at Magnus instead of others with the naïve hope that his mind wouldn't wonder to places it shouldn't.
It was a mistake. The older man looked like walking sin in his tight leather trousers and shirt that revealed more chest that Alec has bargained for. He swallowed as he looked at the man's face instead of any other parts of him.
"Like what you see?" Magnus asked winking at Alec.
Alec just rolled his eyes before smiling.
"I'll look around. Our guy is blonde and has a red circle tattoo on his neck." Alec shouted into Magnus' ear, hoping that the man could hear at least every second word.
Magnus just gave him a thumbs up before making his way towards the bar.
Alec sighed, knowing that his chances of finding the guy among all the people were almost zero.
...
After a good twenty minutes Alec headed back towards the bar, hoping to find the man still there.
He didn't have to look for long before he spotted him sitting on a high chair, talking to the bar tender.
Alec watched as Magnus leaned in closer, almost as if he tried to whisper something into the other man's ear.
Boy, in fact. The guy Magnus was talking to, look very young, almost to the point where Alec wondered if the boy being in a club was even legal.
First, he was sure that Magnus was ordering a drink, but then he touched the man touched his hand before moving away from Magnus and disappearing in the back.
Alec frowned, not so sure what the whole thing was about by this point.
When Magnus spotted Alec looking at him, he first looked surprised then he winked at Alec with a smirk.
He hesitated for a few moments before he smiled back at the man, tilting his head to the side.
Magnus took that as his cue, and after grabbing two glasses, one with martini and one with hopefully Alec's order he hopped of the stool and danced his way over to Alec.
"Why is there a lemon in there?" Alec asked as he spotted a yellow circle floating in his drink.
"Don't tell me you never added lemon to your rum and coke." Magnus looked at him with wide eyes.
"No?"
"There is so much I have to teach you Alexander about drinking. Did you know they also call rum and coke Cuba Libre?" Magnus said as he shook his head and took a sip of his own drink.
Alec wanted to say something sarcastic but witty at least, but suddenly nothing good enough popped into his head, so in stead, he shrugged and took a sip of his own.
He hummed as the cold drink invaded his taste buds, the slightly sweet rum, mixing with the sour lemon was actually really nice.
Not that he would go as far as admitting it, although judging by the way Magnus grinned at him, his face must have been telling enough.
Alec just rolled his eyes before leaning closer.
"I haven't seen the guy. He might be here though, I go and have an other look around."
Magnus just raised his arm in a 'go on' way before turning around with his hip swinging to the beat of the music.
Alec took a deep breath through his nose. At least one of them is enjoying himself.
A small part of his brain, or maybe heart, wished to join. To dance, to drink, to have fun, to let go.
But he had a job to do, even if in a not-so-official setting.
He didn't come here to have fun, maybe another night.
...
It was just after 1 o'clock when Alec decided that his efforts are absolutely pointless.
The guy was either not there or they miraculously avoided each other the entire night.
He wasn't exactly happy. He wasted an inter night chasing a ghost.
He felt a pang of disappointment as he headed towards Magnus.
He didn't just waste his own time, but also the man's.
He got a friend of his to take care of his sick cat, he used his influence as a youtuber to get them in and all Alec accomplished in the last few hours is to realise that rum and coke has definitely tasted better with lemon.
He headed towards Magnus to apologise and call it a night when he spotted the boy from earlier leaning close to Magnus.
They were definitely flirting. The man was too close to be just friendly.
He tried to ignore whatever feeling was trying to make his way to the surface.
At least there was something good in for the man for tonight.
He watched them exchanging a few words before the boy spotted Alec staring.
It was an odd experience. A part of him, the one that was dominated by his own personality wanted to duck his head awkwardly and maybe even blush, but another part of him, dominated by his detective persona kept looking at the guy and even raised an eyebrow.
The boy scoffed before saying something to Magnus and nodding his head towards Alec.
Magnus turned around and let out a laugh, one Alec couldn't here but could see for sure.
He turned his head away, watching at the people dancing instead.
A moment later Magnus joined him, the boy was gone.
"Do you want to head home?" Magnus asked and Alec only nodded in agreement.
They walked outside and haled a cab, considering their both have been drinking, and that Alec is a cop, driving was out of the option.
