The Malec Chronicles

Thank You

By the angel, Alec thought miserably.  It had taken almost all of his courage to reach out and knock on the door of Magnus' apartment, and the rest of his bravery had disappeared the moment Magnus opened the door.  He wanted to say something, anything, but found that he simply didn't have the words.  And apparently Magnus, who had been so happy to rescue him as he was on the verge of dying, had no qualms with leaving him to drown in embarrassment.  In fact, he seemed quite content to lean against the doorframe with one eyebrow raised, if a little bored.  (Alec couldn't figure out if the spark in amusement in the warlock's eyes was always there, or if Magnus was simply trying to keep himself from laughing).

"Was there a reason you came here, or did you knock on my door just to annoy me?" Alec was thankful that Magnus had taken it upon himself to break through the silence, but could not help wishing his tone was a bit nicer.   

"I-I didn't meant to annoy you."  The words weren't the most intelligent thing that Alec could have thought of, but his mind was focusing on a lot of other things.  "I just, well, you saved my life, didn't you?"

"Oh.  Was that you?"  Magnus stepped back from the door, turning to go, apparently done with the conversation.  Done with Alec.  "I get a lot of shadowhunters who need my help, I can't possibly be expected to remember them all.  I am busy you know, with parties and clients and things, I can't possibly be expected to come running every time one of you Nephilim have a problem."  He was halfway down the hallway now, and had just seemed to realize that Alec wasn't coming.  "You do have a problem, don't you?"

"No, I..."  Alec was a little confused.  He hadn't expected Magnus to be overly thrilled to see him, but he had expected the warlock to at least remember him.  In the back of his mind he could see Magnus from how he was at the party, with the laughter sparkling in his cat eyes and the smile that seemed to be directed right at him, the invitation to call him (whatever that meant, he wasn't sure).... but Alec was just another shadowhunter, one who was especially unimportant when standing beside Jace and Izzy, and Magnus was the High Warlock of Brooklyn.  High Warlocks of anything most definitely don't flirt with guys like him.  "I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"  Magnus was so surprised that he forgot to keep up the wall of indifference.  "Why would you be thanking me?"

Alec took a hesitant step into the apartment, and when Magnus just kept walking into his house, he took it as an invitation to follow. "You kept me from dying.  I wanted to say thank you."

"Your parents paid me already, if that's what you're here for." 

Alec didn't understand why Magnus was being so difficult.  He certainly wasn't this cold at the party, and he distinctly remembered the feeling of his hand in someone's right after Magnus healed him (and he was pretty damn sure it Jace's).  "No.  No, I just thought that it was proper etiquette to come thank the person who had saved your life.  I tried to get to you before you left, but getting attacked by a demon slows down one's reflexes."

"You tried to find me before I left?"  Finally, there was a little bit of warmth in his voice.  Alec couldn't help but be relieved.  "Alec you could barely walk.  In fact,"  The cat like eyes narrowed, assessing him.  "I believe I gave your mother express orders not to let you out of bed.  Or does she not know you're here?"

"My mother went back to Idris.  And now that you're done pretending that you don't remember me, can I thank you properly?"  Magnus grinned, giving a gesture that Alec took to mean that he could proceed.  "Thank you for saving my life.  Officially."

"Officially."  Magnus waved his hand, and two mugs of coffee appeared on the counter.  "Of course, officially, this could have waited a week or two."

"I'm fine."

"You look very pale.  And since having Nephilim faint in my kitchen is very bad for business," He reached over and grabbed Alec's hand, who was so shocked that he didn't even think to move away.  Sparks passed over their fingertips, and Alec felt an extra pulse of energy spreading from his hand to the rest of his body, as if he had just drunk five cups of coffee.  "Better.  And I did remember you, for the record."

"Well, seeing as how you just saved my life a few days ago, I'd be a bit hurt if you didn't."  If Alec found it disconcerting how much he was enjoying sitting here, he didn't let himself be bothered by it.  Even Magnus, who just a few minutes ago was blabbering on about how busy and important he was, didn't seem in any hurry to have Alec leave. 

"Not then, I certainly remember you from then.  I meant,"  Again, his eyes narrowed, this time playfully.  "That you were the boy at the party who never called me. The one with the very pretty blue eyes."

Alec opened his mouth, wondering which part of this to comment on.  "First of all, my eyes are not pretty.  Guys are described as handsome, not pretty.    Second, I thought you were joking."

"Why on earth would I be joking?"  Magnus obviously saw that this was a question Alec wasn't about to answer, and added, "But I didn't say you were pretty.  You're handsome or badass or whatever adjective will validate your masculinity.  Your eyes, however, are very pretty."

Alec didn't know how to respond to that, but he didn't have to. His phone had vibrated, shattering whatever illusion Alec had had about the two of them.  Magnus was a Warlock (and a guy, at that) and he was not someone who Alec should be hoping to impress.  No matter how pretty Magnus said his eyes were. 

"I should go."  The words were painful to say, and actually standing up to do so was even worse. 

Magnus blinked up at him.  "Oh.  Alright.  Of course."

Both of them seemed reluctant to walk out of the kitchen and down the hallway.  Alec forced himself to do so, stuttering out a few more thank you's, and Magnus waving them away.  Too soon, he was out on the steps and Magnus was leaning against the door frame again, looking a little sad to see him leaving.  As he turned to go, Magnus called after him.  "Next time you need saving, Alexander, don't hesitate to call."

It took only a second for Alec to decide.  It might have been the way he said Alexander, might have been the way Magnus had somehow guessed how he liked his coffee.  It might have been the fact that he saw how Magnus guarded himself against people, just like Alec had to do.  Or maybe it had nothing to do with that, maybe it was just the echo of Magnus telling him how pretty his eyes were, and how absurdly pleased he was to hear it. 

No matter what was the deciding factor, it was enough to make him turn back around.  It was enough to make him blurt out the words that would bring about the best years of his life, but at the moment he was only drowning in his own embarrassment. 

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?"