The Big L.

Chapter 2

Magnus had been tense all morning. It had been too many sleepless nights, his brain wasn't able to unwind. Fuck Alec Lightwood for swooping in, taking over, and putting unwanted thoughts in his head. Everything about Alec just solidified Magnus' opinion. Magnus had been leaning against the doorway to his office and watching as Alec moved into his new office the other day. The man himself didn't break any sweat, no. He simply walked around in their shared office space idly chatting with the stream of co-workers passing by to welcome him to the firm. Not Magnus though, he was not interested at all to make him feel welcome. The cocky newcomer didn't need more praise to fuel his ego.

Sadly, Magnus couldn't complain about the man's work as much as he wanted to. The emails they've shared over the past week hinted that Alec was anything but a fool. Even worse, he had been polite and a complete professional the entire time – which pissed Magnus off even more. No way Lightwood was going to steal his thunder, his work.

Magnus glanced at the clock and huffed. Five minutes late already, tardiness was not something Magnus took lightly. With an unnecessarily dramatic sigh, Magnus started going through their case again.The prosecutor was someone he had met before and also an inconsiderate, incompetent fool who cared more about his appearance than actually doing his work. Magnus had beaten his sorry ass so many times the man almost combusted every time they met in a courtroom.

In fact, Magnus' reputation preceded him to the extent that most prosecutors wanted to settle almost immediately when he took on a case. Which was naive of them; Magnus was never a man to settle, he owned the courtroom, and there were very few jurors that didn't like him. His flair for dramatics always enthralled those listening whilst the poor prosecutors wet their pants. Magnus had worked hard, and from his point of view, winning this case should be a walk in the park.

The only thorn in his side was the man that just walked through the door to his office. "Nice of you to finally show up," Magnus snapped.

Alec glared at him, then turned his face into a smug grin. "You've missed me?"

Magnus snorted. "No," Magnus stole another look of the man who had shamelessly penetrated Magnus' mind too many times over the past week. His entire appearance was abrasive: his height, his shoulders, his arms, his ass, and not to mention his jawline. Lastly, that stupid neck tattoo he had. The way it accentuated the already sharp jawline and drew the attention to his Adam's apple. Ridiculous. Magnus caught himself wondering how far down below the collar it would reach. Alec's chuckle brought him out of his train of thoughts and, to his dismay, Magnus felt his cheeks redden. What the fuck was wrong with him?

Fortunately, as Alec walked towards him and put his briefcase on Magnus' desk, he didn't look at him at all, so he failed to notice Magnus flushed cheeks. As he was opening it and taking out a few files he said calmly, still without looking at Magnus, "I've been thinking. I should do the opening, you're a much better closer than I am."

Magnus gawked at him and blinked twice. Did Alec just give him an honest compliment or was this some sort of game to make Magnus lower his guard? He narrowed his eyes and glared at Alec suspiciously before answering, "Why does one have to exclude the other? Don't you think it's better if the same person approaches the jurors? Build trust, solidify the narrative?"

"I think we should do what we are great at. And I am, in fact, better than you with the opening arguments in this kind of case. You of all people should know that," Alec stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, low blow," Magnus hissed. It had been years, and Magnus still felt the defeat as if it was yesterday. The first time they met had been in a courtroom. The first, and only time, Magnus had ever lost a case. He had many fond memories of his time working prosecution, but that wasn't one of them. Being so callously reminded of his own failures struck a nerve he didn't even know he had. "I'm still in charge of this case, and we will not divide. I'll do both."

"Why?"

"Because I can."

Alec flailed his arm and ran his hand through the hair. "That's just absolutely ridiculous! How the hell have you been able to win all these cases with this kind of arguing?" he cried out.

So it had been a game then. When sweet talking didn't do the trick, insult seemed to be the next step. Magnus narrowed his eyes and spat, "Let's make something clear. I've been working my ass off with this case for over six months. There's NO way I'll let you come in here and take over. This is MY case. If my work isn't to your liking, you know where the door is."

Silence fell between them, and Magnus tried his best to steady his breathing. They were both staring at each other; Magnus could read the distaste all over Alec's face. "Your case? YOUR case?" he sneered, "We both know the drill. You know that's not how it works. You're not some paralegal, for God's sake."

Magnus was well aware, but too stubborn to admit his own faults. No one had ever cared what he wanted, no one had ever put him first, so why should he then care for others? Camille was the last straw, and Magnus would never let his guard down like that again. "I mean, why do you even want to work here? The Institute has far more resources and takes on much bigger cases, hence you would make a lot more money staying there."

"Money isn't everything," Alec snapped, his chest heaving but he avoided looking at Magnus.

"Easy for you to say. You've had money to throw around you since you were a toddler," Magnus taunted.

Alec then turned his gaze and studied Magnus. For the briefest of moments, Magnus thought he saw sadness cross the other man's face, but it was so brief it could have been imagination before Alec schooled his features into a hard mask. "I would rather have my parents accepting me for who I am than money." There was this undefiable tone in Alec's voice, one the Magnus hadn't heard before. "Do you wanna know the real reason I decided to leave? My father could never truly accept the fact that I love dick instead of pussy, and I got sick of it." With just one sentence, the defiant tone was back. Alec stared at Magnus, his eyes pinning him down. "I thought at least here, I would be able to be me without anyone judging me or lining up possible female dates every day." By now, Alec's voice was hard, his posture rigid, and he held his chin up.

Normally the man's entire appearance would trigger Magnus in every possible way, but instead a very strange feeling of guilt flooded him. He, of all people, should know better than to assume things about others. In fact, he should have known. Every interview he's read, every meeting he's had with Maryse and Robert Lightwood should have made him aware that being gay at the Institute wasn't unchallenging. Alec's life might not have been as golden as Magnus had painted it to be.

"Are you trying to win some sympathy points? If so, it's working. I'm really sorry that I jumped to conclusions. I let my own prejudice get the better of me." Magnus noticed how Alec relaxed, and his face lit up for the first time since he arrived. He opened his mouth to say something, but Magnus cut him off immediately. "The fact that I sympathize with your personal life doesn't mean I've changed my mind about how to proceed in our case."

Alec closed his mouth and clenched his jaw. That, together with the narrowed eyes, told Magnus that Alec was far from happy with the decision Magnus had made, and Magnus expected him to argue. They stared at each other for a moment until Alec averted his gaze and took a deep breath. "Let's get to work then. This opening argument won't write itself," Alec stated before he found himself a chair and sat down. Magnus got an unfamiliar feeling in his chest, possibly akin to disappointment. There was nothing to be disappointed about; he should be happy Alec didn't argue. He did, after all, not even want to be close to the man in the first place.