They sat in the cab in silence but whether it was awkward or welcomed, he wasn't sure.
Once he realised they were a few mins from Magnus' place he cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
"Sorry about tonight. I wasted your time and we got nowhere. Although, I'm not sure if it was as pointless for you as it was for me." He grinned at Magnus to lighten the mood.
"Let me assure you, my night was pleasant." Magnus answered with a warm smile.
"Good. And thank you. For getting us in. And for the drink. By the way, what do I owe you?" Alec asked as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.
"Nonsense. You can pay next time." Magnus smiled as their pulled up at their loft.
Next time. Next time?
He had no idea what to say to that so instead, he smiled weakly as the cab came to a stop.
"Well, thank you." He said as he watched Magnus getting out of the cab, but instead of waving and heading in he walked to Alec's door and stood there.
Alec frowned as he let the window down and watched Magnus leaning down to see him.
"It wasn't pointless." He said before moving his hand towards Alec.
He moved on autopilot as he took what was in the man's hand.
He looked down into his palm
A pendrive.
"Wha-"
"The guy I was talking to. He is a friend of mine. Almost like a son to me. He owed me a few favours. I cashed them in. I hope it was worth it." He smiled before stepping away from the car.
"Good night detective." He said with a mocking salute as the car drove away with Alec.
__________
How in the hell did you manage to get this?! I am definitely buying drink next time. Or even dinner. And lunch. Anything you want. A - 02:08 am
Lunch, dinner and drinks? That's like three dates in a row. ;) M - 09.42am
Alec bit his lip, was he flirting or just teasing? He wasn't sure.
Still doesn't feel enough. But really, thank you. A - 09:43am
Don't thank me yet, let me know if you find something. Out of curiosity, how many of them have you got? M - 09:50am
A lot. Around 200. A - 10:32am
Fuck. Need a hand? - 10:32am
You have already helped me more than I could have asked for. :) A - 12:17pm
What time do you finish at? Officially. M - 12:45pm
He laughed at the last part. Trust Magnus to assume that there is a difference.
6pm. why? A - 12:47pm
Come over after. There is a great Ethiopian place nearby. :) M - 13:02pm
Ok. But I pay this time. A - 13:12pm
Deal. :) M - 13:15pm
Alec couldn't be sure, but after having something to look forward, the day started to drag. Every few minutes felt like hours and he wondered if six o'clock will ever come. He didn't really have much time to look into the list of the members during the day. They had a robbery and even though it didn't take long to find the men behind it, he still had to write up a detailed report, question the suspects, wait for their attorney...
By the time Alec stepped out of the precinct it was after half past.
Sorry. Be there in 20. A - 6:42pm
He put his phone into his pocket before walking to his car. He loved his car. It was a black Audi SUV. Apparently it screamed 'cop' from a mile, but Alec never really cared much about what people thought of his car, or him for that matter.
He loved his job and if that involved driving a beast... well, let it be.
Alec checked his notifications before starting the engine, he was surprised to see a new video posted on Bane Adventures.
Magnus usually posted about his trips and visits to different places, but considering that he hasn't been to anywhere since the last time, he was curious to see what it could be about.
He bit his lips, feeling a bit like a stalker as he opened the video and looked at the circling icon to load the image.
"Hello everyone. Welcome back to my channel. This time I'm not here to talk about a past or upcoming trip, but something a little bit more personal."
Alec checked the time. It was posted this morning. He frowned, he didn't even realise it until now.
"As you know, I have been back from my last trip for a few weeks and as I said it in my last video, I needed some break. Just to spend some time at home with my family and friends.
I can't be grateful enough for your support and love and I am honestly so happy for you guys following me, allowing me to share my experiences with you on my adventures.
It's October and I doubt that I will be going anywhere this year, so just to let you know, there will be no video from me until the beginning of next year.
I know it's super early, but I would love to wish everyone happy holidays!
Oh, one more thing. Where would you take a tall, dark and handsome for dinner? Comment below with your ideas." He said with a huge grin, pointing downwards, towards the comment section.
Alec watched the video rolling, faintly heard Magnus' words, but was too lost in his own thoughts to actually hear what he was saying.
He ignored the rest of the video and scrolled down to the comment sections.
He tilted his head back with a laugh, one coming from deep as he realised that pretty much every second person advised Ethiopian.
