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malecsecretsanta · 5 years

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Merry Christmas, @ladyoxymoron!

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*****

Much Ado About Blushing

The heat greeted Simon as soon as he walked into the lobby of Shadow Media.

It was a week before Christmas, and the whole city was in high spirits under all the layers of snow. People were out buying presents, singing carols, celebrating the season, and here was Simon, ready to begin a new job, and a new chapter in his life.

He went up to his designated floor in the large building, smiling smiles at passersby who didn’t return them. It was so annoying when they did that.

On the thirteenth floor, he waited fifteen minutes outside the HR manager’s office because they weren’t inside before he gave up and hunted down the canteen. There was one on every floor, and this one was run, to his surprise, by a young woman with afro styled hair which curled around her dark ears. Simon looked around, and when he only saw people going about their business, he went towards the girl. He was supposed to meet his friend Clary here, but he couldn’t see her redhead. The woman looked up from where she was rummaging through a drawer and raised an eyebrow at him.

“New here?”

Simon blinked. “Uh, yes.”

The woman nodded. “I assumed so. I’ve never seen you here before.”

She closed the drawer and held out a hand. “I’m Maia.”

Simon took it and firmly shook her hand. “Simon. Simon Lewis.”

Maia was actually pretty cute, which was kind of awkward. Simon had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do when he was around a cute girl, which didn’t happen often.

Maia seemed to take pity on him, for she waved him over and said, pointing in the direction of the office, “Clearly, you don't know how things work out here, so let me show you. Here’s what you need to know about this floor. See that woman there? And the blond guy with her?”

Simon looked at where she was pointing, and saw a black-haired woman bent leaning against a cubicle, deep in conversation with some blond guy whose hair was practically plastered to his head. He seemed to be the pretentious kind. The woman was really pretty, though. Simon wondered if every woman on this floor was as attractive as these two.

“That’s Jace and Isabelle,” Maia explained. “Jace usually does promotions, and Isabelle’s good with new concepts. Everyone’s all over them, like, literally.”

Maia rolled her eyes, and pointed to a red headed guy in the corner. “That’s Jonathan. I highly suggest you stay away from him. There’s a rumour that he locked up one of our colleagues in a closet for a month, but nothing has been proved. And that,” she pointed to another guy, “is Raj. He’s an annoying asshole, so just ignore him, I suppose. He tips terribly.”

Simon looked at Maia. “You know, you don’t really seem like the kind of person who’d settle for running a canteen.”

Maia scoffed. “Of course not. I’m just here so that I can pay off my college fees. I’ll be here for only a few more months, and then,” there was a wistful look in her eyes as she spoke, “it’ll be just me and my dolphins.”

When she saw Simon’s confused look, she explained, “I’m on my way to becoming a marine biologist.”

“Oh.”

Across the canteen, a door opened and a man stepped out, his expensive looking boots clacking against the marble floor. Simon’s first thought when he saw the man was, Wow, he’s so shiny.

Because he was shiny. There was glitter sprinkled all over him. His hair was literally caked in the stuff, not counting the navy blue streaks in his hair, which matched his outfit - an elaborate ruffled navy blue shirt and pants so tight it should’ve been inappropriate, but no one seemed to care. His flickered towards Simon briefly before looking away, uninterested. Something seemed to catch his eye then - Simon could practically see a gleam in his eyes, and his lips twitched upwards as if he’d seen something much more interesting than Simon.

“That’s Magnus Bane,” Maia explained quickly. “He’s the creative and visual artist. The best of the bunch. And that- oh!” she grabbed his chin and turned his face the other way, where another man, this one built like a freaking tree, was walking in their direction. “That’s Alec Lightwood. The HR manager.”

Alec’s eyes had zeroed in on Magnus, and there was a strange sort of determination in his eyes, as if he were ready to face down a challenge.

“Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane,” Maia said, and when Simon turned to look at her, there was an enthusiastic look on her face and her eyes were shining. "Or as I like to call them, the best source of entertainment on floor thirteen. Watch!"

Startled, Simon turned to watch the two men. They met between the canteen and the office, and Alec looked down at Magnus and said, "Mr. Bane."

"Mr. Lightwood." Magnus's smile widened a fraction, and he tilted his head towards Alec.

"You look absolutely gorgeous today," Alec said, his face completely serious.

"And you," Magnus replied, the mischievous smile still on his face. "Look positively dashing yourself. You always do."

