NUMB

1 - The coincedental meet

Grey clouds were blanketing the skies of New York City, roaring and rumbling, creating a sense of fright in people who paid no attention to the weather alerts that day.

Light cold zephyrs were sweeping into the study room through the wide-open glass door, connecting to the balcony on which Alexander Lightwood was standing.

Footsteps could be heard approaching him as he pressed the cigarette's end tip to his lips then exhaled, flicking the spent ashes on the floor.

"Lightwood!" a concerned voice called and a heavily built man entered into the study.

"What now Stalkweather?" Alec said, his tone flat showing no hint of interest whatsoever.

As the man noticed what his roommate was doing, he turned his face away and rubbed his temple. "Are you done watering the fake plants!?"

Alec zipped himself up after a final jerk, turned, and walked inside, exhaling the smoke right onto his roommate's face. "Are you complaining?"

"Your bathroom is just one room away, stop doing it wherever you please!" He exclaimed while waving the smoke off his face.

"Elijah Stalkweather, one, this is my house, you live with me I don't live with you, so don't tell me what to do! And two, you work under me so know your limits! Now, why were you bursting my eardrums?"

Elijah sighed and leaned against the table. "Got a call from head office, there had been an attempted robbery and vandalism at a studio two blocks away. Since we are near that area, the boss ordered us to go and check, she's sending team 2 as others have been allotted as security for Mr. Morgenstern's rally."

With a bored expression, Alec put off the last bit of his cigarette into the ashtray, picked one new from the packet of Marlboro 'Red', then the black lighter, and lit it up, pressing the tip to his lips and exhaling the smoke through his nose.

"Bitch! Can't even let me have a single holiday!" Holding the cigarette between his fingers, he continued, "Go and take out the car, I'll be there in a minute."

**********************************

Magnus was pacing in the reception area, waiting for the police to arrive. His day was going good, he got an early morning call from a pending client to confirm the meeting, then his pet cat 'Queen Elizabeth' gave birth to six beautiful kittens and his noisy neighbors finally vacated the apartment but that was until Catarina called to inform that their store had been robbed and she was attacked while trying to save it from burning down.

He rushed to their studio and found his best friend sitting on the reception desk and her fiancé, Ragnor Fell, putting meds over her wounds. Apart from a few cash, nothing else was stolen, but their computers were destroyed and the sample designs kept on the table were spray-painted with black.

The front glass doors were broken and the wall beside the door had a graffiti of pride flag with a huge cross sign (X) in black below which 'sinners' were written. His blood boiled when he saw that. He was a proud bisexual and hated the gender non-equality their society had.

"When are these cops gonna arrive!?" He exclaimed. "I swear if any of them would be a homophobic fuc-"

"Calm down, Bane, anger won't help us here." Ragnor said, voice concerned and worried for both his friend and fiancée.

Magnus sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Then you tell me what am I supposed to do? This is not right! When will this society realise that we are humans too? Fucking-"

"Magnus," it was Catarina who spoke this time, her voice trembling slightly because of the trauma of being attacked. "Rags is right. You need to calm down. Let the cops do their job."