Table For Two (Malec AU)

Chapter 9 - For The First Time

Friday;
"Magnus come on, you say this guy is hot, sweet, funny... he sounds like a nice guy, why don't you wanna take it any further?" Raphael asked as he and Magnus got to work on prepping the bar for the usual busy Friday night crowd.

Magnus, who was getting the cash register ready didn't look up from what he was doing as he answered.

"That's just the thing. He is a nice guy. I don't wanna get into anything with him and then screw it all up when things start to get serious. I've got a daughter to focus on now, it's not about just me anymore" he explained as he counted the dollar bills in the drawer.

"You're scared," Raphael said, almost grunting as he lugged a crate of beer up onto the bar and started to load the green glass bottles into the fridge.

"I don't know... maybe" Magnus admitted with a slight shrug as he finished up what he was doing, without looking up and closed the drawer softly.

"I don't know, I just feel like I have two choices here, either I go all-in with this guy and give this 'grown-up relationship' thing a try, or I get a new friend that I really get along with and care about. And yeah I know it's the safer option to stay friends, but I just don't know if I'm in the right place emotionally right now" Magnus explained as he leaned back on the other side of the bar, crossing his arms in front of his body like he was building a shield.

"Ohh I see, so Cat and I aren't enough for you anymore?" Raphael smirked, shooting a wink in Magnus' direction.

"No" Magnus chuckled, "No, it's not that. It's just nice to broaden your horizons sometimes, you know? And hey, you'd like Alec" Magnus said as he walked around the bar and started to take down the stools and set them along the bar and around the tables.

"How about a friend with benefits?" Raphael smirked suggestively.

Magnus laughed.

"Oh I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that," he said as he considered the potential once again, smirking slightly as he pictured wrapping his legs around Alec's waist and throwing his head back as Alec devoured the skin at the nape of his neck.

He shuddered with a little satisfaction.

Raphael just chuckled as he started loading the second crate of beer into the fridge.

"Just kiss the guy. You'll know what to do then. If you don't feel anything then it's still early enough in your friendship to let it blow over. But trust me, you don't wanna end up in the friend zone and then realise that you're head over heels in love later on" Raphael advised.

Magnus rolled his eyes with a grin. It was good advice really. Not that he would admit that to him just yet.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and decided to text Alec.

"Hey, got your seat saved and a beer on ice for you ;) x"

Alec text back almost instantly;

"Thanks, cutie. See you tonight x"

Magnus blushed a little, smiling as he held his phone to his chest for a second after reading the text.

--

Alec snorted himself awake pretty late in the day, but it was his day off so he wasn't in any rush.

He shuffled to the kitchen in just his form-fitting short black boxer briefs, rubbing at his sleepy eyes with the heel of his hand and then running his fingers through his messy hair.

Zeke had left early that morning, helping himself to a cup of coffee Alec had noticed as he saw the washed white coffee mug by the sink. He'd also left a clean mug by the coffee pot with a note, held down by the edge of the mug.

"Last night was great. Next time you wanna take your mind off another guy, just give me a call. Z x"

Alec smirked and moved the note aside to pour himself a cup of coffee. But as he smiled, somewhere deep down in his gut he felt a twinge, he felt dirty, he felt like he was diminishing his self worth one one-night-stand at a time.

He leant his butt back against the counter as he crossed his arm over his torso and held onto his steaming coffee mug and sipped tentatively.

"I need to stop doing this" Alec thought to himself as he stared off into space, feeling guilty and on the edge of some pretty deep emotions.

His lips curled in the corner as he started thinking about what his mother had suggested, about inviting Magnus to Thanksgiving. He mulled the thought over, thinking maybe he could test the waters with Magnus by asking him and Madzie to come along. Maybe. It could go horribly wrong too. He wasn't sure what to do.

He went over it the idea in his head, imagining sitting with his family and friends, opposite Magnus, stealing glances at him over the dinner table, sharing stories and anecdotes, spending time getting to know him over a drink or two.

