Work Text:
Leaning against the wall off to the side of the dance floor Alec watched Jace and Clary dancing, Clary leaning softly into Jace while he smiled and they spun in lazy circles. It was nice, Alec thought, as he looked through the crowd for Izzy, Jace was happy, and so was Clary. Alec and Clary were almost even friends, they'd gotten past the jealousy and anger that had crowded their relationship at first, and now Alec felt nothing but happiness for her and Jace on their wedding day.
Izzy had disappeared a half hour ago with the promise of finding drinks, and Alec hadn't seen her since, with a sigh he resigned himself to having to go find a drink for himself. Pushing off from the wall he skirted his way around the dance floor, not wanted to get roped into dancing accidentally. He made it halfway to the open bar before anyone intercepted him, a light hand on his shoulder and an exclamation of Hadley!, he he spun around, pushing their hand off roughly.
“It's Alec,” he spat, straightening up so he towered over the man who had grabbed him. The man who was now staring at him, confused, hand adorned with rings and complete with black nail polish still stretched out, hesitantly. The man was, well he was attractive, glittery eyeliner and elegant suit and everything Alec could never be.
“My apologies, I thought you were someone else,” the man said, retracting his hand with a small smile. “Although, I can't say I'm disappointed in meeting you. My name is Magnus Bane.”
“Oh, uh. No- no problem. I'm Alec,” Alec offered, voice lifting as if it was a question. Magnus grinned and Alec blushed. “I already, uh, said that. Didn't I?”
“You did indeed,” Magnus smiled, patting Alec's arm consolingly. Alec blushed deeper, but didn't shy away. “It's alright, your nervousness is quite charming.”
“Thanks, I, uh,” Alec stammered, before coughing nervously. He took a deep breath before continuing. “So are you here for Clary or Jace?”
“Clary. I knew her when she was a child,” Magnus explained, waving his arms as he talked with no regard to the very full wine glass in his right hand. “And yourself?”
“Jace, well, mostly Jace. He is my adopted brother, but I guess I'm also friends with Clary, you know, by association. We're kind if friends now, but we aren't really that close, her and Izzy, on the other hand, and, oh, you probably don't care,” Alec babbled nervously, bowing his head.
“So, you're a Lightwood?” Magnus asked, taking a sip of his wine.
“Yes,” Alec nodded. It was an easy question, no need to over think, or really think at all on the answer. Alec started playing nervously with his hands.
“I've had the, uh, pleasure of meeting some of your relatives,” Magnus smiled. “So do you belong to Maryse? I was under the impression that she only had daughters.”
“Oh, yeah, well, here I am, Alexander, her son,” Alec shrugged defensively. His gender had always been a sort of sore spot with his parents, but Izzy and Jace had accepted him straight away and his parents were starting to come around even. He was left as the one who had to correct people that no, Maryse did not, in fact, have two daughters.
“Oh,” Magnus said, realization dawning on his face, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. “Well, any friend of Clary's is a friend of mine.”
Alec blushed and nodded, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.
“So, what, like, what do you do for-”
“Alec!” Izzy interrupted suddenly, sliding up to Alec and wrapping her arm around his waist, and he sighed, leaning into her and taking the glass of champagne she offered him, downing it in one. She gave him a worried glance before turning to Magnus and smirking. “And who is this?”
“Magnus Bane,” he introduced himself, shaking Izzy's hand with a smile. “It's a pleasure to meet you, miss-?”
“Isabelle Lightwood, and I see you've already met Alec,” she smiled easily, and Alec took a minute to breathe.
“It's a pleasure,” Magnus smiled.
“Well, I really hate to break you two up, but I really must be taking Alec now,” Izzy said with an apologetic frown, removing her arm from Alec's waist and grabbing one of his hands. “Best man duties. You understand, don't you?”
“It was lovely meeting you, Alec,” Magnus called as Izzy led Alec away, threading their way through the crowd and back to the table they'd started the evening at near the front of the room. Simon was still sitting there, laughing with Raphael, one of Clary's strange goth fashion friends, and they both smiled as Izzy and Alec made their way back.
Alec collapsed in a chair heavily, leaving an empty space between the two, and Izzy sat primly on the other side of him. Simon gave them an quizzical look, but Alec waved him off, and he returned to his conversation with Raphael.
“Jace wanted me?” Alec asked, looking around the large hall for Jace. Izzy sighed beside him.
“No, I just thought someone needed to save you from yourself back there,” she explained with a soft smile, that quickly transformed into a wicked smirk. “He was cute though.”
“Yeah, Izzy, I know,” Alec replied, petulantly. Magnus had been attractive, and also way out of Alec's league. Izzy dragging him away really had been a blessing, he always became a stuttering mess around people he didn't know. He managed to be eloquent and articulate in writing, but none of that skill or precision ever transferred from his thoughts to his words.
Alec sighed and grabbed the glass of wine that was resting in front of Simon, taking a large gulp.
“What, hey, that's mine!” Simon protested with a pout. Raphael patted his shoulder consolingly.
“I think Alec may need it more then you,” Raphael stage whispered, leaning in close to Simon all the same.
