hatred // malec

chapter six

i can't come up with a chapter title don't @ me okay - xosarah

"hey!" yelled the beautiful voice alec had come to adore.
"magnus!"
the pair shared a quick hug, and then a few awkward seconds of just staring at each other.
"so...where are we going?"
"oh, right yeah. uh- um, we're gonna go to a little diner place that i love. we can't go to my house because my dad's there and izzy will tear me apart."
magnus blushed. alec was so cute. he couldn't wait to go to this place, even though he'd no idea what or where it was. it was clearly somewhere alec loved, made obvious not by his words, but by the look in his face and his body language. alec was never a person who liked talking about his feelings, and he'd always been massively closed off at school. it was obvious; he pretended to laugh, pretended to smile, when in reality he lived every moment in fear. luckily magnus was very good at reading people and their emotions. something told him alec was too.

"oh sorry- someone's ringing me. i'll take it," alec said, walking over to the side. it sounded like he was muttering 'josh for god's sake' in an angry tone. magnus laughed to himself. josh was a good friend of alec's. magnus leaned against the wall and let his thoughts take over for a moment. his life had changed very quickly in the past couple of weeks. magnus couldn't wait to tell his friends all about it. he wished they could talk for hours and hours, but alec had his own life and it wouldn't be right to just hog his phone.

as if his mind had summoned him there, alec came back.
"hey magnus? that was josh. he wants me to hang out with him later, at like eight. does that give you enough time for your friends?" alec said, fiddling with his fingers. he wasn't lying, but he hadn't told magnus what the phone conversation just then was about. it was about how jonathan had been talking to josh and had asked if alec was with magnus. alec brushed it off and said no to josh, but he knew that when jonathan wanted to know something, he'd stop at nothing to find it out.

and he could not have him ruin his life twice.

magnus grinned. "of course! you need to spend time with your friends, i get that. but seriously, thank you so much for this opportunity. i really don't know how i'll thank you."

alec's fear melted away for a second as he replied with, "oh, i'm sure you'll find some way," and a wink.

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isabelle was excited. tonight was her first date with simon, and to help she had clary over.
"do you think he'd like this?" izzy asked whilst checking out her latest outfit. she'd went through tonnes of different dresses, none of which went lower than mid-thigh. she currently had on a red one with a leather jacket over it.
"iz, he'd like you in anything. he'd also like you without anything, so-"
"clarissa!" isabelle exclaimed, picking up a cushion and throwing it. clary laughed.

izzy picked up her phone and checked the time. "i have an hour to spare before he comes. wanna chat?"
clary's smile dropped slightly. "sure. there's actually something i've been meaning to ask you."
izzy cocked her head slightly. "yes?"
clary took a deep breath. "why does alec hate me? i don't remember doing anything to offend him. although if i have i am so sorry. i just, well i guess i just really want him to like me. i love jace and you so much, and it would be so awkward if alec hated me."

isabelle was silent for a moment. there was a very good reason alec may dislike clary, but it wasn't something she could tell clary. so she decided to shorten the truth.
"we don't really get along with your brother. let's just say, we have a history with him. and it is not a good one."

"oh," clary replied. "that's okay. when our parents split up he sided 100% with my dad, even though he was the one in the wrong. we don't ever really talk anymore sadly, but we do still love each other. at least i love him. but i understand why you wouldn't."

isabelle gave clary a half-smile.
she hoped alec would change his mind about her.

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alec and magnus grinned at each other from across their booth at taki's. they'd finished eating a while ago, but they stayed to chat. alec talked about how his sister was on a date, and magnus talked about how he'd told his only real best friend at school about them. alec hadn't minded; in fact, he revealed that he and tessa had had a kindergarten marriage. she'd came up to him, said we're married now, and alec had accepted it. not much had happened with them since, but the two always said hi to each other and occasionally chatted.
"okay, so you know how passionate i am about dance. well, what are your passions? do you have any hobbies?"
alec blushed. "well, actually..."
"yes?"
"...i've been doing archery since i was 13. i'd always thought it was cool, and so of course my mom allowed me to do it. i'm pretty good at it if i must say so myself," he joked, smiling sarcastically and smugly.
"archery is so cool! maybe you can teach me some day?"
"only if you'll teach me how to dance. and, fun fact, i have two left feet. so it'll be hard."
magnus mentally swooned. "oh darling, that's a small price to pay to see you flexing those gorgeous arm muscles."
the pair erupted into laughter. this was nice.

i could get used to this feeling, they simultaneously thought.

"right! facetime?"
"oh! yes!"
alec slid his phone over to magnus without another word. he was using the last numbers he'd known his friends to have, so hopefully they hadn't changed.
he chewed his fingernails anxiously as he waited. alec noticed, and gently took his hand away from his mouth to hold it.

"hello?"
"OHMYGOD!"
"wait- MAGNUS?"
magnus squealed with excitement. "yes yes yes! cat! it's meeeeeeee!!"
alec smiled and laughed.
"wait is there someone with you?"
"oh yes there is- aaaaaalec?? say hiiiiii!!"
"nO-"
too late.

the next hour or two or three were going to be interesting.

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magnus had an amazing time talking to his friends. alec had seemingly gotten on with them pretty well, although it was clear he was a little terrified of them. he didn't blame him; catarina was extremely protective of magnus, ragnor had wild green hair and a british accent, and raphael...well, it was raphael. he terrified everyone.

mainly because he hated everyone.

as alec approached his door, magnus grabbed his hand.
"hey. i just wanna say thank you for today. it really made me feel so much happier. and i'm really glad you got to meet three of the most important people in my life. have fun with your friend, babe!"
alec was about to open his door, but stopped. he turned back around to face magnus and pulled him close to kiss him. he held him tight, so that he could feel his warmth. magnus shocked alec in all the right ways.

unfortunately, seemingly as soon as it started, their kiss ended and they broke apart. magnus blew a kiss as he walked away and blushed. luckily alec's parents were out and izzy was still meant to be on her date. jace was home, but that was okay.

or maybe it wasn't.

alec silenced his breathing as much as he could. he could hear voices. a feminine one and one that definitely was jace. oh no.

oh GOD no.

as subtly as he could, alec ran upstairs and grabbed a different shirt. he didn't want to spend much more time here incase the talking sounds he heard progressed into something else. he pulled out his phone.

to josh 👺: yoyoyo i'm cominnnnnnn
from josh 👺: Ayeeeee see u soon 😫

he was looking forward to catching up with josh. they hadn't had a chance to do that properly in a while. but alec's stomach still knotted at what he was told earlier about jonathan. he hoped it would blow over.

but something told him it wouldn't.
not that easily.