"I think you're more beautiful than the moon."

Simon blinked. It sounded as if they were complimenting each other, but the look in their eyes as they spoke told a completely different story. It was like sexual tension, but not quite.

"And I think you're more radiant than the sun, darling." Magnus took a step closer until their chests were almost touching.

"Of course," he added, looking up at Alec playfully, "I would even say you're hotter than the sun."

"Oh, snap," Maia muttered next to him.

Alec moved closer to Magnus. Their lips were literally only a couple of inches apart now. Simon noticed that a lot of people had stopped doing their work and were intently watching the two. Some even had their phones out and were recording the whole scene.

Alec narrowed his eyes and moved even closer. "And yet, I'm not as hot as you."

Magnus smirked, his head tilting up so that he could meet Alec's eyes. "How about you meet me later, so that we could… share some heat?"

Alec stared at Magnus, and then slowly backed away, a faint blush on his cheeks. Maia let out a low squeal.

Magnus, looking about as smug as the Cheshire cat, walked past Alec to get to his cubicle.

Alec, on the other hand, turned in Simon's direction, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the newcomer. He came towards Simon, who had to gulp down his nerves. Alec was way taller than him, and his eyes were like twin halos of fire.

"You," Alec said, coming to a stop in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I'm new here," Simon stammered. "It's been really good so far. Love the canteen. Can't find my desk, though. Do you know-"

"What's your name?" Alec asked, interrupting Simon's tirade. Simon pressed his lips together before answering,

"Simon Lewis."

Alec looked him up and down, appraising him. Simon wished he didn't do that. He felt more self-conscious than the time he got turned by his crush in high school.

"Desk 23," was all Alec said, before he turned and left.

Simon turned to Maia. "Does he hate me?"

Maia shook her head. "Nah, that's just how he looks at most people."

"So, what's the deal with those two guys?"

"Oh, that?" Maia's eyes glittered. "That's a very interesting story, actually."

Simon leaned forward. "Do tell."

Maia nodded. "Well, if you've ever had a job before, you'll know that sometimes, we just like to put work aside and have some fun. It was one of those nights, when Isabelle suggested that we play what she called the 'blushing game'.

"The rules were simple - two people flirt with each other, and the first to blush loses. And somehow, Magnus and Alec were pitted against each other.

"Now, the thing about those two? They're sworn rivals. They glare at each other everytime they see each other. They compare their appraisals to see who was better at their job, even though they have totally different jobs. They throw sass and insults at each other. And they're very competitive when it comes to the other.

"So, on the fated night, Magnus managed to get Alec to blush within ten seconds. Naturally, Alec wouldn't have it. He's been trying to get Magnus to blush ever since. Magnus caught on easily, and he plays along, and every single time, he wins."

Maia sighed and looked in the direction of the office. "I just hope they get this resolved before I leave. I want to see them officially get together."

Simon blinked. "You think they're going to end up dating?"

Maia shook her head. "I say they're already passive-aggressively dating."

Upon seeing Simon's confuddled expression, Maia threw out a hand in the direction of where Magnus and Alec had been standing earlier and explained, "What you saw just now? Passive-aggressive flirting. The whole rivalry thing? Passive-aggressively paying attention to each other. The way try to one-up each other? Passive-aggressively trying to impress the other. Sometimes they kick each other under the table during meetings. Passive-aggressive footsie!"

Simon blinked. He'd never thought he would hear the words 'passive-aggressive footsie'.

He turned to the office once again, and saw Isabelle laughing at something Jace had said. It looked like this job would turn out to be very interesting.

It had been a couple of months ago when the blushing game started.

They’d just finished a project, and Alec was leaning back in one of the comfy office chairs, his legs propped up on another, and he watched as everyone else celebrated with drinks in their hands and laughter ringing all around. At one point, Isabelle got up and declared,

“Let’s play a game!”

Raj rolled his eyes. “Come on, we’re not teenagers anymore.”

Isabelle swatted him with the hand that wasn’t holding her drink.

“You can never be too old for party games,” she stated and turned to the rest of the faculty. “Okay, so the rules of the game. It’s simple, really. Two people sit face to face and try to make each blush. The first person to blush loses.”

She simpered, and then pointed at Alec. “Alec, you and Magnus go first.”

Alec balked, and his sister smiled at him in true Isabelle fashion.

“Forget it,” Alec said, looking at Isabelle. “I’m not doing it.”

