Alec was trying to put things together. The threat was the Alpha. He could be anywhere. Planning to kill anyone. Everybody's security was his responsibility.
"Alec? You're not coming?" Isabelle asked, puzzled as her big brother was not heading to their car.
"I—hum," he stuttered, clueless. "I'm not going home right now. I'll be back for dinner."
"But who's driving?"
"Jace'll do it. He's old enough. Forget about the driver's licence."
His siblings frowned but decided to ignore his un-Alec-like attitude, and got to the van.
Alexander's steps were guiding him through the residences of Beacon Hills, but he had no idea of what he was doing. The only thing he was focused on was the danger the Alpha meant to everyone, and more specially to—
"Danny?" he said, astonished, recognising the boy's face.
"Hum, well, when you knock on someone's door, you expect to see them. But... apparently not." Alec frowned. Had he truly made it to Danny's on his own? "I thought you couldn't see me tonight," the Hawaiian teenager continued, a bit abruptly and resentfully.
"I—I had to see you. I wanted to."
"Okay...," his interlocutor only replied, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like to... come in? I know it's late and all but my parents won't be coming back any time soon."
"I guess I could do that," he whispered stressfully.
He had never gone to any guy's home, he had never even been invited by a guy on a date. In the shadow world, it was so much more difficult than here. With Danny, everything seemed so easy and beautiful.
"Hey, you know," Alec corrected as they were going in the direction of Danny's bedroom, "coming to think of it, I don't even know why I've come here, and I think that, maybe, I shouldn't be here at all. I'm not supposed to do that, to—to see you, or anyone like you, because—"
Daniel only turned around and smiled softly. "Don't worry. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. And if you want to leave, you can do it whenever you like. Do you want me to take you to the door?"
"No, I—I want to stay. But you won't say a word to anyone, you promise?"
They were standing in the middle of the staircase, half to the entry door, half to Danny's room, and Alec only looked down. He was shared between what he had to do, what everyone obviously expected him to do, and what he truly, deeply wanted to do.
He felt Danny's fingers reach his chin and make him raise his look towards his own, and they smiled to each other. The tan boy then went down a step to be at Alec's height, leaned slightly, and they kissed gently.
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It was just one innocent kiss. But Alexander, although he would have given anything to stay like this forever, listened only to his duty, and stepped backwards. He had heard his reason; Danny would get killed by being too close to him. It was far too dangerous.
"What is it, Alec? Did I hurt your feelings?"
"I—I'm sorry. I should go," he whispered before rushing outside.
How could he have done this?
*********
The next two days at school were nearly the worst for Alexander.
First, he had to avoid Danny as much as he could, because his crush wouldn't leave him alone—no doubt he wanted to talk.
Secondly, Jackson Witthemore had seemed to get even more tiresome now he knew something weird was going on at Beacon Hills High. He wouldn't stop bugging the Lightwoods, or Scott and his friend, warning them that he would discover everything. Plus, the lacrosse player had sworn he would kick Alec's ass if he got anywhere near his best friend.
And Alec was on the verge of exploding. As if he had nothing else than school squabbles to care about.
*********
"Hey, dude, you sure you okay?" Jace asked his adoptive brother as they were polishing their blades in the training room of the manor their family had rented for them.
"Yeah," Alec answered evasively, still thinking about Danny and about the case with the Alpha they still hadn't solved.
"You know you can tell me anything. Even if it's about, you know, some guy."
"I know."
Jace looked like he was about to say something else, but they were interrupted by Isabelle bursting in with enthusiasm. To answer their surprised gaze, she only said, "They've found him."
