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Alec slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and reached out across the bed. He frowned when he felt nothing but empty sheets. He sat up, momentarily confused, before he remembered an earlier conversation he'd had with Magnus in the early hours of the morning—something about an emergency concerning a runaway horse with wings…or something. Alec had been too tired to fully concentrate on what his boyfriend told him.
Alec reluctantly dragged himself out of bed and immediately pulled on a nearby jumper that had been discarded yesterday in a hurry. The memory of the previous night brought a small smile and blush to Alec’s face. Every night with Magnus was perfect. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such an amazing boyfriend. It was strange to think that just a year ago he'd been living a lie—trying to be the perfect soldier, the perfect son—but Magnus had really brought him out of his shell and made him realise that he didn't have to be ashamed of who he was.
The loft was freezing today. Usually Magnus would keep it at a comfortable temperature with his magic but his absence had allowed the winter’s chill to seep through the walls. If it gets any colder, Alec thought to himself as he looked out of the balcony windows at the drizzling rain, it'd probably snow.
Alec reached the kitchen and poured some coffee into the nearest mug he could find. He absentmindedly thought about the day’s schedule as he sipped and savoured the flavour of the warm drink. He didn't have to be anywhere until late this afternoon so he had the morning to himself, or at least until Magnus came home. Well, unless Chairman Meow decided to keep him company but the cat had been keeping himself scarce this morning.
Alec heard the soft pitter-patter of Chairman Meow’s feet before he saw the feline himself. He smiled when the previously wayward cat came into sight and he crouched down to pet him, the now half-empty mug still in his hand.
“Hey you,” he said, still smiling but he paused and frowned when he saw that Chairman Meow had something in his mouth. Alec hoped the sneaky furball didn’t have another present for him. The last one hadn't been very well received; even though the cat had meant well, Alec really didn't appreciate being given a dead rat. Luckily Magnus had easily magicked away all the evidence of the said rat and fed the Chairman a saucer of cat friendly milk without much fuss, smiling as he told Alec that that just meant the cat loved him just as much as he did. Alec sincerely doubted that but smiled fondly nonetheless.
The thing in Chairman Meow’s mouth moved and Alec froze. It was still alive. Alec moved slightly closer to the cat to investigate but immediately regretted it. The cat had brought an even worse gift than last time and, unfortunately for Alec, Magnus wasn't here to help him this time.
Three things happened in quick succession. Alec gasped and shouted in terror. He dropped his mug, causing it to smash, sending shards of glass flying in every direction, which then caused the cat to startle and drop his gift for Alec, which then caused Alec to fall back in fright. He landed in a heap on the floor, only his arms and quick reflexes prevented him from falling completely flat on his back. He wasted no time quickly bringing his legs towards him and away from the cause of his fall. He scrambled back as fast as he could but he hit the kitchen cabinets before he could go any further.
His eyes darted to the big, black, hairy spider on the floor. It was a couple of inches away from him and it wasn't moving. Maybe it was dead after all? Alec moved agonisingly slowly towards it so he could investigate the arachnid more thoroughly. He could deal with a dead spider - or rather he'd leave it there for Magnus to discover later so he could deal with it instead.
The spider still wasn't moving but Alec’s heart was racing a mile a minute. He could feel the constant beat in his chest and he could swear that his heartbeat was audible at this moment in time. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that was making him nauseous and the cold feeling of dread was doing nothing to help. That thing was huge!
He didn't know why, but he couldn't step over an alive spider but he could step over a dead one. Alive ones were unpredictable, they moved when you’re least expecting it but dead ones stayed where they were and you didn’t have to worry about them suddenly crawling up on you. He'd been tricked by spiders before. That's why he had to be sure that it was dead and not just stunned from its impromptu trip in the cat’s mouth.
Alec creeped a little bit closer, muscles tensed ready to run in the opposite direction at a moment’s notice, and very gently blew on the spider. This was a mistake. The blasted thing twitched and Alec didn't anticipate how quickly the beast would move or in what direction it would travel in.
The noise Alec let out was a mixture of a shout and a sob as he was once again scrambling to get out of the path of the terrifying creepy crawly, only his escape hit a snag when he ran out of floorspace to get away. He had no choice but to clamber up onto the worktop. His eyes never left the spider. He was carefully watching its every move. If only it'd crawl a couple of metres to the left and then he'd be free to make his escape without fear of crossing its path. He was out of luck, however, as the spider had decided it'd move closer to him instead and then stop. There was no way past it.
Alec groaned in frustration. Why couldn't this have gone smoother? He knew his fear was irrational and that he was probably a thousand times bigger than the spider but he couldn't control his reactions. Any normal person would easily ignore it or probably squash it under their shoe but Alec was barefoot and bare legged. He maybe would have been a bit braver if he wasn't just wearing a jumper and a pair of boxers. And why couldn't he stop shaking?
Still on high alert and watching the spider as closely as possible, Alec looked around for another solution to help him out of his predicament. There were a few more mugs lining the sides but Alec really didn't want to add to the mess he'd already made earlier. He hoped Magnus could get rid of the stain that the spilt coffee would no doubt make. He searched around some more and smiled triumphantly when he came across one of his cookbooks. It would be heavy enough to squash the spider if he aimed it just right.