“Scared you’ll lose, Alexander?” rang out a voice. Alec rolled his eyes and looked at his nemesis for the first time that evening.

Magnus was sprawled over a chair, his legs hooked over its arm, and he was looking directly at Alec, an annoying smirk on his face.

Alec scowled and got out of his seat, moving to sit directly in front of Magnus just as he straightened languidly, staring at Alec with that stupid smirk the whole time.

“No,” Alec declared, locking eyes with Magnus. “Let’s do this.”

Magnus’s smirk widened. “If you say so, pretty boy.”

Alec was very aware of everyone watching them, and tried to fight the heat just beginning to rise to his face. He would not lose this. He would not.

Magnus leaned back in his chair. “So where do you want me to start? That pretty face, your pretty eyes, or…” he leaned back in, his eyes flickering to Alec’s lips. “Those pretty little lips of yours?”

Alec cursed his stupid pale skin, but mostly himself, when the people around them started hollering and he realised that there was a blush spread across his face.

Magnus himself was looking victorious, his arms crossed and chin held up and he was looking at Alec as if he was his new trophy. Alec hated it.

He got up suddenly, and a hush fell all around the room when he grabbed

the back of Magnus’s chair and leaned in close to him. Magnus looked surprised, but there was no blush on his face.

“This game’s not over yet,” he promised, and straightened, turning on his heel and leaving without as much a backward look.

And it still hadn’t ended.

Alec walked through the aisles, checking on every single person, making sure that no one was slacking off. They had a deadline in three days, and Christmas Eve was in four, and he wanted to make sure everything was going along smoothly.

“How’s the audio coming along?” he asked Simon, the sound artist who had arrived two days ago, thank goodness. The old one had quit for some unknown reason, and Alec was glad to get a replacement quickly.

“It’s great!” Simon chirped. “I could use some feedback though. Wanna hear it?”

Simon handed him a pair of headphones and he listened to the audio, nodding approvingly.

“Good job,” he said, putting back the headphones. “Keep working on it.”

Alec checked on a few others before he heard a couple of voices, and instantly recognised one of them - Magnus Bane. The other was some woman’s.

Alec turned in the direction of the voices. A few cubicles away was Magnus, standing and talking over the panel of his cubicle to some woman who was clearly not of this floor. They were both smiling flirtatiously at each other.

Alec didn’t like it.

He could also clearly hear Magnus’s voice as he spoke.

“Oh, I’d love to ditch work right now and come with you, Cam, but my manager is a devil,” he was saying. “He’ll extend my work hours late into the night if he finds me missing.”

‘Cam’ pouted. “Yeah, he sounds like a total spoilsport.”

“He is!” Magnus exclaimed. “And he’s so annoying. " Alec couldn't see his face, but he could practically hear Magnus's eye roll. "Like, the English dictionary doesn't have enough words to describe just how much I hate him."

It shouldn't have stung, but somehow it did.

Alec glowered at the pair, and cleared his throat loudly. Camille looked up and caught sight of him, then turned and ran away.

Magnus turned around and grinned when he saw Alec.

"Alexander!" he exclaimed, his mouth tight around the corners. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Surely you haven't forgotten that I work here?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" Magnus's smile grew playful. "Well, you did interrupt what could've been a potential date, but I'm sure you'll more than make it up for me."

Alec frowned at him. "What are you saying?"

Magnus pulled himself away from the panel and strolled up to Alec as if he were walking in the park. "Go on a date with me. Dinner on the Bateaux. Or just a couple of drinks if you're feeling it."

Magnus winked at him conspiratorially. "Because I'm definitely feeling it tonight."

Alec frowned at him, more confused than anything else. "Feeling what?"

Magnus's eyes widened incredulously. "Feeling it."

Alec's eyes flickered self-consciously across the rest of the floor. A lot of people were looking at him with a mixture of incredulity and pity.

"No, seriously, feeling what?"

Magnus sighed and rubbed his temple. "Feeling horny, Alexander."

This time, Alec couldn't help the blush that spread across his face. "Excuse me?!"

Magnus, who caught sight of the blush, smirked. "There you go."

"What are you-?"

"Oh, don't yell at me," Magnus drawled, walking back to his cubicle. "See? I'm going back to work. Adios!"

He winked at Alec, who simply scowled and turned away.

Yes, he definitely hated Magnus Bane.

"Alexander!" Magnus exclaimed as he flounced through the door of the manager's office. Alec looked up from his computer and scowled.

