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“It’ll be fine, Izzy. Will you chill out?” Alec says, rolling his eyes as he walks down the hallway of his office building towards the elevator.
“Don’t tell me to chill out, Alec! The roast hasn’t finished cooking, and the vegetables are nearly burnt, and they’re going to be here in an hour! What am I supposed to do?”
“When did you put the roast in?” Alec asks, chuckling under his breath at Izzy’s panic.
“An hour ago,” Izzy replies, the sound of pots banging in the background. “It only said 45 mins on the wrapper.”
“It’s 45 minutes per 500g, Izzy,” Alec explains in quiet exasperation. “How much did the roast weigh?”
“What? How the hell am I supposed to know?” Izzy screeches, causing Alec to wince and hold the phone away from his ear as he jabs the down button on the elevator panel.
“What the fuck am I going to do, Alec?”
Alec lets out an amused huff of fond exasperation as he watches the elevator drop from three floors above.
“Go next door to my place. I made a lasagna last night and left it in the fridge for you. Put it in the oven for 45 minutes, then take it out and let it sit for 5 minutes before you serve it. There’s also a garden salad made up, ready to go, and some French baguettes and herb butter to make garlic bread. Slice the baguettes on the diagonal ¾ of the way down and spread the herb butter on both sides. Put it in the oven while the lasagna is resting. No more than 10 mins.”
“Alec, you are a fucking lifesaver!!!” Izzy exclaims as rushing feet and jangling keys sound in the background. “I’m not even going to mention the fact that you obviously didn’t trust me not to fuck dinner up.”
“Let’s chalk it up to experience, and if I was wrong, I had dinner ready to go for me when I got home,” Alec tells her, stepping back slightly as the elevator arrives and the doors open. “I gotta go, Iz. The elevator’s here.”
He’s barely aware of the way his voice fades off as the doors open to reveal the single fucking hottest guy Alec has ever seen. But his sister certainly catches it.
“What’s wrong?” Izzy asks, doors opening and shutting in the background.
“Nothing,” Alec says, unable to fight the urge to take another glance at the man sharing the lift with him, a wide grin splitting his face when he catches the other guy checking him out in return. “The elevator’s here, so I gotta go.”
“No, what’s that voice?” Izzy queries, her voice turning playful. “Did you just see a cute guy??? You did, didn’t you? I want details!”
“I gotta go, Iz,” Alec says, flashing an apologetic smile at the other passenger as he tries to wrap up his conversation.
“No, Alec, wait! I wanna hear about the cute guy!”
Alec can’t help but lift his head to the ceiling in frustration, knowing the volume of his sister’s protestations means that the other man, all but certainly, overheard.
“Have a good dinner, Iz,” Alec says, shaking his head in exasperation as he hangs up.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” Alec smiles apologetically at the other man, holding his phone up in explanation. “My kid’s sister is having her boyfriend’s family over for dinner, and she can’t cook.”
“Sounds like a recipe for disaster,” the man says as the elevator starts moving again. “And you were dispensing advice?”
A little frazzled by the other man’s – beauty is the only word for it – Alec takes a second to answer.
“A get out of jail free card. I made a lasagna last night. Had it ready and waiting for her at my place next door.”
“And the man cooks too,” the stranger says with a flirtatious smile. “Be still, my beating heart.”
Well aware of the blush rapidly creeping up his neck, Alec bites back the small thrill of anticipation curling in his gut. It’s been a long time since someone flirted with him. Longer still since he was inclined to flirt back, and he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about it.
Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he’s just reaching out his hand to introduce himself when the power cuts out, causing him to fall forward, pushing the other man into the corner near where he stood. He quickly straightens up and takes a step back when he finds himself pressed up against him, though there’s a small part of him that just wants to take advantage of the situation and enjoy the feel of the other man’s body against his for just a little bit longer.
“Sorry about that,” Alec says, the blush creeping up a little higher.
“Don’t be,” the stranger replies, and Alec can hear the grin in the voice. “Despite the circumstances, I always enjoy the feel of a hard body pressing me into the wall.”
“Geez, you don’t mess around, do you?” Alec chuckles slightly, taken aback by the brazen nature of the other man’s flirtations, though he can’t deny he enjoys it. Resenting the now-dark elevator stealing his ability to admire the man he shares the space with, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and turns on the flashlight function, the other man doing the same just moments later.