Plus it would make his Mum and Sister so happy to see him settled into an adult relationship, happy with someone who was so sweet, kind and handsome. He knew that they would never say it to his face, but they were worried about him, they worried about him not thinking enough of himself to spend more than one night with the same person, never making that real connection that comes with getting to know someone, knowing their quirks and the hopes, their fears and their aspirations.

With that thought, his phone beeped on the counter beside him.

"1 Text from Magnus"

He smiled as he swiped his phone to unlock it and open the message.

"Hey, got your seat saved and a beer on ice for you ;) x"

Alec grinned, thinking maybe this was a sign, shoving him in the right direction.

'You know what you need to do Alec' he said to himself.

He set his coffee mug down, texting back immediately;

"Thanks, cutie. See you tonight x"

He smiled confidently as he sipped at his coffee again.

--

"Who's next please?" Magnus called out to the crowds of people squashed around the bar, waiting to get their drinks.

"I'll take a cold beer and the bartenders phone number" Alec flirted as he leant his forearms on the bar, leaning forward to catch Magnus' eye.

"Heyyy" Magnus said with a sweet, genuinely happy smile as he glanced between Alec's gorgeous face and the drawer of the cash register as he counted out changed for the previous customer. He closed the drawer and handed the other guy his change before turning around to the fridge and grabbing a cold bottle, twisting off the top and placing it on the beer mat in front of the barstool with a 'reserved' sign on it.

"Thanks" Alec smiled, slightly louder to be heard over the music.

Magnus touched the back of Alec's hand sweetly and said he would be back in a second.

Alec watched Magnus work like he was born for it; he was damn good at his job, a lot like Alec was. He was impressed by his confidence and how he sashayed around quickly, filling drink orders and mixing up cocktails like a pro.

After a few minutes, the initial crowd around the bar died down and Magnus excused himself while Raphael and Clary continued to serve any remaining customers and cleaned down the bar area.

He wrung his hands on the dishtowel that was usually slung over his shoulder as he walked towards the end of the bar where Alec was seated.

"Hey, sorry about that," Magnus said as approached, crossing his forearms and resting them on the bar as he leaned against it.

"No problem" Alec smiled before taking another sip of his beer.

"So how's it going?" Alec asked, feeling a little awkward after saying it like it was a lame thing to ask.

"Good, yeah. How's school going?" Magnus asked with a smile before taking a quick sip from his whiskey glass.

"Yeah it's good, a lot of papers and projects to finish before Christmas break but it's good," Alec said, happy that he hadn't let the conversation down before it really started.

"I took a few classes in archaeology in college if you're ever looking for a study buddy?" Magnus suggested with a little grin. He was attempting to flirt a little, but being cautious with his approach; he liked spending time with Alec, he didn't want to scare him off.

"Yeah, that sounds great. Actually I have a project that I'm working on right now about European archaeology. Maybe tomorrow I could bring Max over for a play-date with Madzie and see if you could help me finish up my paper" Alec suggested, not shy at all, he wanted Magnus to know that he wanted to spend time with him.

Magnus looked a little taken back, but he certainly didn't hate the idea.

"Or not, I mean if you and the little lady are busy?" Alec tried to say before Magnus felt too pressured.

"No, no we're not busy" Magnus smiled, "Come on over around 6, I'll make a little dinner" he offered.

Alec decided not to ask Magnus just yet about thanksgiving. He didn't want to dive in headfirst. And if he didn't manage to build up the courage to ask, he would just tell his mother that Magnus already had plans.

The conversation was casual and a little flirty with smiles and a few light brushes of the back of their hands, or their fingertips. But their evening was a little chaotic, it was hard to be spending time together while Magnus worked. And boy did he work. Alec had underestimated just how busy Pandemonium could be on a Friday night but he knew the feeling all too well. It was like looking at the Monday morning rush at Java Jones, only Magnus' customers were a little more chaotic and 'merry' to say the least.