"What?"

Magnus laid his hands on the mahogany table and looked into Alec's eyes. "I want a leave. Today. At say, seven PM."

Alec narrowed his eyes at Magnus. "Why?"

Magnus grinned. "Because I've got a date! Remember that woman I was talking to yesterday? Well, I asked her out and she said yes and now-" he stared at Alec with that strangely coy expression of his, "I need a leave."

Alec just stared at him, unimpressed.

"I can't believe him!" Magnus huffed, his hands nearly crashing into the keyboard. "I asked him for a leave, and instead of giving me one, he's making me work extra hours! How dare he!"

Magnus gripped the mouse tightly, movie it with intense jerky movements while staring at the screen and muttering under his breath.

"Well, maybe if you actually did some work instead of… that," Ragnor Fell, a colleague and a close friend of Magnus's said, pointing to the screen where Magnus had a window of MS Paint open and was making his own rendition of Alec Lightwood as the devil reincarnate. "He'll be easier on you."

Magnus huffed again. "Yeah, right. There's no way. He hates me. And I hate him. I hate him more than you hate traffic."

Ragnor snorted. "If anything, I'd say you're in love with him."

Magnus scoffed. "Ragnor, I am not in love with him."

Ragnor shrugged. "Test it out yourself, then."

Upon seeing Magnus's quizzical look, he added, "You once told me yourself, didn't you? The three signs of love, blah blah blah. Test it out yourself now."

Magnus bit his lip consideringly. "Fine. But only to prove that I'm not in love with him."

Ragnor smirked. "Sure thing. Look, there he comes."

Sometimes, Magnus had to give destiny credit for its impeccable timing.

He looked up, and saw Alec entering the working space, and remembered the first sign.

You lose your breath when they walk into a room.

To Magnus's utter surprise, the air seemed to drop when Alec came into the room, forcing the air out of Magnus's lungs and leaving him breathless. He pushed his thoughts aside. It was just one sign. Probably a coincidence. It probably meant nothing.

As Alec walked in his direction, Magnus remembered the second sign.

Your heart beats faster.

He didn't have to put a hand to his chest to know how fast it was beating. He could feel it, reverberating in his chest like a low drumbeat. It was so strange.

Alec stopped beside Magnus's cubicle and he quickly closed the MS Paint window, trying to focus on work.

"How far has it come?" Alec asked him.

Magnus thought of a quip but bit it back.

"I'm getting close to finishing it," Magnus said. "Maybe an hour or two…"

Alec nodded and came up behind Magnus. "I'd like to see it."

Magnus pulled up the necessary files, and he could feel Alec's face close beside him as Alec bent over to look at the screen. If Magnus were to tilt his head a little, he thought he would brush cheeks with Alec. Alec laid a hand on the table, his arm brushing against Magnus's as he did so.

Your skin tingles when they get too close

Something flashed up Magnus's arm, then, something that felt like an electric shock, and that was when he knew.

Fuck.

He was in love with Alexander Lightwood.

Magnus slammed his head against the keyboard for the umpteenth time that night.

“I can’t believe I’m in love with Alexander Goddamned Lightwood,” he muttered. “God, I’m such a cliche - look at me, I’m in love with my freaking enemy-“

He was alone in the workspace, the only other person on the entire floor being Alec Lightwood, who was sitting in his cabin. Which meant that no one was there to witness him tarnish his reputation by repeatedly banging his head against the keyboard and muttering to himself under his breath.

“That stupid hair, and stupid eyes, and stupid, gorgeous smile-“

“Magnus.”

“ GO AWAY!” Magnus yelled at Alec, half-panicked because he had appeared out of nowhere and had probably heard him muttering about his romantic crisis.

Alec scowled at him. “I was going to tell you that you can leave now, but I might just change my mind if you keep up your inconsiderate behaviour.”

Magnus scowled back, and then slowly turned off his system.

“Thank you for wasting two hours of my life,” he said, standing up and walking past Alec. “You need to make it up to me now.”

He didn’t have to turn around to see Alec’s frown. “What?!”

Magnus sighed and turned towards Alec. “You lost me a date. Now you’ll have to get me one is all I’m saying.”

Alec’s frown deepened. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

Magnus scoffed. “Of course not. I’d rather date an octopus than you.”

Alec rolled his eyes and walked out past Magnus, towards the elevator.

