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„Okay listen, Magnus. This. Is. Bullshit.”, the blonde boy in front of him explained.His muscular arms were wrapped around two women who were just as beautiful as they were boring. All Nephilims looked the same to Magnus. Like a shoal of goldfish they were beautiful but not distinguishable from one another.“A love potion is impossible. Besides if you were as charming as me you wouldn’t need one to get laid.”, the Shadowhunter continued confidently. They had only met a few hours ago, when the waitress had poured a drink over the boy’s head. Magnus was clearly enjoying the scene which had gotten him into an argument with the boy. Soon they started insulting each other The later it became, the emptier their glasses and the more heated their discussions. The whole time Magnus wasn't completely sure whether he was amused or annoyed by the boy’s bloated ego, but he stayed, if only for the lack of alternatives. At this point he tried to explain to the boy, that his magic was strong enough to create potions that could even trick the most skilled Shadowhunter which he just couldn’t believe. A typical Shadowhunter. They just couldn't imagine that there was magic out there, stronger than their own.
The devil wipes his breech with poor folks' pride, Magnus thought gleefully. He'd show them.„Oh believe me I can be very charming myself, if I want to. Just to be clear: I don’t need the potion myself I just want to prove it’s possible to brew one. And when I succeed it will be strong enough to trick any of you.” “I get it. You totally want to show of your warlock skills. So, Go ahead, see for yourself. Thousands of warlocks failed before and so will you.“, he said while he swiped his long blond hair out of his face.Suddenly one of the girls took the boy’s face between her hands and grinned at him seductively. Her voice sounded disgustingly sweet when she told him: „ Come on, Jace. We are here to have some fun. You can still fight with the sorcerer's apprentice another time.”If the boy wanted to say anything in return, his words were swallowed as the blonde goldfish pressed her sucking lips onto his mouth, while she drove her hands up and down his body somewhat awkwardly. He took this as his cue to go home.Magnus needed exactly 13 days and 20 hours until he did the impossible.
In fact, it had been more strenuous than he had initially thought, especially because it had taken him a long time to convince Raphael to give him some vampire venom. It was the central component of his potion along with some rose pedals from the Seeliecourt. He hadn’t slept for days and his potion had exploded more often than not. But this time it had taken on a warm golden color and Magnus considered this a good sign. He filled part of the liquid from the boiling kettle into a small glass ampoule and safely stowed it in his vest pocket. Now he only had to test his potion on a person. There was no way He could possibly ask his friends, because having to bare Raphael or Cat acting like they were in love with him was simply too much. Even considering their strong friendship. Just the thought of it made him shudder. On the other hand, it would be morally questionable to simply pour his potion into a anyone's drink. Moreover, it was hard to imagine what would happen if the Downworld ever found out what Magnus had accomplished in the first place. A love potion in the wrong hands was the most dangerous weapon in the world. No, no one could ever know about it. He only wanted to prove to himself (and maybe that arrogant brat) that he could brew it.
Magnus stirred at the the sizzling potion in anger until he decided to help to clear his mind with a glass of alcohol in the living room. He stumbled over the empty glass bottles on the floor on his way. Swearing loudly, he got up from the floor and swore to conjure up the remains of his drinking later. Something he knew he wouldn’t do.A theatrical sigh escaped his mouth, when he let himself fall onto the couch. With a flick of his wrist, a glass of Martini appeared in his hand. He was the most powerful warlock of Brooklyn. (There was no need for false modesty at that point.) But what good was that? He took a deep sip from the glass and swung it thoughtfully back and forth. No matter how hard he tried and whatever he did, in the end it was completely irrelevant. What good was it, when he brew the most complicated potions and spells? People always misused his power for their own gain. A love potion wouldn’t p bring more love to anyone, but on the contrary, it would only cause more war and hatred among everyone. And then it was up to Magnus to do something about it again. And when he tried to solve it, it would only create a worse problem than the one before. Whatever he did he could never make all evil disappear from this world. And yet he tried it year after year after year after year. But what for? The answer to that had been so clear once. Now it was hardly more than a blurred picture in the back of his head. The centuries had embittered him, he knew that. But he wasn't to give up yet. There were still things that managed to light the fire inside him. Especially his thirst for knowledge as well as his friends gave him the feeling of not being quite ready to let go. But this fire inside him burned weaker and weaker with every passing year. Maybe in a few decades there was nothing, but ashes left. Before he could drown himself completely in alcohol and his own melancholy, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the front door.Slightly annoyed he got up from the couch. He hated it when clients boldly showed up unannounced. Usually No Downworlder was stupid enough to bother him like that. His foul mood changed instantly when he layed eyes on his intruder. Right in front of him in the hallway stood the most beautiful Human being Magnus had ever seen in his whole life. And that meant a lot, considering that he had had more than four centuries to explore humanity. He was surprisingly tall, but stood slightly bent, as if he felt a little uncomfortable with his height. His dark shaded eyes made him look mature and serious, but Magnuscouldnt be fooled. No way this man was one day older than 25. His eyes wandered over the man's body. At the side of his neck, there was a large Deflect Rune. The typical trademark of the Lightwood family, as he knew. So he was a Shadowhunter. Magnus was slightly surprised because this Shadowhunter didn't even remind him of a goldfish in the slightest. Rather, he possessed the natural deadly grace of a panther.His strange, yet welcome visitor opened his mouth several times without saying a single word. Magnus tried not to stare at his plump lips too eagerly. Because a kiss on the lips still wasnt accepted to welcome strangers in most countries. Unfortunately. He tried to pull himself together. Sure, this boy was beautiful to look at, but in the end, he was just another person who expected Magnus to solve a problem that he hadn't caused in the first place. As much as shadowhunters looked down on warlocks, they were surprisingly dependent on their help. Without him, the Institute would probably have been razed to the ground a long time ago. Suddenly it struck Magnus like a lightning; maybe this one time a Shadowhunter could help *him*. The potion was almost certainly harmless as long as he kept an eye on the Shadowhunter throughout the day. It was only a matter of compensatory justice and everything would be fine in the end. All he had to do was made Alec swallow a few drops of his creation. So, he was just about to have a drink with the most beautiful man he had ever seen . His day had just gotten inevitably better.Finally he introduced himself to his counterpart: "I am Magnus Bane. High Warlock of Brooklyn and currently single.”
