#izzytrashwoods

Magnus Bane would be on the Top Ten Spies in the world if such a list existed. (Which it might, but that information is confidential.)

“Shit,” he said out loud, and a few old ladies turned to look at him disapprovingly. Alec moved quickly into an alcove to the side. “Did you guys see that?” he asked into his earpiece.

“What? What happened?” Hodge asks.

“Magnus Bane is here, talking to the target.”

“Damnit,” Hodge muttered, “Get him out of there, Alec, I don’t care how you do it, just get him away from the target. We can approach the target a separate time, Jace can do it if you have to blow your cover.”

“Why?” Alec asked, peeking out, Magnus was still talking to the target.

“Because his agency can’t get this information, if they get it we can’t, and we’ll be a step behind the Circle!” Hodge snapped.

“Okay, okay, I’m going in,” Alec said, and he stepped away from alcove and approached the two men.

Alec pasted a fake, and vapid smile on his face, and his most Jace-like walk as he approached the two men. When he reached them he reached out and Magnus’ arm, looping his through.

“Mon amour, il faut que tu goûtes le vin qu'ils servent ici. C'est le parfait assemblage, tu vas l'adorer.” he said, and without waiting, or even acknowledging the other man, Alec began to pull Magnus away.

“Excuse me a moment, darling,” Magnus said in English to the target, before turning to Alec and speaking in rapid French, “Que faites-vous? Et qui êtes-vous?”

“I’m sorry, I was saving you from a dreadfully boring conversation, Mr. Malachi, as attractive as he might be, he is dull as doorknob,” Alec said, smiling flirtatiously, and, taking a leaf out of Jace’s book, threw caution to the wind and drew his eyes up Magnus’ body and drawled, “I’m much better company.”

Magnus smiled slowly, “Oh, well in that case, I guess I’ll let you rescue me. Would you care for a drink, pretty boy?”

Alec’s cheeks flushed, shit, he hadn’t actually been prepared to entertain Magnus. What had he gotten himself into?

“Keep him occupied, Alec,” Hodge said in his ear. Easy for him to say.

“Uh, sure.”

“What’s your name?” Magnus asked as he led the way towards the bar.

“Alec…and yours?”

“Magnus, now what would you like to drink? That wine that you recommended perhaps?” Magnus suggested, a smirk taking over his mouth.

“Oh, um…I didn’t actually have a wine….you just looked like someone who liked wine…so,” Alec mumbled, his blush deepening as he sat on the barstool next to Magnus.

Magnus chuckled, “I thought so, that’s alright, as it happens I do drink wine, so I know a thing or two.”

Alec leaned on the table and let Magnus talk to the bartender. Two wine glasses are placed in front of them and Alec reaches for one, taking a long sip.

“So, Alec, is that short for Alexander?” Magnus asks, taking a much smaller sip of wine.

“Uh, yes, it is, but nobody really calls me that,” he says.

“Well, you’ll find I’m not just anybody. Now, what brings a handsome man like yourself here on a night like tonight?”

“I could ask the same thing of you,” Alec says, trying to sidestep the question.

“Oh, but I asked first, didn’t I?” Magnus replies, a smirk twisting his lips.

“I suppose you did, and I’m sure my answer is very similar to yours,” Alec said. Jesus, this conversation was exhausting.

“Well, you should tell me your answer, and we’ll see,” Magnus said. Goddamnit he was good at this.

Alec sighed, and gave in, “I’m here for work related reasons, or I was.”

“Your were? What happened?” Magnus asked.

Alec shrugged, “Nothing important, why are you here?”

“Mm, like you said similar reasons, although my work was also foiled. But that doesn’t matter now. Tell me about yourself, Alexander.”

“Well, only if you agree to tell me about you,” Alec said. He isn’t sure he’s ever been this smooth in his life, but maybe all that time waiting and watching Jace has paid off.

“A deals a deal, now, what is your favorite color?” Magnus said, smiling brightly.

Alec is taken aback for a moment, for a spy Magnus seems to be very open with his expressions, but Alec can just see a little bit past what his eyes are saying, to the guarded look that’s behind his smile.

Blinking back to the present, Alec answers, “Black.”

“But black isn’t a real color,” Magnus protests.

“While technically speaking black isn’t a color, by definition black absorbs all other colors, so I consider it a color,” Alec states. He has heard that argument one to many times from Isabelle to let it go so easily.

Magnus lets out a startled laugh, and Alec foolishly thinks that he wants that sound on repeat. He has to remind himself that this is temporary, whatever it is, Magnus is an assignment, Alec is following orders right now, he has to remember that.

“Well, that’s certainly a well phrased argument,” Magnus says.

“What’s your favorite color, as long as we’re on the subject?”

“Mm, I don’t know, I’m partial to them all, it depends on my mood, for instance, right now I’m partial to this beautiful shade of hazel…” Magnus said.

Alec felt the color flood to his cheeks, and he looked away, across the room. Magnus is an assignment, he reminds himself again.

They talk until they finish their drinks, Alec scans the room for Mr. Malachi and when he sees that he has disappeared he feels disappointment curl in his gut when he should’ve felt relief, the target being gone means that Alec has successfully distracted Magnus. It also means, however, that Alec is expected to leave, and will probably never see Magnus again.

“Well, it seems I must be off,” Magnus says, as he checks his watch, “Walk me out, will you?”

“Sure,” Alec said, and got up, startling a little as Magnus looped an arm through his.

The walk was silent, until they were waiting for the valet to bring Magnus’ car around.

“I hope to see you again, Alexander,” Magnus said, candidly.

“I…” Alec considered for a moment doing the smart thing, but as looked into Magnus’ captivating eyes he found himself throwing caution to the wind, “I would like that very much.”

“Perhaps, another time, when we are not both working…” Magnus suggested, as he slipped a card into Alec’s front pocket, “Alexander Lightwood.”

Alec couldn’t even be surprised that Magnus knew who he was, this was Magnus Bane they were talking about, still, he wasn’t about to let Magnus one up him.

“That would be ideal, Magnus Bane.”