Alec took a sip of his beer as Magnus returned to the busy bar area again to help with the swarm of drunken, loud customers. As he lowered his bottle he saw a guy, a muscular, blonde, cocky looking guy, lean over the bar and slap Magnus on the ass as he leaned over to get a beer from the low fridge.

Magnus, not un-used to the unwanted and sometimes unwelcome attention from drunken guys and girls, stood up straight and rolled his eyes, turned and handed the guy his beer, gave him a 'don't touch me again' look and took the $10 bill from his hand, ringing him up and dropping the change back in his hand.

The guy, who was a regular, leered at Magnus with a filthy smirk.

"Oh come on beautiful, don't be a tease," he said, a little creepy.

He'd been coming in every Friday night for months now and every time, he would say or do something that he must have considered flirting and he obviously thought that he was gods gift because even after turning him down several times, he still thought Magnus wanted him. In his mind, all he had to do was wear Magnus down.

Alec could see the embarrassment and just a twinge of rage on Magnus' face as he turned away from the guy and Alec could feel his blood boiling; how dare someone touch him so aggressively without his permission.

Alec stood, picked up his beer bottle and made his way around the bar area, walking past the guy and through the swing door to behind the bar like he owned the place. He put his arm around Magnus' shoulder.

"Hey baby, sorry I'm late, how's it all going?" Alec asked before kissing Magnus' cheek and making 'Don't fuck with me' eye contact with the creepy guy.

The guy stood slowly, looking like he was ready to knock Alec out.

It took Magnus a second to realise what Alec was doing, but when it dawned on him, he beamed on the inside; loving that Alec was the kind of guy that would do something like that.

He took the opportunity and ran with it, turning towards Alec, placing his hand on Alec's abs and standing just ever so slightly on the tips of his toes to plant a little kiss on Alec's mouth, which Alec reciprocated with a slight pout of his lips.

"Hi honey, how was work?" he asked, acting casual but chancing a quick glance at the creepy guy to see him rolling his eyes and shaking his head in what looked like disgust; like he couldn't believe that Magnus would be with this guy and not him.

Once the guy was gone, sadly not out of the bar, but at least, not in sight anymore, Magnus looked at Alec with so much thanks in his eyes but Alec still looked concerned as Magnus continued to work, taking orders and ringing up sales, he could tell he was a little shaken.

"Thank you Alexander," Magnus said, gratefully.

"No problem. Are you okay?" Alec asked with a slight frown as he leaned towards Magnus as he worked, trying to hear him over the din of the crowds.

"I'm okay" Magnus reassured him, with a little smile as he handed the next customer her vodka-tonic with lime.

"That guy is in here a lot. I'd kick him out, but I'd rather take his money" Magnus said with a little chuckle.

Alec smiled, brushing hand quickly and comfortingly over Magnus' shoulder.

"Seeing as I'm back here, do you want some help?" Alec asked, putting his open beer on the little counter space behind him and shrugging out of his black jacket.

"Uh yeah sure," Magnus said, in awe of how sweet Alec was being.

"Have you ever bartended before?" he asked as Alec turned back around and faced the crowd of people huddling around the bar.

"Not in a bar no, but I'm a barista, how different can it be?" he said, an equal amount of nervous and confident.

"Who's next?" Alec called.

Obviously he had to ask Magnus a few questions; where some things were, measurements for mixed drinks and of course prices. He was good with the register; they had a similar one at JJs, so it was easy enough to pick up after a few transactions.

After a while, the crowd died down again they were able to breathe, sighing in relief and leaning their butts back against the back counter as Clary wiped down the bar with a rag and cleaned around the beer taps and Raphael loaded glasses into the dishwasher under the bar.

Alec looked around happily at the crowd, proud of his efforts.

Magnus could see this. He smiled, admiring Alec's smile and pride.

"Come on" Magnus said, tilting his head towards the door behind the bar that led through to the office and storage room.

