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Sighing deeply, Alec ran his hands through his hair and tried to rethink through everything that was going on right now. He'd been trying to chase down a lead as to where the sudden supply and demand for all the yin fen was coming from. Unfortunately, this was a far more complicated situation than he'd originally thought, with his inside source now lying dead in the alleyway in a pool of blood. On top of that, Izzy was calling him to let him know Maryse wanted him to drop by a warlock she had made a deal with. He'd rolled his eyes at that, as if he needed his mother to shout more orders at him right now.
Frustrated, Alec eyed the new coffee shop that was across the road, and made the spontaneous decision to grab a quick drink - he needed 2 minutes to clear his head and clearly his usual by the book approach was not working.
The first thing he noticed inside, was how cosy it was and not because of the heating, which he was actually very grateful for, but because the place was so homely. There were fairy lights in glass jars strung across the ceiling, contrasted against the beautifully dark mahogany tables, and wait were those black satin pillows in the booth seating areas? The whole place had a hogwarts-esque feel, and despite the stress of the mission he was in, it made him feel like he was in a world completely removed from reality. He smiled inwardly at the appropriateness of the name -Flourish and Bean.
He noticed there weren't too many people inside, which suited him fine, usually his tattoos garnered looks from mundanes although judging from the small crowd here, no one seemed to care who went in and out.
"Can I help you?
The smooth voice jolted him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see who was speaking. Unfortunately, the moment his eyes landed on the bright eyed barista standing expectantly behind the counter, Alec's mind was whirling once again. Attractive would be a severe understatement here. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. The man was wearing a tight black buttoned short sleeved shirt that was extremely well fitted, with golden piping that complemented his eyes perfectly. Eyes, that were actually glowing, further emphasised by the black kohl that lined them. The man's hair was dark and styled in what appeared an effortless swoop; Alec had to restrain himself from reaching out and tangling his fingers in it. As Alec took in this angel - well warlock technically judging by the swirl of blue magic radiating from his fingers -he was positive he had never had anyone take his breath away like this.
"You look lost darling, allow me to fix that?"
"Uhhh I uh.. No!" Alec stuttered, which was definitely not what he meant to say, but the warlock looked unphased at his reaction. Damn it, why was this guy so smiley? Clearing his throat he began again, "No, I mean I'm not lost. Uh coffee! I came to uh grab a coffee." he finished, hands running through his hair and scratching the back of his head as he mentally facepalmed. In an attempt to stop staring at the beautiful stranger's face, he eyes flickered down to his chest, distracted once again at the several undone buttons, definitely not lingering on the tantalizing smooth tanned skin that was peeking through underneath. He made a mental note of the golden nametag, Magnus, before quickly averting his gaze in an attempt to appear casual.
Magnus, however, was now smiling even wider at how much he was throwing the shadowhunter off. So much for playing it cool. If Izzy were here, she would never let Alec forget this. Maybe all the searching for the yin fen had gotten to his head. Yep, that was definitely it.
"Well we have no shortage of coffee here, my dear" Was that a wink? Alec's cheeks flushed delicately pink. "Although, I think the drink is somewhat boring, wouldn't you say? I'd recommend trying one of our more exciting brews," Magnus suggested, his eyes twinkling, and with a quick flourish of his hands, he was holding a chalkboard littered with strange concoction names.
At that Alec raised his eyebrows, as if to say "brew, really?", but even he couldn't stop himself from smiling at the pun - the warlock's smile was contagious. Alec could feel the tension slowly easing out of him. And at that realisation, he made an impulsive choice to drop his usual guardedness. There was something about the other man that made Alec feel like he could trust him.
"I'll have two of whatever your favourite is please," smirking and secretly very pleased with himself when the barista's face slipped, slightly taken aback by Alec's sudden forwardness, but the warmth of the impressed smile that then followed, and Alec had never been so sure of himself.
"The Cherronimo Despresso it is, young shadowhunter" before he spun around, creating clouds of purple smoke and murmuring to himself as he began to brew a bubbly dark maroon mixture.
Chuckling inwards at the dramatic name for the drink, and trying to look like he was not staring at Magnus' hands as they worked their art, he cleared his throat before leaning on the counter, channeling what he hoped was what Izzy had dubbed the Lightwood™ charm, "Please... call me Alec"
If he thought Alec looked a bit ridiculous trying to pose "naturally", Magnus showed no sign and instead bowed graciously, "Thank you Alexander, you may call me Magnus."
Alec shivered, he'd always hated the use of his full name - it was always the sign of something bad, another person he'd disppointed, but by the angel, the way Alexander rolled off this man's tongue, his name had never sounded more beautiful, as if it was something to be revered. He frowned as he noticed the warlock was smiling again. But this time it was a knowing smile, as if Alec was missing out on a key piece of information here. The shadowhunter just stared helplessly, what with the yin fen earlier and the mounting requests from the Institute, he didn't have the energy to figure this one out.
"Bane." the barista added helpfully, and woah wait what? Bane as in the high warlock of Brooklyn? The Magnus Bane? He didn't even register that the drinks were suddenly in front of him, his head was too busy spinning at this revelation. Looking up, he realised that Magnus was watching him carefully, his expression seemingly blank but Alec could see that imperceptible apprehension, as if Alec was going to kill him on the spot or even worse look at him in disgust and run away. When he saw that Alec was just standing there like a confused llama rather than judging him, Magnus' eyes softened, and gestured to one of the booths in the corner of the shop.