Before he changed his mind, he quickly typed out.
Alec_G_Lightwood: Busted.
He threw his phone onto the passenger's seat as he drove out of the car park, still smiling.
...
"Hi." Alec said as Magnus opened the door and let him in.
"Hello yourself. I would make a comment about punctuality, but I know you are an important person, so I let it go." He said mockingly as he closed the door, following Alec into the living room.
"Making a comment by not making one? How original of you." Alec teased back with a smile.
"You know me." Magnus answered as he walked to the kitchen. "Something to drink?"
"No, thank you. I'm good. Maybe some coffee on second thought. It might take some time to go through all of it." Alec said as he put the pendrive down onto the coffee table.
"Coffee it is. Milk, sugar?"
"Yes, and two please." He answered as he looked around. There was something missing but he couldn't put his finger on it, that was until something warm and soft touched his right leg.
"Oh. Hello there." He said softly as he bent down to trace his fingers along the back of the little kitten.
"Are you trying to steal my cat Alexander? That's a crime just so you know." Magnus said with a mischievous grin as he walked in with two mugs.
"You better let the police know so they can take your statement." Alec answered seriously.
Magnus just scoffed and rolled his eyes.
They were covered in some kohl, but no glitter this time. Now that he looked at the man, he realised how... simple he looked. Beautiful, but he was dressed in comfortable clothes and once again, he was barefoot.
"Is he better?" He asked nodding towards the cat as he took a big gulp of his coffee.
"Yes. Thankfully." Magnus said as he took a seat on the sofa, letting his little four legged friend to curl up in his lap.
"Good." Alec said with a smile.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, taking turns in petting the cat who was purring lazily in his owner's lap.
"Hungry?" Magnus asked, looking up at Alec.
"Very." He said with a sigh and just as if on cue, his stomach made an obnoxiously loud noise.
Magnus nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. Alec had the suspicion that the man was about to laugh at him, but managed to stiffle it.
He let the man to order for him, considering that Alec has never tried anything from their menu before.
They talked about random things, Alec's day, work, Magnus' latest trip and his plans for the next year. The food got there at some point and they continued their conversation while eating.
"God, that was so good." Alec said with a sigh as he leaned back in the sofa, tilting his head back.
"One of the best places." Magnus said with a sigh of his own, closing his eyes.
"If you knew it was so good why even bother to ask your viewers?" Alec asked with a shit eating grin as he watched Magnus' eyes popping open.
"What?"
Alec didn't even answer just tilted his head in a 'come on now' style.
"You saw it?" Magnus asked after a few moments.
"I did."
"Well, it could have been about anyone." Magnus said so seriously that Alec doubted everything for a moment. Magnus was right. Not Alec is the only tall and dark. It could have been literally anyone. He only assumed it was him, but thinking of it now, maybe he did rush to a conclusion.
"True." He said finally, but he only said it for the sake of saying something.
"It was about you. I'm a one soul at a time guy." Magnus said with a smile, one that was suddenly holding too many things for Alec to understand every one of them.
Their bodies were turned towards each other and for a moment he really wanted to lean in and close the gap to kiss the man. And he probably would have if the Chairman didn't decided that moment to jump between them.
They looked down at the same time and then up, but no matter how their situation was the exact same as a minute ago, the moment was gone.
Alec cleared his throat before speaking.
"Sure. The sooner we get to it the sooner we finish." Magnus nodded as he got up and brought his laptop over. Their uploaded the file to Magnus computer and Alec took his own one out as well.
They started to work in silence. It was rather hard.
Watching that many people, especially since they couldn't filter by gender, let alone hair colour.
They have been working for a good hour when Magnus suddenly snorted.
"What?" Alec's head snapped up as he looked at the man.
"Look." Magnus said as he turned the laptop around so Alec could see the screen.
Camille Bellcourt
It took Alec a moment to remember where he saw her before.
"This is the woman from the fifth."
"Uhum." Magnus nodded as he turned the laptop back.
"Thank god we didn't bump into her while we were there the other night." Alec blurted before he could stop himself.
"Tell me about it." Magnus said with another snort, not looking up from his laptop.
"Do you.." Alec stopped not sure how to ask this very simple question.
"Do I?" Magnus asked, looking up at Alec over his laptop.