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To his great pleasure, the man blushed slightly."Hey. Um-I'm Alec. I'm sorry. The door was just leaning. I didn't mean to-", Alec stuttered out. His hands were firmly crossed behind his back and his shoulders slightly pulled back. He showed a strange mixture of authority and insecurity that Magnus had not seen in anyone ever before. "Don't worry. It’s all good. I understand. Personally, I just don't see the point in locking my doors," Magnus interrupted his stuttering."But- why?" Alec was certainly used to the countless protective measures of the institute, which should make it impossible for enemies to enter the building. And yet Magnus still had to help them almost every week, because a demon had passed their walls. So, what was the point of protective measures? Whatever really tried to find a way in, would find a way in."Whoever is stupid enough to show up unannounced should fear for his own life rather than for mine"., he answered, before he realized this might sound like a thread to Alec.“You’re probably right”, Alec said seemingly unimpressed, but the right corner of his mouth twitched upwards for the fraction of a second."Of course, a beautiful Shadowhunter like you makes the exception.," Magnus explained whereupon Alec’s cheeks turned even more reddish than before. They starred at each other for a little longer, until Magnus remembered he still had to fulfill a mission and therefore Alec had to come inside and have a drink with him. Although he wasn’t completely sure if he’d really do it yet, because he knew it was morally reprehensible. At least a little bit."Well, whatever you want from me, we might as well discuss this in the living room.”He nodded hesitantly and followed Magnus inside. With a frowned forehead, Alec looked at the empty glasses and bottles of alcohol scattered all over the floor. Magnus made up an excuse about a party last night, but the boy didn't seem to buy it one bit. He wouldn’t let other people look down on him. Besides, it was his right to live the way he wanted to. Catharina had told him several times that she believed he had an alcohol problem. Magnus rather believed it was a problem of motivation. Could you even be an alcoholic if every liquid, no matter how strong it was, showed hardly any effect anymore? Nonetheless, he made the bottles disappear. Then he offered Alec a place on his couch and made two cups of tea appear in front of. Normally, he placed his clients onto the most uncomfortable wooden chair he owned, hoping they would leave his apartment as soon as possible. Since most of his Clients were Downworlders and thus immortal, they tended to tell him everything about their life, which could sometimes take several hours. If He would ever let them take place on his cozy couch, they would probably never leave his loft again, telling him stories about their great-great grandson from Montenegro. But here was Alec, sitting on the outer edge of the piece of furniture, his back so straight that it couldn't possibly be comfortable for him. Still not a single word was escaping his mouth."So tell me, young Shadowhunter. Why exactly are you here?”, Magnus tried as a conversation opener.Magnus put some tea into his cup of sugar, then he offered the other cup to Alec. The boy hesitantly accepted and tried to hide his disgusted face as he tried a small sip. Well, not everyone shared Magnus' love for sugar."One of our Shadowhunters was found dead yesterday. Only few blocks away, ", Alec said abruptly. That was- one way to start a conservation. Alright, so the boy definitely wasn’t into smalltalk, but preferred to get straight to the point. Somehow, he liked that. As much as Magnus himself always tried to bewitch people with his words, he definitely preferred honesty with people close to him. Not that he and Alec were close to each other in any way, but still…
Nevertheless, he wondered why the institute felt the need to inform him about the incident all. They definitely didn't do it out of concern. On the contrary, he suspected something completely different and he had to swallow hard to keep his anger under control."Do you mind helping me out a little bit here? To what extent is that important to me now? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm deeply struck. But what does that have to do with me?" Magnus asked, although he knew exactly what Alec would answer. "Aldertree wants to ask you a few questions," Alec replied. Of course, he said that. He was one of them."You mean he wants to interrogate me, because I’m a suspect. On what grounds exactly? Just because I'm a Downworlder?"Alec stared at him wordlessly. He probably wasn't used to questioning the institute’s actions. Since his birth he has been manipulated to do his job without ever asking questions. Shadowhunters were little more than children when they started their service as soldiers. Suddenly he remembered a passage of a book he read ages ago, about some young boys in Nazi-Germany and felt like it described them perfectly.
All thinking is hateful to them. They don't care about man! They want to be machines, screws, wheels, pistons, belts - but they would rather be ammunition than machines: bombs, shrapnel, grenades. How they would like to die in a field! Their name on a war memorial is the dream of their puberty.
They were nothing but ammunition and the Clave was their gun."No, it’s because of her bitemarks," Alec interrupted his thoughts."And of course warlocks are known for killing their victims by sucking out their blood. What exactly do you learn at your Shadowhunter Academy again?", he asked, slightly annoyed.Alec continued to desperately try to avoid his looks. Yes, he was nothing but a grenade from the Clave. He was raised to follow orders without ever questioning them. Why had only a small naive part of him believed Alec could be different? Arrogance, imprudent behavior and the strong urge to prove themselves to the world. This was something they all had in common. He and his kind had been discriminating against Downworlder for centuries. Sentenced them, under unlawful circumstances, and never even considered it necessary to involve them in political decisions. In short, Shadowhunters felt superior to them in every way. Now that he had seen Alec's true face, he felt a little bit less bad about his plan. What did this little experiment mean compared to what Shadowhunters had done to him over the years? He would do it. "So you're saying it was a vampire?", Alec asked and Magnus flinched because he felt somehow caught. He tried to put on a convincing smile. This wasn't wrong, it was nothing but compensatory justice, right?"No. What I am saying is that's its highly more likely for a vampire to suck out someone’s blood, than it is for a warlock to do so."He only had to distract Alec for a moment so that he could add a few drops of the potion into his tea. Everything else would settle itself."Do you know anything else about the victims?", Magnus asked casually. Alec went silent for a while. Maybe he thought about whether he was even allowed to share the investigation status with one of the suspects or not."All female, blonde and around 20 years old," Alec finally explained. He knew immediately which Downworlder was responsible for this. He had met the vampire in Europe, where he had earned a fortune during the Second World War, but soon had to flee to America. New laws in Europe forbid vampires to drink human blood. He had changed his place of residence so he didnt had to change his attitude towards Mundanes."That must be definitely Jarochowski. I know that Bastard personally. He always preferred them young,blonde and beautiful. Well, at least this means true beauties like you are safe.", Magnus said and winked at theAlec. Perhaps it was a little tactless to flirt with Alec like this, but he simply couldn't help it. His reactions were to precious.