Magnus followed him, deliberately taking a different elevator. The last thing he wanted now was to be in an elevator with Alec. Alone.

He thumped his head against the metal wall of the elevator and sighed. It was as if his world had turned upside down ever since that realisation. Before, when he looked at Alec he'd feel annoyance and that was it. Now there was so much more - his heart would start thumping and twisting every time he saw Alec, and he caught himself thinking more than once about just how life would be if he and Alec ever got together, which was very unlikely to happen. It was as if he'd realised one day that there was a clown statue in the middle of his house with no idea how it got there that he simply couldn't move, and couldn't help but notice it every time he walked past it.

"His stupid, gorgeous face," Magnus muttered again.

The next morning, Alec was walking back to his cabin after a quick coffee when he saw Magnus approaching, and straightened with all the grace of a cat.

“Good morning, darling!” Magnus greeted him, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “I hope you slept well.”

“Of course I did.” Alec grabbed Magnus’s arm as he passed by and spun him so they were both facing each other. “In fact, I dreamt about you last night.”

“Oh, Alexander,” Magnus said, his skin infuriatingly unblemished. “You flatter me, really. And you were so good to me last night. I don’t think I got a chance to tell you that.”

Alec’s eyebrows knitted together. He was suddenly aware of the fact that they had an audience. The entire floor was watching them both.

“What are you talking about?” Alec asked, a slight edge of panic to his voice that he desperately tried to hide.

“You know, last night.” Magnus winked at him, a triumphant glint in his eyes. “Right here in the office, after everyone left last night. I had a wonderful time, I tell you.”

Alec glared at Magnus. How dare he insinuate - in front of the whole office, nonetheless - that something had happened between him and Alec last night?!

“What the hell are you doing?” Alec hissed at him.

Magnus smirked at him. “Just stating facts, sweetheart.”

“Alec,” came Isabelle’s voice from somewhere to his right, and Alec internally groaned. She sounded like a hunter who spotted a particularly good catch. “What happened last night?”

Sounding as nonchalant as possible, Alec said, “Nothing.”

“Oh please,” Isabelle scoffed, and he could see that she was grinning, leaning over some poor fellow’s cubicle. “You’re blushing.”

“Seriously, Iz,” Alec said, having realised that he was, in fact, blushing. “Nothing happened.”

“It’s okay,” Isabelle relented, and then winked at him. “You can tell me all about it later.”

Alec spluttered, and then turned on Magnus. "You-!"

"Me-" Magnus looked away, smirking. The infuriating bastard.

Alec was aware that his face was very red by now, but he couldn't stop. The whole blushing game was one thing, but this was a whole other deal.

"What's your problem?!" Alec snapped at him. "Why do you have to be such a prick?!"

Magnus scowled at him. He managed to make even that look sophisticated. "You're just as much a prick as I am, Lightwood."

It was at times like this that Alec wished he was better at arguing. He wasn't very good at coming up with comebacks like Jace and Magnus were.

"Listen, Magnus," Alec said in a low, tight voice. "Take back what you said, or else-"

"Or else what?" Magnus asked, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. He was so… so…

Infuriatingly beautiful.

Alec pushed that thought away. He'd thought about Magnus's good looks several times before now, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Just as Alec opened his mouth to say something , a voice called out from behind,

"What's going on here?"

The rest of the staff who were watching Alec and Magnus immediately sat back in their places, rushing back to their work. Magnus politely inclined his head towards the woman who just spoke, and then there was Alec, the proverbial deer in the headlights.

He slowly turned around and saw his mother, Maryse Lightwood, CEO of Shadow Media. In other words, she was his boss.

"Ma'am," Alec said slowly. "I can explain-"

"Shove it," Maryse snapped, glaring at him. "May I remind you, Alexander, that you have a deadline to meet by tomorrow, and here I walk in on you in such insubordinate behaviour. I've never seen this kind of discord in my life. I did not expect this kind of management from you, Alexander." Her nostrils flared as she spoke, and she continued, not giving Alec a chance to speak. "I'll be closely watching this floor until the deadline. If I find anyone slacking off again, I shall hold you responsible for their actions. Do you get me, Alexander."

"Yes, ma'am," Alec said firmly, not moving his gaze away. Maryse gave him a sharp nod and turned to leave the office.

As her heels clacked away, Magnus sidled up beside Alec and muttered, "Well, that's what you get for ruining my date."

" Shut up ," Alec snapped at him, his voice trembling, and then he walked away.

