The guy at the other end of the bar is tall, his dark hair is styled in ruffled ‘I don't want anyone to think I care about my looks but I also don't wanna look like a slop’ kind of way, and his leather jacket stretches nicely across his arms as he folds them in front of him to leans against the bar.
Before Magnus has a chance to look away, the man glances his way. He gives Magnus a once-over, a smirk spreading on his face as his eyes wander. Then he turns away, and Magnus is momentarily disappointed until he realises that the man is simply thanking the bartender for bringing his beer, before picking it up and making his way to where Magnus is sitting.
“Is this seat taken?” he says, nodding towards the stool beside Magnus.
“I'm not sure,” Magnus answers as he traces the rim of his glass with a finger as if he's actually contemplating his answer. “I think this tall, dark, and very handsome guy I just met might be keeping me company.”
The man flashes him a blinding smile and settles down, and Magnus is suddenly happy that he's already sitting because he feels his knees go weak in a matter of seconds.
“I'm Magnus.” He lifts his glass in the other man's direction, offering his a smile in return.
“Alec,” he replies, clicking his bottle lightly against Magnus’ drink before taking a swig.
Magnus can't help but look at the way the muscles in Alec's neck move as he swallows, but he's pretty sure he manages to tear his eyes away before he can get caught staring.
“So, Alec, what brings you to this lovely establishment all alone on a Friday night?” he asks, turning to face the other man.
“My best friend slash colleague is playing tonight.” Alec nods in the same direction as Luke left in only moments ago. “Well, I guess all of them are my colleagues since it's the company band but I'm mostly here because Simon would kill me if I missed it. You?”
“Oh, you know Simon? I mean, I've only met him a couple of times,” Magnus replies, thinking back to Luke’s birthday the year before where he had last seen the kid. “I know Luke, Simon’s… Well, not -”
“Not his dad, but kinda his dad,” Alec finishes for him with a laugh. “Yeah, Simon talks about him a lot. He sounds like quite the hero.”
“Oh, he is, he definitely is.” Magnus can’t help but laugh as well. He knows Simon adores Luke, like Luke does Simon, but he also knows there’s plenty of reason for him to do so.
Around them, the bar is slowly getting crowded as the time for the concert draws nearer. Magnus recognises a few people but he’s more than content spending his time getting to know the man beside him.
Magnus is in the middle of telling Alec about the last time he went travelling when the sound of Simon’s voice rings through the room. He thanks everyone for coming and announces that it’ll only be a couple more minutes before they’ll be starting.
“You wanna?” Alec asks, gesturing towards the scene. Magnus nods, downing the rest of his drink before following Alec to find a table closer to where the magic is about to happen.
They’re good. Magnus already knew Simon was talented but he didn’t really know what to expect from the rest of them. Especially not after Alec told him that Simon spent weeks even getting people to join the band and that they’ve only been playing together for a few months. But they’re actually pretty good and the crowd - who, of course, is mostly made up of family, friends and coworkers - love them.
When they’re done, Simon comes up to them to say hi. It’s clear that he wants to say something, his eyes repeatedly flickering back and forth between the two of them as the three of them talk for a few minutes, but in the end, he simply tells them to enjoy their evening before leaving them to join some of the others.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Alec asks as soon as they’re alone again. “I would have asked earlier but you already had one so it was a bit pointless.”
“Yeah, sure, I’d love that,” he says truthfully. It’s not like he can’t afford to buy his own drinks for the night but it’s a good excuse for him to spend some more time with Alec, and the pleased expression on Alec’s face would definitely have made it worth it either way.
They end up moving to a corner booth, and while they agree that the soft couch seat is more comfortable than the hardwood chair they’ve been sitting on for the last our, Magnus definitely doesn’t mind the fact that they end up sitting a lot closer than before.
Magnus doesn’t even mind it when Simon joins them with a couple of his friends because it gives Alec an excuse to move a little closer and whisper things into his ears, which both makes Magnus laugh and sends a shiver down his spine. Every single time.
It’s a few hours, and a whole bunch of drinks, later when they’re alone at their table once more. They’re both silent for a moment after having said goodbye to the last couple of people leaving their table to go home, before Alec looks at Magnus with a crooked smile.
“So, Magnus, what do you do?” He rests an arm on the back of the couch and leans slightly closer to Magnus. He’s clearly drunk, just like Magnus, but they have been drinking for some time now, so it’s not really a surprise. Besides, it seems like Alec is a flirty drunk, so Magnus definitely isn’t complaining.
“I do some PR stuff, some advertising,” Magnus replies with a shrug, not really wanting to spend all night talking about work, “I work for Fell&Loss, you know, making sure they actually sell stuff.”