Alec got up on his haunches but still made himself as small as possible as he leaned over the worktop to get as physically close to the spider as he could from that height and took aim and…he missed! Alec’s eyes widened and he gasped audibly as he lost his balance and landed on the floor none too gently. Without waiting to catch his breath, he immediately got up and jumped back onto the counter.
His breaths were coming much faster and irregular now. He'd momentarily taken his eye off of the offending creature and his heart plummeted when he saw nothing but the shattered glass when he returned his gaze to the floor. He frantically searched for the spider but it was nowhere to be seen. The noise he made was one of frightened frustration and he couldn't quite keep the stray tears from falling down his cheeks at this point.
His fall had hurt him but a few bruises were the least of his problems right now. He'd lost sight of the spider. It could be anywhere. It could be on him. It could be waiting just out of sight. Oh, by the Angel! It could be on him! Alec frantically checked over his body for any unwelcome stowaways. Why did he think that the book would be a good idea? And why couldn't he breathe ? Alec hugged his knees to his chest and buried his head on top of them. He couldn't stop the tears this time. They fell down his face in full force.
“Pl—ease,” he sobbed. He wasn't sure who he was asking or what he was asking for but he wanted everything to go away.
It had only taken ten minutes— ten —for Alec’s day to go from great to terrible. And it was a further 30 minutes before Alec was finally put out of his misery. So on the worktop he stayed, fighting a constant battle with his breathing, curled up as small as he could make himself. All the while, the arachnid calmly crawled out of the kitchen to find the nearest dark corner hoping not to be disturbed again. This is the scene Magnus walked in on.
** ** **
Magnus sighed in relief as he reached the doors to his penthouse. His latest client had been a tricky one. He was some amateur who wanted to show off and immediately got in over his head.
It took Magnus most of the night trying to find the mutated pegasus creature and then the rest of the night restoring it back to its normal Mundane horsey self. To say that Magnus was annoyed would be an understatement. He'd sacrificed a night in bed with his Alexander for this but at least he was home now.
"Alexander? How about I take us out for breakfast? You don't need to be anywh—?" Magnus paused and stared shocked at the mess in the kitchen for a beat before rushing over to the panicked Alec who was still perched on the edge of the worktop. "Alexander? What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Magnus!" Alec sighed in relief and folded himself into Magnus's waiting arms.
"What's wrong?" he asked, still very concerned.
"It's silly," Alec replied quietly and hid his face in Magnus's neck. It seemed like a massive overreaction now Magnus was home. Magnus frowned and pulled back slightly.
"Alexander," Magnus said fondly whilst cradling Alec's face so he could see into his eyes, "it's not silly if it's made you this upset."
"You'll laugh at me. I'm supposed to be a Shadowhunter. Fearless."
"We all have our fears, Alec." Magnus brushed some of Alec's hair back and wiped away a not quite dry yet tear. "Even badass Shadowhunters."
Alec snorted and tried to take a peek at the floor behind Magnus, still paranoid about what might be lurking there, but Magnus was blocking his view. Magnus quickly glanced in the same direction before returning his gaze towards his boyfriend and then just watched him with a patient look.
"The cat brought me another present," Alec finally admitted. "Only it wasn't a rat this time."
"Oh?"
“It was a spider.” Alec shuddered as he spoke.
”A spider?” Magnus replied, his voice stayed soft and quiet. There was no hint of amusement in his eyes, only understanding and concern.
”Yeah,” Alec whispered.
Magnus waited a beat before rubbing his hands soothingly down Alec’s biceps. He ducked his head before meeting Alec’s eyes again with a grin.
He clapped his hands enthusiastically and pulled Alec down from the worktop.
“Right! We’re going to have a cleanse,” he said. He grabbed one of Alec’s hands and led him towards his study. Alec reluctantly allowed this after double checking the floor to make sure it was free from any 8 legged creatures. “There’ll be no spiders in our home from now on. Not under my watch!”
Alec felt his heart flutter at the thought of Magnus considering the penthouse ‘their home’ and he smiled shyly at him whilst he rifled through the various potions and lotions on the study shelf.
“Aha!” Magnus exclaimed once he found what he needed and held up the bottles triumphantly. “Peppermint oil, lemon peels and vinegar! Sometimes Mundane solutions do work best for stuff like this but with a little boost from my magic,” Magnus wiggled his fingers dramatically in Alec’s direction, “we’ll never have another 8 legged house guest ever again.”
Alec didn’t think Magnus could make him fall in love with him more than he already had but he’d somehow managed it with this seemingly small gesture and it meant the absolute world to someone with arachnophobia. Magnus had managed to do the impossible again. His home would finally be safe from his deepest fear and he couldn’t be more grateful. He loved this man. He adored him. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with him.
”And done!” Magnus said with a flourish. “Now, what about breakfast?”
”I may need to work up an appetite first,” Alec said. His tone indicated that he was joking but Magnus’ eyes darkened nonetheless as he eyed his boyfriend’s still half naked form.
“Hm,” was all Magnus said in reply before he took Alec’s hand and once again led him across the penthouse only this time the bedroom was their destination. Alec giggled and didn’t fight it.
It had been a very stressful morning but Alec couldn’t think of a better way to release all of his pent up anxiety. The day wasn’t a complete write off after all. Breakfast was postponed and they had a late brunch instead.