The boy looked away in embarrassment and cleared his throat. By the angels, why did his victim had to look so incredibly cute? Insecurity was Magnus latest weakness. "Jarochowski? Never heard about him before.", Alec stated once he found his voice again."That would actually disappoint him deeply. He considers himself Europe’s greatest Vampire. Even more important than Count Dracula. You can actually see a photography of him in the hallway."“Why do you have a photo of him?”“That is an actually an excellent question. We first met in the roaring twenties in Berlin. Back than the City attracted great artists from all over the world. Jarochowskis knowledge of art is far beyond mine. We were friends, of course, this was before I found out that he brutally kills people."Alec just shook his head slightly amused, then he followed Magnus' orders and disappeared into the hallway. This was his opportunity. In a flash Magnus conjured up a glass of whiskey hoping that the drink would please Alec more than the sugar-sweet tea. Then he took the ampoule with the potion out of his vest pocket and gave as little as possible in Alec's drink. If his potion had failed, which Magnus didn't really believe in, then this small dose would at least not be able to harm Alec in any way, right?Alec returned with a black and white photograph in his hand and showed it to Magnus. He had often wanted to throw it away, but it was always difficult for him to get rid of things. Once they were gone, all memories disappeared with them over time."Is that him?", Alec asked and pointed at a skinny man with eyes that had deep dark circles. But not in a sexy way like Alec’s, but in the haunting disturbing way."The one and only. Although luckily he's not wearing that ugly moustache anymore.", he explained. Magnus had some pretty embarrassing photos about that time himself, but he made sure no one would ever lay his hands on those.“What luck. He is a dangerous serial killer, but at least he doesn’t have this ugly moustache anymore.”A dry laugh escaped Alec's mouth." Exactly. I guess this means your case is closed. Let's drink to your success." This was his chance. A few sips would be enough.“ I didn’t do anything. You just told me everything.”, Alec said.Cursed be his modesty. The boy should just toast with him like any normal person would do. That wasn't too much to ask.“Well, at least you walked here all by yourself. Let’s drink to that”., Magnus tried again.“I guess youre right”, Alec answered and then he finally-finally- took a sip.It was at the very moment Magnus realized a few things.
1. The whole apartment smelled of Nephilim blood, sandalwood, and the salty sea of Batavia.
2. If the apartment filled up with smoke, it was never a good sign.
3. He had forgotten to take the kettle from the fire and it was probably about to explode.
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The last point made him jump up from the couch and run to his lab as fast as he could. But it was already too late. He barely had time to protect himself when a deafening bang shook the apartment. Magnus was dragged backwards against the wall and briefly lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, they burnt like fire, because there was thick dark smoke everywhere. Every time he tried to breathe it feelt like hell. Still he somehow managed to conjure the smoke away, before he let himself sink back to the ground. He looked around, the damage had already been done. The windows in his lab were all broken, as most of his equipment. When he looked up again he saw Alec standing in front of him.“Are you okay, Magnus?”, he asked, and Magnus could see real concern in his eyes. Real concern! Like he actually cared. He had to pull himself together. Sometimes he bottled up his feelings so much, that a simple question like this was enough to make him highly emotional. This probably wasn’t real anyway. Alec’s concern might as well just be an effect of the love potion. He didn’t really care. Most people were so busy with their own problems that they simply ignored everyone else's. So as long as Magnus continued to throw big parties, entertain the masses and sell them potions, his personal feelings were completely irrelevant to everyone. And frankly he could understand them. Who cared about the suffering of an old man? He didnt need their help anyway, because after all he was Magnus- freaking- Bane. High Warlock of Brooklyn and he was also pretty sure he had just created the most powerful potion in the world. .“I’m fine.”, he answered.It's a forgivable lie that almost everyone had told someone before.“So…What was that?”“Nothing, just one of my potions I had been working on.”, Magnus answered truthfully.“Alright. Better never drink that like- ever! It seems highly explosive.”Damn it. He didn’t think about this at all. No way, this could possibly happen once it was inside someone’s body, right? He absolutely needed to watch over Alec this day, so he could help him in case anything went wrong. Asking him out was the only way to do get him under surveillance without him getting suspicious.“Alec?”, he asked and touched the man’s arm slightly, “ That’s short for Alexander I guess?”“Yeah, but it’s really just Alec.”, he answerd.
Maybe this wasn’t modesty but some serious lack of self-esteem over there.“Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re so much more than just Alec. But I wanted to ask you something else. What would you say about spending the day with me? Just the two of us?”Although Magnus was sure that his potion had worked, the following silence felt still awkward. He heard the noise of the street unbearably loud in his ears, A siren in the distance, several honking motorists and people screaming at each other in the distance.
Most of the time the seconds just passed without anyone ever noticing them. But in moments like these, every single second felt like a small eternity. And then Alec finally gave his answer.” Yeah. Yeah sure. I mean yeah Why not.”Magnus exhaled with relief. That meant his potion had worked and he had the opportunity to keep an eye on Alec. And now that he already had a date with Mr. Ridiculously-Handsome , it was basically his duty to make the day as pleasant as possible for both of them.„Great. We can eat some ice cream at Morgenstern’s finest Ice cream if you want- or we could portal to Italy if you prefer that.”“Um, sure. But don’t you think we should clean up this-?”, he pointed to Magnus' entire apartment. It was mess. Broken glass, jumbled furniture and it still smelled like it was burning somewhere."Don't worry about it. The night shift is going to take care of that. " Magnus put his hand on Alec's back and gently pushed him out the door. He really didn't feel like wasting his time nor energy for cleaning up. He already had more than enough problems to take care of. The way was short and the weather was still pleasantly mild for the beginning of June. At first Alec hardly spoke a word (but he seemed to be rather short of words in general) and they walked silently side by side, until Magnus got bored and started bombarding Alec with questions. As it turned out, he was 23 years old, born in New York, and adored his two siblings more than werewolves the invention of latex clothing. When he talked about his siblings, a small smile slipped onto his face , causing little wrinkles to form under his eyes. Magnus couldn't get enough of this view. Even though it was almost impossible, but Alec actually looked even better when he smiled. It was difficult to get Alec to talk about himself, but every fibre of his body longed to learn more about him. He didn't know exactly why though. Maybe it had just been too long since Magnus had had a good chat with a Shadowhunter. Maybe it was for another reason that Magnus didn't want to think about too much.„This sounds all really great, Alexander. But I want to know what gives you pleasure. What is it that motivates you?”Magnus didn’t even know the answer to this question anymore himself.„ Killing demons?“, Alec asked carefully. “Are you sure? You don't seem to me like someone who likes to kill.”„It’s not the killing. Its more like- I like it when a plan works out. That satisfies me.”“I understand. Although I have to inform you that there are easier ways to satisfy a man than by killing demons.” This time Alec stood up to his gaze and even raised an eyebrow, but Magnus still noticed how his cheeks were minimally discolored. Oh, that boy was completely defenseless to him.„ But I am serious. What else brings you joy?”, Magnus continued.
