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It’s a chilly Friday evening when the sun is beginning to set that Alec casually slides into the seat of his computer chair. It’s game night, the same one they have every week, the same one he joins in on every time, punctual as ever with his siblings, Clary, Simon, and Magnus. But there’s something about this one, something’s changed and the hurried work of his fingers and eager bounce of his leg as he waits for his computer to boot up is the only indicator of this.
If it has anything to do with the fact that he asked Magnus out on a date last weekend, well, that remains to be seen. And if that date happened to go perfectly, wonderfully, amazingly?
Alec shrugs to nobody but himself, bashful smile and tapping fingers in the solitude of his own room, with the whizzing of his computer coming to life the only witness to his silent happiness. Slowly, he brings a finger to his lips and brushes it softly along their shape.
He remembers the way the night had settled over Magnus in the dim illumination of park lights, soft, warm and glowing, Magnus in all his carefree splendor. He remembers the way he tugged him closer by their linked hands, the way their body heat combined in an effort to keep the cold away as their heads tilted closer, and the silent permission he was granted beneath Magnus’ lashes as they fell shut.
And now… Well, they still haven’t told anyone.
Not that Alec really wants to, yet. Just for a while, he wants to keep something all to himself, this little bit of him and Magnus locked tight in his heart, a barely budding flower of promise for something more, something beautiful.
The sound of discord notifications pops into the room, breaking him out of the gentle haze of weekend memories and curious kisses, and he makes quick work of plugging in his earbuds.
Simon’s already in the call, and the temptation to wait until others join weighs heavy on his hand with guilt, but ultimately pushes him into joining the call before he lets the logical side of him that can’t stand Simon win.
“Ohmygod Alec, I’m so glad you’re here first. You gotta convince everyone to get this new game that came out. It’s still early access, but dude, you hunt ghosts. Sounds awesome, right?”
“Simon, you know I don’t believe in ghosts.”
Simon huffs, typing furiously on his end of the call with the click-clack of his new mechanical keyboard he had raved about last week. The beginnings of a sentence come out ( ‘Yeah, but have you actually--’ ), but the subsequent boops of more people joining the call distract him.
Magnus arrives last, and Alec’s heart falls onto his desk a puddled mess of giddiness at the sound of his voice and the breathy lilt of Alexander. Maybe that’s too obvious, maybe everyone will figure it out. Maybe not telling them was a bad idea, if the suddence silence is anything to go off of.
But then Jace starts talking, much to Alec’s relief, with not an ounce of suspicion as he gets the game ready and supplies everyone with the code they need to get in. It’s a Jackbox game for now, something fun and easy to start the night before they get into the real competitive stuff, and Alec loads the webpage with ease.
Another boop sounds, and music begins to play immediately with the arrival of Groovy Bot in the call, familiar notes Alec knows he’s heard on the radio months ago, something Izzy would belt out loudly in the mornings as she got ready for school.
Magnus Today at 7:08 PM
-play Close by Nick Jonas
Alec stares at the words, slowly processing the music playing low just under Izzy’s loud exclamation of “I love this song!”
A flurry of fingers has a message sent to Magnus, in the privacy of their DM’s.
Alec Today at 7:09 PM
Close? Really?
Magnus Today at 7:09 PM
;)
As much as Alec wants to grumble to Magnus about how someone’s going to figure it out and they’re not really being as discreet as they discussed, he can’t help the grin that worms it’s way onto his face and the affectionate shake of his head. It’s fine. It’s just one song, and it’s not like anyone will think anything of it because the other day Jace introduced them to the wonders of WAP.
A few more songs go by during the game, everyone adding a bop or two and occasionally a song that will make everyone groan, and it’s only because Alec is so firmly attuned to everything Magnus now that he sees the next song he queues up.
Magnus Today at 7:51 PM
-play Closer by Tegan and Sara
An internal groan is all he can manage in the presence of his friends, and though Alec notices the clear pause when the song starts, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he adds his own song to the list, an older one as well, but one he knows Magnus particularly likes.
Alec Today at 7:52 PM
-play Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood
Magnus must not see Alec type the song in, because when it finally starts playing he’s rewarded with a gasp and a “!!!” from Magnus that tingles his stomach with pride.
Magnus Today at 7:56 PM
-play Souvenir by Selena Gomez
They go back and forth throughout the night, inserting songs that flood their private message conversation with hearts, exclamations and emojis (something Alec swore he’d never use, but, well, sometimes Magnus deserves the face with the hearts, damnit!). It’s not until Alec types out his last song that Jace finally snaps.
Alec Today at 9:37 PM
-play Adore You by Harry Styles
“Jesus, if I hear one more love song from you two I will actually ban you guys from game night!”
Pounding, a loud thump of his heart beating erratically at Jace’s words, and Alec fumbles out a half-hearted “Wh-What do you - we’re not - I just really like -”
Clary laughs, loud and crackly through the static of the internet, and Izzy joins in a moment later. Simon, sounding equally as flustered and no-doubt pushing up his glasses in a nervous tick Alec can visualize perfectly in his head (though he wishes he couldn’t), speaks next.
“We, um, kinda saw you guys kissing after school the other day,” he admits. Then, in a rush he adds, “not that we were creepin’ on you guys or anything! We just happened to walk around the corner and you were behind the building, and then we, I mean, like, we weren’t gonna say anything until you were ready or anything. But, yeah.”
In a strange turn of events, Simon’s words warm Alec’s heart. “You guys know then? All of you?”
Consecutive admissions follow, and then Magnus chuckles low in a way that goes straight through Alec. “Well I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
“The cats weren’t being very subtle,” Izzy chimes in. Alec already knows he’s going to get an earful, a smack on his chest and an ‘I told you Magnus was into you!’ It doesn’t make the smile that blooms to life on his face lessen, brightened by the knowledge that he can be happy and open and free with Magnus. As boyfriends.
Why did he think keeping it a secret was a good idea anyways?
“You guys,” Simon gushes, “this is the cutest thing to ever happen! You two are actually goals. Now we just need to come up with a ship name for you!”
Oh yeah. Because of Simon Lewis.
But not even Simon’s ongoing sappy commentary can penetrate the bubble of adoration Alec feels in that moment, because another boop alerts him to a new message in his conversation with Magnus.
Magnus Today at 9:45 PM
If I can’t send you love songs on the call I’ll just have to tell you how much I like you here, where we can be disgustingly cute in private.
Alec Today at 9:45 PM
Music to my ears.