"Are you gay or.."
"I am bisexual. Although she was close to turning me as gay as they come." He added with a laugh.
"Okay." Alec said and he meant it. He had no problem with Magnus being bisexual. He knew people who found it an issue, being attracted to both gender was like having double chances of being cheated on, but in his opinion if someone was loyal their sexuality didn't effect that fact.
He could feel Magnus' eyes on him so he looked up with a smile which only became wider as Magnus smiled back at him.
They spent the next two hours working, occasionally saying a word or two to each other until..
"Bingo!" Magnus said so loudly that the chairman basically flew off the sofa and ran into one of the bedrooms.
"I might have traumatised him." He said as he looked after his cat with a sad expression.
"You got him?" Alec jumped up, not really caring about the cat or anything right now.
"I did indeed." Magnus said as he moved to the side so Alec could sit next to him.
"Samuel Blackwell." Alec read as he took his phone out.
Magnus looked up at him while Alec waited, phone pressed to his ear.
"Lyds. Hi. Still in the precinct?"
"Thank god. Could you check a guy for me? Samuel Blackwell. Black w-e-l-l."
"Yeah. Send me the address. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah. Underhill? Sure. Tell him I'll meet him there. Yes, I'm sure he is our guy." Alec said the last bit as he looked into Magnus' eyes.
"Okay. Thanks." He hung up, grabbing his jacket.
"Are you going to his place now?" Magnus asked, eyes surprised as he watched Alec putting his shoes on.
"I have to. I'll call you after." Alec said as he lingered for a moment.
A part of him wanted to stay. Now that they had no job to do, they could carry on talking about everything and anything, getting to know each other. Alec wanted nothing more than to take his shoes and jacket off to sit back down onto the couch but this wasn't the right timing.
"Thank you. For your help. And for dinner." He said before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on the corner of Magnus' mouth.
"Take care, will you? You still owe me lunch and drinks." Magnus said with a smile, trying to sound confident but Alec could see a hint of worry in his eyes.
"I'd never break such promise." Alec said with a reassuring smile of his own before opening the door, letting it close behind himself with a quiet thud.
__________
Hey. The address is fake. It's an abandoned building. A - 11:03pm
I'm sorry Alexander. M - 11:04pm
It's okay. Gonna do a stakeout. A - 11:08pm
With your partner? M - 11:10pm
No. She is busy with another case. Underhill was here, but he went back to the precinct. Just me. A - 11:12pm
Alone?? M - 11:12pm
:) I'm just sitting in my car, watching a building. It's not like I'm doing anything that would require another detective's presence. They are 15 mins away if I need backup. A - 11:13pm
Alec put his phone down with a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn't tell why, but seeing Magnus worrying about him, fill him up with warmth. Like a cup of coffee, spreading to every inch of his body.
To be fair, he didn't inform anyone about his late night work. He knew they wouldn't want him to stay out there alone, stakeouts are always done in pairs. Not just in case they need back up but also to keep each other awake, plus four pairs of eyes always better than two.
He was sure that nothing will happen, but if he is wrong, he can always gets Underhill or others to the address in minutes.
He was off tomorrow, so he planned to stay until the early hours of the morning, just when it gets busy enough to stay any longer.
It's not like he had plans or anything more important to do.
He sent a text to Izzy earlier, he mentioned Magnus and as it turned out, his sister was more than familiar with the man. Alec wondered just how well known Magnus was. Or how come he never heard of him when even Underhill knew the famous youtuber who often shared videos and pictures from different countries.
He liked Magnus. Not just as a friend but as a man. They worked great together. Magnus was smart, funny, sarcastic on occasions and beautiful. He loved his style, his make up and ever changing hair colour.
He often wondered how the other man saw him. A detective, wearing black clothes, leather jacket and combat boots. His always messy hair, his few day old stubble.
Did Magnus find him just as intriguing as Alec found him? Or was he just the cop who is trying to solve a murder?
He knew Magnus liked him. With his video and constant flirting it was obvious... but what part did he like? Almost every time they met, Alec was in work-mode. Would Magnus like him in the morning when he was still sleepy and quiet? Would he like him blushing and stuttering when caught off guard? Would he like him if he knew he had his own baggage and a past not so fancy?