Alec was quiet for a while. Not because he didn’t want to answer Magnus. On the contrary, it seemed like he was seriously thinking about it. Magnus gave him time he needed. „Honestly? I don‘t know.”, he finally answered, but seemed a bit embarrassed about it. “Well, you should know. There should always be something worth fighting for. You should always take your time and try to figure out what makes you happy.”And then Alec said something that completely shatteres him.“I know. That’s why I’m here with you.” Magnus' heart beat faster. Maybe the potion worked like alcohol for Alec. Maybe he wasn’t lying at all, but the potion made him more confident. Wishful thinking. Nothing but wishful thinking, Magnus.It's only after he and Alec bought their ice and sat down on a bench at the park, when Magnus realized his mistake. If Magnus needed to cool down at that moment, it had nothing to do with the summer weather. You could say what you wanted, but Alec Lightwood knew exactly what he was doing when he licked the ice with an incredible amount of devotion and tenderness. When he felt like Magnus was watching him he took all of it into his mouth at once. He felt incredibly aroused. This was definitely an x-rated way of eating ice cream. Without them touching each other, it almost felt like they were intimate in a public place. Who would have expected that from his reserved Shadowhunter? When Alec is finished, there is still some cream on the corner of his mouth and Magnus needs all his willpower to resist the urge to lick it off. Nonetheless, their faces are dangerously close by now, but Magnus didn't intend to take advantage of Alec in this situation. Not when he wasn’t sure the boy really wanted it and was in a clear state of mind. As he breathed in, to calm down, he strangely noticed that Alec smelled just like the love potion, or did the potion smell like Alec? He didn’t know anymore. Their faces were so close they could feel each other’s warm breath onto their skin. Alec closed his eyes and their lips moved towards each other. But just before they meet, Alec opened his eyelids again, pulled back and shouted out loud: "This was delicious, Magnus. So, what should we do next?"This wasn't teasing. It was torture! And he was pretty sure it was illegal in New York City. This boy was going to be the death of him. Maybe he deserved that. Was that his kind of revenge, for Magnus many innuendos?“Just- give me a minute to cool down.”“Yeah. It’s pretty hot today.”, Alec said innocently and Magnus only managed to moan as an answer.They spent most of the afternoon in the park making up stories for the people passing by. Sometimes it reminded him of things from his own past which he then told Alec about. Alec is a good listener. He wasn’t just waiting for a moment to interrupt Magnus to tell something about himself, no he was seriously listening. Sometimes he managed to make Alec laugh and then he thought that he needed a huge advertisement on Time Square just to show Alec's laughing face to the whole world. As it got darker they got themselves some hot dogs and sat on the meadow. The park was still full of people, but the atmosphere was peaceful. "I still think we should find out what motivates you.", Magnus said thoughtfully.„Um, okay. It’s just- I don’t think I am good at anything except for fighting.”Yes, Alec clearly lacked some self-confidence.“You don’t have to be good at anything to enjoy it. Maybe you end up loving something you never thought you would.“„Possible.“, Alec said and their eyes met for a second. Magnus cleared his throat and looked away to suppress his urge to kiss him."Maybe you should try something completely different. Figure skating, for example. I'm sure you'd make a wonderful figure in that skintight costumes."
Alec looked at him completely shocked.„Okay,first of all: No. Seccond: No way!“„Very well, then. With that mindset, you'll never bring home a gold medal.”„I thought this was about joy, not success. “, Alec said teasingly.Damn it. He hated it when other people used his own words against him.„Touché, you're a good listener. Maybe you should try a mental challenge then. How do you feel about Sudoku?”, Magnus asked."Great idea. Next time I'm surrounded by a horde of demons, I'll just pull out my Sudoku Block. That takes out some of the tension ."„You’ve got some attitude, Alexander. I like it.”“Thanks, people never give me enough credit.”“Anyway Lets think about sports again. What about soccer? “„I’m gay. Not European,Magnus.”“I’m- pretty sure that’s offensive in some way. But I'm gonna take that for a no. How do you feel about lacrosse though?"„ If I want to get myself killed, I prefer to go on a mission without my sister.”, Alec answered and he looked seriously annoyed at that point. But Magnus just couldn’t help. It was to much fun to tease him.“Alright but what-““Listen”, Alec interrupted him suddenly, ” You sure this is about me? I think this is about you. I think you want to find something so you can climb out of that deep hole.“This made Magnus shut up. At that moment he rethought his opinion about honesty, nobody needed honesty. Screw honesty! It was far too close to the uncomfortable truth. He looked at Alec in anger. Maybe he should have given him much more of the potion and maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it made Alec explode. The boy's face had turned red by now and he fell back into his former stuttering. "I-I'm sorry. It wasn't my Place- It was just a joke," Alec said awkwardly."No, it wasn't.""No, it wasn't.", Alec agreed. "So is this what all of this is to you? Are you doing this out of pity? Poor alcoholic warlock even blows up his own apartment. What a pathetic little creature he is. Can't even-""MAGNUS, STOP IT." He flinched. Alec had just raised his voice a little bit, but Magnus swore that even the birds in the park went silent. He would surely be a great leader someday."It's a pity date to you." Magnus accused him. He knew he was being unfair now. He noticed it himself. Wasn't he the one who gave Alec the potion in the first place? He had practically forced him to spend the day with him and could not possibly blame him for that now. Then why was he so angry and dissappointed? Maybe this date had just felt a little too beautiful, a little too real for him so part of him forgot that it wasn’t.„What? No, no, this is not- No.”“One more no, and I may actually start to believe you.”Alec took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He seemed a bit more collected now.„I don’t pity you one bit. You're beautiful and funny and simply amazing. How cant you see that? ”Magnus wanted to believe his words, but he didn't know how much of it came from Alec and how much from the potion. This whole situation incredibly scratched his ego and unfortunately he was the one to blame for all of this. Probably Alec didn't mean to hurt him, but he couldn't help but speak the truth. He shouldn't be too hard on him. Perhaps his ego was simply flattered by the nice words, but he decided to show mercy on him."Thank you, Alexander. Sometimes I tend to forget that.""Now you have me to remind you ."Magnus couldn't suppress his smile. Alec really made it hard to be angry at him. Especially when Alec smiled back at him and took his hand, making Magnus heart beat faster. They walked side by side for a while. The tense mood between them has disappeared again and soon they laughed and talked to each other as carefree as before. Alec also promised Magnus that they would go ice skating together, even if that meant that they had to travel to the southern hemisphere with a portal. From time to time Alec paused and looked at Magnus with pure adoration. Like he wanted to tell him how great he was. And for the fraction of a second, Magnus believed him. After all maybe the world wasn’t such a bad place.
