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“Dinner’s ready,” Alec calls from the kitchen as the oven beeps, using oven mitts to pull the dish out of the oven and set it on the table. Magnus is out of town for a week at some sort of Warlock conference, so Alec took it upon himself to work a few earlier patrols so he could come home and surprise never Meliorn with dinner.
Magnus and Meliorn are usually the cooks of the relationship - with Magnus usually the one to make sure something is ready to eat for both of his boyfriends whenever they stumble home from their days - so Alec thought it’d be a nice surprise to take that role on knowing Meliorn had a long day of training new Seelie Knights for the Queen.
Alec knows how lucky he is to have not one, but two people in his life he loves and is loved by in return. At first, Alec imagined relationships were all about grand gestures, but after the past few months of dating Magnus and Meliorn he’s come to learn that it’s more often the little things that end up meaning the most.
Little things like making dinner after a long day.
“You cooked,” Meliorn says, sounding surprised as he makes his way into the kitchen. “That’s...” Meliorn hesitates, and Alec thinks for a second that a flash of something uncertain crosses his face before it smooths out into a smile. “Very thoughtful of you.”
Alec smiles back. He knows he isn’t the best cook but he’s made this particular roast in the oven a few times for Magnus in the past and it went over really well every time, so he figures it’s a safe enough meal for today.
Meliorn sits down at the table and looks down at the plate Alec makes and places in front of him with a considering expression before saying, “Allow me to pour us some wine!”
It’s nice, Alec thinks to himself, that things between them are just as pleasant without Magnus around as they are with him. He was nervous when Magnus first announced his trip, since it’s been the three of them since the first day they all got together, and a little part of Alec feared that he and Meliorn might not mesh as well without Magnus as a buffer, but there was never anything to worry about.
Except, perhaps, the very small twitch Alec just caught when Meliorn swallows the bite of meat, which Alec also noticed he only ate along with a large swallow of wine.
“How is it?” Alec asks, not sure he wants the answer knowing Meliorn can’t lie.
“One of the best meals you’ve made,” Meliorn replies, but the answer is too even, too carefully worded for Alec not to be suspicious.
“Do you like it?” Alec asks more directly.
“I appreciate-”
“You hate it,” Alec sighs. “I don’t get it. Magnus always-”
And that’s when it clicks.
“Does Magnus fix everything I cook with magic?” Alec asks Meliorn, who knows better than to answer that even though his silence is all the answer Alec needs.
“You two do know that I’m an adult and you can just tell me if something is bad, right?” Alec points out. He isn’t mad - quite the opposite. Of course, while he can handle being told the truth, but it’s a little endearing to know that both his boyfriends are that concerned with his happiness that they didn’t want to risk upsetting him over something like cooking.
“I’m sorry, my love,” Meliorn says. “You’re always so… enthusiastic about it. We didn’t see the harm.”
“Well, I may be enthusiastic, but I’m also self-aware,” Alec says, pushing his chair back and walking over to the fridge to pull out several containers of Chinese food from the fridge. “I planned some back-up.”
Alec returns to the table with plates of warmed-up takeout and Meliorn relaxes a bit now that he knows Alec isn’t too upset about the failed dinner.
“I always suspected Magnus messed with some things, but I couldn’t be sure until I made something without him hovering around,” Alec admits, shaking his head with a small smile. “I suppose I should just leave the cooking to you two.”
“Or, I could give you lessons,” Meliorn offers. “We could cook dinner together tomorrow.”
“Really?” Alec asks, perking up at the idea. He isn’t upset that his cooking is subpar and he was pretty resigned to writing off trying to cook again for the rest of his life. This is a turn he hadn’t expected, not when it would be so easy to just give the task up to the other two. And probably a lot safer for poor Meliorn’s tastebuds.
“Of course. Maybe we can have you cooking a passable meal on your own before Magnus gets back and we can surprise him.”
“Within a week?” Alec asks, eyebrow raised. If he’s as bad as it seems, that feels a bit optimistic.
“I’ve never known you to shy away from a challenge, Lightwood,” Meliorn counters, smirking.
Alec laughs, shaking his head, but he can’t argue that now can he? And the idea of seeing Magnus’ face if he can pull off an entirely edible meal would be well worth the effort.
“Alright,” Alec agrees. “Let’s do this.”