Would he like Magnus in the morning? Without make up and his hair done? Would he like him curled up on the bed with the chairman? Would he like his past and skeletons?
He knew he would. He would be able to love the man with his quirks and habits, with all his perfect imperfections.
He was pulled out of his thoughts as someone tried to pull on the door handle.
His heart jumped into his throat as he pulled his gun out on reflex, aiming on a wide eyed Magnus.
"Fuck." Alec breathed as he lowered his gun and opened the door for the man.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. God you were aiming that gun at me in to time." Magnus said as he hopped in next to Alec with two cups of coffee in hands, handing one over to Alec.
"I'm sorry. It was.. a reflex. I wouldn't have shoot you. I don't even know why I pulled it out. I was just..not expecting that." Alec explained stuttering a bit. He felt like an idiot. He wasn't a rookie to wave his gun around like that.
"Well, I brought you coffee and my company, so I'm no good if I'm dead." Magnus said with a wide smile and a wink.
"No." Alec said with a faint smile as he sipped from his coffee. "What are you doing here?" He asked taking a quick glance at Magnus before looking back at the building. "I mean why."
"Why not?" Magnus asked back with a shrug. It was an odd answer and they both knew it.
"Don't tell me you have absolutely nothing better to do than sitting in a cold car with me at the middle of the night watching an adandoned building.
"I don't."
Alec looked at Magnus with a knowing look. Magnus sighed as he looked down at his hands around the cup before answering.
"I.."
"Hey. I don't mind. I'm happy you are here." Alec said before moving to touch the man's arm.
"Good. Because I want to be here." Magnus said as he looked down at Alec's hand where it touched his arm. Alec pulled it back slowly.
They were quiet for a few minutes, both watching the darkness and shadows, looking for a movement.
"What happened in Peru?" Alec asked on an impulse, watching Magnus carefully from the corner of his eyes.
Magnus grins and scratches his head before answering.
"I don't know." He says then.
"What do you mean?" Alec turns towards him this time.
"I can't remember. I never got so drunk in my life. Apparently I stole a rug claiming that it is a magic rug...but I can't remember much. I woke up in a dessert, lying on the rug, surrounded by cactuses. I got home the same day and a few weeks later I received the letter. They strongly advised and politely asked me to never return."
"Oh my god." Alec laughed as he tried to imagine the situation and also made a mental note for himself to never let Magnus that drunk ever again.
"Maybe I shouldn't be telling this to a detective." Magnus said licking his lips, watching Alec carefully.
"Is that what I am?" Alec asked seriously.
"Aren't you?" Magnus looked at him with confusion.
"I am, but I mean.. is that what you see me as? A detective you work with?" It sounded so stupid, saying it out loud.
Magnus smiled at him warmly. "No.. you aren't just a detective. I don't think you ever were."
He didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded.
...
They've been sitting there for a long time, their coffees drank and forgotten. Alec took a glance at his phone. 2:03am
"Why a detective?" Magnus asked not tearing his gaze away from the building.
Alec sighed before answering. "My whole family worked in law enforcement. I always wanted to follow the path. But it wasn't just that. I love helping people."
Alec did love his job. It made him feel like he matters, like he makes a difference. A good one.
"What about you?" He asked looking at Magnus.
"I guess it's the same for me." Magnus said after a few seconds. Alec raised his brows in surprise.
"Your family was all youtubers?" Magnus bursted into a laugh, his hand covering his mouth to stiffle the giggles. "No." He shook his head still smiling and laughing before his expression became serious. "To help people."
Alec frowned at that, not exactly sure how what Magnus was doing could help people.
"You see.. my mother passed away when I was a kid. My biological father fucked off before I was born. After my mother's death.. I became the part of the system. I bounced from foster care to foster care... I never even left the city let alone the country until I was at age.. So, when I turned 21, I had this desire to travel. To see the world. And I did. And more than 10 years later, I still do. I went to the airport and made my pick. My first trip led me to France. I worked there a bit and I had a journal. I took videos, pictures..etc. After a while, I got bored and went to somewhere else.
But I had no one to share it with. Sure I had a few friends.. but.. it wasn't the same. Then I realised how many other people, not just those who were part of the system, but others, never had the chance to travel.. so by doing my videos.. I let them be a part of it. To experience the things I do. It's not like being there per se, but it is still something. For some of them... this is the most real it will ever get." He said as he looked into Alec's eyes.