Its much later that day, when their peaceful mood got interrupted by two girls passing by.
They were both young and blond. Also one of them clearly had a bite wound on her neck. Magnus Alec changed a look and decided to follow them.
When Alec activated the soundless rune at his forearm, Magnus believed he discovered his weakness for tattoos. But maybe he just had a weakness for everything about Alec Lightwood. Alec's well-trained arms showed as he slowly drove along the sign with his stele. With almost inhuman willpower Magnus turned his gaze away from Alec's arms to his face, so he could ask him: "I don't really know a lot about the New York institute, but don't you need someone to approve your mission first?"Alec threw his head in the back and laughed out loudly: "I'm already totally fucked. I should have brought you to the institute hours ago. It doesn't matter anymore. "So maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Alec wasn't only able to follow orders. But he didn't know if this was the right time to rebel. After all, the two of them were about to start a war with one of New York’s strongest Vampires. However, he had already found himself in more hopeless situations and he was pretty sure Alec knew how to fight.
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If Alec had acted somewhat insecurely today, he was an entirely different person now. This, right here. The hunt. That was, what he was born for. What he was raised for. Alec's movements were insidious and yet dangerous. He almost never let the girls out of his sight, he just turned around sometimes to make sure Magnus was still following him. While they were chasing the girls, Alec called his siblings and told them to locate his position and get to him as soon as possible. At Magnus' questioning face, he explained that they would most likely need backup if they were about to fight an entire clan of vampires on their own. The longer they walked, the narrower and darker the alleys became. Magnus needed some time to get used to the darkness, but Alec moved as smoothly as a cat in the dark. Then the girls stopped abruptly in front of a dark red door. The name SANGUISAGA was written over it in plain writing. A passer-by may have mistaken it for a cheap Italian restaurant, but Magnus knew better. Sanguisaga. Bloodsucker. Under this name Jarochowski and his followers had already been feared in Europe at that time. Why they had joined him, then and now, was their desire for human blood. The two girls had led them straight to his hiding place.The house number above the door flickered , but offered them just enough light to look for a hiding place. When they crowded close together, they fitted behind a nearby container. Magnus' heart beat loudly in his chest which had much more to do with Alec's physical closeness than with the threatening situation they were in. Although this really wasn't the moment to think about his contradictory feelings towards Alec. So he tried turn his attention back to the girls. At this very moment a skinny bodyguard opened the door to the girls in.„So what now?“, Magnus asked when he had calmed down a little bit.“I- I don’t know. Where are we anyway?”“ Jarochowskis Place. His clan probably consists of several dozen vampires by now. They are all incredibly dangerous and won't be thrilled if we just storm the place.”“I know. But we can’t just let those girls die either.”“Well, actually. Yes. Yes, we can.”, Magnus answered. For decades now, the clans' illegal activities had been known, but they had remained largely hidden. But now that the situation between the Downworlders and the Clave was so tense, they could allow themselves to become more ruthless. Jarochowski knew perfectly well that the Clave would not dare to attack out of fear of the tense political situation. An attack like this could be considered a declaration of war. That's why he even dared to kill a Shadowhunter. Rationally speaking, there would most likely be fewer victims if they turned around at that very moment. But they both knew that they couldn't just let the girls die. Besides, it was partly Magnus' fault that Jarochowski was still on the loose. Because of their old friendship, he had tried to ignore most of his crimes for decades. But it was time to put an end to this tonight.
They stared at the door still waiting for the backup and were tense like horses just before the race."I am sorry for all of this", Alec finally interrupted the silence. Magnus laughed slightly. If anyone was to blame for the situation, it was definitely him. If he hadn't insisted on testing his potion on a person, he would probably be lying comfortably in his bed at home with a good book in his hands at the very moment. No, Alec really wasn’t the one to blame here."Don't be. At least I spend the evening in best company possible. It could be much worse."Alec chuckled slightly. Then he took Magnus hand again and locked it with his own. Magnus heart was racing again. Even though all this was unnecessarily dangerous, he felt happier than he had felt in years. Magnus knew that he was a person of extremes, meaning he he felt things more intense than others. Hopelessness and indifference could overshadow everything , but at the same time he also felt emotions like hapiness and excitement more intense than most people did. And this day with Alec made him feel strangely good. "I am glad you're here," Alec replied, then he put Magnus' hand to his lips and kissed every single one of his knuckles. The gesture was so sweet and innocent that Magnus felt incredibly guilty. Alec deserved better than him. Better than someone who had just drugged him. He had to tell him the truth. It simply was the right thing to do. Even though he probably didn't want anything to do with him afterwards. "I have to tell you something, Alexander. And I have to admit I am not proud of it. When you-"He suddenly paused when he saw two dark figures approaching them, a boy and a girl.
The girl looked surprisingly similar to Alec, in the sense of stunningly beautiful.
But it was the boy whose sight completely shocked Magnus, because it was the one from the bar. What an irony of fate. He could only hope he wouldn't remember him due to the heavy drinking. Otherwise he was simply doomed. "Sorry we're late. But Draco Malfoy over here “forgot” to buy his ticket and hopped over the subway turnstiles . So, yeah we had some troubles with the police.""You know, Izzy. We are protecting all those mundanes from pure evil. We should at least not have to waste our money for public transportation," he explained.The blonde one stopped abruptly when he recognized Magnus. Yes, he was definetly doomed.„I know you.“, the boy said. “You're that cocky warlock. You even told me you could brew a love potion. What happened to that, dude?”Cocky? Him? If anyone here had a pompous ego, then that arrogant little Shadowhunter. If he had never met him, none of this would have happened in the first place.
He gave the boy an angry look, but he was visibly unimpressed and just grinned.
