Vulnerable

The Date

By the time the sun had set, Alec's heart felt like it would jump out of his body anytime. As he nervously fiddled with his cufflinks, he checked every single thing in the room, right from the menu to the drink choice to the decor, everything had to be perfect. Now, Alec wasn't really an expert in these things. But he knew Magnus's preferences. He tried his best to prepare a date that would possibly cheer up the grumpy warlock.
Just then, the faint sound of the door closing could be heard. Alec looked back and saw the most gorgeous man to ever exist on Earth walking towards him. His lips immediately lit up in the biggest grin just to be covered with a pair of soft and velvety lips. After sharing a peck, Magnus immediately withdrew from the kiss and went on to look at the room. Just then, Alec realised that something was wrong. Magnus was stumbling along his steps and slurring upon his words. Was he, by the angel, drunk? Certainly, yes, Alec came to a conclusion.
"Magnus, are you drunk?" Alec said, gaze concerned about Magnus.

Magnus guffed out a laugh at that. "I guess I just drank a bit too much." He said.

"How much did you have, Magnus?" Alec asked, clearly concerned about the warlock. It certainly took a lot of alcohol for the mighty Magnus Bane to get drunk. He then thought Magnus only got drunk when he was sorrow drinking. His heart wrenched with pain as he thought about Magnus miserably crying while drinking. Just how foolish was he to not even realising that his boyfriend was hurt?

Magnus immediately took out an empty flask of what seemed to be over 30 years old whiskey. "A lot." He said. "Why? Are you judging me?". He said, chuckling.

"No, no, I'm just concerned. I've never seen you like this." Alec, very carefully spoke.

"Oh, now you know why." Magnus spoke clearly with sarcasm.

Alec immediately furrowed his eyebrows at that. The first question that came into his mind was the one that he unknowingly asked. "Did something happen?"

He was immediately greeted with the sight of Magnus staring at him with mock surprise. "You didn't hear? Well, I lost my post as the High Warlock, and I am coming to terms with how useless I am without it." He spit out bitterly.

"Magnus, you are not useless." Alec said. He felt so stupid after asking that question. Of course, Magnus wasn't okay. How could he be?

"Oh, easy for you to say! You are at the top of your game with an institute of Shadowhunters at your back and call. While me? I'm just a stupid warlock who isn't good for anything except comic relief and drinking." He said, clinking the glass with his fingers.

Magnus took a sip of his drink, and immediately when Alec was about to oppose, he spit out, " Hey, I am a mundane now, right? Just like you've always wanted."

Alec was taken aback by that comment. "All that I've ever wanted is you to be happy." Said Alec with a quivering voice.

Magnus POV

That sentence was like the last straw breaking in Magnus' patience. With an extremely aggressive tone, he spurted out, "Well, I am not okay." He immediately regreted his choice of words when he saw the expression on Alec's face. His boyfriend was trying to be supportive, and he just had to ruin it.

"What am I even doing? You put this beautiful night together, and I am picking a fight. How pathetic of me." Magnus said, trying to apologize.

Alec, just the more taken aback, said, "It's okay, it's just that you are going through a hard time." He cringes at his words of consolation. He grimaces at his inability to console his boyfriend verbally.

"Oh please, Alexander. Don't make me pretend that it's just a phase. Because it's not." Magnus manages to utter. "What I am feeling right now, it may never pass, for as long as I live." Magnus was on the verge of tears at this point.

It was like someone had taken Alec's heart and crushed it into broken shards. That guilt of being utterly helpless and not being able to help his beloved was eating him out.

Magnus, noticing the sour mood of the atmosphere, says,"I should go, before I kill both of our appetites."

Alec's mind became caught up with a plethora of emotions. Anger on himself due to his inability to help Magnus, sorrow because of seeing Magnus in such a broken state, desperation due to his wish of consoling his beloved, and sympathy for Magnus.

Just when Magnus prepares to leave the resturant is when Alec immediately rushes to stop him, holding him back by putting his hands on Magnus' shoulder.
"S-stop it! Stop, l-listen Magnus, I-I love you, I-I just wanna help." Alec manages to speak in a panicked, strained voice.

"I know you do, but you can't. You seriously can't." With a long sigh, Magnus starts his desperate tries to break out of Alec's firm hold. It's way to comfortable in Alec's embrace, he thinks, way more than he deserves.

"Let me go", "Stop", "Alec, please stop."
For a few seconds, one could only hear these words being repeated over and over again.

Alec finally gives up and holds Magnus in a tight embrace, using the hug as an excuse to stop him. That's when Magnus' cries keep getting more desperate.

"ALEC," he screams raspily. That scream manages to startle Alec, but he still doesn't let Magnus go. His darling needed and deserved some comfort, and he would give it to him.

Magnus stops his attempts at escaping after a few moments. He, after a long time, allows himself to let go. He crumbles in his boyfriend's embrace and starts crying, allowing all his feelings to be let out of that dark chamber of his mind. He could finally be vulnerable again.

Alec keeps murmuring soothing praises into his boyfriend's ear, attempting to calm him down. That helps, as Magnus finally calms down and portals them into his lair.
They both spend the night in each others embrace, finally being back to how they were before.

_______________The end________________