Alec kissed him.
The lips that met his own were soft and surprisingly warm.
He took a sharp breath through his nose as his hands moved up to cup Magnus' cheek.
He felt Magnus' hand moving to the back of his neck, his fingers playing with his hair as their lips moved against each other.
They pulled back at the same time to breath, Alec was about to lean back again to kiss him deep but Magnus pulled back.
Alec was surprised and even disappointed for a moment but then Magnus opened his mouth.
"There is someone there."
Alec's head snapped towards the building and then he saw it.
A blonde guy slipping through the doors.
All the thoughts of kissing Magnus were gone. He pulled his phone out, he was back to a detective.
"I need back up to the building. The suspect just entered the premise. I have a look around to make sure there is no one else there. I wait for the back up." He said as he hang up, hands already on the door handle when Magnus touched his shoulder.
He looked worried and nervous.
"Stay here. The others will be here in 10 mins. No matter what happens. Don't leave the car." He saw Magnus wanting to say something. "I mean it Magnus. This is my job. I will be fine." He looked into his eyes and waited until Magnus nodded before getting out of the car and making his way over to the building.
__________
"Good afternoon. I'm Detective Lightwood from the 69th precinct. I am happy to announce that two weeks ago on Friday, in the early hours of the morning, we arrested the man responsible for the murder of Elias Whitmore, Samuel Blackwell who has been charged with first-degree murder. I would like to thank for the hard work of our forensic team, my partners on the case, Detective Branwell and Detective Underhill. Also, we would have not been able to find justice for the victim without the help of Magnus Bane. Thank you." Alec said as he ignored the cameras and questions firing from the reporters as he stood in front of the precinct with the two other detectives.
Magnus was standing in the crowd, something similar to pride in his expression.
He waited until the majority of people were gone before he slowly walked towards Magnus.
"Well done detective. Justice has been served." Magnus said seriously.
"I was just doing my job. To serve and protect." Alec said with matching seriousness.
"I heard you had some help."
"Oh yes, my colleagues were there to help."
"Only them?"
"Well, no. There was a guy too. You might heard of him. You see, he is a famous youtuber."
"Just a youtuber?" Magnus asked but a smile was already tugging at the corner of his lips as Alec stepped closer.
"Mmm.. no. Not just a youtuber."
"No? Then what else?" Magnus asked as Alec's arms wrapped around his waist. He raised his own arms to rest his hands at the back of Alec's neck.
"Well, he is smart. Funny. Beautiful..."
"Keep going." Magnus said with his eyes closed in bliss. It started snowing. Alec watched the tiny snowflakes falling onto Magnus' hair. It was mesmerizing.
"He is amazing. He is a great kisser." Alec whispered as his lips almost touched the older man's.
"Sounds like a great guy." Magnus whispered back, eyes locking with Alec's.
"That.. he is. I'm lucky.. so...so lucky."
"You never cease to amaze me Alexander." Magnus whispered before closing the gap and kissing Alec softly.
__________
"Welcome back everyone. I'm finally on my well deserved holiday. Look at Athens. It is beautiful at this time of the year." Magnus smiled widely into the camera before changing to his back camera to show the scenery.
He changed back to show himself once again.
"I will keep you guys updated, or try at least, but since I have a company with me on this trip, I can't promise much more live updates." He said as he turned his head to the right, looking at something outside of the camera.
"Alexander, come and say hi to the others."
"Others? I thought I was the only one." Alec said with mocked shock before laughing and walking up to Magnus to place his chin on the man's shoulder, standing behind him.
"Hello everyone." He waved with one hand, the other arm curled around Manus' body.
"You were born to be in front of the camera darling."
Alec rolled his eyes with a smile as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to fix the messy raven locks.
"Well, press a like if you do think my boyfriend should be featured more." Magnus grinned happily.
"Shouldn't you ask your boyfriend about that too?" Alec frowned as he leaned closer to look into Magnus' eyes.
"I should, shouldn't I?" Magnus wiggled his eyebrows before leaning closer to Alec.
Their lips almost touched before Alec's eyes flickered to the camera and with a mischievous grin, he raised his hand to cover their faces as their lips met in a slow, lingering kiss.
~Fin