Alec glared at Raphael, who put his hands up in surrender, opening his mouth to respond when Clary and Jace joined them at the table, laughing and holding onto each other as took up the remaining seats at the table.
“Done dancing?” Izzy asked, smiling widely at the happy couple.
“We decided to take a little break, come see how you guys were doing,” Clary explained, brushing a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
“Alec met someone,” Izzy smirked, betraying Alec the second she got the chance. He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair and Jace quirked an eyebrow, looking intrigued.
“I didn't meet anyone, Izzy,” Alec accosted, crossing his arms. “I embarrassed myself in front of an attractive guy, and had to have my little sister bail me out.”
“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds a lot more Alec,” Jace laughed, and Clary punched him lightly on the arm.
“Haha, very funny,” Alec frowned, playing with the cuff of his suit. “I know my love life has always been a great source of amusement for the both of you, but could we please focus on something else, just for the night? How about you Clary? Any suggestions?”
“Okay, but, one last thing,” Jace smirked, Clary gave him an apologetic smile. “Who was it?”
“Magnus Bane,” Alec conceded, running a hand through his hair, and Izzy flinched beside him, mourning over the hours she had spent earlier that day getting each hair perfectly placed. It wasn't often that her older brother let her style his hair.
“Holy shit!” Clary gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. “Like, Magnus Bane, Magnus Bane?”
“I'm fairly certain you only know one Magnus Bane,” Alec said with an amused smile.
Clary opened her mouth to continue when someone shouted her name from across the room, and her and Jace whisked away in a flurry of laughter and excitement as quickly as they had arrived.
“So, Big Bro, you want me to get Magnus's number for you?” Izzy asked, leaning an elbow on the table and grinning at Alec. Alec knew it was pointless to try and change the topic of conversation away from Magnus not that Izzy had gotten so invested.
“Yeah, I'm sure that'll go over well, Hey Magnus, remember my brother, the stuttering fucking mess? Well, I came over here to get you're number for him cause he's too socially incompetent to do it himself?,” Alec sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Thanks Izzy, but getting your little sister to ask a guy out for you is a little too elementary school for me.”
“Well, I suppose I could always be the one to ask you out,” Magnus laughed from behind Alec. Alec jumped, knocking over the nearly empty glass of water resting on the table in front of him. Luckily only a small puddle of water spread across the table cloth, soaking in instantly. Izzy hid a small smirk while Simon and Raphael didn't even bother trying to conceal their laughter. Alec shot them both a glare which quickly shut them up.
“Magnus, it's lovely to see you again,” Izzy smiled, as Alec hid his face in his hands. “Have you met Simon and Raphael? They're friends of Clary's as well.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you both,” Magnus said, shaking both of their hands in turn before promptly sitting in the chair free between Alec and Simon. “You don't mind if I sit here, do you?”
“No, no problem,” Alec mumbled, finally looking up from his hands. “I'm sorry you overheard that, just now.”
“No, don't apologize. It was quite endearing, if you don't mind me saying,” Magnus reassured him, crossing one of his legs elegantly over the other.
“See, Big Bro, he thinks your endearing,” Izzy teased, knocking against Alec's shoulder, causing Alec to blush deeper.
“What brings you to our table, Magnus, I mean, besides the fact that it's obviously the best table,” Raphael asked, elbow resting on the table, face resting on his hand as he watched Magnus, who laughed loud and boisterous.
“I thought that was obvious,” Magnus smirked, eyes flickering over to Alec. “I came here to find Alexander. I just hope you're finished with your best man duties.”
“Yeah, I'm done with the, er, duties,” Alec nodded helplessly, as Simon, Izzy, and Raphael all blatantly watched Alec stutter through the conversation. “I'm glad you came back. Well, I mean-”
“It's fine, Alexander, I get it,” Magnus interrupted, silencing him. “You don't have to explain it.”
Alec visibly relaxed, letting out a breath. Maybe Magnus understood that he wasn't always an inelegant mess.
“I realized I never got the chance to ask you for your number earlier, before we were interrupted,” Magnus explained, ignoring Izzy's objections to being labeled an interruption. “And I'd very much like to continue our earlier conversation, though, regrettably, I must be going. Fashion never does sleep, and I have a client to meet with.”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” Alec nodded, fumbling through his suit pockets until he pulled out his, admittedly, rather beat up phone, unlocking it and handing it to Magnus. “I'm just not sure I can remember my number correctly.”
Magnus laughed and added his contact information before handing the phone back to Alec, letting his hand linger in Alec's grip before letting go of the phone.
“Throughout the years I've managed to recall my phone number in high stress situations, even while in the presence of ridiculously attractive individuals, such as yourself,” Magnus reassured Alec before promptly standing, the faintest hint of red dusting his cheeks, imperceivable to those who did not know him. “Now, I really must be going, I'm almost too late to be considered fashionably late, and we can't have that.”
“I'll text you,” Alec said, quietly with a nod, and Magnus grinned as he walked away.
“You better,” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd, and Simon and Raphael whistled after him.
Alec waited a whole ten minutes before texting Magnus.
From: Alec
Hey, its alec lightwood, from clarys wedding
From: Magnus
did you really expect me to forget who i gave my number to that quickly, alexander? believe it or not u are the only one who got my number tonight ;)