The hours after that were strangely workaholic for floor thirteen. Almost everyone - Magnus included - sat at their desks and did their work with Alec occasionally checking on them.

"They just don't want to lose you," Maia told him when he went to get a coffee. "I still remember the time you had to go to Cali for a week, and Lydia Branwell was in your place. Everyone kept complaining, saying that they missed you."

"Well, that is unexpected," Alec had mused. He wondered if Magnus had missed him too, during that week, and pushed that thought away.

Later that night, he stood out on the little balcony adjacent to the canteen, staring out into space between this building and the next. The balcony reeked of cigarette smoke, which Alec hated, but this was the only place where he could find some peace, atleast for a little while.

"Well, the view certainly is nice out here."

Alec rolled his eyes, and turned to see Magnus leaning against the open doorway.

"I don't really see how this is nice," he said, gesturing vaguely towards the empty brick wall.

"Don't be silly." Magnus moved so that he was now leaning against the railing, and was looking at Alec. "I was talking about you."

Alec's lips quirked up against his will info a tiny smile. "You don't have to do that now. There's no one to watch us."

Magnus was silent for a moment, and then he said,

"Sure." Was it just Alec, or was there a hint of disappointment in Magnus's voice.

When Alec turned to look at Magnus, he was staring at the balcony wall, which was covered in gray soot, probably from cigarettes.

"You're still upset about what happened in the morning?" Magnus asked him. Alec scowled.

"Of course I'm not," he said gruffly, but he couldn't take his eyes away from Magnus.

Magnus gave a little snort at that. "It's okay, you know. You can't always give people what they expect from you."

Alec nodded slowly, deep in thought, and looked sideways at Magnus. Something about Magnus's voice suggested that he knew something about what it was like to carry the weight of people's expectations. Maybe he did. He was, after all, known to be the best of the best at Shadow Media.

He didn't want a heart-to-heart with his rival of all people, though, so he just said again,

"I told you, I'm over it."

Magnus patted his shoulder and peeled himself away from the railing. As he left, he stopped at the doorway and turned back to Alec.

"I'm still mad about you raining on my date, you know," he said, and Alec wasn't sure if he was serious. "Now I don't have anyone to kiss on New Year's Eve. I expect you to make up for it."

Alec grinned. "Yeah, sure."

Magnus smiled at him, a real smile, and this time he left for good, leaving Alec to stare after him. He couldn't help but let his mind reel.

Why was he so concerned about Magnus having a date? Surely it was nothing, right? Yet there was something burning in his heart at the thought of Magnus going on a date with someone else.

He thought of other things, a million little ones - Magnus's smile, his warm eyes, his infuriatingly good looks, the way his arms looked when he flexed them after a long day at work (not that Alec paid attention to him every single time he did that).

He sighed, realisation striking him, and called his sister, not knowing what else he could do.

"Hey, Iz. Please don't scream - I'll hang up if you scream - but I think I have a thing for Magnus Bane."

The next day, Alec managed to push all thoughts of Magnus to the back of his head, all his time crammed up with work. He looked after all the last minute details, all the little finishing touches, until the project was submitted and the client nodded their approval, and Alec could finally breathe.

The next day, by some miracle, Magnus managed to stop thinking about Alec long enough that he could finish up the project, and it wasn't until after they submitted the stupid thing that he allowed himself to look at Alec.

The last few days had been hectic, to say the least. Now he had time to relax. Now, he could sit back and reflect on his stupid crush on Alexander Goddamned Lightwood all he wanted, and no one could stop him.

And then Christmas Eve was upon them.

Christmas night was the time for families, but Christmas Eve was an entirely different affair. On Christmas Eve, most of the staff stayed back at the office and ordered takeout and joked around, as if they were teenagers again, as if they could be young again for a night.

Magnus was no exception.

He was sitting in his customary pose in one of the chairs, his third, maybe fourth cup of wine in one hand, and he was grinning at some silly joke someone had made.

There were no fancy decorations, but the new sound artist had put on a mix of Christmas Carols that no one was really listening to. Magnus liked these nights, when there wasn't any work to do and everyone could loosen up a little.

"Come on, Alec," Isabelle was saying to her brother, holding out a cup to him. "Just one cup. Try it."

Alec waved her off. "No, I'm good."

Magnus smirked at that and called out, "What, Lightwood? Scared you'll drink too much and confess your love for me?"