Confused, Alec looked back and forth between Magnus and Jace."I Dont know what youre talking about. You must be confusing me with someone else. I've got a common face," Magnus tried to say as calmly as possible." I am 99% sure you're Magnus Bane. You make a lasting impression. No, offense," Jace said. To hell with him. Now that he had mentioned his name, it was hardly possible to talk his way out of this any more. But luckily he didn't have to, because the girl interrupted their conversation. She looked at Magnus with the widest grin on the planet and her gaze rested on his and Alec's hands, which were still locked together.„Oh my God Alec. Is this your way to introduce us to your Boyfriend?!! I am so happy for you. But I have to tell you, a dark alley isn’t the best place to get to know each other. Don’t worry big bro, one day you’re gonna figure this whole social stuff out.”Then she walked towards Magnus and introduced herself as Alec's sister Izzy (Those Lightwood genes!) and hugged him warmly. Alec on the other hand looked completly emberessed . He covered his face with one hand before telling Izzy that they were only here to save some Mundanes and he tried to explain the whole situation to them briely. Jace listened at Alec while pulling his Serap Blade out of his pocket. He drove his fingertips over the blade while slightly leaning his back against the wall. Magnus could not avoid rolling his eyes slightly annoyed. The boy deliberately tried to be a damn cliché. The blond boys eyes sparkled challenging at Alec. Maybe Alec was the leader of their group but Jace did not take orders from anyone. It seemed as if he wanted to challenge Alec."It's funny. You're on an unauthorized mission with the person you were actually supposed to capture. But that's not all! You also are holding hands with him.", the boy pointed out.Capture-? Wait what? So not just an interrogation. This was a strange way to help deescalate the political situation: illegally capturing the high warlock of Brooklyn. But it wasn't like the Clave had ever made reasonable decisions.
Now Alec had to let go of Magnus' hand to come closer to the other boy."It's funny, because I rememeber, you love breaking the rules. So, what's the deal, Jace?"Oh, yes, right. Jace was his name. "You're right. I love breaking them, but you don't. You're acting weird."Then Jace gave Magnus a look that showed that he knew exactly what was going on. Magnus swallowed heavily.
Alec now stood pretty close to Jace. And yet again he reminded Magnus of a cat, which was about to make a lethal jump on its prey. His eyes were drawn together into narrow slits. But then something happened that Magnus didn't quite understand, the two boys suddenly started laughing and Jace patted Alec on the shoulder."Let's show them, Alec!", Jace said eagerly.Shadowhunters, Magnus just thought, and shook his head. He would never quite understand them.
Together they tried to work out a plan to free the two girls. Jace and Izzy suggested to just storm the restaurant and kill everyone in their way. Alec had no doubt that they would succeed, but he was also aware of the unstable political situation, which was why he at least wanted to try another way. They were running out of time. By now they were all shouting so loudly that you couldn’t understand a single word anymore. „Enough.”,Alec said and proved yet again his talent to silence everyone immediatly.“ Izzy, Jace use your Shape-shifting Rune. Get the girls out of the Club. You have 10 minutes. If you ain’t back by then we’ll attack.”His siblings seemed to like his plan and they turned into two beautiful blonde girls. Irrgh. Magnus definitely had enough of those goldfishes for a while.
Even though Magnus hoped that Alec's siblings would succeed, he highly doubted it, because Jarochowski couldn’t be fooled that easily. You should Never underestimate the intelligence of a maniac. After less than 3 minutes they hear screams coming from the restaurant. What else did he expect? Of course it would not be that simple. They should have skipped Plan A directly. Always start with plan B then you only need 24 more letters to be successful. "Damn it, people. You had one job," Alec muttered angrily, then he jumped up and ran towards the door. Magnus followed him inside the restaurant, which was already completely wrecked. Pieces of furniture, broken glasses and splintered porcelain were scattered all over the place. Noone would be able to eat Pizza Margaritha in here for a very long time. At least a dozen vampires had pushed Jace and Izzy into a corner and surrounded them. Fortunately, they were so busy with those two that they didn't even notice him and Alec. They exchanged a look, then they started to attack.
If Magnus only tried to knock them out at the beginning, he soon had to realize that the vampires were deadly serious on their part. Magnus managed to hit some of them with his fireballs from time to time, but vampires were fast. Incredibly fast. From the corner of his eye he realized that Alec was an highly skilled archer. Although it should be impossible due to the speed, he managed to hit a vampire every now and then. He aimed straight for the heart.
And at that moment Magnus knew what he had to do. He said the words to slow down the time around them, while they both continued to move at normal speed.
Alec looked at Magnus in confusion at first, then he understood and fired one arrow after the other. Together they were much more effective, but slowing down time was also a particularly exhausting task. A few moments later he had to stop again, so he wouldn't collapse. His breath was heavy and Alec looked at him slightly worried, which forced him to a fake a small smile. After all, their attack had been effective. Jace and Izzy were no longer completely surrounded by Vampires and now they could all fight side by side. It was a bitter battle. Even three talented Shadowhunters and an experienced warlock had a hard time when the opponents were so much more numerous than themselves. But then suddenly the fighting stops, when Jarochowski entered the room."My dear Magnus. It's like I don't even know you any more. Since when do you fight along with shadowhunters? In times like these, we have to stick together, old friend." Although he was a vampire, Magnus had the feeling that Jarochowski looked older than he remembered him. When he met Magnus' gaze, he began to laugh in a resounding manner. Then heembraced Magnus, while his long nails drilled into his back. It was not a friendly gesture, but a threat and final warning. Magnus had this last chance to leave, otherwise he would show no mercy."We aren't friends. You disgust me," Magnus spat out. He had already chosen his side. Not for the Shadowhunters, but against Jarochowski. If the vampire had smiled friendly before, it was now nothing but a disformed grin. He licked threateningly over his sharp fangs. Oh boy ! How Magnus would like to sit at home with a book in his hand insted of this madness. After today he would need a holiday. "You know Confucius once said: It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them. But he was wrong. The only true shame is stupidity. And never would I have been stupid enough to trust you. I knew that at some point you would betray me.", Jarochowski said with his shrill penetrating voice.He now stood so close to Magnus that he could smell his disgusting breath. It was the odour of blood and decay. "Oh, believe me. I dont trust you one bit either. You are evil. It just took me a little too long to understand that," Magnus tried to reply as carelessly as possible. "My dearest friend. Still as blinded as ever. Good and evil are an invention of mankind. Is the wolf evil, just because he kills and eats a deer to survive? So why should a vampire be evil just because he has to give in to his drives? You ask us to act against our nature. But A wolf that you feed only on lettuce will die."He knew exactly how to use words to deceive people. Maybe he had fallen for it at the time, but that wouldn't happen to him again. Jarokhovsky's followers had now formed a circle around their leader and Magnus. But they only watched the spectacle eagerly. "You twist this into something this isn't. You might as well drink animal blood as most other vampires do. A wolf can't