Crash! Boom! Bang!

Trouble

Alec started to slowly be aware of the sound of his phone ringing. With a groan, he reached for the phone on his night stand only to see his sister's picture flashing on the screen. "Izzy, how lovely to hear from you at this time," he muttered.

"Hush now grumpy, it's actually past 9 am and I have great news!" Izzy squealed and made Alec drop his phone. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and groaned.

"Izzy, come on now, keep it down."

"I'm pretty sure that once you hear what I got to say, you're going to squeal too!" she continued.

"Fine, spill it." He knew with Izzy it was pointless to argue, it was just better to listen.

"You know I've applied for internships, right? And guess what - I got one!"

"Izzy, that's great! But-"

"No buts," Izzy interrupted, "I already know what you're going to say. Yes, I have two majors, but this is an opportunity for me to learn, to become greater. I also happen to know that the head of the department is single and dashingly handsome..." Alec could hear the smirk on her face and sighed loudly.

"Stop it Iz. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested in any of your dates."

"This time, I think you would be. Never mind, I have to go. I have class. See you soon!" and with that, the line disconnected. Alec threw himself back into the pillows and closed his eyes. Izzy, the never-stopping matchmaker. She had tried to set him up for dates for years, and even though Alec suspected that she knew, all of her suggestions had been women. Suddenly he realized he hadn't even asked her where this internship was. You're such a great big brother, asshole. Alec sighed and made a mental note to ask her next time they met before he pulled away the duvet and headed to the bathroom.

---

Alec couldn't concentrate. He knew he should help Jace, but all he saw were his muscles flexing. The sweat was making his skin shine and having to listen to the moan that came out of Jace's mouth when he pushed himself to his limits was too distracting. All of it made Alec's mind go straight to the gutter and made him curse himself inwardly. Hitting the gym to blow off some steam before their shift sounded like a great idea, but it was one that Alec now regretted badly. Luckily, this time Alec was saved by the phone. As morbid as it might sound, he felt relief knowing he had to work. "Jace, new crime scene," he said after reading the text message. "Let's roll." With that he grabbed his things, trying to hit the locker room before Jace since he had put all of his weights back in place.

"Jeez, thanks for the help," Jace shouted but Alec pretended he didn't hear. Right now he couldn't stand to watch as Jace showered and changed, and he intended to be finished before Jace even got there.

"Why can't I ever drive?" Jace whined. They had made it out of the gym in record time, only for Jace to start with his usual whining as soon as they headed towards the car.

"I'm older."

"That's such a lame excuse," Jace snorted.

"Maybe one day when your emotional growth equals your physical," Alec said with a smirk. "Until then, I'm the designated driver." Jace's response wasn't verbal, and Alec thought that it just proved an excellent point to what he just said.

///

Magnus woke up with this awful taste in his mouth and it was as dry as the driest desert. His head throbbed and the bright sunlight shining in his face felt like knives. Forgetting or being too "occupied" to close the curtains always came with a price. As he slowly regained consciousness, his memories from yesterday returned. To his despair, he felt the bed moving and suddenly an arm flung across his chest and legs tangled with his. Magnus held his breath, cautiously turned his head to look at the face of the person next to him and was relieved to find him still sleeping. Carefully he disentangled himself and slid out of bed, his eyes scanning the room for his phone. Their clothes were everywhere, and his phone was most likely in his pocket. Quietly he searched through his clothes until he found the phone before sneaking into the bathroom to hide out, as usual. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Magnus took a deep breath, trying to create a coherent thought. I got to stop doing this, it's fucking killing me. Even worse, it's making me hide out in my own apartment.

Magnus Bane truly had a reputation that preceded him, lothario would be a suitable description. It was not only rumors, most of the stories about him were true. This reputation, however, did not care for the fact that Magnus was sick and tired of himself, or rather what he did to himself. He had this void in his chest that no hook-up could ever fill to the extent he desired. Magnus felt lonely and loneliness had known him by name his entire life.

His childhood had been far from easy, and therefore there were very few people out there who knew the real Magnus, warts and all. He searched for something, a sense of belonging, a special someone to share his most intimate thoughts and feelings with. A someone who knew Magnus by his genuine soul, who could see beyond his appearance and apparent wealth. He wanted to be happy, to feel chosen, loved, secured, and free - the way that makes you all giddy inside and makes it impossible for you to stop smiling. As for now, he wasn't sure that even the biggest Christmas tree in the world would be able to chase this darkness away.

He sat down on the toilet, fidgeting with his phone. He unlocked it and called his most recently called contact. "I take it your apartment is in need of extermination?" The voice on the other line sounded equally amused and concerned. The British accent always seemed to enhance the sarcasm that was dripping.

"Yes," a plain and simple answer, whereas Magnus normally would retort with something sassy or hide behind ridiculous innuendoes of some sort. Not today though, today he was fed up with everything and the day hadn't even started.

The voice on the other line noticed his distress; instead of his usual sarcasm, all he answered was, "I'll see to it. I've got you."