Taken In - Malec

1) The Booty-Licious Club

SHADOW HUNTERS AU-Part 1:

"Now ladies! A hunky, blue-eyed specimen that should, indeed, NOT need any introduction. Although I'm going to give you one. Our special treat to you... Mr. Lightwood!!" Screams and applauds sounded from all around the corners of the room, while hungry woman cheered from dimly, lit, cushioned booths. Their hands filled with bubbling wine and cocktail glasses and others filled with crumpled notes, ready to stash into the sweaty undergarments of men. As the colourful lights dimmed slowly, a bright spotlight traced through the darkness, specs of dust found floating through the air like the fragments of a blown dandelion in the mid-summer air, towards a tall masculine figure standing in front of a blazing, blue thunderbolt. With his back turned towards the audience, his back muscles tightened which rose and fell as he breathed. Soft grey sweatpants tightened at the waist just made his astoundingly round butt more eye catching before a sudden burst of music sounded from the speakers that gave a jolt of energy towards 'Mr. Lightwood'. Suddenly the figure swiftly turns around to meet the gazes and screams of woman as they ran up near the stage. His very vibrant blue eyes mostly distracting some of the ladies from his muscled torso. Again, his tightened waistband of his pants making the ladies drool as they draw their eyes down, finding two lines making a V-shape down towards his pants. With jet black hair gelled fashionably like rumpled morning hair, the girls swooned over his every move as he suddenly slid down to the catwalk on his knees. Small bulbs of white light separated equally on the sides of the walk made room for Lightwood to grab a dazzled young ladies' hand and draw it from his mouth to the bottom of his six pack. Dollars of notes already littering the stage, he rolled flatly onto his stomach, grinding the floor as he made hungry eyes while biting his lip.
This was now normal for Alec. After a year of working at "The Booty-Licious Club" in New York, he had grown used to how his body had to move and how he had to shave his chest every day to keep the ladies happy and to keep the money rolling. It was never a career option that Alec had thought of himself doing at the age of 20. Yet, as money ran low and bills started piling up, Alec knew he needed to find a job quick. Which had landed him here. In a strip club. Getting a job here wasn't hard, Alec thought. He walked straight in asking for a job,manager just looked at him and gave him it. Alec knew he was handsome. Not that he was very self opinionated but that he saw how girls looked at him in the streets. Saw how their eyes lingered up and down his body as they giggled towards their friends. Or even other guys who just looked at him with uneasiness and what seemed as jealousy. So, it was a factor that Alec knew he could rely on for this type of work.
Unfortunately, what led Alec to stripping was the overload of bills that came from himself and his two siblings, Jace and Isabelle, paying rent of a minuscule two bedroom apartment in NYC. With his brother, Jace, partaking in bare-knuckle fights for food money and Isabelle working as a cocktail waitress downtown to help pay the rent, Alec secretly strips to pay the bills. Lying to his siblings because he doesn't want them to find out, Alec tells Jace and Izzy that he works at a costume shop. Since one night, Jace found a tight fitting police costume with black fluffy handcuffs protruding from his bag that he left in the hallway of their apartment.
It was always hard for Alec. After the car crash...
Alec's' chest tightened as he thought of the incident, suddenly slowly dancing to the music.
Flashes of images thwarted into his brain. Of the phone call from the hospital. Hearing his parents and his youngest sibling's names. The speed of his car on the road as he drove frantically towards the hospital. Ambulance lights flashing on top of vans that drove away from the building as he watched three bodies on rolling beds travel through the entrance and turn a corner. The shattering news of his parents and his brother Max.
That they had died
That he was never going to see them again
That he was never going to teach Max how to shave or help him with another homework. That he would never hear his mother's soft call for breakfast in the morning or see his father read his newspaper at the table and point out all the idiotic points in the politics or cartoon section.
Never again
He was left with only Jace and Izzy, which he took custody of as he was 18 at the time.
Alec began to feel uneasy and slightly dizzy as the song was quickly coming to an end.
He always wondered if it was the right thing to do. To look after his brother and sister on his own. But it was times were the bills kept flooding in and his siblings gave him questionable and frightened stares were he felt the pang of failure. That he couldn't help build a life for the people that he loved and that he failed his parents for not doing what they would of expected of him. Now, he worked as a stripper in a slightly run down club that smelt of sweat and alcohol most of the time.
A sudden bang of both of Alec's bare feet hitting the ground as the last beat of the song ended suggested that the song was over, not that he was paying any attention although he knew all of his choreography off by heart. Breathing heavily while drops of sweat trickled down from Alec's bare chest, ladies from the audience still reaching to find his sweatpants, which as he looked down was full to bursting with dollar notes.
With a shy nod of his head and a small quiver of a smile, Alec left the stage, leaving a screaming trail of women behind as the MC thanked the audience before the sweepers travelled to the stage gathering up all the money thrown on the ground.