separate good from evil... But you can and you chose to be evil. It's about time you finally face the consequences."The bad thing was that something in Magnus still didn't want to kill Jarochowski. The vampire was a disgusting murderer and yet he had been a good friend to him once upon a time. Even if a friendship was over, it often took the heart far too long to let go. But he finally had to jump over his shadow and put an end to the whole thing. For far to long too long he had avoided this. Innocent people had died because he had been too cowardly. But this would end tonight."Maybe it is finally time for you to learn where your unbelievable stupidity takes you. I have left you alone for the last few decades because of our old friendship. But with this you ultimately crossed the line. Besides, I can finally grab your Otto Dix as soon as you're dead.", Jarochwoski added grinningly. "You stole it from me 50 years ago. One of your henchmen broke into my house," Magnus politely reminded him."Oh yes, you're right. I almost forgot," said Jarochowski and laughed wholeheartedly before he jumped at Magnus to bite his throat through. Like a reflex Magnus created a protective shield against which Jarochwski pushed and is thrown backwards with full force through the mass of his followers. Finally he slamed his head against the wall and remained motionless on the ground. On the one hand it was of course a nice thing to defeat your antagonist so easily, on the other hand it made the other vampires extremly angry. They howled and fought as if their lives were at stake. Well, actually they were, when he thought about it.Magnus managed to kill a few more vampires and Izzy, Alec and Jace hunted down several of them together. But their numbers only shrank slowly. He also tried to slow down the time again to take the vampire's advantage of their speed, but his powers were almost exhausted by now. The space around him slowly became blurred and a shrill sound drowned out all the other sounds of the battle. He couldn't keep on his feet anymore. Shortly before he fell, two strong arms caught him. He opened his eyes and blinked several times. Still dizzy, he noticed that Alec was bent over him. He looked worried when he asked Magnus if he was okay."I'm fine.", Magnus pressed out. At least his field of vision returned to normal. The fight around them was still in full swing, and Jace and Izzy just cut the throats of two more vampires. Magnus, however, lay in Alec's arms and knew that he wasn't supposed to enjoy this moment between them. That he should continue fighting. But he is much too exhausted and lying in Alecs arms felt much more appealing to him, than having to fight for his life. It was warm and safe here, as if everything around them wasn't happening at all. Maybe they had already met before in an earlier life, which is why everything felt so familiar and so incredibly right with Alec.Suddenly Jace stomped angrily over to them and started yelling at Alec: "What the fuck, man! You call me and Izzy to fight those stupid Vampires and then you just lay back to cuddle with your boyfriend?""The boy sorted out his priorities," Magnus said weakly and noticed his mistake at the same moment. Jace's nostrils weren bloated and he looked as if he was about to explode. "Oh, shut up. We both know why Alec acts like that. When I challenged you to brew a love potion, I didn't mean that you should try it on my brother.", he hissed out.
Jace turned around and sticked his sephira Blade into the guts of a vampire that tried to attack him from behind."Stop being overly protective. He didn't poison me. Magnus, tell him." Alec orderd him.
What followed was a long awkward silence. He wouldn't lie to Alec anymore. That's what he owed him. He had to tell him the truth."Alexander,listen to me. Let me explain," he started, but Alec did not give him the opportunity to continue."You can't be serious."Alec didn't even look angry at this moment, it was actually quite the opposite. He spoke calmly. But he looked down on Magnus in disappointment. It's the same look Asmodeus always gave him, when he was a child. And that hurts him a lot more than any insult in the world could ever do. He deserved it. He had made up his mind about Alec before he even knew him and boy had he been wrong. He was different in a way he couldn't even describe.But then their inattention demanded its price. Maybe the battlefield wasn't the best place for a relationship drama after all. Magnus hadn't noticed how Jarochowski had risen from the ground again and came around running towards him. What Magnus noticed, however, was how his long nails penetrated deep into his shoulder, followed by a terrible stinging pain at the side of his neck. Then the vampire suddenly fell to the ground. His head was pierced by an arrow."Maybe he looks better without that moustache",Alec mumbled as he starred at the dead body. "But he sure as hell looks best with an arrow through his head."When he turned around he looked at Magnus in shock.
How ironic! He would die on the very same day that he had started to enjoy life again, Magnus thought, before everything around him turned black.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Magnus opened his eyes again, he drew in the cold air sharply. The pain on his neck was almost unbearable, he was probably missing a good piece of flesh there. He was so incredibly cold. The only things that warmed him up were his own hot blood running down his body and Alec who was carrying him in his arms. He looked up into his face. His eyes were reddened and sweat ran from his forehead. Magnus was the one to blame for this. He didn't want Alec to be sad, not because of him."Shouldn't you carry me like this only after our wedding, Alexander?" he asked, although his voice is little more than a whisper. Nevertheless, he reached his goal and made Alec laugh slightly.“Thank God you're awake. I almost thought you were…""Oh, you won't get rid of me that easily," Magnus said, although he knew he was dangerously close to death. They had to get to Catharina as soon as possible, this was the only chance they had. Her healing powers were far better than his. He told Alec Catharina's whereabouts, then again he heared the shrill ringing in his ears ."Come on, Magnus. Hold on, just a little longer", Alec mumbled, before everything went black again.When he opened his eyes a second time, they were in a much worse situation than before. They were still outside, meaning so much time couldn't have passed, only this time they weren't alone. The remaining vampires must have followed them somehow. Magnus was unable to fight and Alec was still holding him in his arms, making it impossible for him to defend himself. "Leave me, Alexander. It's okay. Safe yourself," Magnus said and he meant it dead serious. "I won't do that. There must be another way."The vampires looked at them smilingly, they knew they had won. So this was the end, Magnus thought. Now that death was so close, Magnus noticed yet again how attached he actually was to life. How many things he had not seen, not experienced and he wanted to see those things together with Alec. He wanted To fight with him for a better world. "Do you have any of that love potion left? ," Alec suddenly interrupted his thoughts.Magnus explained to him in confusion that he had an ampoule with the liquid in his vest pocket. What was the boy up to? Did he want to make the vampires fall in love with them? Or did Alec want to give him a lecture on how morally wrong his behavior had been? Because they needed to have this conversation, but he wanted it to take place at a better time.Instead, Alec gently asked him: "I know you're tired, but could you use your magic to heat-up the potion?"And then Magnus understood. He was a genious. With his final strength, he heated the ampoule and Alec threw it at their enemies before he ran in the opposite direction. Magnus just heard the loud bang before he passed out again.When he woke up the next morning he was a bit confused. He was laying on his own couch, but he didn’t remember how he got home last night. The harder he tried to remember, the worse his headache got. Then he suddenly felt his right hand being pressed lightly and had to pull himself together, so he wouldn't scream out loud in