Hiding

Chapter seven

When they arrive at the hotel, Magnus still hasn't stopped laughing, and Alec hasn't stopped blushing.

"You truly are an idiot." Alec says while pushing Magnus away from the entrance to the hotel. Magnus, while nearly tripping over his own feet, keeps laughing at Alec.

"You are just soooo easy to embarrass." He smirks at Alec "and you look so darn cute in pink."

Alec rushes through the hotel lobby, trying to get as far away from Magnus as possible as he blushes even harder. Fucking Magnus Bane!

Alec walks straight to the bathroom once he is safely hidden in his room. Without any hesitation, he turns the cold water on, splashing it one, two, three times in his face. He needs to calm down. He can't let Magnus get under his skin like that. He has barely ever thought about anyone sexually before, and now somehow Magnus has pushed him over that edge twice in one day!

"aren't we going to write down our initial thoughts of the day for you father?" Magnus' voice travels through the door.

"Not right now, Bane!" Alec shouts. He can't be near him now. He needs a bit of time to compose himself. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll find you afterwards."

"Another shower? How many times do you shower a day?"

"Every time I feel dirty!" Alec shouts and Magnus begins to chuckle. "NO! GODDAMNIT! Not like that! For Christ sake!" Alec sighs loudly. "Just leave me alone for a few minutes, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss. Have fun rinsing of the dirt." Magnus laughs all the way to his own room while Alec feels like mentally kicking himself hard. Why did he have to fuck up this badly around him?

Even though the shower-thing had been an excuse to be left alone, Alec finds himself undressing and stepping into the shower, cold water running down his body.

Pull yourself together, Lightwood. You are not this guy!

Alec stays in the shower until his body trembles uncontrollably from the cold. And even then, he gives it a couple of minutes more before drying of and getting dressed. Luckily, he feels more in control of his own body and mind now, than he has all day. Alec grabs his laptop and heads over to Magnus' room.

He barely even knocks before ethe door is opened. Almost as if Magnus has been standing there just waiting for him to arrive.

"Was it a nice shower?" Magnus teases.

"Refreshing, actually. Let's get this over with." Once Alec steps inside he sees that magnus has the tv on. "What are you watching?"

"This really amazing movie that I just can't seem to get enough of. It is my favorite movie and the best way for me to relax. It's called Red, White and Royal Blue. Have you seen it?

"I don't watch movies." Alec says without any emotions in his voice.

"Why?"

"Because they are unrealistic, and I don't see the point."

"Entertainment." Magnus says. "that's the point."

"I don't need some fiction to entertain me."

"Right, because you are so good at entertaining yourself." Magnus waits a few seconds for a response, but when he doesn't get nay, he asks a question instead. "Do you mind if I let it continue in the background?"

"I don't care. As long as it doesn't affect your work."

"It won't. Magnus promises." But Alec can see that it is already affecting Magnus, since he keeps looking at the screen.

"I don't get it..." Alec mumbles.

"Get what?"

"Your fascination with that fiction. It's not real."

"So what? I don't need it to be real. It's a great story and I love the characters." Magnus smiles. "It makes me happy."

"I still don't get it."

"that's because you aren't giving it a fair chance. Listen, if you give this movie a real chance, I promise to not poke fun at you for the rest of the week."

"Fine. But you need to catch me up on what is happening. Why are that woman hitting him with a pillow?"

Magnus laughs and pauses the movie.

"Alright, that guy is Alex. He is the president's son. He has just been to a royal wedding in England where he got involved in an incident, where he and the young prince Henry ended up on the floor, covered in cake and now it is affecting his mothers political stand so that woman, Zahra, is hitting him because she is infuriated with him and she want s him to clean up the mess he has made. Oh, and Alex hates Prince Henry."

"That sounds wildly complicated and definitely unrealistic."

"A fair chance, remember."

"Fine..." Alec sighs and Magnus starts the movie back up.

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Not that Alec will ever admit this, but he feels himself being compelled by the movie. Especially Prince Henry. He hadn't expected the movie to be about a queer couple, and he most definitely hadn't expected to find so many similarities in a fictional character. But he keeps finding himself relating to prince Henry and the responsibilities and struggles the young prince is born with.

Alec glances over at Magnus, who has fallen asleep, rolled up in a ball on the couch.

His breath gets caught in his chest, when the president's son is about to confess his love to the prince, and Alec knows exactly how the prince feels, even before he can see it on his face. His own heart begins to race and his emotions mirrors that of the young prince when he in the end jumps into the water to get away from the situation. And when the prince sneaks out in the middle of the night without saying goodbye, Alec feels like this movie is showing him everything that he fears would happen to him if he ever allowed himself to get involved with anyone.

Then Mangus turns around and mumbles something and Alec quickly pulls himself together and stops the movie as Magnus slowly wakes up.

"You fell asleep." Alec says when Magnus opens his eyes slightly. "I've stopped the movie, so just go back to sleep. Ill go back to my own room now. Ill see you tomorrow at breakfast."

"Thank you..." Magnus mumbles and falls right back asleep.

For a second Alec almost want to start the movie back up, just to see how it will end, but he already now how. Prince Henry will fulfill his duties as British royalty, and Alex will find someone less complicated.

Quietly Alec walks back to his own room and climbs into bed with a heavy heart. How Magnus could call that movie his favorite, Alec does not understand.