“Why waste time?” the man says, his smirk now visible in the light of the torches. “So, the elevator stopped.”
“Observant,” Alec snarks playfully back. “Nothing gets by you, does it?”
Still grinning, he steps over to the emergency phone on the elevator panel and lifts the receiver. It connects after a few seconds, and Alec quickly relays their situation to the emergency operator.
“And can I ask your name, Sir?” the operator asks.
“My name is Alec Lightwood,” Alec responds.
“And the name of the second passenger?”
“Ah, the operator wants to know your name?” Alec says, turning to his ride companion, smiling when he catches the man’s eyes quickly darting up from where he was clearly checking out Alec’s rear.
“Magnus Bane, darling,” the man says with a charming half-bow and flirtatious tilt of the head.
“Ah, he says his name is Magnus Bane,” Alec tells the operator, turning to hide his blush and take a second to compose himself.
“And do either of you have any medical conditions that emergency services should be aware of, that might affect your health or safety during this time?”
“None for me. Let me just ask the other guy, ah, Magnus.”
“Um, any medical conditions that emergency services need to know about?” Alec asks, half-turning to look at Magnus.
“Perfectly healthy,” Magnus assures him.
“Ah, nothing for either of us,” Alec relays. After a few more minutes talking with the operator, Alec hangs up and turns back to Magnus. “She said it could be another 20-30 minutes before someone comes to get us out, but not to worry. The safety systems are fully engaged, and there’s fresh air being pumped into the elevator even with it stopped.”
“Well, that’s good news. Well, it seems we have nothing to do now but sit and wait,” Magnus announces, taking his jacket off and folding it over his arm before lowering himself to the floor and sitting, legs stretched out in front of him.
“There’s room for two down here, you know,” Magnus says, looking up at Alec and patting the floor beside him. “I’d love to take this opportunity to get to know the gorgeous man I’m sharing this space with.”
“Wow, I think I’m blushing,” Alec says, not entirely sure he’s joking as he sinks down to the floor, next to Magnus, his own legs stretching out beside the other man’s.
“Not yet, but I’ll see what I can do,” Magnus flirts. “So, tell me about yourself, Alexander. Who are you, and what are you about?”
“Now, there’s a loaded question,” Alec answers. “Are you sure you really want to know?”
“Well, now I’m more intrigued than ever,” Magnus teases with a grin. “Do you have some deep, dark secret you’re about to tell me?”
Alec can’t help but chuckle in response.
“Hardly,” he tells Magnus. “I’m boring. Maybe I’m scared that if I tell you about myself, you’ll get bored, and we’ll have to sit here in awkward silence.”
“Oh, darling,” Magnus drawls, sending delicious shivers down Alec’s spine. “I promise, you will never bore me.”
“Promises, promises,” Alec smirks. “Seriously, I’m not that interesting.”
“You’re interesting to me,” Magnus says, and Alec finds himself taken aback by the sincerity in the other man’s voice.
“Okay,” Alec begins, before floundering on where to start. Despite the light-heartedness of their banter, Alec, especially in comparison to his louder and more vivacious siblings, really does feel he’s the bland neutral of his family. Not knowing what to say, Alec simply begins reciting the facts he feels most secure in.
“I’m an accountant, I work for my family, I’m the oldest of four and single.”
“Single, huh?” Magnus asks with a quirked brow.
“That’s all you got out of that?” Alec laughs.
“No, I also got that you’re close with your family, responsible, a protector and good with digits.”
“I’m not sure that’s what I said,” Alec says with a tilt of his head.
“Of course it is,” Magnus responds. “Out of the four things you shared with me, you mentioned your family twice. Therefore, you’re close with your family. The oldest sibling in a close-knit family is usually responsible and an incredible protector. And accountants work with numbers, also known as digits, and you should know that I don’t intend to leave this elevator without getting yours.”
“And what makes you think I’m that easy?” Alec teases, his flirting skills rusty but slowly coming back to him. “You’re going to have to give me more than some charming words and a gorgeous smile to get those. We accountants take our numbers seriously.”
“Gorgeous smile?” Magnus says, flashing said grin and bringing about the blush he’d promised to cause in Alec.
“Ok, you have to know you’re a good-looking guy,” Alec tells him.
