Just This Once (Magnus Chase x Alex Fierro)

Chapter 7: Well, That was something

A/N: Oops forgot to update the fic over here too. I actually have it on ao3 as well so yeah I'm sorry I didn't update on here.

Magnus woke up the next morning, feeling... At peace, savoring the brief bliss of worrying about nothing that happens when you wake up. He was glad he got in a restful night.

Then he remembered. He remembered the reason for it, that reason being a certain green-haired individual who even now is snoring cutely on the other side of his bed. Well, we didn't cuddle but we slept in the same bed. That's... Something... He thought dreamily. I wish I could tell her how I feel but I'm just afraid she's gonna reject me, and I don't know if I can live with that. At that moment Alex stirred, yawning sleepily and turning around to face Magnus.

"Good morning Maggie." Magnus didn't reply, mostly because he was reeling from Alex's just-wake-up face. Like, how can a person look so cute with bed hair? She's just a little green-haired angel, wait no, He's a little green-haired angel.

"Say, Alex, are you a guy today?" Alex blinked a couple of times in surprise, then replied.

"Yeah, he and him." He said after seemingly getting over the shock. "How do you always know Magnus?"

"I don't know, it just like the air around you feels.... Kinda, different."

"Well, that's... convenient." Alex said hesitantly, after a moment they both laughed at how awkward that sounded. "You don't mind being in the same bed as a boy do you?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, resulting in a giggling and blushing Magnus.

"No! I mean it's ok 'cause it's you." He blushed redder mentally chiding himself for how cheesy he made that sound. "Not in an awkward sense! I-- Um.. Ok, you know what? I'm just gonna stop before I embarrass myself even more." Alex was giggling uncontrollably at this point, he found it funny how adorably cheesy this sunshine boi could be.

"Maggie... I'm flattered... " Alex said in the most over the top voice possible. Magnus broke down laughing.

He hit Alex lightly in the arm, "I hate you, I hate you so fucking much." He managed between fits of laughter. Alex feigned an expression of hurt, he knew Magnus didn't mean it but it was still fun to play along.

They were both having fun, enjoying being in the respective company of their crushes. Yes, even Alex, even if he's not showing it, he loves being around his sunshiny crush.

"But seriously though, thanks for helping me last night, I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Alex said nonchalantly, even though secretly his heart was warming inside at Magnus's words. It's good to know your crush appreciates what you've done.

"How could I repay you?"

"How bout you buy me dinner and we'll call it even?" It was out of Alex's mouth before he realized it sounded like a date. Thankfully, Magnus, being Magnus, didn't notice.

"Sure," He smiled. "Where?"

"I'm thinking that Picco pizza place on Tremont sounds nice," Alex said. "They serve ice cream as well."

"You're suggesting the place because of the ice cream aren't you?" Magnus asked knowingly.

"Well, pizza and ice cream is a satisfying combination." He conceded, shrugging innocently.

"I'm not going to argue with that," Magnus replied. "So, today after school then?"

"Sure," Alex nodded.

------

We're going to get dinner together. Alex still can't believe himself. Where did he get all the courage to ask Magnus out? While it wasn't exactly a date, it was at least something. Just two teens spending time with one another.

A part of Alex still isn't sure of what to feel about this. While he's currently carrying the label "crush" Alex is not so sure whether the fact he asked Magnus out on a date means he wants to take things farther. Even if he gets all the warm and fuzzies when he looks at Magnus smiling, feeling and accepting the feeling are two separate stages to Alex. He knows the feelings he has for Magnus, but accepting and acknowledging that those feelings are something more than just simple attraction is something entirely different. It's also scary. Scary that Magnus might reject him, scary that even if he accepts Alex's feelings, there's nothing stopping Alex from losing him. It's hard to let yourself go when you whole life you've been faced with nothing but hurt when you do. To Alex, bottling up your feelings is the best way to save yourself from the resulting pain.

No one has ever accepted him for who he is. That is, everyone but his Abuelo. He remembered when he was still young, how he used to run to abuelo and ask abuelo to teach him to do pottery. 'Our destiny is like pottery, Alex, it's ours to shape' . Abuelo did really believe that you control your own destiny, and that, like the fluidity of clay, a person's gender can also be fluid. He was the one Alex ran to when she got into an argument with her father. He brought dresses and skirts for the little boy who sometimes felt like he was a girl. When papa would get mad, and slap or yell at him, it was into Abuelo's warm embrace that he ran into and on his shoulders that Alex cried on. Alex loved his Abuelo so much.

And that was why, when he died, the pain was unbearable.

She cried for days and days and didn't eat for longer. His words when he talked to Papa were curt and earned him several red marks. They were curt because he lost the one person in life who truly loved him for what he was, not for what they want him to be. The one person in life who he needn't act a certain way, be a certain gender, or wear a certain look to please.

It was then, that he realized he was well and truly alone.

From that moment on, Alex was afraid to open up, to let someone in, to lower his walls. He was afraid to feel. While a crush is nothing new, love is. It's... complicated and somewhat unknown to him. He's been rejected so many times, he's built up his walls as a result. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, not like I won't give him a chance, but I don't want to let down my walls till I'm sure he won't hurt me. Alex decides. I'll try figuring out what he likes first.

"Anyway," Magnus piped up, snapping Alex out of her reverie. "We should make sure this project gets to Ms. Judy first, eh?"

"Right," Alex replied, resolving to see the dinner through and see what happens from there. "Let's shower and get dressed for school."