Chapter Text
Magnus woke up, fed his cats, ate his breakfast, and looked through his schedule, just like any other morning. An ordinary morning. Nothing special about it. The scent of his normal morning tea still hung in the air, herbal and earthy, mingling in with the sandalwood incense still smoldering in the corner of his living room. Magnus sat in a plush chair with worn arms in the warming sunlight, a little gray tabby cat loafing on his lap, as he flipped through his planner. He had no clients until after lunch, which was rare, but he wasn't going to complain. It gave him time to work on his recently awakened magic, and he desperately needed it.
It wasn't like he forgot how to wield it. No, his magic and his body were having serious communication problems. They could work together, sometimes, but most of the time they were at odds. Magnus felt like he was trying to tame an entire zoo all at once, trying to wrangle it in and make it bend to his will. His magic had a mind of its own, and it was a big, big problem. He couldn't go out in public, had to have everything delivered, and he cut his appointments down to mere minutes just to avoid any suspicion. He was turning into more of a recluse.
Magnus laid his body down on a mat in the middle of his bedroom floor, and, just like every other time he had tried to control his powers, he started to meditate, clearing his mind of all distractions. Once completely relaxed, he concentrated on something he wanted, focussing every ounce of brainpower on his goal. Today, he was going to try for a refreshing glass of ice water. Harmless. Easy. He held out his hand in anticipation, ready to grasp the glass, and willed it into existence. Well, he willed something into existence. His bones nearly leapt from his body as a bucket of ice water poured over him and dropped onto his head. Plastic, thankfully. Maybe he wasn't specific enough. Or maybe his magic was having a temper tantrum for some unknown reason.
He groaned as he rose to his feet, shivering, his favorite sweater drenched and plastered to his body. Magnus peeled it from his skin, dropped it into his hamper, and grabbed a towel. As he dried off, a knock sounded on his front door, drawing his curious gaze to peek out the window. It was then that his perfectly ordinary morning ended.
There stood the most beautiful man Magnus had ever seen, right there on his doorstep. Alec Lightwood, a real life Adonis, was actually knocking on his door, dressed in a sharp, black, probably pretty expensive suit. He was shifting in place, staring at his phone, tapping his foot. It seemed like he was in a hurry. Magnus debated heavily if he should run and grab a new sweater and fix his hair, but Alec looked just about ready to leave. There was absolutely no way Magnus was going to let the opportunity to talk to him again slip by.
"Oh, shit. Shit shit shit. He's about to leave! Fuck it. No shirt it is!" Magnus took a deep breath, slung his towel over his shoulder, and darted towards the door. He tried to open it casually, but his enthusiasm might have leaked through as the door slipped from his grasp and nearly collided with the wall beside him. "Hello?"
Alec's eyes widened as he blatantly stared at Magnus' naked torso. It wasn't exactly a secret that the warlock was quite fit, but he never, ever showed off his body, always hid it away behind his sweaters and cardigans. It wasn't like he really had anyone to impress. Until now, apparently. Alec continued to gape at Magnus' body, mapping out with his eyes every inch of his toned and chiseled muscles on display. He was off in a whole nother world.
"Um, Alexander Lightwood? If I remember correctly?" Oh, he remembered correctly. How could he forget a guy like him? There was no response, and Magnus was seconds away from waving a hand in front of his face to snap him out of his trance.
Alec inhaled sharply and shook his head, a wide grin blossoming across his lips. "Okay, I'm back." Magnus stared at him, still expecting his answer. "Right! Right. Yes, I'm Alec. And you're Magnus Bane."
Magnus' heart fluttered. "He remembers my name? Okay. Play it cool." He cleared his throat and nodded. "Right."
"We met at my party? Just last week?"
"Yes, I remember." Magnus softly smiled. "What can I do for you, Alec?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
Ah, yes. A reading. Of course. "Well, I normally don't do walk-ins in the morning, but I'm free right now." Yes, free. Very free.
Alec's brows knit together. "Oh, uh, I wasn't looking for a re-"
"Come in. Please." Magnus stepped out of the doorway, beckoning for Alec to enter.
Alec nodded and swiftly made his way through the door before Magnus closed it behind him. As he passed, a waft of his expensive cologne brushed against the warlock, causing a wave of goosebumps to ripple across his skin. Alec peered around the room with a smirk. "Nice place."
"Um, thanks. Have a seat." Magnus gestured to a cluster of old chairs basking in the morning sunlight. "Would you like some tea?"
"Sure." A soft crash and splash sounded off in the background. Alec quirked an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"Uh…" Magnus peered around the corner and into the kitchen, seeing a to-go cup open and spilling hot, spiced tea onto the floor. He groaned. "Sorry, it's my… cat."
"You have a cat?" Alec smiled.
"I do, two, but you probably won't see them. They can be a little shy." Magnus sighed. "Excuse me for a moment, will you? I'd like to put a shirt on."
Alec grinned. "Oh, you don't have to get dressed up for me." Magnus blushed as he slowly backed away towards his room. "Fine, but I like what I saw." Alec punctuated his statement with a seriously flirtatious wink.