Alec picked up his green beer bottle, not that it had much left in it and followed Magnus down the short hallway to the office.

The din of the music and the people died down once the bar door closed behind them and Magnus grabbed a whiskey bottle and 2 glasses from the shelf in his office before sitting on the edge of his desk and handing a glass to Alec.

"Thanks," Alec said, accepting the glass and holding it still for Magnus to pour in a generous serving of whiskey.

Magnus then poured his own glass and set the bottle down on the desk, just beside him to his left. Alec turned and sat his butt down on the desk just to the right of Magnus, clinking their glasses in cheers before taking a sip. Magnus certainly had a taste for strong whiskey; Alec winced at the burn that ran down his throat.

"Thank you again for what you did," Magnus said, leaning just ever so slightly into Alec for a second.

"No problem" Alec smiled. "I guess you must get that a lot" he added.

Magnus tilted his head with a slight frown in question.

"Guys hitting on you all the time" Alec explained as he sipped again.

"Sometimes" Magnus shrugged, just a tiny twinge of embarrassment, shown by the pink blush in his cheeks. "But that guy has been trying his luck for months. Hopefully, he'll back off now" Magnus smiled, making eye contact with Alec.

An intense, yet soft, look lingered between the 2 of them for a few seconds, but it seemed longer.

"And that kiss" Alec smiled, bright and beautiful "I wasn't expecting that"

Magnus sipped his drink, licking his bottom lip a little as he lowered the glass. His teeth grazed his lip softly as he thought about kissing Alec again. Only this time it would be for no one else's benefit other than himself. A real kiss. A little tongue maybe.

Alec's flirty smile softened as he admired Magnus' features; his deep brown eyes, rimmed with sleek black eyeliner, his soft, golden complexion and those sweet, beautiful, totally kissable lips.

"Well" Magnus smiled, a little coy as he lost eye contact for just a second as he glanced down as his glass, "Can't blame a guy for taking his opportunity," he said, looking back up into Alec's beautiful eyes.

Alec turned, placing his glass down on the desk behind him before reaching over to softly take Magnus' glass from his hand and put it beside his own.

Magnus watched Alec's hand move the glass, but it was like everything was moving in slow motion.

Alec's eyes moved from Magnus' eyes to his lips and then back again a couple of times before his caressed Magnus' cheek with his hand and leaned in to kiss him.

Magnus' heart was beating a million miles an hour as both of Alec's lips closed around his bottom one. He took a small sharp breath in through his nose and reciprocated with ease, letting the kiss got for another second or two before he brushed softly at the soft, wet part of Alec's bottom lip with his tongue.

Alec's heart raced too as he realised that the attraction was mutual. His thumb ran over Magnus' cheekbone tenderly and he felt Magnus' hand on the side of his neck, fingering the ends of his hair as their kiss deepened, their tongues gliding against one another.

It was a perfect first kiss. Not rushed or so intense that it was fumbling, but soft and beautiful in that breathless kind of way.

Magnus felt like the decision to kiss Alec back was one of the best he had ever made. Why had he been over-thinking things? Why not just throw caution to the wind sooner and taken a chance because boy, oh boy, this guy was a good kisser. But more importantly than that, he knew that Alec was a good guy, with a good heart and good values.

He shuffled a little closer, letting Alec pull him into him by his hip, his slacks gliding along the desk.

Alec's head was swimming. This was a different kind of kiss to anything he had ever experienced. It was so soft and tender and Magnus' lips so sweet and damp that he could imagine sinking his tongue deeper into his mouth, but didn't want to push his luck too far, too fast.

Magnus pulled back after a few more seconds, running his hand up Alec's wrist and lacing their fingers together, looking a little coy and lost for words. It wasn't like him to be shy around anyone, this was a whole new feeling. He liked it.

"I'm sorry, was that... was that okay?" Alec asked softly, a little nervous, tilting his head to watch Magnus. But he knew in the back of his mind that Magnus wouldn't have kissed him back if it wasn't.