surprise. When he turned to the side, he saw Alec lying on the floor next to him. He held his hand tightly. Probably he had held it all night long. For a moment Magnus took his time to admire Alec's beautiful face in the golden light of the morning sun. He looked happier in his sleep when his sorrows weren't written all over his face as usually. While he watched as Alec's chest gently lifted and lowered, his memories of yesterday slowly came back. He drove his left hand over the spot on his neck, but it had already healed completely. Catharina must have done a great job and he would have to thank her for it. Unfortunately, with the memories also came the unpleasant questions he had to ask himself. Why was Alec still here? Why hadn't he just gone away when Magnus had told him he had used him as his subject? Instead, Alec had even saved his life. The effect of the potion must have worn off hour ago. Ying Fang always showed a strong but short-lived effect. And it was the central ingredient. So he had to be here of his own free will. But why? Maybe Alec was just someone who took care of everyone. It was impossible that he was still here because Magnus meant something to him, right? Suddenly Alec exhaled a loudly before blinking away the sleep with his long eyelashes.„Morning.“, Alec smiled at him.“Morning.” They both couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Even though he didn't know the reason why Alec was here, a part of him didn't even want to know. Instead He wanted to cherish the moment. He just wished he could stare at Alec's face until he would die, which could take a long time due to his immortality. After a while, however, Alec's happy face turned back into the familiar worried and sad one."Listen. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have-You almost died, because I acted so stupidly.", Alec said. Magnus couldn't believe it. The last thing he expected was to hear an apology from Alec, after everything the boy had done for him yesterday."No need to apologize, Alexander. You saved my live." Maybe in more than one way, he thought. It felt as if he had finally found the answer to his "What for?" again."It was my fault you almost died. I wasn't concentrated enough and fought with Jace instead of doing my job.""Yesterday I unwittingly gave you a liquid to drink, which was also highly explosive. I'm afraid I'm going to win, I'm clearly the worse person.", Magnus replied.Alec chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. He cleared his throat several times before answering: "Yeah, about that... I didn’t actually drink that stuff. It tasted like shit. I spat it out as soon as you left the room.”"EXCUSE ME?", Magnus blurted out.He couldn't believe it. The whole time he had had an incredibly bad conscience. He had felt guilty as he rarely did in his life. Once he had accidentally set the Berlin Reichstag on fire and even then he had felt less bad. All this back and forth for nothing and nothing again. Instead, he could have just enjoyed his date with Alec yesterday. How often he had had to resist the temptation to kiss his wonderful lips. If he and Alec had spoken plainly, the whole day would have been entirely different. They definitely still had to work on their communication. And yet it was also a relief somehow. Fate had meant well with him. Although he didn't really deserve it, he had been spared (except for the near-death experience of course) an. He had a seccond chance."I shouldn't have done it.," Magnus mumbled truthfully. "Its okay. Im not angry. You wanted to put Jace in his place. I get that," Alec replied sincerely and that only frustrated Magnus all the more. Alec should be angry with him. He should yell at him and insult him, so Magnus would feel better. "What happend to the girls and your siblings?" Magnus changed the subject instead."Izzy brought them home unharmed. They were a bit traumatized, but at least they survived.""Well, I'm glad to hear that."For a while it's quiet again but this time it was completely peaceful. Magnus gently stroke the back of Alec's hand with his thumb. Couldn't they just lie here forever? No demons, no problems with the Clave. Just the two of them. After everything that had happened yesterday Alec couldnt return to the New York Institute anyway. They'd probably sentence him for treason. This was something they needed to talk about."Alexander," Magnus started. His body was shifted to the side and Alec looked up at him from the floor. "I think you might be in trouble.""We kinda wiped out an entire Clan of Vampires. It's basically a declaration of war. So yes, I might be in trouble. I don't care.""I will talk to the Downworlders and try to prevent the worst, I promise."Alec smiled gratefully and then they remained silent for a while again.
At some point Alec started playing with Magnus’ rings. He took them off and kissed the skin underneath. The warm feeling of his breath on his colds hands made Magnus shiver. It's when he realized that he could no longer ignore it. He had to know. He had to know how Alec truely felt about him."Can I ask you something? Why are you still here? I mean not that I am not appreciating it, but-""You seriously don't know?" Alec interrupted him.Magnus only raised his eyebrow questioningly in response. Alec let go of his hand and Magnus could not help but to groan in disappointment. But then he stood up, bent over Magnus and pressed their lips together. At first Magnus was too surprised to react. However, when he slowly realized that Alec really had feelings for him, he completely gave in to the kiss and returned it eagerly. All the tension that had built up between them , discharged like lighting at once. Magnus grabbed Alec by the hem of his shirt to pull him even closer, whereupon Alec stumbled and fell. He now was lying on top of Magnus , but neither of them seemed to mind. On the contrary! They both laughed briefly at Alec's clumsiness, then they continued to kiss even more fiercely than before. Their bodies were now pressed together tightly, only a thin layer of clothes separated them. The longer they made out, the more Magnus felt as if a fire was slowly igniting inside of him, strong enough to burn down everything. He knew this was dangerous. Feeling so strong for someone he barely even knew. Perhaps he would get burned in the process, but he simply didn't care . He wanted this. Completely. No matter what. But when Alec's hands moved slowly along his upper body and touched his naked skin under his T-shirt Magnus gently pushed him away. Alec blinked a few times in confusion, before he blushed. "I'm sorry. I thought I- That we-", he said and his voice sounded deep and hoarse. Magnus did that to him. The thought was so incredibly attractive that Magnus felt put to the test. But fate had given them a seccond chance and he would be careful not to throw that away by rushing things now."Oh believe me Alexander I want this just as much as you do. But I feel like I owe you a real Date first. No explosive potions and evil Vampires this time, I promise.""Sounds good to me," Alec said and chuckled slightly, then he moved his lips towards Magnus' again. Magnus gently pushed him away, but this time Alec looked more frustrated than confused. He just grinned at him, because he needed to ask one more question."So are you absolutely sure you didn't drink any of the potion?"Alec moaned visibly annoyed. "Magnus, I already told you I am fine.""Alright, I believe you. But what was that with the ice cream then?" ,Magnus asked laughingly and yet again Alec's face turned red."Honestly? Revenge. You were such a pain in the ass with your innuendos." "Oh, believe me I'd love to be a pain in your-"But before he could finish his sentence, Alec had finally managed to pull him into kiss again and silenced him like that. Magnus couldn't complain. This time the kiss was much more gentle than the one before, as if he wanted to make him feel admired. If Alec was the kind of person who would spent the whole night at Magnus' side to make sure he was all right, then his kisses showed exactly the same kind of care and appreciation. Perhaps Alec had actually succeeded in bringing his inner fire back to life. He felt more alive than he had in a very long time. After all, you wouldn't need a love potion to fall in love.