“Why, thank you,” Magnus acknowledges, a slight colouring to his own cheeks letting Alec know he’s not alone in his attraction.
“So,” Alec says.
“So what?”
“Tell me about yourself,” Alec invites. “What are you all about?”
“Well,” Magnus says before taking a deep breath, sounding strangely reluctant as he continues. “I am a flamboyant, free-wheeling bisexual. I make my living as a chef and just wrote my first book.”
For a moment, the silence in the elevator is deafening as Alec sees through the other man’s bravado to recognise that the person he shares the lift with feels just as unseen as he does at times, though they both express it differently.
“Not a fan of talking about yourself either?” Alec asks with a gentle smile.
“What on earth could you mean?” Magnus begins, flashing a charming smile briefly before it drops to something a little more introspective. “I actually have no problem talking about myself at all, and am quite proud of all I’ve accomplished and made of myself,” he continues softly. “I am also aware, however, that I am considered ‘too much’ by most people I come across, and I find myself dreading you seeing me that way.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Alec tells him, and Magnus quickly glances his way with a hopeful look. “I kind of think you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. Nothing about you screams too much.”
“And nothing about you screams boring,” Magnus returns. “I don’t remember ever being as captivated by someone as I am with you.”
“I don’t understand that,” Alec admits. “But I’ll take it.”
“Good,” Magnus says with a pleased smile.
“So, you just wrote your first book?” Alec asks interestedly. “What’s it about?”
“It’s a cookbook,” Magnus tells him with a proud smile. “It’s a collection of recipes my parents taught me, interspersed with some stories of times I’ve cooked said meals for people.”
“I thought your name sounded familiar,” Alec says, smiling at him in recognition. “My mother was telling me about this deal she’s making for this amazing chef for his first-ever cookbook at our meeting this morning. She was thrilled she was going to be working with you as she’s one of your biggest fans – both of your food and your sense of fashion, which she says is second to none.”
“She told me she was a fan, but I thought she was just trying to butter me up, so to speak,” Magnus admits, smiling happily at the idea that someone of Maryse Lightwood’s class and sophistication was a fan of his.
“Yeah, she doesn’t really do that,” Alec tells him. “Our family’s firm specialises in entertainment contracts and Mum’s one of the best. It’s been a long time since she got excited about meeting someone famous, but you, she wouldn’t shut up about. She watched you on ‘Hot Chef’ religiously and made reservations as soon as she found out you were opening a restaurant in New York.”
“I’m flattered,” Magnus says, pleased before glancing back at Alec curiously. “So, you’re Maryse’s son?”
“You say that like you’re surprised,” Alec says quietly. “I guess, I don’t quite live up to the hype of a Lightwood, do I? Jace and Izzy are much more what you’d expect, and Max is going to eclipse us all; he’s brilliant, even at 12 years old.”
“Actually, you’re exactly what I thought you’d be like after meeting her and talking to her,” Magnus shares warmly. “You should know that once our meeting was done, Maryse spent the next twenty minutes bragging about how wonderful her children were, half of which were spent on her eldest, who was the most perfect person she knows.”
“Seriously?” Alec asks in disbelief.
“Oh, yes,” Magnus tells him. “I was crushing on you heavily until the elevator stopped, and a gorgeous man walked in, and I got distracted. Imagine how pleased I am to find out they’re the same man.”
“You say the sweetest things,” Alec teases, though the blush crawling up his neck gives away his surprise and embarrassment, though Magnus is unsure whether it was due to his flirtations or his mother’s boasting.
“I try,” Magnus teases back, quickly finding himself falling hard for the handsome and sweet man next to him. Looking at the surprised and introspective expression on his companion’s face, he can’t resist his next question. “Did you not know your mother holds you in such high esteem?”
“Oh, I did, I suppose,” Alec replies with a ruefully embarrassed look. “I mean, your parents, if they’re good ones, are supposed to be proud of their kids, and my parents are great, they are. They tell us all they’re proud of us and that we are good people.”
“Then why the surprise?”
“I guess, I just never thought I was the one to be bragged about,” Alec confesses. “Jace and Izzy are much more impressive than I am.”
“While I have no doubt your siblings are as wonderful as you say they are, I promise you that you are extremely impressive all on your own,” Magnus tells him. “And that’s discounting everything your mother told me this morning, from Olympic bronze medallist to double majoring at university and still raking in top marks. I don’t think you see yourself as clearly as everyone else does.”