"Yeah," Magnus said quickly, "That was just uh... a little unexpected" he smiled.

Alec leaned forward and nipped a couple more sweet little kisses into Magnus' lips. He was fighting the urge to stand and lead Magnus over the beaten up old couch in the corner and continue what they started, but, again, he didn't want to go all-in too fast.

"Boss can we have a hand with the..." Raphael started as he pushed the ajar door fully open and walked in. He stopped in his tracks just as he'd seen Magnus' head tilt back when Alec had started to run soft butterfly kisses along his jaw.

"Oh God, never mind, my bad," he said quickly, turning and leaving, pulling the door fully shut behind him.

Alec and Magnus froze for a second before bursting into a mildly embarrassed chuckle against each other's cheeks.

"I'll uh, I'll be back in a second" Magnus said apologetically as he stood and walked towards the door, hoping to god that it wasn't a huge problem so that he could get back to his office and continue his date with Alec.

Was it a date? He hadn't realised it until now. Had it started as one? He hadn't thought of it that was at the time but he supposed that it was. He hoped that their first date, even their first kiss would be somewhere a little more romantic than his dusty office.

"Hey, what's up?" Magnus asked as he opened the door that led to the bar area.

Raphael looked like he was still blushing from what he'd walked in on.

"It's uh, it's just getting a little crazy out here, can you give us a hand for a second?" Raphael asked, smirking at his boss, "if we can pull you away that is?" he added cheekily.

"Shut up" Magnus chuckled at a slight whisper as he helped mix drinks while Raph and Clary continued to take drink orders.

Back in Magnus' office, Alec walked around a little, passing time, glancing around and pacing as he finished his drink and poured another, topping up Magnus' glass too. He sat down on the couch and noticed a little framed picture of Magnus & Madzie sat on the bookshelf beside him. It was sweet. He knew Magnus had only had Madzie with him for a few months now, but he thought it was so sweet how well they'd bonded and how amazing a dad he was to her given that he'd pretty much been a bachelor most of his life.

He liked Magnus more than he had admitted to himself. He worried that maybe he should have taken him somewhere for a nice date before kissing him for the first time. To a nice restaurant or a picnic, even just for coffee. He really didn't have as much as experience at being romantic as he thought Magnus deserved and that made him nervous.

He thought for a moment and wondered if Magnus would be finishing any time soon and maybe he could take him on a romantic late-night walk through the city.

He decided to head back out to the bar and see if there was anything he could do to help Magnus finish early.

Just as he came through the door, he walked straight into Magnus, who was just on his way back to the office.

"Hey," Alec said sweetly, a smile instantly finding its way to his lips.

"Hey, I was just coming back. What's is it? Are you leaving?" Magnus said, casually resting his hand on Alec's hip, appreciating the soft silky feel of his cashmere sweater.

"I just wanted to see what time you get off tonight," Alec asked.

"I mean things should die down in about a half-hour, I can probably leave these guys to it after that" Magnus explained, tilting his head towards Clary and Raphael. "Why?" he asked.

"Just thought maybe I could walk you home. It's on the way for me anyway" Alec joked with a smile and a fake eye-roll.

Magnus laughed a little. "Yeah, that sounds good, I'll finish up what I need to out here and meet you out front in a few minutes?" Magnus suggested.

"Sure," Alec said, leaning in to kiss Magnus' cheek before he grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and headed out front where he could get some cool refreshing air. He regretted not bringing a scarf though, there was a bitter chill in the air.

Alec scrolled throughsocial media on his phone and checked messages, killing time.

He decided to post a status update for the first time in a while; "Bestnight out in months - Feeling Happy" he smiled a genuine smile as heposted the update and within a few seconds was getting comments on it fromfriends and family.

He decided not to read them just yet. It would mostly be questions fromIsabelle and his mother. And Jace asking why he didn't invite him.