Magnus hadn’t expected Alec to be overly interested in what he did for a living, but he certainly didn’t expect him to pull away and look at him like he’d just been slapped in the face.
“You’re Magnus Bane!” It’s not even a question but a statement, and the tone in which Alec says it makes Magnus feel a sudden need to defend himself.
“Yes, I am,” he replies calmly, not wanting to let his voice give away the cold feeling in his chest. “Is that a problem?”
“What?” Alec sounds almost confused, as if Magnus is crazy for even thinking that Alec would have a problem with anything Magnus told him. “No! Yes, I mean…”
He groans and runs a hand through his hair, looking away for a moment as if to collect his thoughts before turning his attention back to Magnus.
“It’s just… You guys are our biggest competitor on the market right now and I work in our PR department and every damn week you do some crazy and spectacular advertisement stunt,” he explains, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt in a stressful manner. “And every week, I get the same note from my boss: You see this, Alec? Now do it better! As if I can just pull some magic trick out of my sleeve! I hate it! I hate him, God, I hate my job!”
Another moment of silence follows Alec’s outburst and while Magnus isn’t sure what to say to that, the need to be defensive is already gone. This is clearly not about him, and dammit this evening has been too good for him to be mad about Alec’s initial reaction.
“I’m sorry, this isn’t your fault,” Alec sighs as he runs a hand over his face. “Please, can I buy you another drink as an apology?”
Magnus wants to tell him that it really isn’t necessary, but he can't help but nod as he sees the pleading look in Alec’s eyes. God, this man is going to be the death of him, isn't he?
Since the bar is nearly empty at this point, it only takes a moment for Alec to return with their drinks. He seems almost like he’s forgotten what they talked about before he left, or at least he did, until he’s back in his seat.
“I’m sorry, I yelled at you, Magnus,” he says again but there’s something behind his eyes, some of that fire, some of the openness from earlier that’s returned. “It’s just… It’s been a long day and I just didn’t expect it.
“Really, I probably should have expected it. I mean, it's just too perfect, isn't it? You're just… You're so funny and handsome and smart and I should have known it was too good to be true, you know.
“I've been wanting to kiss you since I saw you, and now this, and God, you're so frustrating, Magnus, and I just…”
When he finally stops, Magnus is lost for words. Really, what do you say to a wonderful, albeit drunk man who confesses to you like this at some old bar in the middle of the night?
Magnus doesn't answer, his mind still stuck on kiss you and he can't help but glance down at the other man's lips.
When he looks up at Alec, it's clear that he's been doing to same. Magnus raises an eyebrow, watching with amusement as Alec tears his eyes away to meet Magnus’.
“I'm gonna kiss you now,” Alec then states, shifting in his seat and licking his lips as he eyes Magnus as if to make sure he had his permission, “I still hate you a little for making my life a living hell, but I'm drunk and you're hot and I'm gonna kiss you now, okay, here I come.”
And so he does.
His lips are soft against Magnus’, the taste of beer still lingering from earlier, and in contrast to most of Magnus’ drunken make-outs, the kiss is almost gentle. It makes a fluttering feeling spread in Magnus' stomach, making him feel things he hasn't felt in a long time.
It doesn't last long but when they pull back, there's a hazy look in Alec's eyes, a little unfocused as he looks at Magnus, and Magnus has to fight the smile threatening to spread on his face.
“Would you like to do that again?” He asks, trying not to sound as affected by the kiss as he feels, which he must admit, is a great deal more than he expected.
Alec, on the other hand, seems to have no trouble letting all his feelings flow free as he gives Magnus a big, almost dopey smile in reply. He brings his hands up to cradle Magnus’ face; one slipping behind his neck where his fingers tangles gently into Magnus' hair, the other resting softly against his jaw.
At first, it seems like he's going to use this as a way of pulling Magnus closer but as the moments go by, he simply keeps looking at Magnus like that, his thumb sweeping gently across Magnus’ cheekbone.
“So?” Magnus finally says, the amusement clear in his voice as he watches Alec blink a few times to get out of whatever daydream he's having.
“Yeah, sorry, you're just so…”
“Frustrating?”
“... beautiful,” Alec finishes, ignoring Magnus’ little jab, as he leans in to press his lips against Magnus’ again. It's a little messier this time around, but it still makes Magnus’ toes curl in his shoes as he wraps his fingers into the fabric of Alec's shirt.
So, Magnus might not be much of a beer drinker, but he is pretty sure he could get used to the taste if it meant that Alec would keep kissing him like this.