“I... I... Thank you,” Alec eventually says, feeling strangely emotional and more than a little flustered. “That’s quite a compliment coming from someone who has achieved all you have.”
“Well, we are both quite clearly exceptional,” Magnus teases, and Alec smiles gratefully at him for lightening the mood.
“Maybe when we get out of here, I can take you out to dinner?” Alec asks shyly. “We can talk about how exceptional we are.”
“I would love that,” Magnus replies emphatically, his face splitting in a wide grin that Alec can’t help but return.
He’s about to suggest a little restaurant he knows not far from the office building when he’s interrupted by a brief knocking on the doors of the lift, quickly followed by a loud voice.
“Hello? This is the FDNY. Is everyone okay in there?”
“We’re good,” Alec calls back as he and Magnus share a smile, both a little disappointed their uninterrupted time together has come to an end, but also eager to escape the confines of the small space and go to dinner.
“Okay,” the voice calls back. “We’re going to have you both out of there in a few minutes, so just stay patient for a little while longer for us, okay?”
“Take your time, Ms Firefighter,” Magnus calls back. “We’re in no rush.”
“Okay, good to know,” the puzzled but amused voice calls back.
“No rush?” Alec questions as the sounds of movement sound outside the lift doors. “I’m starving here.”
“Well, while I am also hungry,” Magnus grins softly. “There is something I would like to do first.”
“And what’s that?” Alec asks, equally soft and leaning forward slightly.
“I can’t stop thinking what it would be like to kiss you, and rather than let it occupy my thoughts over dinner and cause me to be rude, ruining all chances for a second date, I was hoping I could kiss you now. Maybe, relieve some of the tension.”
Magnus waits with bated breath for Alec to respond, his gaze nervously darting between Alec’s eyes before dropping to stare at the plush, soft-looking lips in front of him. He wasn’t lying about being distracted by thoughts of what it would be like to kiss Alec, and he really doesn’t want to wait any longer to assuage his curiosity.
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to be rude,” Alec replies with a grin, leaning further forward and sweeping Magnus up in the single best kiss of his life. Soft yet commanding, Alec starts the kiss chastely before sweeping his tongue over Magnus’s lower lip and asking for entrance. Something Magnus immediately grants.
Minutes later, Alec is still marvelling at the magnificence of the kiss and his confidence in making the final move to make it happen when they are interrupted by the clearing of a throat.
“Well, I get why you weren’t in a hurry,” an amused lady in an FDNY uniform says, another two guys grinning over her shoulder as others in the team pack away tools. “But I’m going to have to ask you to break it up long enough to come on out.”
“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” Alec apologises bashfully, that beautiful blush creeping over his cheeks and causing Magnus to melt even further.
“I’m not,” Magnus replies, taking the hands Alec holds out to pull him up. “This was the single best elevator ride I’ve ever had,” he tells the firefighters with a wink. “We thank you so very much for rescuing us. You made excellent time.”
“We aim to please,” one of the guys says, as the woman and the other guy continue to grin. “I’m guessing you’re both feeling okay and are happy to continue your night without being medically checked over?”
“We’re fine, thank you,” Alec says, still blushing as he grabs Magnus’s hand and starts pulling him to the stairwell. “We’re good to go?”
“Absolutely,” the firefighters say, waving them off. “Have a good night.”
“Oh, we most certainly will,” Magnus promises cheekily.
“Magnus!” Alec chastises all the while breaking out in a grin.
“I meant dinner, Alexander,” Magnus tells him with a playful look of admonishment. “I told you in the elevator. I’m hungry.”
“You are going to cause me so much grief, aren’t you?” Alec asks as they start down the staircase, still holding hands.
“I will,” Magnus grins before turning soft. “I’m also hoping I’ll cause you much joy.”
“Oh, that was never in any doubt,” Alec promises with a warm smile, already picturing everything he could experience with Magnus and near vibrating with excitement and anticipation, and knowing Magnus was feeling the same.
“Italian sound good?” Alec asks as they step out of the stairwell and into the lobby.
“It sounds perfect,” Magnus agrees, gently squeezing the hand interlocked with his own and walking beside what he suspects is his happy ever after.
No. His happy future.