Alec turned and checked his reflection in the window of the bar, setting hishair in the perfect place and adjusting his collar, as a last thought, he reachedinto his pocket and popped a mint for a bit of fresh breath. He caught sightthrough the window of Magnus grabbing his coat and scarf from the rack and headtowards the door.

"Ready to go?" Magnus asked Alec as he came through the door.

"Ready to go," Alec said with a little shiver.

"Are you okay Alexander? You look flushed" Magnus said with concern.He stepped forward and took Alec's hand. "Alec, you're freezing!" hesaid, shocked that he had suggested walking home.
"Let's get a cab. You could come over and we could talk? I make a mean hotchocolate" Magnus suggested sweetly.

Alec chuckled, "Yeah that sounds good", his bottom lip shivering alittle.

Magnus hailed down a cab and held the door open for Alec to slide along the bench seat in the back.

It wasn't a long ride back to their building and they sat in comfortablesilence on the ride there, Magnus holding Alec's freezing hand in his own towarm him up, he even took off his scarfand wrapped it around Alec's broad shoulders.

"Wait? Where's the little lady tonight?" Alec asked as he and Magnusmade their way to the elevator to head up to the 3rd floor.

"My friend Cat is babysitting tonight. Her and Raphael have been agod-send since Madzie came to live with me, they're amazing" Magnusexplained.

"That's so sweet. I wish my friends were actually that helpful" Alecchuckled.

Magnus laughed.

"They're more like family really" he explained, "My parentsaren't with us anymore and I don't have any biological siblings, so they'remore like a big sister and a little brother to me" he smilednostalgically.

Magnus unlocked the front door and came in to find Cat on the couch, reading amagazine, obviously Madzie was tucked up in bed.

"Hey beautiful" he greeted her as he took off his coat and hung it onthe coat rack by the door and dropped his keys in the bowl.

"Hey handsome" she replied before looking up from her magazine, whichshe closed a second later and then looked up to see both her friend and a beautiful man stood right behind him.

"Everything okay? Is Madzie asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's in bed. She's had a bath, homework all done and we even hadtime for a story" she smiled, proud of her amazing babysitting skills"Hi, I'm Caterina," she said to Alec with a casual little wave.

"Oh, I'm sorry this is Alexander" Magnus explained.

"Just 'Alec' is fine" Alec said as heextended his hand to Cat, who took it and, like a gentleman, he placed a littlekiss on the back of her hand before taking off Magnus' scarf and his ownjacket, turning to hang them on the rack too.

Cat looked a Magnus with a wide-eyed look while Alec's back was turned thatjust said 'I approve'

"Well I'll leave you guys to it," Cat said, grabbing her own jacketand wanting to make herself scarce.

"Thanks, Kit-Cat, I'll see you Sunday?" Magnus asked, leaning in tokiss her cheek.

"No problem sweetie. Yeah, call me in the morning" she finished witha wink and headed out the door.

Magnus turned back to see Alec standing in the middle of the living room, handsa little nervously stuffed into his jeans pockets.

"So..." he started. "Hot Chocolate?" he offered.

"Sounds like heaven" Alec sighed, watching Magnus walk over to thekitchenette.

Magnus grabbed one of his new small saucepans and poured in some milk, heatingit gently on the stovetop and breaking in some milk chocolate. He stoppedstirring long enough to grab a couple of white mugs from the cabinet and setthem on the counter.

They made small talk for a minute while Magnus finished up their drinks andpoured them into the mugs.

"Thanks," Alec said, accepting the steaming mug and savouring the hotfeeling in his hands.

They headed to the living room and sat down on the couch, cosy and comfortableas they faced each other.

"So do you think maybe we should talk?" Alec said

"Maybe tomorrow," Magnus said with a flirtatious smile before he sethis mug down on the coffee table.

Alec frowned a little, tilting his head in question but he got the hint whenMagnus shuffled a little closer to him.

Alec took the green light and set his mug down before diving back into the kissthat they'd started earlier, starting where he'd left off, with his lips onMagnus' neck.