Be Happy For Me - A Mortal Instruments fanfic

Because You're You

When Magnus heard Alec's voice on the intercom, he was sorely tempted to ignore it. Pretend he wasn't home. Leave Alec standing outside in the gusty street. He certainly deserved it.

But pretending not to be home was something cowards did. And, unlike his apparently-not-boyfriend, Magnus was not a coward. So he forced himself to push the 'speak' button and said, "I'm sorry, who?"

"Alec," Alec said again. "Alec Lightwood. Um, you know... oh." There was a pause as Alec caught up with the sarcasm. Then, "I'd like to come in and talk to you. If that's okay. Please."

Magnus pushed the door opener without a reply.

When Alec came hurrying up the stairs, Magnus was already leaning in the doorway of his flat, his arms crossed before his chest and wearing a very disgruntled expression. The shadowhunter's steps slowed at the sight of him, a fact that filled Magnus with grim satisfaction. He waited.

"Um," Alec said. "Hi."

"Which of you is it?"

"Which of us is what?" Alec asked, confused.

"Which of your little shadowhunter friends has stubbed his toe this time," Magnus said. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Alec stared at him, looking like a puppy that has taken a wrong turn and suddenly finds itself confronted by three Rottweilers.

"No," he said timidly.

"Well then," Magnus said, pushing himself off of the wall and opening the door to his apartment, "I really don't know why you're here. Since we're not dating." He turned around to step back into the loft.

"I'm here to apologize," Alec said behind him. His voice was uncharacteristically firm. Magnus paused.

"You could have said that over the intercom," he said over his shoulder, despising himself for his harshness. "Said 'sorry' and left. That would have saved the both of us this uncomfortable conversation."

"No, I couldn't," Alec said defiantly. "I wanted to do this properly."

At this, Magnus almost turned back towards the boy entirely before he stopped himself and settled for an awkward sideways position. "Why?"

He could see Alec's eyes blaze darkly as the shadowhunter looked squarely up at him and replied, "Because you're worth it."

Magnus stared at him, dumbstruck. That sentence, in that tone, was so unlike Alec that Magnus wondered for a second if Jace or Izzy had scripted this conversation for him. But then again, it had surprised him, and that was very much like Alec and very unlike Blondie.

Alec mistook his silence for indifference. "I mean, you mean a lot to me," he plunged on desperately. "And I really wanted to make it up to you, because I know I acted like a jerk–"

"Alexander." Magnus was surprised at how deep and fervent his voice was as he stepped forward and took Alec's wrists.

"...and I really didn't mean to–" Alec cut off in midsentence and stared up at him with wide eyes. "Yes?"

"Come in," Magnus said, still in that deep, throaty voice he wasn't entirely sure belonged to him, and pulled the shadowhunter into the loft.

Once inside, he sat the very tense Alec down on the couch and shoved a cup of tea into his hands. He only realized his mistake when the mug almost slipped out of the boy's trembling fingers, but even in this unsettled condition Alec possessed the presence of mind to catch the cup and put it down safely on the table. Then he pushed his hands under his thighs and looked uncertainly up at Magnus, clearly waiting for permission to speak.