Magnus choked on his spit as he nearly tumbled into his bedroom. He tossed the towel in the hamper and dashed into his small closet, staring helplessly at his unimpressive collection of button up shirts and sweaters. Neutrals, neutrals, neutrals. Drab. Boring. He really needed new clothes. There was a gray shirt with tiny white polka dots, and another one with a brown paisley design, but nothing really screamed impressive . He swiped his hand over the hangers, near desperate to just grab any one, when he spotted the shirt all the way at the end. He pulled it out and sighed. "Well, it's more exciting than anything else I have."
Just a moment later, Magnus walked out of his room wearing a red-violet, eggplant-ish colored shirt with a slight sheen to the fabric, fitted perfectly to every part of his upper body. He stepped into the kitchen, waving away the spilled tea with a grumble, and he flicked on the stove for the kettle. Upon returning to the parlor, he heard a gasp and glanced over towards the chair by the window. "That color looks amazing on you."
Magnus blushed furiously and smiled. "Oh, uh, thanks. It's, um- Holy shit !" He gasped himself and pointed at Alec in shock.
Alec looked completely startled. "What? What's wrong?" On his lap sat two cats. Two .
" Church ? What the hell?" Magnus walked over towards the trio and just stared. "What did you do?" He flicked his eyes between the gorgeous man and the furry ball of fury.
"Me? I just sat down. And then my little buddies showed up." And then Alec pet Church on the head, and Church didn't tear his fingers off. In fact, he purred .
"Church hates everyone." Magnus reached forward and attempted to pet him as well, but the cat growled and hissed the second he moved. "Even me!"
"Huh. I guess I just have a way with animals." Alec shrugged and grinned. "Now, uh, about the thing I wanted to-"
"Right! Of course. Well, I can do tarot, oracle, rune, and palm readings for walk-ins, but everything else I offer requires an appointment. What were you interested in?"
Alec smirked. "You."
Magnus blinked, wide eyed. "I'm sorry. What?"
"I came here to see if you wanted to have dinner with me."
Magnus pointed at his own chest, bewildered. "Me? You want to have dinner with me ?"
"You have to stop playing hard to get, Magnus. It makes things difficult." Alec chuckled. Magnus stood there, stunned. Silent in disbelief. "Are you okay?"
Magnus nodded and cleared his throat, attempting to put on a serious expression. "Yes. Yes, of course."
Alec furrowed his brows. "Yes, as in you're okay? Or as in you'll have dinner with me?"
Magnus swallowed thickly. "Uh, both?" Oh boy. This was all a dream, right? It couldn't be real.
"Good. When are you free?"
"Tonight." Magnus almost immediately facepalmed. Too eager. Way, way too eager.
Alec smiled. "I am, too. I'll pick you up at 7?"
Magnus suddenly remembered the whole feral magic issue. "No!" Both of the men looked startled by his outburst, staring at each other in confusion for a moment before Magnus sighed. "No, uh, I mean… I don't think I can do public settings at the moment."
"Oh. Well, why don't you come by my place, then? I can cook for us." Still too risky. Home would be safer. Should he really be doing this at all?
"How about here? We can order out, or something."
"Nonsense. I'll cook. Any allergies or diet restrictions, or foods you hate?" Magnus shook his head. "Great. 7 still okay?" Magnus nodded. "Okay. Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but there's plenty of time for that later. I have a meeting I need to get to." Alec attempted to nudge the kitties off of his lap, but both whined in protest.
Magnus smiled warmly. "They really seem to like you."
"Is that good?"
"I never date anyone my cats don't like." Magnus' smile evolved into a wide grin, and Alec matched his expression. He leaned forward and easily lifted Chairman Meow off, but Church glared at him. "Church, you have to let him go."
"We'll snuggle later, buddy." Alec scratched under his chin, then lifted him up and off, down to the floor. Magnus shook his head, still in disbelief. Alec stood, and the warlock gasped.
"Oh no… You are coated in fur!" Magnus bit his bottom lip.
"Eh. No worries. The guy I'm meeting with has a husky. I get coated in fur just by looking at him." Alec chuckled as he stretched.
"I'll walk you out." Magnus led the way towards the door, opening it for Alec to step through.
Alec turned to face him, giant grin and bright eyes gazing at Magnus. "See you tonight?"
Magnus returned his gaze. "I'm looking forward to it." Terrified, but looking forward to it nonetheless.
They stood there, still looking into each other's eyes, for what could have been hours or minutes or days for all that Magnus cared. Then, suddenly, Alec leaned forward, and Magnus' whole body tensed up, and that delicious cologne filled his lungs again, and he felt Alec's lips make contact with his cheek before the man whispered into his ear. "So am I." Magnus felt a little tug at the front of his shirt. "And definitely wear this." Alec backed away, smirked and winked, and made his way down to the sidewalk and off into the distance.
Magnus stood in the open doorway, frozen and completely stunned, until he heard the whistle of his kettle screaming in his kitchen. He snapped his fingers to turn off the stove, but, instead, his kettle launched through the roof of his building and landed in the middle of the street, setting off a nearby car alarm. Magnus cringed. Tonight was going to be an epic disaster, wasn't it?