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Alec has never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day; he’s never really been a big fan of anything, to be honest, but Valentine’s Day is probably at the top of his I-don’t-like-it-at-all list. (He likes the cupcakes his favourite coffee shop sells every Valentine’s Day, though.) It’s not really because he’s still single and most importantly not because he’s jealous of all the lovey-dovey couples he sees. Really. No matter what Jace or Izzy says. It’s not because he’s lonely either. Okay, so maybe he is just the teensy, tiny bit lonely, but that’s what happens when you’ve been in the closet for the first seventeen years of your life. Being twenty-one and a college senior writing his thesis doesn’t really help his nonexistent love life. But it’s fine. He’ll have time for romance soon. Hopefully with the guy he’s been seeing in his favourite coffee shop for the past two weeks. Who he still hasn’t spoken to. But they have smiled at each other. That’s something, right?
Okay, so here’s the thing. Alec has always gone to Freya’s since his freshman year; the coffee’s good, the employees are nice, and the place just feels so homey. It also helps that their coffee isn’t too pricey.
Anyway, so Freya’s is his favourite coffee shop and he literally goes there almost every day. The employees have basically adopted him and keep creeps away (Alec has had one too many uncomfortable experiences because he doesn’t really like throwing punches unless he’s in immediate danger). But on a memorable day of February during his senior year, this beautiful boy—and there really is no other adjective Alec wants to use to describe him—comes crashing into his life in a flurry of glitter and colourful clothes and tantalizing eyes that he could be a model.
Alec was sitting outside of the coffee shop, enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. He was slowly drinking his coffee as he surreptitiously watched the people who walked by. It was some sort of past time, mentally creating stories about them as they go, figuring them out with a simple glance.
Anyway; so Alec was innocently sitting there, creating a story for the girl sitting on the table across from his when this beautiful boy just walked in the coffee shop, walking past the girl Alec was inconspicuously looking at and he just, he got Alec’s attention, right? And then Alec got a good stare at the boy and bam! He’s fucking hooked! He didn’t know what it was about the boy that got his attention—the light shimmer on his face, the cute almond eyes, the beautiful tanned skin, the different colors of highlights on his hair, the tight jeans, or the (obviously) expensive clothes with a lot of print. He’s just hooked, okay? The boy was gorgeous. He just hopes he’s actually of legal age.
So here Alec is now, two weeks later since that faithful meeting (not really meeting), waiting for the boy to turn up to give him a Valentine Cupcake, hoping he doesn’t look like a creep, seeing as he’s been sitting there for almost three hours now and the employees of Freya’s keep on giving him amused looks. (They know about his crush, okay?)
A few moments later, he sees the boy enter the coffee shop. He sits straighter and checks his reflection on his phone, trying to fix his hair (as if it could be fixed). He looks back up to see the boy by the counter, talking one of the newer baristas, then takes a deep breath, calming his nerves and takes hold of the little box of cupcake. It’s now or never.
“Excuse me?” A soft feminine voice snaps Alec out of his musings. He looks up and sees a blonde woman looking at him with a shy smile. He tilts his head to one side, both of his eyebrows rising, urging the woman to get on with it without appearing too rude or too welcoming. He really hopes he isn’t going to be hit on. The woman falters, giving Alec the idea that yes, she might have ulterior motives, then finally asks, “Can you tell me where this is?” she shows him a piece of paper with an address, she moves closer to him and he shifts away slightly.
He’s familiar with the address so he points her to the right direction. She gives him a demure smile, which he returns with a confused expression instead of the single eyebrow raise he desperately wants to give. See, Izzy? He can be not rude. When the woman’s finally gone, he looks back inside the coffee shop and finds the boy gone. He stands up and looks everywhere, just to make sure that, yes, okay, the boy really is gone. He can’t believe he just missed his chance because of a girl asking for directions.
He slumps unceremoniously on his seat; his legs sprawling wide with his arms hanging limply by the chair’s sides. He knows he has a pout going on, he’s not afraid to admit that because god damn it! He was so close. Now he doesn’t know how to get more courage to ask the boy out and stuff and—
Someone clears their throat pointedly.
Alec’s already scowling as he slowly looks up, already thinking of ways to dissuade the person from talking to him. His scowl, though, turns into an open-mouthed expression as he realizes it’s the boy he’s been crushing on, standing right in front of him with a shy, little smile on his face.
“Here.” The other boy extends his arm, a little box on his hand. His voice is pretty deep, especially for someone who looks a little young (he really hopes the boy is of legal age), and smooth. Alec could listen to his voice all day.
Alec looks at the box for a moment, feeling like he can’t breathe because that’s a Valentine Cupcake box and the boy is giving it to him and, oh god. He’s going to freaking faint! He looks back up at the boy, who’s starting to falter so Alec quickly stands up, causing his seat to topple over. “Um.” Very eloquent, Lightwood. He picks up his own box and offers it to the boy as well. “For you.” As if it isn’t obvious yet.
The boy’s shy smile turns into a soft smirk (if a smirk could be soft) as he takes the box Alec is offering and replaces it with the one he’s holding. “I’m Magnus.”
“Alec.” He knows he has a crooked, dopey smile on his face and he just, he can’t help it, alright? The boy—Magnus—is much, much more beautiful up-close. His eyes are a beautiful whiskey color, appearing as if they’re glowing slightly under the bright sun. He obviously has some Asian blood in him, from what Alec could and, really, there are no words to actually describe how beautiful he is.
“Do you mind?” Magnus asks, waving a hand towards the seat right in front of him.
“No. No, uh. Go ahead.” Alec clears his throat as he watches Magnus smile from under his lashes then takes a seat.
Alec moves to sit down as well, his suddenly feeling weak. “Alec—” Magnus starts with panic in his eyes and suddenly, he’s staring up at the boy with his eyes wide. Magnus bites his lower lip, as if he’s holding back a laugh. Right. His chair fell over earlier. “Are you okay?” Magnus moves out of his seat and walks over to where Alec is still sprawled on the ground. The boy offers a hand to him, helping him stand as then pulls the chair up as well after helping Alec.
They talk for a long while after that little intermission.
Alec learns that Magnus is a freshman in the same college, taking Business Management and Interior Design on the side. He also finds out that Magnus is turning eighteen in a week’s time and that he’s going to inherit his father’s business at some point, which he’s actually okay with, since he’s always watched his father work since he was young. In return, Alec shares about his life; his siblings, his course, how he wants to be a paediatrician because he remembers the kind doctor he used to visit as a child—everything. He’s probably told Magnus more information than what his classmates actually know about him.
By the time they part, Alec has Magnus’ number saved in his phone and a date planned.
And, five years from then, with Magnus already working for his father and Alec working on his residency, a gold band on their ring fingers, the two of them still panting on their wedding bed, Magnus will admit to watching Alec from afar in campus, long before he started to come to the coffee shop Alec frequented.
And Alec will just laugh and tell Magnus he loves him.