Malec one shots

Coffee = Cliche

A/N: The Shadow World doesn't exist, this is a university au :)

The bell above the doorway chimed as a young man, bundled up to the nose, entered the quaint little coffee shop. It was the hidden gem of the university campus, situated along a quiet stone path that had trees on either side of it, creating almost a tunnel of leaves. They were in the midst of fall season, and so the air was crisp and chilled to the temperature that didn't necessarily require a heavy coat, but if one did decide to wear one, they wouldn't overheat. The colour palette of the area was an array of oranges, yellows, reds, light greens, browns, and basically everything beautiful and happy. The man removed his dark blue beanie to reveal a birds nest of a hairdo. Dark brown, almost black, strands of hair were sticking upwards every which way, some stuck to the sides of his forehead from wearing the hat. 

Magnus watched as the man tried his best to pat down the rogue hairs while walking up to counter. Magnus guessed that the young man was at least 20, maybe 22. Magnus himself was 25. The man was dressed in a long black coat, one of the nice ones with big buttons and collar flaps, and a pair of black skinny jeans that were tucked into black combat boots. Magnus noted sadly that the only colour in the man's outfit was the blue beanie, and a matching knit scarf that Magnus hadn't noticed. Needs some glitter, Magnus thought to himself. He was wearing a black vest over top a dark maroon hoodie, that if looked at close enough, had tiny glitter sparkles all over it. If light hit it the right way, Magnus lit up like a disco ball. 

Magnus continued to watch the man dressed all in black as he ordered his drink. Discreetly of course; Magnus held his phone slightly higher, almost face level, to make it look like he was simply scrolling through social media or something, and not, in fact, staring at another person like a creep. The man turned around to find a seat and Magnus quickly averted his eyes to his phone screen. He thought he was home free, but then got the feeling that he was being watched, and he chanced a glance around the coffee shop. He didn't make it very far, as right in front of his table, stood the man he had been watching, who was now watching Magnus. 

"Hi there, is this seat taken?" The man gestured to the seat across from Magnus, and Magnus shook his head. 

"No no, go ahead," Magnus cleared his throat. 

"Thanks," the man shot Magnus a grateful smile and sat down. The table, only being a two seater, resulted in the two men being much closer than Magnus had anticipated. Up close he noticed that the man's eyes matched his hat and scarf, and Magnus decided it was the most beautiful shade of blue in the whole world. He'd always favoured the colour blue. One of his best friends had once painted her whole body a sky blue because she had had a dream in which she was sky blue and had magical powers. 10 year old Magnus had just patted her on the shoulder and said, "Okay Cat, okay." 

The man had a sharp jawline and defined cheekbones. Not so defined that it looked unsettling, but the good amount that looked mature yet youthful at the same time. If that made any sense. It made sense in Magnus' head. 

"I'm Alec by the way," the man, who Magnus now knew was named Alec, smiled at Magnus again. 

"Magnus," Magnus returned Alec's smile. "Is Alec short for Alexander?" 

"It is yeah," Alec said. "My friends all call me Alec though." 

"Do you mind if I call you Alexander?" Magnus asked. He preferred full names to their short forms. He normally didn't know why, but with Alexander, it just sounded more elegant. 

"Sure," Alec chuckled. "That can be my contact name in your phone as well if you want." 

Magnus' eyebrows shot up. Alex was still smiling, but there was a nervousness to it that wasn't there before. 

"If not, that's okay too," Alec was red faced, stared intently down at his cup of hot chocolate as he second guessed himself. 

Magnus opened and closed his mouth, trying, and failing to get words out. He was never normally this flustered, especially when people made a move on him. Normally he was smoother than smooth, but Alexander had Magnus' thoughts all mixed up. The line wasn't the best Magnus had heard, but it wasn't all terrible. And the forwardness had Magnus respecting it a bit more. 

Wordlessly, Magnus slid his phone across the small circular table towards Alec. Actions speak louder than words. Alec's eyes focused on the phone and saw that it was open to the 'Add Contact' screen. With a wide smile, Alec took the phone and tapped in his information. He sent himself a text 'hello', so that he'd have Magnus' number. Alec looked up at Magnus and handed his phone back. 

"So, Magnus," Alec tried out the name. He found that he liked the way it sounded. Magnus liked the way it sounded coming from Alec as well. "What program are you in?"

"I'm majoring in history," Magnus answered, glad to have found his voice. "What about you?" 

"Political sci. My parents have positions in the government and I guess I was just drawn to it. I could never work in the government, but it does interest me. And who knows, maybe I'll change my mind." Alec shrugged and took a sip from his hot chocolate. It was rich without being overpoweringly chocolate-y. "What made you want to take history?"

Magnus didn't have to think very hard about his answer. "As a kid, I realized that I had a weird fascination with past civilizations, and that I had a knack for remembering the information as well. It comes so easily to me that my friend Cat once told me that she was convinced that I had lived through them all in another life."

"That's really cool," Alec said. He seemed genuinely interested in Magnus' knack for history, and it gave Magnus warm fuzzies. "I could never study history, unless it's the history of political changes throughout time, but even then. I like to try and focus on the present and future. I'm hoping to make a difference in our political system, or at the very least, a difference in opinion. Prejudice and discrimination in politics is an inexcusable, heaping pile of shit." 

"I completely agree," Magnus nodded along with Alec's words. "I like how passionate you are about it." 

Alec looked at Magnus a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I tend to really go at it when it comes to doing what's right." 

"No need to apologize. It's an admirable trait," Magnus reassured Alec, who beamed at Magnus from across the table. 

Magnus' phone buzzed on the table, and he glanced down to see a text from his friend Catarina, reminding him about their study date. 

"Study date?" Alec asked, suddenly tense. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry, it's just, is that your girlfriend?" 

Magnus let out a laugh. "God no, Catarina is just a good friend of mine. I am very much single." 

"Good," Alec breathed out. "I mean, good - wait, no, okay. Never mind." 

Magnus smiled at Alexander's mess of words. He was a nice mix of confident and shy. 

"Well Alexander, until next time," Magnus stood from his seat. "I'd best get going. If I'm late again, Cat will have my head on a silver platter."  

"Until next time," Alec mock saluted with a bright smile. 

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A/N: Oh wow has it ever been awhile. People are still reading these stories and I am honestly shocked, because omg some of them suck. I reread all of them last night and although impressed with some of past me's writing, I was appalled by most of it. This is ten times better. Though I suppose that's a given, considering it's been over two years since the last update. 

Anyways, I recently read Chain of Gold and, feeling especially connected to the Shadow World and it's heroes, I decided to write a little update! 

Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!

Love yas