Alec snorted. "Well one of us has to be sober to avoid any mishaps."

Magnus's smirk turned into a grin. "Are you saying you'd do me drunk, sweetheart?"

Alec's lips quirked up into a smile that sent Magnus's heart doing somersaults. "Please, I'd do you sober."

Well, Magnus thought, This is an interesting development.

He was very aware of people looking back and forth between them, as if watching a tennis match. He got up from the chair slowly, and slinked towards Alec, putting a hand on the back of his chair and leaning in.

"Then prove it," he whispered.

Alec straightened, his eyes deliberately flicking down to Magnus's lips and back up to his eyes.

"Oh, I'd love to."

He got up, straightening to his full height and looking into Magnus's eyes the whole time. It was so unfair. Alec was much more taller than Magnus.

Alec grabbed Magnus's elbows and pulled him closer until their chests were practically touching.

"Is that an offer?" Magnus asked. "Because I'd definitely take a one-night stand in place of the date you owe me."

Alec frowned. "I don't owe you a date."

Magnus frowned back. "Of course you do. You blew off my date with Miss Belcourt, remember."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to owe it to you," Alec said, clearly annoyed. "It's your fault. You shouldn't have made plans for a date on a working day."

"And you had no right to be so petty," Magnus shot back. "Messing with my love life simply because you don't like me."

Which was exactly why his crush was stupid. Alec didn't like him in any sense of the word, and never would.

"Well, you-" Alec was cut off when something brushed against their heads. They both looked up simultaneously and saw, floating between their heads, a clump of mistletoe. Clearly Isabelle Lightwood had somehow attained a fishing rod and some mistletoe, and was putting them both to good use.

"Now you two need to kiss," Isabelle sang, looking at them both with a wide grin and a glimmer in her eyes. Everyone was looking at him with anticipation. Alec was looking at Isabelle, and it looked to Magnus as if they both were communicating with their eyes.

Magnus smirked at Alec, returning back to their game.

"Well, it looks like we've got no choice, darling," he purred. "Would you like to do the honour of kissing me, or shall I?"

If he expected Alec to blush, he was wrong. There was instead a determined spark in his eyes.

"There's no need for that," Alec said.

Magnus wondered what he meant, but then his train of thought was cut off abruptly by Alec's lips on his.

Magnus froze.

No, it was the world that was frozen. The Earth came to a standstill in those few moments. Magnus, on the other hand, was the opposite of frozen. He felt the luminous shock of surprise in his heart, which was racing faster than it ever had. He had never felt more alive.

And yet he was the first to pull away from that kiss.

"I didn't mean for you to actually kiss me, you idiot!" Magnus squawked, his voice cracking. The whole blushing game was just supposed to be competitive. There was nothing serious about it. Yet, looking back on it, Magnus wondered if maybe there had been something more to their game.

Alec smiled at him then, the smile bright enough to ignite something in Magnus, and then he said, "You're blushing."

"No, I'm not!" Magnus protested, indignant, though a quick evaluation of his physical status told him that he was indeed blushing.

"Yes, you are!" Isabelle Lightwood and many others said simultaneously, and Magnus huffed.

"Okay, fine," he told Alec sulkily. "Congratulations. You win."

And with that, he turned on his heel and left.

"His stupid gorgeous hazel eyes," Magnus was muttering, standing in the balcony, when he heard someone walk in.

"So, Magnus," Alec said, and Magnus could feel the weight of his hand on his shoulder and his warmth by his side. "About that date you said I owed you-"

"I was joking," Magnus said lightly, though he hardly felt so. "Forget about it."

"The thing is, I don't want to," Alec admitted sheepishly, and Magnus looked at him in surprise.

"I may have had some feelings for you," Alec added, seeing Magnus's look. "I only realized it recently, though. So if you're interested… we could go Saturday night?"

Magnus smiled at him and placed his own hand on top of Alec's. He was liking this way more than all their arguments.

"I'd love to," he said, giving Alec a smile that was assuring and charming, both at once. Alec smiled back.

"Great," he said, and he sounded happy. "I'll text you the details then."

He kissed Magnus on the cheek as he left, and to say that Magnus had melted a little was an understatement. No, he had melted into a puddle of Alec-loving goo right then and there.

He stared after Alec's retreating form, a smile on his face and hope in his heart.

Maybe he did have someone to kiss this New Year's Eve.

#ladyoxymoron #malecsanta19 #*fics19 #*gifts19

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