A sudden slap to the back, he was greeted by his friend Hodge while setting aside the red velvet curtain of the stage. Which oddly reminded him of his mother's curtains at home. Well... EX home. A broad, muscled, blonde, about the same size as Alec. Bare chest and wearing ONLY tight American flagged underwear, gripped Alec by the shoulder. Already beginning a conversation. "Hey, you KILLED it out there tonight! Yet again, so did I" Hodge said with a smirk. Hodge also reminded Alec of Jace in many of his fine moments. The enthusiastic pumped up energy. The proud cockiness of himself. Almost the same colour of hair, although Jace's was more with a golden glow than streaky blonde- "Dude, are you even listening to me? Come on, we need to go celebrate tonight"
"Wait, celebrate? For what?" Alec questioned. "Jordan? You know, our boss? The one who is leaving because that big millionaire wanted to buy this place? Angel only knows why" Hodge replies. Millionaire?, Alec thought. He had never seen a millionaire never mind being an employee of one. All the millionaires he knew were from the movie Annie and Batman. Which was actually one of his favourite movies. Batman! Not Annie! "Oh yeah, what's that guys name again? Martin Barn or something-"
"Magnus Bane" Hodge chuckled softly as they walked into their dressing room. "Apparently he is very 'stylish'"
"I would think so" Alec added "With that amount of money, no wonder he would buy a lot of fancy clothes" Alec paused, "How do you know this anyway?"
"Rumours fluttering here and there" Hodge said letting his fingers trace though the air before sitting down, squeaking his chair as he slumped into it. His underwear riding up as he did so. "So, are you coming or what?" Alec, speechless for words couldn't think. He had no money. No money that he could use for drinks and partying that's for sure. All money that he gathered from work went straight for his pocket to the bills. He always felt guilty when having to make up an excuse for not being able to hang out with Hodge for nights out. But he never wanted to tell him about his money problems. So he didn't sound needy or anything like that. "Sorry man, I can't tonight but I'll make sure to see Jordan before he leaves" Alec filled with dread replied. With a sigh from Hodge and a raise of his hands they both went to get changed. Alec fitting into a black shirt with skinny denim jeans and his old leather jacket given to him from his dad, before the... It has still fitted him nicely, although the cuffs were beginning to frae. Meeting Hodge outside the dressing rooms in his own gear, an army camouflaged type shirt with black jeans, Nike shoes and his 'night out' jacket, they began to walk to the exit.
"Well, I guess it's just me alone tonight. The Single Sexy Strippers will not be on the hunt, once again. Because YOU keep hibernating from the world, my friend" Hodge started, shaking Alec's shoulders from behind letting a smile creep on Alec's face. "I am sorry that I couldn't come out tonight-" "Or the night before. OR the night before that, OR the night before that-" Hodge drained on. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry, but we will go out one night just not tonight. Oh, and please stop calling us that" Alec complained. "Call us what?" "'The Single Sexy Strippers'! You know I don't like the S word!" Alec retorted. "Sorry. 'The Single Sexy Male Entertainers'" sighed Hodge. "Much better" Alec grinned as they left the door to swing back and shut behind them. The frosty night air of New York in the late autumn hitting them as they exit the club. The chilly air often reminding Alec of the winter lodge he and his family used to visit at Christmas. Seated at the fire, playing board games and drinking hot chocolate with their warm sweaters on. Max softly gliding his fingers across the keys of the grand piano. A sweet melody as the white snow fell silently onto the skeletons of trees outside. Max, self-taught on the piano, of course. He was always so smart, so delicate, so.... Max
"Well, I guess I'll speak to you during the weekend, man" Hodge started, bringing Alec into a man hug. "Cool" a grunt from Alec suggested the impact of Hodge's chest was hard. Even though both men were strong, Hodge seemed more big and thick of his muscled chest and limbs. "I'll talk to you then. Have fun" "Will do, my friend. Will do" Hodge replied while releasing Alec and beginning to walk the opposite direction to were Alec was to go. Up the way towards the busy streets of New York City, where the powerful surges of light and energy came alive at night.
"Oh, Hodge" Alec cried out, bringing Hodge's attention back to him as he swivelled around to meet Alec's eyes. "Why did you say that before?" "Say what before?!" Hodge replied back. The distance causing both boys to speak louder. "When you were talking about the new boss buying the place. You said 'Angel only knows'. Isn't the phrase, 'God only knows'?" Alec questioned. "Lemme ask you something, Alec. Do you believe in God or in any God?" "I haven't really thought about it that much" Alec responded. "Well have you seen a lot of pictures or paintings of God, The Father?" Hodge asks. "Not that I recall..." "But have you seen a lot of paintings of angels? With large white feathered wings and glowing gowns that traveled over the clouds or even protecting a human?" Hodge asks "Yeah, a lot actually. Why?" "I believe in what I see, Alec. I believe in good and bad. I believe you can always find the evil in the good and the light in darkness. And where does that come from but the Angels and Demons that look over us?" A smooth jolt of realisation washed over Alec. As if he had never really seen what Hodge really was or felt. Like he was looking through a steamed pane of glass before but had now cleared to finally expose Hodge of who he really is. How he had so many beliefs in that cocky exterior that took Alec in almost every challenge of the day. Alec must of been smiling as he heard Hodge laugh as he looked at his face. "It may be cringy and surprising, my friend. But I believe it." With a smooth turn of his heels, Alec's friend was heading back to the City. Suddenly pointing his finger high above into the clouds, Hodge shouting "Angels over God!"
Angels over God
It had a nice ring to it, Alec thought. One that no other phrase had ever had on him. With a shrug of his shoulders, Alec turned and began walking home. Leaving a trail of thoughts as he did so.