In his daze, Alec stumbled over a stool as he went to sit down. He found himself wondering whether Magnus would have caught him if he'd fallen and then mentally slapped himself. What has gotten into you Alec?
"Alexander, you must forgive me. You are a Lightwood, and I feared you would have reacted unpleasantly if I introduced myself as soon as you walked in. Although... judging by the look on your face, I now fear I might have sent you into shock. Please, have a drink."
"I'm not my parents" he responded automatically, and then shut his eyes because that came out far harsher than he intended. When Alec dared to look up again, he noted that Magnus genuinely looked extremely concerned. Maybe that drink was a good idea?
He took a sip of his maroon concoction which seemed to appease the concerned warlock, and also calmed his insides.
"I am very glad to hear that, dear Alexander. It would be a shame if I had to restrict myself to admiring you from afar" he responded, winking as he very unsubtly looked him up and down. And just like that, flustered Alec had returned, he blushed and almost knocked the drink over. Why wasn't there a rune for situations like this?
Trying to gather what little composure he had left, he began again hesistantly, "I uh, thank you? Although..from what I've heard growing up, they do seem to have a lot of opinions about you. I... I don't believe any of it but what are you doing here?"
So far so good, the warlock was not trying to vanish him away for being rude.
Magnus sighed and stirred his drink, usually he would dismiss anyone who asked him a question on this subject, especially a shadowhunter, but he was for some reason touched by the six foot tall bumbling angel in front of him, who he could tell was asking him out of genuine curiosity. Wonderful Alexander, who clearly trusted him not to hurt him, despite the horror stories he must have heard. Magnus was not unaware of the unpleasant rumours, they'd be circling for a long time but he'd never done anything to stem them. Usually it meant people would leave him alone, and that suited him just fine.
Except, something inside him had stirred when Alec entered the shop. And it made Magnus want change. So he took a deep breath, and began:
"It's quite a grand title. The High Warlock of Brooklyn. Makes me sound rather majestic, don't you think?" Alec certainly thought so, but Magnus' facial expression showed such a sadness, it made the shadowhunter's heart hurt.
"The truth couldn't be more different. I've been used a lot over the past 200 years, and now I'm quite done with all the manipulation and lying." He lowered his eyes, as he continued, "People only ever wanted me for their own bitter purposes, so eventually I just closed myself off. The Clave, along with everyone else who relied on me to do their dirty deeds didn't really like that. And that's how you get all the stories. They make out me to be the one that was evil so much so that no one really talks to me anymore." the warlock finished, looking away as he thought of all the memories he'd been suppressing for the past 20 years.
"Magnus... Magnus that's horrible. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Alec asked earnestly, it wasn't fair how much the warlock had been twisted and he was resolute in fixing this. If there was one thing that Alec stood for, it was standing for what was right. It's why everyone always told him he was born to lead the institute one day. His earnestness must have been apparent for he was sure for a second that the barista's eyes had a sheen, but before he could comment the man blinked and he was smiling again.
"Oh Alexander. If only you knew how much you have already done for me." he held his gaze and Alec was immobilised, lost for a moment in the warlock's swirling eyes, until he remembered a pressing question he had.
"Magnus," he began, and encouraged by the other's gentle nod, he continued "why this though? I wouldn't have pictured your fallback career being a barista?" At that the warlock laughed, and wasn't that the most beautiful sound Alec had ever heard, and it was him, Alec, that had caused it. He felt giddy.
"I need something to keep me preoccupied Alexander," in a tone that was so dramatic that Alec couldn't help but chuckle, which widened the warlock's smile, "so I flit from place to place, doing things like this. I like to think I can use my gift to add to people's lives even if it's just a caffeine boost or a depresso espresso shot for stressed out shadowhunters."
He raised an eyebrow at the surprised look on Alec's face, "Darling do you think I wouldn't have noticed your incessant pacing across the street, running your hands through your hair and practically growling with frustration. You looked ah... how shall I put this, quite worked up" and the gleam in his eyes showed clearly that he very much approved of a disheveled Alec. "Of course, in your case, I was even happier than usual to be of service."
Alec was about to deny being visibly frustrated except he suddenly realised how much calmer he was feeling. The constant pressure he was under in his role was almost forgotten caught up in Magnus' tale, enchanted by the warlock. He'd somehow stumbled into a whole new world inside the quaint little shop. As this dawned on him, he shot Magnus a small smile, one of those he usually reserves for Izzy or Jace.
The two stayed in the booth for a while, simply enjoying each other's company with Magnus making small comments on completely mundane affairs, allowing Alec to finish his drink without overthinking his real life problems. Each sip was bringing him an electric warm buzz, although the more he looked at Magnus, the less he was convinced it was the concoction causing the spell.
When he reached out to pay the warlock, he was batted away, "Nonsense."
"No Magnus, please. This is too much" And he doesn't expect the momentary shock flitting on the older man's face. Too much? The response only strengthened Magnus' resolve, he was getting the feeling that Alec wasn't shown much kindness on a daily basis. Firmly but gently, the warlock pushed Alec's hand away softly murmuring, "You'll just have to make it up to me another time Alexander," winking for good measure and instantly filled with fondness at the shadowhunter's barely contained relief and slight surprise at the confirmation that Magnus would want to see him again.
With a smile, he escorted his new favourite customer to the door, holding out an arm in case the silly boy knocks himself over again. "Thank you for giving our coffee a shot."
This time, Alec didn't hold back with the eye roll nor the accompanying laughter as he stepped out onto the street. And despite the icy harsh air that hits him as he re-enters the world outside, there's a warmness in his bones that he's never felt before.